Tokyo Record Bar — Restaurant in New York

Great concept, but too many issues ruined the experience

I contacted the venue more than a month in advance to book a table for my birthday (14.04). They kindly informed me that reservations open 14 days ahead, but since I was coming from Italy, they generously allowed me to book 16 days before. I appreciated this flexibility and booked both dinner and a spot at the Listening Bar upstairs for after.

As a DJ and vinyl enthusiast, the idea of ending the evening with a listening room experience sounded perfect.

We arrived 20 minutes early and, as suggested, waited upstairs at the Listening Bar. We were the first guests, ordered two beers, and the DJ set had already started. Unfortunately, the sound quality was very poor – poorly equalized, with no bass, harsh mids and highs, and the records seemed damaged, skipping frequently. The DJ wasn’t mixing, simply playing one track after another with stop and play. For a space dedicated to careful listening, this was very surprising and disappointing.

Around 8:10 PM more guests arrived. Five minutes later, the staff announced that tables were ready, and we all lined up to go downstairs. Despite having arrived first, we were second-to-last to be seated. The only spot left for us was at the bar counter – a very tight corner between tables, with a ventilation duct placed directly above the counter, blowing cold air just 50 cm (about 20 inches) from where our plates would sit.

We politely explained that this seating didn’t match what we expected – not only had we booked far in advance, but we had arrived before anyone else and had already ordered. The staff said there was no other option. Since the air conditioning made it too uncomfortable to eat, we chose not to stay.

They offered to serve us dinner upstairs in the Listening Bar, although they made clear it would be a different experience. We accepted, still hoping to enjoy the evening.

Sadly, things didn’t improve. Each dish came in a single small plate to be shared between two – something we weren’t informed about – which made it awkward to eat. The menu was “random,” and we weren’t given a copy. One of the dishes (duck) was nearly raw, and we left most of it. The dessert was also served in one small bowl to share.

Service was kind but disorganized: one of the seven courses was completely forgotten. When we asked for the check, a server came running with a takeout box containing the missing dish – without any explanation, just left it on the table and walked off.

Meanwhile, the music remained unbalanced, with vinyl still skipping, and eventually a waiter took over the DJ booth, continuing with simple play and stop transitions.

I truly wanted this to be a special and memorable evening. The concept is great, and the staff were friendly and well-intentioned, but the many technical, organizational, and service-related issues unfortunately ruined the experience.

I hope they can take this feedback constructively – the potential is...

Needed a really cool birthday dinner spot and I truly found the perfect place for it. Let me start off by saying the energy in here is truly unmatched. A Japanese tasting menu restaurant that exclusively plays music on vinyl records!!

At the start they had everyone choose one song from their catalogue so they played everyone’s music tastes throughout the night, how cute!! My song of choice: Dreams by The Cranberries

While seating, they have some spicy popcorn and cucumber salad as small bites as you wait for everyone to arrive. I made sure to sit at the bar to watch the chef prepare each dish! I also ordered a glass of their Yamadanishiki Sake as suggested by their Kikisake-shi (Sake Sommelier) and it was delicious throughout the meal.

First course: Japanese Cold Noodle in a Pork Broth. Ive never had cold noodles but what a refreshing dish despite being savory / salty! A great start to the meal especially in this summer heat. Noodles well cooked, broth very concentrated and flavorful, great textures with all the remaining ingredients.

Second course: DIY Sushi Hand Rolls with Rice, Shrimp, Avocado, and Roe. A Japanese staple, cannot go wrong with a classic shrimp and avocado sushi!

Third course: Balsamic Braised Pork with Watermelon, Sour Pickle, and Feta Cheese. Favorite dish of the night, incredible! Unbelievably tender meat, and pairing that with sweet juicy watermelon was perfection y’all like I could have all 7 of my courses be just this one dish omgggg.

Fourth course: Fennel and Onion Purée with Zucchini, Tomatoes, Cilantro. The colors and plating of this one is like a painting, so beautiful!!!

Fifth course: Soy Marinated Wagyu Beef Short Rib with Heirloom Tomatoes, Roasted Garlic, and Potato Purée. One bite two bite three bite four, all I can think is I want more! Hope y’all enjoyed that rhyme I just came up with. Anyways yes this was so good and putting all the ingredients into one bite was like mmm mmm mmm yum.

Sixth course: Kabosu Citrus Cheesecake with Pretzels, Strawberries, a Salty Whipped Cream, and Balsamic. Hello all of the flavors melting on my tongue wow. I’m now a kabosu stan ive never heard of this fruit before and I need to go to japan to try it.

Seventh (bonus) course: they send you home with a slice of pizza to go! HOW CUTEEEEE. Chef was like lol the stereotype of a tasting menu is that all the portions are so small so to make sure you don’t go home hungry everyone gets pizza to go. I LOOOOVE THAT!!!! And they put a candle in mine for my birthday :’)

The food, the ambiance, the music, everything was amazing and I won’t forget this spot. Their menu changes weekly so I will...

Great concept, but very poor execution.

On paper, it sounded awesome: a pre-selected tasting menu and the customers pick vinyls for the dj to spin? Sign me up.

Unfortunately, TRB fell short in every regard.

The atmosphere is fine, but the upstairs area seems like a better vibe overall.

As for the record selecting process, I was very disappointed. Maybe it was wrong of me to assume they'd be spinning Japanese vinyls, but the fact that there wasn't ANY japanese music was a letdown. Instead, they offer a short list of the biggest songs from every decade. Seems a bit misleading the way it's presented online. From their website - "An homage to the jewel boxes of vinyl in japan". Except instead of Tats Yamashita and YMO, we get Justin Timberlake and Lizzo. Cool. Also, you write your song choice on the small paper slip of your chopsticks. Is that supposed to be cute, or is the $$$$ restaurant really cutting corners like that?

The food was the strangest part. I feel like there was potential, but the meal derailed fairly quickly and only got worse. The first half was fine - some unique japanese dishes that were well-plated and tasty. But the wildest dish was the barbeque ribs. It literally looked like something straight out of a microwaveable tv dinner: ribs with roasted potatoes, green beans, and coleslaw. What an awful dish. I have no clue how it landed on this tasting menu. It didn't feel like there was anything cohesive or deliberate about the courses that were served.

The dessert was also a huge L. It was unappealing to every sense - taste, touch, visually, emotionally (yes, this dessert inflicted emotional damage on me). It was actually funny the way you could flip it in the dish like a big, frozen-solid biscuit from the freezer section of Whole Foods. We saw the people at the table next to us do the same thing.

And just to round out this weird experience with a kick on the way out, as a "special thanks", the final item was a mid slice of pizza in a to-go box. Not even the homeless man down the block wanted it, he literally whipped it into the street. Maybe we were unlucky with our tasting menu, because other reviews online looked much better.

Very baffling and disappointing experience. Especially for the astronomical price. It presents itself as an "izakaya" - it is not. It presents itself as a "Japanese record bar" - it is not. More gimmick than authentic. I won't call it a scam, but it's not like that's a far-off description. Maybe tourist trap is more apt. Worst food experience I had during my...