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

"Entering through a stainless steel gate, walking up to the second floor of an East 52nd Street Midtown building and pressing the buzzer brought me into a Japanese whiskey bar furnished with mid-century pieces and shelves holding more than 2,000 vinyl records; there’s no website, only an Instagram, and the music shifts by bartender mood — one night R&B like Bobby Caldwell, another Japanese disco, with DJs’ sets often posted to the bar’s YouTube. I learned owner Joseph Moon (who also owns AOI Kitchen) modeled the spot after listening bars he grew up with in Seoul; they began without marketing as a friends-of-friends hangout, then started accepting applications after fans flooded their DMs so customers can bring vinyl and spin hour-long sets on select days (within reason). To avoid pretension they worked with the firm Two Point Zero to create a living-room feel — lamps, a butter-colored couch and blue carpeting that doubles as a sound barrier — and intentionally kept the rooms spacious so it never feels crowded." - Emma Orlow