By Sophie Oberstein

In August, OASiS the Listening Bar celebrated one year in Clarendon. If you’ve missed its unique ambiance, fresh and delicious Japanese-inspired menu, live music, artfully-crafted cocktails, and gracious hospitality, be sure to rectify that! This is a can’t-miss elevated dining experience. Inspired by hi-fi bars of Japan, its owners describe it as a “peaceful Japanese retreat in the City.” OASiS is just one of the restaurants in the Sisters Group restaurants that also includes Flore Café in Tysons and multiple locations of Sisters Thai.

Just walking in, you know you’re in a special place. There are walls lined from tabletop to ceiling with record albums (we happened to be sitting in a classical music section). High-top tables in the bar are divided by short tennis nets, a huge movie theater marquee hangs over a 25-seat wrap-around bar. Parts of the space evoke Tokyo, others offer a desert locale—with a cacti wall—or surfboards from Hawaii. It sounds—and is—a little eclectic, but not in a jarring way. The overall vibe is soothing, especially in the dining room with dark paneled walls and very private booths, separated by windowed dividing walls.

During daily vinyl sessions from 5:00-7:00 p.m., patrons can select albums and give them to the bartender to play. At 7:30, the venue changes to live music, but not live music that makes conversation impossible. On Thursday and Friday nights (when I’ve been there), Alejandro Villareal plays guitar accompanying a rotating roster of vocalists who, as they describe it, “provide ambiance,” not a show. And they are fantastic. On weekends, there are two music sets, one from 7:30-9:30 and one from 9:30-11:30. I’m told the live jazz brunch on Sundays is also terrific.

When it takes a few paragraphs to get around to mentioning the food and drinks, you might think they weren’t very good. Quite the contrary! The food is top-notch—everything we ordered, from appetizers to dessert—was delicious. The sushi is fresh and tasty and available in sashimi, nigiri, and maki form. My personal favorite (that I had to order again on my second visit) was the grilled salmon carmelized with teriyaki sauce and served with sauteed mushrooms, brussels sprouts, carrots, and rice.

Bar selections are equally impressive. My husband describes the Kimi Wa 1000%, as a “wonderful, smooth, creamy take on a a whiskey sour.” Several of the drinks are completely clarified so that all of the color has been extracted; it looks like water, but has amazing flavor. Jeff calls it “a twist on the senses.” OASiS stocks 20 kinds of whiskey and offers curated flights of Japanese whiskey or sake. Happy Hour is from 3:00-6:00 daily.

Their website says, “we offer a fusion of traditional flavors with a modern twist, creating a dining experience like no other.” No false advertising here—every aspect of this dining experience is unique and worth a visit (or more).

Oasis: The Listening Bar (2940 Clarendon Blvd): Hours of operation: Sun-Thur 11:30 a.m.–10:00 p.m.; Fri-Sat 11:30 a.m.–12:00 a.m. Phone number: 703-512-3068. Visit https://www.oasisthelisteningbar.com for additional information.