Bar Orai

The Best Listening Bars in NYC for Music Fans - Eater NY

"Enter through a stainless steel gate, walk up the stairs, and press the buzzer and you’ll find yourself on the second floor of an East 52nd Street Midtown building, at Bar Orai, a Japanese whiskey bar decorated with mid-century furniture and shelves with more than 2,000 vinyl records. There is no website advertising the bar, only an Instagram. One night you might hear R&B like Bobby Caldwell, on another, a Japanese disco album — depending on the bartender’s preference or mood. DJs play sets that are often posted to the bar’s YouTube." - Emma Orlow