Shibuya HiFi — Restaurant in Seattle

The manager is a total jerk, and the place lacks soul for a so-called Japanese-inspired vinyl bar. This place, masquerading as a Japanese/vinyl bar, is an utterly disappointment. Let us tell you why you should stay away from it:

When you arrive at the bar, there's already something off about it. As a frequent bar-goer to many Seattle landmarks like Canon, Belmont, Herb & Bitter, Doctor's Office, and other places, this place tries too hard to be like those bars, but it really shows that the vision of this place is totally lacking.

Atmosphere: The seating is awkward. Regardless of how packed or empty the place is, you will never truly feel comfortable, a stark contrast to what you would expect at a speakeasy-ish establishment.

Drinks: The so-called bar only has seven signature drinks in total. When I asked if they could make something else, they said yes, any classic you want. Great, a mojito then. “Sorry, we don’t have mint.” How about a whiskey sour? “Sorry, we don’t have egg white.” Tell me, when was the last time you went to a legit speakeasy and couldn’t even order a mojito? And the pretentious “Japanese bar” doesn’t even carry a single Japanese whiskey besides the basic Toki. No other Suntory staples like Hibiki, Yamazaki, and not a single Nikka. A bar that prides itself on being ‘Japanese’ yet offers only Toki as its sole Japanese whiskey, neglecting other renowned labels is an insult to the concept. You can go to pretty much any other bar in the Seattle area and find a better selection of spirits.

Management: Everything else is forgivable if not for the management. We were hinted to “take a look” at the private vinyl room after we could not get a reservation there, so we thought, yeah sure, that could be fun. The waitress told us to wait shortly and we are next. Thirty minutes passed, shortly becomes 11:30 pm, and it keeps dragging longer and longer. No problem, it’s an extra perk, so we don’t feel entitled to get it soon or anything, but at least communicate with us. Soon we realized the manager was walking around, touting about how great the room is while a bunch of us were waiting to see it. Then we learned that the owner and their family are here, and since they were too “enthusiastic”, they kept their stay longer than intended, well, because they’re the owner? Not sure how I’d feel about that when we’re all paying customers. Then the moment comes, we were guided into the room, the manager keeps touting how amazing this place is, and they have shows every Wednesday. Then suddenly I got a call, and as a courtesy, I just naturally went to a less crowded spot of the room since the door was blocked as there were too many people waiting to get a tour. The moment I walked any further into the room, the manager rudely shouted, “Don’t step on the carpet!” and shooed us out. I don’t think any of the owners or their friends who walked out of that room had to take off their shoes, nor was there any sign to tell us to do so. It could have been a gentle reminder, a sign, or just about anything that doesn’t make you feel like you’re a peasant given the chance to peek at the luxurious “vinyl room” atmosphere created by these people. Of course, no one in the “tour” even got an invite to sit down or try out some of their vinyl collection. No professional that I have met shows these kinds of toxic, pretentious behavior as the management of Shibuya Hifi.

Overall, this place feels like it was built by some folks who don't know what makes a good bar tick. From the atmosphere, the non-existent drink selection, to the rude management styles with an “I’m above the rest of you” attitude from the owners, it is a combination of a cheap college bar that you can find in the U-District and a management style of some pretentious Asian rich kids who got spoiled by their parents from adolescence.

Totally...

I really wanted to like this place. Have been to a couple other listening bars in San Diego and New York which executed very well, but this place misses the mark. I think there is potential if they want to invest more into some redesign of the space. Still giving 3 stars since I’ve liked all the staff I’ve encountered there and appreciate the intent of bringing this kind of bar to Seattle.

Lounge Area: the space is very open, and VERY echo-y. If it was any bar I guess that works but if you’re trying to attract a demographic of people who are interested in sound quality and people who are mingling in their small groups of friends, the acoustics are terrible. I felt like I could hear the echoes of conversations around the room, and it makes sense when you realize there’s barely any materials in the space to absorb sound. It makes it difficult to enjoy the music coming out of the speakers or to even hear the people you’re next to; it’s far from the cozy and relaxed atmosphere I’ve seen at other listening bars. Drink menu is also very limited.

Hi-fi Room: They have a cool selection of album listening sessions that get posted each month and I appreciate the effort into curating that. Also loved the guy that hosted the session, he clearly has a passion for vinyls and knows a lot about it—his charisma added a lot to the session. I’m all for the concept of just sitting in a room to listen to music. However again the experience itself missed the mark. Something about the speakers were not balanced (and we intentionally sat close to the most middle area between the left and right speakers). My husband is also very much an audiophile so he pointed out a few other areas that could use improvement for the hifi listening experience. While the speakers and equipment themselves are definitely better than what most people have in their homes, I’m not sure if it’s worth the price of a reservation.

In all, I was so excited for this concept to make its way to Seattle but am disappointed in the execution. They need to hire someone with expertise in speaker placement and acoustics if they are trying to appeal to the audiophile/music focused demographic. And if that’s not their target market, then at least make a space that feels cozier. Their website says their goal is to offer a reset from the status and noise of the world, but when in their lounge all I can hear is noise...

Would be great place, but billing was needlessly confusing. Be aware they do not let you unsubscribe from emails. Visited December 2023.

After you find the place which is poorly marked from outside, you enter the establishment. You try to take a seat and a guy approaches you saying you were supposed to check in (even though they do not have a host station? It seems the host was also DJ as well as the coat check?)

The listening room is nice, but not all seating there is equal. There are some sofa seats and lounge-esque chairs, but some of the seating is stylish versions of basic stools, which had no back support. Honestly the listening room was still nice, but not worth a $20+ reservation just to end up with meh seats for an hour. I would say if you cant seat people without using stools then you should just close the reservations at n-4 so everyone is comfy for the hour it takes to listen.

After you finish with the experience you are automatically subscribed to their newsletter. I have tried unsubscribing from their emails at least four times. I still get a newsletter once a month. This experience is not unique to me. I confirmed with three friends. All of us have been unable to stop the emails. I know how to unsubscribe. I "successfully" unsubscribed each month, only to have a new email waiting 30 days later.

I would give it 4 stars, but the confusion at the establishment as well as billing was not fun. I still think they did something weird ( you pay on the website reservation and then again after the session?? Maybe it was a deposit but its just really weird to be charged a deposit, then have it cancelled, then be re-billed at the establishment?) It was back in December so its probably too late to sort out. I almost brought the review down to two stars for not letting me unsubscribe from their emails.

What would make this place great:

Replace the stools or don't count those as reservable seating. I shouldn't be paying the same price as someone on a sofa to balance myself on a 10 inch by 10 inch stool. Its not good for the back. Check in is too confusing. Better signage outside. Fix your emails!!!! Let me unsubscribe!

If they resolved these issues I think it...