Sake Bar Decibel

"Follow the red “On Air” sign hanging overhead, descend one level below the street, and step into dark, cavernous, graffiti-covered Sake Bar Decibel, which feels like a direct portal into any of Golden Gai’s miniscule, unpretentious, divey bars. Since 1993, Decibel has been an industry favorite beloved for its no-frills ambiance, wide selection of 150 sakes, and late hours. It’s open until 3 a.m. every day other than Sunday for Japanese bar food like okonomiyaki (savory pancake), takowasa (octopus with wasabi), and ankimo (monkfish liver, regarded as the foie gras of the sea)." - Kat Odell

"Head down the stairs past a flashing “On Air” sign, and you’ll end up in a very dark, graffiti-covered den with a super long sake list. Tables fill up quickly here, so this place works better for you and one other person who you don’t mind yelling at for a few hours. (It gets pretty loud here.) They also offer a decent amount of food like takoyaki, shumai, and hamachi sashimi." - bryan kim, kenny yang, neha talreja, will hartman

"“One of my go-to favorite spots that’s open late is Sake Bar Decibel. It’s an old faithful. It’s right by La Cabra, so if you’re out really late, you can just roll over there for pastries in the morning. There’s graffiti on the walls and it’s such a vibe, I love it there. I just go straight sake. I don’t know the name, but they have one that I’m obsessed with that’s wrapped in a banana leaf.”" - gabe bergado

"Between the dog you recently adopted together, rent, and the fact that one of you quit your job to pursue comedy, you two don’t have a lot of cash to spend now. If you’re interested in celebrating somewhere other than the makeshift kitchen island in your apartment, go to Sake Bar Decibel in the East Village for sake in one of the most unusual and coolest rooms in the city. To get here, follow a staircase below a sign that says “On Air.” And if you want some sushi beforehand, Kanoyama is nearby." - hannah albertine

"Perfect For: Breaking The Boring Cocktail Grind || How many jalapeno margaritas and negronis can a person have?! Time for a change. Decibel is a little underground sake bar on 9th Street that's been around forever and has cave-like walls covered in graffiti. Share a bottle of sake, and pretend you're in Japan...or at least New York in a different decade." - hillary reinsberg