Bar Orai is on the second floor of a building on East 52nd Street in Midtown East, accessed through an unmarked stairwell between ground-floor shops. The room holds eighteen seats and is built around two things: Japanese whiskey and vinyl records. Shelves of rare sake line the walls. The music selection changes nightly across hip-hop, soul, R&B, jazz, and J-Pop, curated by whoever is behind the bar, and the playlists get posted to Instagram afterward.

The bar also makes custom candles inspired by music genres, which is either a charming detail or a sign of someone who thought very carefully about what a bar that takes music seriously should smell like.

Irish and Scottish whiskey sit alongside the Japanese selection, along with Asian-inspired tapas and whisky flights. Reservations go through Resy or email. The combination of a serious whiskey program and genuine music curation in a room this small is harder to find in New York than it should be.