Underground Tokyo Record Bar Blasts the Beats Starting Tonight

Air’s Champagne Parlor in Greenwich Village will have a secret downstairs bar starting tonight, one where record music blasts over the speakers accompanied by sake cocktails and an izakaya-style set menu. Tokyo Record Bar is owner Ariel Arce’s downtown New York take on a genre of record bars in Tokyo, where thousands of records line the wall alongside impressive whiskey collections.

It’s inspired by Tokyo but not intended to be an exact replica of the ones in Japan. Here, diners each choose a song that will create a custom vinyl playlist nightly. It will play alongside a set $50 seven-course menu of dishes like caviar sushi, hamachi sashimi, braised pork belly, and a yuzu snow cone. Drinks are a low-ABV take on classics, like a sake martini with dandelion bitters, Dolin Blanc, and ginger.

Tokyo Record Bar will be open Tuesday through Saturday with seatings at 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., with the option to pregame with a glass of champagne upstairs before dinner. Come 10:30 p.m., a DJ takes over the music curation, and the menu is available a la carte until 2 a.m.

Here’s a sneak peek of what to expect:

• Tokyo-Style Record Bar Headed for Underground West Village Space [ENY]
• West Village Champagne Bar Pops Open Tonight [ENY]