![]() ![]() This dive bar has the reputation of a trendsetter it was the first to carry Nanbu Bijin sake in the United States, for instance. And sake brewers in Japan all seem to make their way here at some point because they recognize Decibel’s popularity. The bar features a sake of the week each week to bring attention to different labels. “We have a hundred different sakes,” Itakura says, “and when have real, actual sake, they’re like ‘wow.’ It’s a totally different smell and taste.” ![]() Fried purple sweet potato is the perfect salty, comforting bite for a night of sake drinking! Bottles, from left to right: Nishide “100 Year,” Kinoene “Apple,” Daishichi “Yukishibori” and Choryo “Yoshinosugi no Taru Sake Omachi.” | Photo by Taylor Markarian. Decibel does have “izakaya” (Japanese gastropub) style dishes on the menu - takoyaki, fried purple sweet potato, udon, shumai - but while they are delicious, the food isn’t the focus. “They get along with each other and make friends here, too.”īut both she and Cho also want people to look past the layers of irreverent scrawlings on the walls and see a place that offers great sake. We put the people right next to each other, like this.” She tucks her arms in tight at her sides and stands straight. “Why do I like Decibel more? It’s like dive bar vibes. “I feel like other sake bars are more calm,” Itakura says. ![]() A different Japanese person owned this place, and then took over and made it a sake bar. “Before, it was kind of a jazz/karaoke bar. “I think it was clean back then!” Cho exclaims. But at first, I don’t know, white walls? I have no idea.” Sake Bar Decibel evokes the unique dive bar scene in Shinjuku, Tokyo, with its graffiti-laden walls and red paper lanterns, which read “でしべる” (“Deshiberu,” or Decibel). “I mean,” Itakura interjects, “we don’t know when Decibel opened what it looked like. “Have you ever been to Golden Gai in Shinjuku?” Cho asks. I ask them what the inspiration behind Decibel was. I sit down with managers Yuri Itakura and Cho after the owner, Bon Yagi, heads for the exit, waving us goodbye with the back of his hand and a friendly grumble. | Photo by Taylor Markarian.įor my part, I couldn’t ask for anything better. There’s not one inch of this bar that isn’t covered in graffiti. You’ll be led to a back room you didn’t know existed, and realize it’s bigger than you initially thought (although if you arrive during peak hours, there won’t be much elbow room). On the right is a wall covered in masks of “oni” (ogre demons) and other Japanese folklore creatures, two rows of what looks like draft sake on tap, and a wooden bench that somehow tells you you shouldn’t sit there. After a short climb down some dingy stairs, you’ll walk into a tiny room and wait for someone to come get you. Only a small, red-lit “ON AIR” sign indicates to those in the know that the bar is open for business. And being the intersection for the world’s cultures, it’s no wonder this city fell in love with this underground Japanese bar. They have lots of character, no frills, and they get to the point - which is also true of many New Yorkers themselves. There is a reason Sake Bar Decibel frequently tops “Best Sake Bars in NYC” lists: New Yorkers love their dive bars.
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