Sake Bar Asoko
Sake Bar Asoko, on East Broadway, was founded by Yuri Itakura, Shintaro Cho, and Arianna Cho. Opened in 2024, Bar Asoko distills their decades of experience into something more intimate and personal: a sake program rooted in precision, a focused otsumami menu, and an atmosphere shaped by memories of ’80s and ’90s Japan.
We sat down with the founders, drank a lot of sake and asked them some questions.
What’s in your glass at 6pm?
YURI: cold draft beer
ARI: if someone is bringing Nichi Nichi 日日, a sake that is not yet imported to the US, there’s no way i am not drinking
CHO: Jasmine Tea
How do you take your coffee?
YURI: iced latte
ARI: black in its purest form
CHO: single origin pour over
A hotel you could return to every year.
CHO: Hanamizuki in Yamanaka Onsen
The scent you associate with home.
YURI: fresh laundry and a hint of something cooking.
Your ideal temperature to sleep.
ARI: warm enough in the apartment that i just need to crack the window 3 inches
What’s always in your carry-on?
ARI: my most precious clothes that i would have a mental breakdown if i lost and on the way back, the newest clothes i purchased
A drink that reminds you of summer.
ARI: Watermelon Juice
The song that’s playing in your head right now.
CHO: Yadokari - Meiko Kaji
A city you want to visit.
CHO: Fukuoka (i want to eat tonkotsu ramen from its birthplace)
What’s on your bedside table?
YURI: iPad, hand cream, small light
The last great meal you had.
YURI: Noresore (translucent larvae of the conger eel) from Kanoyama
ARI: Mentaiko Udon from Rockmeisha
CHO: Chashu Jiro Ramen from Tabetomo
A fabric you reach for without thinking.
YURI: soft cotton
ARI: polyester because it’s probably from comme des garçons
CHO: cashmere
A place you disappear to.
CHO: a massage
The book you recommend most.
YURI: project hail mary
A ritual you never skip.
ARI: a bath, sometimes it’s even twice a day.
What does comfort look like to you?
YURI: good lighting, soft textures, and no rush
The color you wear most.
ALL: black
