Kissa Kissa is a jazz listening bar in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, that can be booked for private events of up to 90 guests. Organizers can take the backyard patio for up to 40 guests, reserve the whole lounge for a weeknight cocktail hour, or buy out the entire venue for an evening. The room holds more than 5,000 jazz LPs and a custom audiophile sound system, so the music is part of the event.
Seminars and company events
The venue lists corporate gatherings among the events it hosts. The format that suits a team is the weeknight cocktail hour. On Monday to Wednesday, from 4:00 to 6:30 p.m., the whole lounge and patio are reserved for up to 90 guests. The package includes a fixed list of four house cocktails, beer, wine and zero-proof drinks, popcorn and two shareable plates, and a dedicated bartender and server. At 6:30 p.m. the doors open to the public, and the group is welcome to stay. It suits team happy hours, launch toasts and after-work gatherings. The site describes no plenary room, screen or projection setup, so plan on receptions and informal gatherings rather than presentations.
Weddings and receptions
The full bar private buyout is the option the venue recommends for weddings, rehearsal dinners and larger celebrations. Up to 90 guests have the indoor lounge and the backyard patio exclusively, and the bar is closed to the public for the day. Hosts may play their own choice of music throughout the space, and may set up decor beforehand and take it down afterward at no charge. A rental fee is due as a retainer when the contract is signed, which lets the venue close reservations for that day.
Rooms and capacities
The venue states a full capacity of 90. The backyard patio is a private, covered and heated outdoor space for up to 40 guests, booked by the hour. During a patio event the bar stays open to the public inside. The patio suits birthdays, showers and small celebrations. Patio and buyout terms quoted online apply to Friday and Saturday evenings. Weekday and afternoon events are arranged on request, depending on the day, the duration and the guest count.
Catering
The bar serves craft cocktails with East Asian flavors such as yuzu, shiso and Japanese whisky, along with beer, wine, sake and zero-proof drinks. A menu of small plates and desserts is available, and every guest receives the house-spiced popcorn. For full buyouts, the food and beverage minimum can be met through individual tabs, an open bar, or a mix of both. Outside catering is welcome for the patio and the full buyout, and the team helps coordinate timing and logistics. Many hosts add dishes from a local restaurant to the bar snacks.
History and setting
Kissa Kissa presents itself as North America's first jazz kissa in the traditional Japanese style. It plays jazz only, on vinyl, with a focus on recordings from the early 1950s to the late 1970s on labels such as Blue Note, Prestige, Contemporary and Impulse. The lounge is candlelit and compact. From Sunday to Wednesday it runs listening nights with low voices, and from Thursday to Saturday the room is livelier.
Getting there
The venue is at 667 Franklin Avenue, between St. Marks Avenue and Prospect Place. It is a short walk from the Franklin Avenue stops of the 2, 3, 4 and 5 trains. Street parking is available on Franklin Avenue and the surrounding blocks.
