JAM Record Bar

Name: Slava Nossar
Price range: $

JAM Record Bar is a stripped back homage to the listening bars of Tokyo

Positioned on George Street, the little yet loud bar seats 45 and houses a collection of 15,000 vinyl records with a menu of Japanese-inspired snacks by sushi e Head Chef, Michael Fox and cocktails by Merivale’s Creative Cocktail Lead, James Irvine.

JAM is designed to feel like you are drinking a cocktail inside a giant speaker box… but pink. “We wanted the bar to feel simple and analogue but also refined” says Kelvin Ho, Akin Atelier’s director.

JAM is a surround-sound experience of plywood, cork, and pink-bat insulation, punctuated with retro lighting and styling objects sourced by Merivale’s Styling Director Bettina Hemmes and design director, Nasim Koerting.

A passion project for Merivale CEO, Justin Hemmes, and sister Bettina, JAM Record Bar is named after their parents and Sydney hospitality pioneers, John and Merivale. After founding ‘Merivale’ in the ‘50s, John and Merivale launched JAM Jeans, opened the clothing store JAM Shop, and released their own record titled JAM. The family legacy continued when Justin started JAM Recordings in 2003, a music label which founded the Good Vibrations music festival which toured nationally until 2012.