About Five Spot Jazz

A Legacy Reimagined at Hi-Collar

In the late 1950s, the Five Spot Café was more than just a jazz club. It was an important part of downtown New York’s cultural scene. Tucked away on Cooper Square and later at 2 St. Mark's Place, the original Five Spot was a humble, smoky bar where legends were born and boundaries were broken.

On any given night, you might catch Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane on stage, while artists like Frank O'Hara, Jack Kerouac, and Helen Frankenthaler sipped drinks in the crowd. It was a meeting place for painters, poets, jazz fans, and anyone chasing the electric pulse of something new.

That tiny stage launched what would become the giants of jazz: Charles Mingus, Cecil Taylor, Eric Dolphy, and Randy Weston—a revolutionary scene alive with sound and soul.

Now, over half a century later, we're bringing that spirit right back to where it all started.

We love the East Village. Its wild heart, its creative spirit, and its fearless history make it a place where culture, art, and music have always collided. It is where people come not just to eat or drink, but to feel something real. That is why we brought Five Spot back, to honor its roots and keep that energy alive.

By day, we are Hi-Collar: a stylish, compact Japanese café serving top-tier coffee, omurice, and a curated selection of sake and whiskey at 231 E 9th St. in the East Village.

At night, the space transforms into Five Spot Jazz, featuring live music every night alongside delicious Japanese food and drinks.

Five Spot Jazz lives again—right here!

The address has changed. The feeling hasn't.