By Brad Japhe
What started nearly a century ago in Tokyo has become one of the most talked-about trends in nightlife. Listening bars offer a high-fidelity escape from the overstimulated pace of modern life. At these low-lit sanctuaries, music isn’t background noise; it’s the main event, accompanying sleek interiors, analog sound systems, walls of vinyl, and cocktails stirred to the beat. “More and more, consumers are requiring an oasis from the chaos,” says Joel Harrison, author of The Whisky World Tour. “[It’s] a moment to reflect and relax.”
Today, listening bars have evolved to incorporate a wide array of musical styles, all enhanced by cutting-edge audio technology. Opening one’s ears over opening one’s mouth remains a defining characteristic. Think of them as speak(less)easies. From Sydney to Mexico City, these listening bars are worth tuning in to.
The proud Japanese tradition still shines bright at Ginza Music Bar. Four floors above its namesake neighborhood, this snug, electric-blue parlor founded by veteran music producers feels acoustically closer to a studio than a bar. On any given evening, enjoy indie rock or movie soundtracks spinning on the dual turntables behind the bar. But regardless of the playlist, pair it with one of the best whisky highballs in town.
Tokyo Record Bar carries this ethos across continents and into the heart of lower Manhattan. The artfully rendered subterranean space combines the joys of the traditional Japanese listening bar with New York spontaneity. Guests collaborate on the nightly playlist, scribbling requests on slips of paper that DJs mix into a live, all-vinyl set. It’s a choose your own adventure that still respects the ritual of the format, with high-fidelity turntables spinning beneath moody lighting.
At One Park in Cape Town, fine dining, cocktails, and a record store are all cleverly combined under one roof. But a first-floor listening room—complete with custom-built speakers and inventive cocktails—has afforded the multi-concept venue legend-tier status. The bar program recognizes the country’s rich cultural heritage in liquid form. The Masala Pine is a prime example, a combination of rum with tropical fruit and Indian spices.
Austin’s nostalgic Equipment Room layers terracotta walls, shaggy carpets, and vintage concert posters into a warm, retro-futurist cocoon. A Klipsch La Scala sound system anchors the space, filling it with rich, analog sound from a 1,200-strong vinyl library. It’s all dim lighting, deep listening, and vibey cocktails crafted to match the mood. A-Sides denote the classics, including buzzy espresso martinis and sazeracs; B-Sides are filled with frivolity, like the Thumper, using a nopal and tomato-infused gin and housemade cotija chimichurri oil.
Set in a pared-back, ultra-minimalist space in East London, Goodbye Horses quietly makes its case as the city’s premier listening bar. Seasonal British bites like beef tartare and cheese toasties meet a focused list of natural wines, and the room’s real stars—vintage Tannoy speakers—distribute sound so evenly you could swear the music’s coming from inside your glass. It ranges from power pop to indie rock to electronic dance music, depending on the time of day.
If you’re after something more maximalist, step off George Street, in the heart of Sydney’s Central Business District, and into the pink-tinged environs of Jam Record Bar. It feels immediately playful, but its commitment to vinyl is entirely serious. The walls are lined end to end with an exhaustive collection of records—a staggering 15,000 in total. Signature cocktails take cues from Japan, like the Yuzu negroni and the Okinawa daiquiri, prepared with a house-made rum blend. Never one to be outdone by its Australian cosmopolitan counterpart, Melbourne’s Music Room has already attained status as a local institution. The snug soundproof drinking den makes you feel like you’re sipping cocktails inside an actual speaker box, with an eclectic variety of jazz, soul, and techno on repeat.
Mexico City’s Roma neighborhood is a leading example of the listening bar boom, and Roca HiFi is steps ahead. The cocktail menu and record selection both lean heavily into beloved classics like spicy margaritas paired with Peter Gabriel’s So. And though it can get rowdy here, the supremacy of the soundtrack is ensured by acoustically driven design, and there’s a verdant outdoor space where conversations carry on late into the night. So, you can have your listening room and speak loudly, too.
