Inside The Listening Room at MOI, Soho
Inside The Listening Room at MOI: A Cult Late-Night Listening Bar Beneath Soho’s Japanese Dining Destination
Beneath the understated elegance of MOI, already recognised as one of Soho’s most compelling Japanese dining rooms a new, more discreet experience has emerged. The Listening Room, now open, is an intimate late-night listening bar inspired by the subterranean vinyl dens of Tokyo and Shinjuku, offering a rare combination of music, cocktails and sushi in the heart of London.
Hidden on the lower ground floor of MOI’s Wardour Street address, The Listening Room is deliberately restrained in scale, seating just 40 guests in a softly lit, lounge-style setting. Designed as a sanctuary from Soho’s frenetic energy, it feels less like a bar and more like a private salon, a place for conversation, atmosphere and carefully curated sound. For Londoners, it offers a refined after-dark escape; for visitors to the UK, it reveals a more nuanced side of the city’s nightlife.
At the core of The Listening Room is its devotion to music. A bespoke, audiophile-grade sound system by London specialists Friendly Pressure ensures vinyl is experienced with clarity and warmth, elevating listening to a central ritual rather than background accompaniment. The programme is thoughtfully curated, with vinyl residencies, guest selectors and one-off takeovers forming a rotating calendar of sound. Regular Soho Sessions invite figures from across London’s hospitality and creative scenes, chefs, bartenders and tastemakers, to share their musical worlds, fostering a sense of community that feels authentic rather than performative.
Late-Night Dining, Rooted in Japanese Craft
While music shapes the mood, the culinary offering grounds the experience firmly in MOI’s Japanese identity. A dedicated late-night menu presents the restaurant’s hand-crafted sushi alongside refined small plates designed for lingering evenings. Dishes such as Tempura Lobster Claw, Tuna Trio Nigiri, Cornish Mackerel with grated ox heart and tomato, and Bluefin Tuna Onigiri with white soy and cured yolk are served with restraint and precision indulgent yet unfussy, perfectly suited to the rhythm of the room.
Drinks Designed to Evolve with the Evening
The drinks programme is equally considered. Led by Dino Koletsas, The Listening Room offers an expressive cocktail list alongside an extensive selection of sake and low-intervention, biodynamic wines sourced from small producers. Cocktails are rooted in narrative and technique rather than spectacle, with flavours that evolve slowly as the evening unfolds, sparkling green tea paired with whisky and marigold, tropical notes of pineapple and oregano softened by Bolivian grape spirit, or a nuanced blend of British rose aperitif and cloudy sake finished with nasturtium. Each drink is designed to complement both the music and the moment.
The Fluxx Editors Review
For those familiar with MOI upstairs, which we previously reviewed as one of Soho’s standout Japanese restaurants.The Listening Room feels like a natural extension rather than an add-on. It offers a different tempo, one that prioritises mood over momentum, adding depth to MOI’s presence as a cultural destination as much as a dining one.
Open Thursday to Saturday with reservations available and walk-ins always welcomed, The Listening Room is a rare find in central London: a place to listen, linger and quietly lose track of time.
The Listening Room at MOI
86 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0TQ. Thursday–Saturday, 6pm–12am. @listeningroom.moi for weekly music programming.