The Buildout

Andrew Carmellini has spent the past decade building one of New York’s most successful restaurant groups. From the breakout success of Locanda Verde, opened with Robert De Niro, to hits like The Dutch and Bar Primi...

Katie Renshaw simply loves being behind the bar. That passion has helped make her one of the best bartenders in the country, from winning World Class in 2019 to leading some of Chicago’s most acclaimed bar programs. But...

How did James O’Brien build the restaurant where seemingly every sommelier in New York wants to drink wine on their night off? The prices are certainly part of the appeal, but Popina’s location is hardly the most...

Toby Maloney is one of the country’s most respected cocktail creators, responsible not only for multiple modern classics, but also for some of drinkers’ favorite bars across the country. Through his consulting business...

Building a celebrated restaurant group in New Jersey is already an accomplishment. Bringing that success across the Hudson to New York City is another challenge entirely—one many restaurateurs never even attempt. But...

New York Distilling Company was born out of New York’s cocktail renaissance. Founded by Allen Katz, an entrepreneur obsessed with cocktails and the bars creating them, the distillery was built as a brand for New York...

Opening a restaurant in New York is difficult, even when the people behind it come from one of the best restaurants in the world. When Cedric Nicaise and chef Andy Quinn set out to open The Noortwyck, they wanted to...

Handshake Speakeasy seems to be everywhere these days, from starring in commercials for 1800 Tequila to being named the number one bar in the world. For anyone visiting Mexico City, missing the chance to have a drink at...

Chase Sinzer knew from an early age that he wanted to own a restaurant, pursuing that dream through high school and college before making his way to New York City to work for some of the best restaurateurs in the...

Allegory DC was never supposed to become a 50 Best bar. But when Covid hit, the entire team left, and Deke Dunne found himself the last man standing. What followed was a complete transformation: a bar built around...

For many, Dante is the bar that put New York’s modern cocktail scene back on the map. After rising to the top of the World’s 50 Best Bars list in just a few short years, it helped usher in a new era of cocktail culture...

What happens when a celebrated cocktail journalist and one of the country’s foremost rum authorities join forces? The result is Echo Lake. But opening the bar proved more challenging than either expected. Chloe...

Taking over a decades-old family restaurant is daunting enough. Turning it into a cocktail bar in Chicago’s Chinatown — a neighborhood without a high-end cocktail destination — raises the stakes even more. But partners...

Opened in 2009, The Keefer Bar quickly became one of Vancouver’s essential cocktail destinations. But what happens when a beloved local institution suddenly finds itself on the national—and international—stage? In 2026...

When Ross Simon left London for the States, he set out to make his mark on the American cocktail scene. What he didn’t know was that mark would be made in Phoenix, Arizona — a city that, at the time, was hardly known...