The Best Listening Bars for Design Lovers
XO HiFi, Kansas City, MO. Photo: XO HiFi
In a world of compressed digital files and background playlists, listening bars offer something different: spaces designed from the ground up for the intentional appreciation of music. Inspired by Japan's postwar jazz kissa culture, these audiophile bars pair high-fidelity sound systems with thoughtful design, creating environments where every detail (from the acoustics to the furniture to the way light moves through the space) serves the music. Whether you're drawn to vintage tube amps, the ritual of watching a record play in its entirety, or simply the chance to experience sound the way it was meant to be heard, these listening bars across the country prove that beautiful spaces and quality audio aren't mutually exclusive. Here's where to find the most design-forward listening experiences, from Kansas City to Brooklyn and everywhere in between.
Fox and Pearl | Kansas City, MO
Photo: Fox and Pearl
Housed in a 1907 Swedish lodge hall with 12-to-16-foot ceilings and walls of leaded glass windows, Fox and Pearl feels like dining in a greenhouse with citrus trees and herbs creating warmth throughout the bright, airy space. The multi-level restaurant offers everything from marble bistro tables surrounded by plants on the main floor to a speakeasy-style cellar with velvet booths and exposed brick, all connected by the soundtrack of Chef's vinyl collection spinning through vintage speakers. The architecture does most of the work here, with those original leaded glass windows and high ceilings creating a sense of grandeur that's softened by the greenery and the analog sound floating through the space.
888 | Nashville, TN
Photo: 888
888 is a Japanese restaurant and vinyl record listening lounge bringing downtown Nashville a fusion of Japanese cuisine and a high-fidelity listening experience that caters to sound and vinyl connoisseurs, foodies, and design enthusiasts. The restaurant represents a reprieve from the rowdy crowds of Broadway, offering an intimate, communal dining experience akin to listening to a mix tape being made in real time. The space balances the precision of Japanese aesthetics with the warmth of Southern hospitality, creating an atmosphere where sound quality and thoughtful design work in harmony.
Equipment Room | Austin, TX
A private basement hideaway in the old equipment room beneath the Hotel Magdalena on Music Lane, Equipment Room houses one of Austin's most carefully curated record collections played on custom vintage hi-fi equipment. Blending Japanese Jazz Kissa culture with a Texas take, the space feels both new and familiar, like discovering a friend's music sanctuary. Whether you come to listen to the collection or for the cocktails, food and conversation, Equipment Room welcomes all comers to this intimate space that honors the ritual of deep listening.
Photo: Equipment Room
Part Time Lover | San Diego, CA
Part Time Lover is a listening bar concept inspired by Japan's audiophile culture, curated by music aficionados in a space that feels like that friend who once turned a room into the ultimate music sanctuary. Teaming up with Folk Arts Rare Records, CH Projects brings their signature cocktails and a homage to Japanese high balls, crafting an experience reminiscent of Rick Rubin's studio where whiskey flows freely and the music transports you. The design honors the listening bar tradition while adding San Diego's laid-back sensibility, creating a space that's serious about sound without taking itself too seriously.
Photo: Part Time Lover
ESP HiFi | Denver, CO
Photo: ESP HiFi
ESP HiFi is a bar that opens early, providing a space for guests to listen, enjoy their drinks, and settle in while the music is curated to align with the room's vibe. In the afternoon, they offer selections ranging from ambient and forth-world experimentation to classical and psych-folk, creating a mellow atmosphere that transitions into a blend of international beats as night descends. Expect to hear genres such as dub, jazz, Motown, fusion, synth-pop, and other musical oddities, all characterized by the analog sound that is present in every record at ESP HiFi.
Nómade | San Diego, CA
Photo: Nómade
Nómade is an eclectic spot in Normal Heights that blends Spanish tapas with European-style wine bars, mid-century and Scandinavian design, and a splash of Japanese listening bar culture, creating a fusion where food meets vinyl vibes. The interior features warm wood finishes, soft lighting, and shelves of vinyl lining the walls, with a mix of bar stools, small tables, and banquette seating perfect for casual hangs or date nights. The space is designed around a hi-fi sound system where records spin throughout the day, creating an atmosphere that's intimate without being precious, where the focus shifts from breakfast dishes and matcha by day to an evening listening lounge with natural wines and lower ABV cocktails.
XO HiFi | Kansas City, MO
A Japanese-inspired hi-fi cocktail lounge in Kansas City's Westside neighborhood where the former Brooks Auto garage has been transformed into a 35-seat listening bar with breeze-block screens covering the front windows, creating a sense of discovery and anonymity. The space is designed to feel like you're in a friend's kitchen rather than an overly designed restaurant, with warm, indirect, dim lighting that puts people at ease and invites them to settle in. At night, a single streetlight across the street projects through the breeze block, creating shifting shapes and patterns across the walls that change alongside the music from the custom sound system.
website | instagram
Photo: XO HiFi
Public Records | Brooklyn, NYC
Public Records is a multi-purpose creative venue that functions as a vegan cafe by day and transforms into a bar, restaurant, and performance space by night, all built around sound quality and thoughtful design. The Sound Room features dark interiors with perforated plywood acoustic panels and a custom sound system by Devon Turnbull of OJAS, while the Upstairs lounge offers a more intimate cocktail bar and listening space designed by Studio Kos with walls that direct soundwaves with intention. The space embraces a DIY approach with exposed ductwork and services throughout, anchored by a dark patterned marble bar and glossy black floor that contrast with mostly white walls and custom furniture pieces.
Photo: Public Records
Port Sa'id | Hudson Square, NYC
Photo: Port Sa’id
Port Sa'id is a 4,000-square-foot restaurant in Hudson Square that combines Israeli and Mediterranean cuisine with a dedicated bar and listening lounge curated by In Sheep's Clothing, featuring a vinyl library and a sound system large enough to fill the space. The interior features a long bar, a listening lounge where you can crate dig while testing Japanese whiskey, and an open kitchen where the chefs become part of the evening's entertainment alongside the DJs. Designers Dror Shef and Tal Friedland Shef infused the space with the open energy of Tel Aviv's al-fresco dining through high ceilings, open layout, and warm materials that create a comfortable spirit perfect for lingering late into the night.
Bar Shiru | Oakland, CA
Photo: Bar Shiru
Bar Shiru is the Bay Area's first hi-fi vinyl listening bar, designed by Studio KDA to transform a raw industrial double-height space with exposed concrete beams and steel decking into a jazz-focused lounge that provides a contrast to the loud bars on the same Uptown Oakland block. The interior embraces minimalist Japanese design principles merged with mid-century modern elements, filled with midcentury modern couches and candle-lit walnut tables, maple screens sectioning off parts of the room for privacy, and a 15-foot-high record wall that serves as the space's visual anchor. With over 75 acoustic panels around the space and design choices that prioritize acoustics, Bar Shiru creates an environment where you can intentionally listen to complete albums on their fully analog sound system while also having a conversation with friends without raising your voice.
The listening bar movement proves that in our hyperconnected, digitally compressed world, there's still hunger for spaces that ask us to slow down and pay attention. These venues aren't just about sound systems or rare vinyl collections (though both matter) but about creating environments where design, acoustics, and hospitality work together to honor the act of listening. Whether you find yourself drawn to the greenhouse feel of Fox and Pearl, the breeze-block shadows at XO, the industrial approach of Public Records, or the midcentury warmth of Bar Shiru, each space offers its own interpretation of what it means to build a room around sound. So silence your phone, settle into a well-designed chair, let the bartender choose your drink, and rediscover what it feels like to hear music the way it was meant to be heard.
All locations featured here are Opulist picks and can also be found when searching for "Listening Bars" in the open search bar. Use the search page to help plan your next night out.
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