Cure jumps to No. 21

Cure climbed to No. 21 on North America’s 50 Best Bars 2026 list and took the Nikka Highest Climber Award. (theworlds50best.com) The annual ranking was announced April 22 in Vancouver, where Cure was listed as the New Orleans honoree with the biggest rise on this year’s chart. (theworlds50best.com) (myneworleans.com) Cure was No. 50 in 2025 and No. 47 in 2024, according to 50 Best’s archive pages, before jumping 29 places this year. (theworlds50best.com 1) (theworlds50best.com 2) The bar’s team, led by Neal Bodenheimer, called 2026 its fourth consecutive year on the list. Local coverage said the award recognized Cure’s innovation and hospitality. (myneworleans.com) (nolanewswire.com) 50 Best’s profile ties Cure to the post-Katrina restoration of Freret Street and says the bar helped revive craft cocktails in New Orleans and across the U.S. South. (theworlds50best.com) Cure’s broader résumé already included the James Beard Foundation’s Outstanding Bar Program award in 2018 and a spot on the World’s 50 Best Bars list in 2014. (myneworleans.com) (curenola.com) The 2026 North America list was topped by Sip & Guzzle in New York, and 50 Best said the rankings included 28 bars from the United States, 11 from Mexico, eight from Canada and three from the Caribbean. (theworlds50best.com) (marketwatch.com) New Orleans placed two bars on the 2026 list: Cure at No. 21 and Jewel of the South at No. 7, according to local reporting after the awards. (nola.com) For Cure, the new rank turns a four-year streak into its highest North America placement yet. (theworlds50best.com 1) (theworlds50best.com 2)