Tracks & Tales Listening Bar Chart - November 2026

The listening bars and venues readers are spending time with — mapped by country, ranked by organic readership. Not a travel guide. A living record of where the world goes to hear music properly.

Bar Martha holds at number one with a hundred and twenty views, ahead of everything else on the chart again. City Country City in Shimokitazawa climbs from twenty-seventh to second on a hundred and seventeen, and PM Sounds in Kyoto stays in the top three on a hundred and three. Minibar Midori is fourth and JBS Jazz Bar fifth, so Japan holds the first five places. Parler in Cheltenham is the highest room outside Japan, in sixth.

The biggest changes are inside the countries. In the United States, Stylus Soundlounge in Charlotte climbs thirty-seven places to the top of the list, and Nica on 4th in Austin climbs thirty-five to second. Studio 151, last month's American leader, reads thirty times and falls thirty-eight places to thirty-ninth. Parler takes the top of the British list from twenty-second, ahead of Space Talk, and Kioku in Shoreditch climbs twenty-nine places to seventh. Listener now heads France, and Ante in Newtown heads Australia. Baroke in Mumbai, last month's highest new entry, falls to second in India behind Middle Room.

The chart has widened again. There are two hundred and sixty-two venues this month across twenty-seven countries. New Zealand appears for the first time through St. Lui in Christchurch, which enters at tenth. Maru Hi-Fi in Newcastle, New South Wales, enters at ninth and DJ Bar Bridge in Tokyo at twelfth. Clique Records adds a white room above Euljiro to Seoul. Every room on last month's chart found at least one reader, so none leave it.

FAQs

How is this different from a venue directory? It isn't a directory — it's a readership chart. The venues listed here are the rooms readers actively sought out and spent time reading about this month. It reflects genuine curiosity about listening culture, not curation.

Can I read more about any of these venues? Yes — every entry links to a full venue essay. Click any name to read the piece.

What is The Listening Club? A global membership built around the culture these venues represent — one album a month, heard properly. Join here.

Continue Exploring

All Venue Essays The Japanese Origins of Listening Culture Tokyo: The Origin and Apex of Audiophile Nightlife Osaka: Exuberance, Grit, and Sonic Character The Listening Album Archive

Rafi Mercer writes about the spaces where music matters. For more stories from Tracks & Tales, subscribe or click here to read more.