90s Japan-Inspired 'Sake Bar Asoko' Opens on East Broadway

'Asoko' roughly translates to "there" or "over there".

Sake Bar Asoko will roll out of its soft-opening phase in November after nearly two months of operation.

East Broadway's first sake bar is an attempt at capturing the aura of the long-gone Japan of the 90s and early 2000s, an era defined, at least by the owners, by the magazines, photography, and digital media of the time. If you let them, the indie zines on the walls and colors emitted by an old SD TV in the back will tell you about an era the three owners seem hell-bent on appreciating, if not reliving.

The trio owners are Yuri Itakura and husband-wife duo Arianna and Shintaro Cho. Yuri and Shintaro are ex-Sake Bar Decibel managers, which is where Arianna and Shintaro met. The decoration is sourced from their own personal collections of artwork, magazines, and even grandpa's china.

Its interior is split into three sections: front, middle, and back. The front's vibe and design is moody but streamlined, think Dimes (at night) or Reception Bar. The space features the warm lighting every sophisticated bar needs to feel cozy, complemented well by the vinyl on every night. The middle consists of a uniquely Japanese tachinomi section, literally translating to "stand-drink", which rids itself of bar chairs to make up for its tight space and adds to the room's energy. The back's got an L-shaped couch facing the old TV busy playing old cartoon shorts.

The place offers a revolving weekly menu of sakes, shochu mock/cocktails, and otsumami plates. They are open from 6-12AM Tuesday through Saturday.

Before becoming Sake Bar Asoko, 127 E Broadway was a pizza parlor since at least 2016, and before that, was your classic Chinatown bus stop. The 5 floor walk-up building was built in 1915.