BAR GOTO

"If you want a relaxed bar atmosphere on the LES, check out Bar Goto. It’s a little Japanese-inspired cocktail bar that also happens to have some very good appetizers, including a couple types of okonomiyaki and the thing to get there: spicy miso chicken wings. Arrive on the early side if you don’t want to wait—this place doesn’t have a lot of space, and it’s popular." - team infatuation

"Encompassing just 600 square feet, Bar Goto replicates the feeling of drinking in a tiny Japanese pub, of which there are millions spread through the country. Somehow owner Kenta Goto fit 40 seats into that diminutive space, decorated with warm wood, and here the Pegu Club alum serves a short list of cocktails made with Japanese ingredients (think dashi and sakura blossoms) that reflect his time in both New York and Tokyo. To soak up the booze, there are top-notch bar snacks like okonomiyaki and ume (plum) vinegar octopus." - Kat Odell

"A minimalist shelter from the storm of Lower East Side partiers, Bar Goto has sleek Japanese design, attentive service, excellent highballs and bar food. Kenta Goto, owner and barman, was once at the dearly departed Pegu Club, and has retained that famous bar’s warm service and exacting attention to detail. It shines in his highballs and the delicate coupe cocktails, such as one made with a rosy cherry blossom, sake, gin, and maraschino. The food here is not an afterthought. The okonomiyaki—that killer izakaya drinking standard of fried cabbage and kewpie mayo, dancing with bonito flakes and stuffed full of pork belly, rock shrimp, and squid that will transport you to Tokyo—is some of the best in town." - Emily Saladino, Devra Ferst

"Bar Goto is a small, dark Japanese-inspired bar with some of the best drinks on the Lower East Side. Have a sake and gin martini with cherry blossom in it, and impress your date with the kind of chicken wings you'd never expect to find in a fancy cocktail bar like this. You need at least one order—although two would be more impressive." - team infatuation

"Bar Goto is a tiny Japanese cocktail bar on a relatively quiet block of the Lower East Side. It’s sleek and loungy, with a handful of tables and a hardwood bar surrounded by leather stools. Bring a date, drink a martini with a cherry blossom in it, and try the signature crispy wings smothered in a crispy miso sauce. You can also sample some Japanese whiskey, as long as you’re willing to spend around $40 on a single serving. (The whiskey market is rough these days.)" - bryan kim, neha talreja, sonal shah, willa moore