Two traditions, one room.
Kissa Kissa is a jazz vinyl cocktail bar rooted in two cultures that both mastered the art of deep listening. The name draws from kissa-ten — the Japanese jazz listening bar tradition, where record collections are curated with obsessive care and conversation gives way to music —.
Opened in February 2024, Kissa Kissa was born from a simple but radical idea — that a bar could be a place of genuine listening. Not background music. Not curated playlists on shuffle. Listening. The kind that happens when a needle drops and the room goes quiet in that particular way.
Nina and Danny, the wife and husband team behind the kissa, spent two years refining their concept: researching, building their modest jazz collection into one of the most comprehensive in the United States, perfecting new cocktail ideas, and finding the right room in Crown Heights.
We’re located at 667 Franklin Avenue in Crown Heights, Brooklyn — a neighborhood with deep roots in jazz, Caribbean music, and creative community. When plotted on a map alongside Crown Heights’ historic 1950s–60s jazz clubs (The Continental, La Marchal, Baby Grand, Tip Top, The Cornet) Kissa Kissa sits right in the center. It’s no accident that the first jazz kissa outside of Japan would find a home here on the streets of Brooklyn.
The people behind the records.
Kissa Kissa is run by a small, dedicated team that takes the bar, the music, and the hospitality seriously — without taking themselves too seriously. Being welcoming to all who enter and creating warm, memorable experiences are the guiding stars for our servers and bartenders.
Omer
A professional jazz guitarist with deep roots in both music and hospitality, Omer brings a musician’s ear to everything behind the bar. He oversees the bar program, manages the day-to-day of the space, and is the one who fine-tunes all of our cocktail offerings through dozens of iterations in search of the perfect balance.
Nina
A Moscow-born artist with a deep appreciation for visual texture and sonic detail, Nina met Danny when they were living in Clinton Hill in 2003. Her touch has shaped every corner of Kissa Kissa’s interior — including the portrait paintings that line the walls. Her eye for atmosphere and instinct for what makes a room feel like somewhere special are woven into the space itself.
Danny
A lifelong jazz lover, Danny became enamored with the charm and tradition of jazz kissa culture. Its emphasis on intentional listening and utilizing music to build community guide his decisions at our space, whether it’s spearheading neighborhood and record label collaborations or selecting each night’s LPs from our collection.
Open Thursday through Sunday.
Find a seat, let the music do the rest.
667 Franklin Avenue, Crown Heights, Brooklyn, NY 11238