Brian Bonilla

Listening bars often incorporate vinyl-only music through a Hi-Fi sound system that first originated in Japan but they’ve continued to spread into the New York City scene. They’re the perfect places for audiophiles who want to get a drink after work or even want to take a date for a unique experience. While many of the listening bars on the list celebrate the Japanese roots that influenced them others take a new spin on experience. As a born and raised New Yorker, bar experiences can eventually start to blend together after a while, which is why when I went to my first listening bar, I was immediately impressed. It can feel like being teleported into a different era depending on the record that’s playing at the time. Not only do vinyl records have a distinct sound but there are bars for any type of audiophile on this list. Whether you prefer to have small bites in a dive bar with friends or want a club or lounge experience where you can dance this list has something for everyone. RECOMMENDED: The 50 best bars in NYC right now

Record Room is a vinyl listening lounge in Long Island City that opened in May 2023 and has quickly become one of the city’s must-visit bars. The Queens lounge hides behind a vinyl-themed cafe that serves coffee, pastries and soft-serve ice cream. You can enter the lounge through a secret door and upon entering you are greeted by a hallway featuring different vinyl records from Nas to Led Zepplin. Once past the hallway, you see the lounge which is certainly one of the higher-end places on this list. The space straddles the line of being modern and retro at the same time.  Its sleek design is capped off by the lounge’s impressive music setup which includes a wooden table top where DJs spin their records and a neon sign of the bar’s name. On each side of the DJ are large speakers wrapped in wood paneling. DJs play their own sets only using vinyl records and often feature a mix of music from different eras. Some common music genres include salsa, hip-hop, and R&B. Record Room’s vibe is matched by its unique drinks like its Summer Brown Derby which is mixed with Old Forester Bourbon, strawberry, salted honey, and spices. My favorite is its espresso martini which comes with a salted cashew foam.

This Park Slope bar opened in 2023, and what it may lack in size it makes up for in character. Visitors are welcomed by the bar’s colorful square-paneled window out front. It’s an intimate space with dim lights and a narrow bar top with leather stools and just a few tables. At the end of the bar top is a turntable station with a shelf of vinyl records behind it. The bar, which has perforated panels across the entire space to maximize the sound quality, plays all types of music but also pays homage to its Japanese influence. Every other Sunday, the bar hosts an “Alfa Night” night where it plays music from the Japanese record label Alfa Music, which was first founded in 1969 and helped influence the Japanese pop scene. True to its mission the bar’s acoustics are at the perfect sound level where it’s clear enough to enjoy the music but still be able to hear the person next to you. To show you how seriously the bar takes its music it has the following disclaimer on its menu:  “Acoustics of the room are designed to allow conversing under the music. Please keep conversations at a level that respects other patrons’ listening experiences.” The menu features both classic cocktails such as a Highball mixed with Japanese whiskey and a list of its own house cocktails such as the Infante, mixed with mezcal, tequila, orgeat, nutmeg, and lime, and the Super Bee which is mixed with Gin, Black truffle Honey, and Lemon.

Cafe by day and bar by night, Hi-Note is a cozy “radio” bar in the East Village. Last year the bar, which first opened in 2022, launched its own radio programming broadcasting over 50 shows from its selection of DJs—some of whom can be seen spinning records at the venue. The bar’s music features all types of music such as salsa, soul, disco, hip-hop and house. In fact, even if you’re not in the mood for going outside you can jam to Hi-Note’s radio station on its website [I’m listening to a house mix on Hi-Note radio as I write this]. On Mondays, the bar also lets people have the opportunity to spin their own vinyl records on their DJ setup. In September, the bar also launched a new series called “Hi-Note Invites”  where guest spinners who aren’t Hi-Note’s regular DJs are encouraged to play on weekends. Beyond its unique music offerings, Hi-Note has a nice mix of food and drinks along with a daily happy hour menu where you can enjoy a cocktail for $10. There are not many bars that will sell you an old fashioned at that price. Hi-Note also has different food options for earlier in the day or later in the evening.

Good Bar comes from the same owners of Greenpoint nightclub Good Room. But unlike a nightclub, Good Bar is an intimate space that features vinyl listening sessions on Wednesdays and Friday-Sunday. It’s a modest space with colorful walls inside and a walk-up window outside the space where you can order food and drinks. 

Behind an inconspicuous back door and through a narrow stairway on the second floor of an East Village building is a Japanese-inspired listening bar that specializes in sushi. Need I say more? Studio 151 looks like a house party set in between eras. When making a reservation you can either choose high-top seating or seating at the counter for the bar’s omakase experience, which is a chef’s table where the chef curates a sushi menu for the diners. Customers can also sit in one of the funky couches available. There is a jukebox and a vinyl DJ setup at Studio151 where music and experiences can vary. For example, Tuesdays is “rockstar night” where rock songs from the ’50s through the ’80s are played after dinner service starting at 10pm.

Bierwax, which first opened in 2017 is located in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn has a neighborhood feel. The space prominently displays its massive collection of vinyl records across the bar along with Star Wars paraphernalia and paintings of different musical artists. As you can expect with a large collection of over 5,000 vinyl records, according to the bar’s website, the type of music played can vary from rap, rock, soul, and more. While Bierwax does have cocktails and snacks, what stands out the most for me is its beer list comprised of picks from local independent breweries from various parts of Long Island and Upstate New York. The list, which is pretty affordable ranging between $9-$11, has something for everyone. My personal favorite is the Franminghammer which is a smooth drink that has a nice balance between sweet and bitter flavors.