Katana Kitten Turns 5
"Let the good times roll-oll."
Kanpai, Katana Kitten!
This month the award-winning, Japanese-American bar Katana Kitten rings in its fifth anniversary on July 24. And to celebrate the occasion, tonight they’re hosting an open-to-all celebration from 5 p.m. - 2 a.m. Along with cocktails, bar snacks, and limited-edition merch for sale, there will be a rotating cast of bartenders joining the Katana Kitten team, including Kenta Goto (Bar Goto), Naren Young (Sweet Liberty), and Takuma Watanabe (Martiny’s) among others.
Fun fact: In cat to human years, Katana Kitten would be 36 years old!
In his book, The Japanese Art of the Cocktail, Masahiro “Masa” Urushido writes: “We wanted to create a bar that married the casual carousing vibe found in izakaya with the precision encountered in Japan’s formal cocktail bars, all with the warm familiarity of a local New York neighborhood bar."
I count myself among the legions of regulars grateful that Masa, James Tune, and Greg Boehm opened this very special (special), so special bar in Manhattan’s West Village. As the name itself implies, Katana Kitten is indeed a much-loved neighborhood bar with the cheeky playfulness of a curious yet mischievous little cat, but also possesses a determined focus on perfection in everything they do, which has garnered them global attention and numerous awards (including holding the No. 9 spot in the list of World’s Best Bars).
I love the music at the bar, the playlists curated by General Manager Jordis Unga (who also appeared on Dive Bar Jukebox), featuring a mix of pop and rock, pre-90s classics where you’ll hear songs like “Call Me,” “Cold as Ice,” “Jessie’s Girl,” and “Heat of the Moment.” It usually makes me smile, nod my head, and get all nostalgic at the same time.
Every square-inch of the bar is decorated with memorabilia, from awards and late-night Polaroids to T-shirts, concert fliers, and countless items of cat-related memorabilia. And a cabinet next to the bar is a sort of toy chest stocked with more hats, toys, and musical instruments than a Carrot Top show.
And I just love the Japanese-edition movie posters throughout the bar from 1970s and 1980s pictures like Taxi Driver, The Empire Strikes Back, Top Gun, Back to the Future, and Saturday Night Fever.
