A NEW YORK BAR WITH A JAPANESE SOUL.

BAR GOTO is a Lower East Side drinking den that blends Japanese tradition and New York bar culture. Open since 2015, warm amber lighting and a framed bolt of silk kimono fabric from bartender-owner Kenta Goto’s family in Tokyo keep the atmosphere personal and inviting. The focus is on exceptional cocktails, a snackable food menu, and relaxed, welcoming service.

⚲ 245 Eldridge St. New York, NY 10002

Kenta and team expanded to Brooklyn with BAR GOTO NIBAN in 2020. Located in Park Slope (near Barclays Center), the cocktail bar's minimal storefront hides a striking interior. Guests can choose to sit at the extra-long walnut bar top, tables at the window banquette, or enjoy a drink and a bite at the drink rail. A hand painted mural of a Japanese garden scene on gold spans nearly 40 feet and serves as an anchor to the sleek, wood paneled space.

⚲ 474 Bergen St. Brooklyn, NY 11217

Both bars are open Tuesday through Sunday and are walk-in only; complete parties are seated first come, first served.

CN Traveler "Best Bars in New York City" 2024

Eater "Essential Cocktail Bars of NYC" 2024

Food & Wine “Best Cocktail Bars in the U.S.” 2023

Esquire "Best Martinis in America" 2023

New York Times "100 Best Restaurants in NYC: For a Bar With Superb Snacks" 2023

World's 50 Best Bars, No. 83 2022

Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards “Best U.S. Cocktail Bar”, Finalist 2022 & 2018

James Beard Award “Outstanding Bar Program", Semifinalist 2018 & 2017

Esquire “Best Bars in America” 2017

Time Out New York "Bar of the Year" 2017

Bon Appétit “Bar of the Year” 2016

Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards “Best U.S. Bartender” [Kenta Goto] 2011

Kenta Goto's Sakura Martini is an undisputed classic of the modern cocktail scene, one of the few drinks invented in New York in this century that has a good chance of lasting into the next. - Pete Wells, The New York Times

BAR GOTO/BAR GOTO NIBAN 2024.