About Tokyo Record Bar
Tokyo Record Bar is the iconic Greenwich Village restaurant and cocktail bar founded by female entrepreneur and powerhouse, Ariel Arce. Drawing inspiration from Japan’s vinyl jewel boxes, this one-of-a-kind and unique concept delivers two immersive and distinct dining, drinking, and music experiences across two lively spaces. Tokyo Record Bar's Vinyl Jukebox (located on the lower level) is an underground listening room and seven-course izakaya-style set menu experience where Chilean Executive Chef, Ignacia Valdés (Ze Kitchen, Contra, Frevo), crafts a new seafood-forward menu each evening with fresh fish flown in from Japan and Europe. In the Vinyl Jukebox, guests handpick the night's soundtrack from Tokyo Record Bar’s extensive vinyl collection. The cocktail bar, situated on the upper floor, features Japanese-inspired bar snacks and an ingredient-driven cocktail program, influenced by the simplicity of Japanese mixology with no refined sugars and rare spirits. It was recently featured on CBS Saturday Morning The Dish.
ARIEL ARCE
Owner and Founder
Ariel Arce is the female founder, owner, and entrepreneur behind Tokyo Record Bar, Pearl Box Townhouse, Roscioli NYC, Big Pearl Caviar, Leonessa and formerly Air’s Champagne Parlor, Niche Niche, and Special Club - each a singular space built around her passions for wine, dinner parties, and music. Born and raised in Hells Kitchen, her formative life as a professional actor helps her infuse her venues with theatricality and a philosophy that going out should foster human connection, feel authentic, and in this modern world, feel like a good value. She earned her stripes in Chicago working for Michelin-starred Chef Grant Achatz and as a Champagne specialist at Pops, which opened doors around the world to the best cellars and culinary talents. At 25, she returned to New York to open the first Fried Chicken & Champagne Restaurant (Birds & Bubbles) and then to partner with Ravi Derossi on Riddling Widow before opening her first solo project, Air’s Champagne Parlor, at 28. She is a tastemaker in the city’s dining scene and a thought leader in the industry, a published author with Rizzoli for “Better with Bubbles”, consulting Partner for Hilton at The Conrad’s Leonessa, which she developed and concepted, along with projects forthcoming. She is known as “The Champagne Empress of Greenwich Village” by The N ew York Times, “Champagne Mogul” by Vogue, and named one of Wine Enthusiast Magazine’s “40 Under 40 Tastemakers” as well as Eater’s “Young Guns.”
Ignacia Valdés is a Chilean chef with a deep love for the sea and a bold, global approach to cooking. Her culinary journey has taken her through Michelin-starred kitchens in Paris and New York. Her approach to cooking was first influenced at Ze Kitchen Galerie, a Michelin-starred restaurant in Paris known for its innovative sauces and its seamless blend of French technique and Asian flavors. Since moving to New York, Chef Ignacia spent three years in the kitchen at Frevo, during which time it earned its Michelin star and New York’s celebrated Contra. She also earned a coveted spot as a San Pellegrino Young Chef finalist. With over 8 years of experience in some of the world’s most exacting restaurants, Valdés brings a distinct voice to the kitchen, fusing Chilean roots with Japanese finesse and French technique.
At Tokyo Record Bar, she channels that expertise into our set menu experience that’s as inventive as it is personal. In a compact, high-energy kitchen, she creates standout dishes like rotating vegetable sorbets (think jalapeño or tomato), housemade coconut mango sticky rice ice cream, and a perfectly executed not-so-secret late night pizza pie that guests now eagerly await. In a field still largely dominated by men, Chef Ignacia Valdés brings fresh perspective, technical rigor, and joyful creativity to every bite.