New karaoke bar lands liquor license in Manhattan's Koreatown

Overview

Updated Oct 17

New York State granted Nyx & Nox Bar Karaoke a liquor license on September 29, 2026, for 49 West 32nd Street in Koreatown. That address, the landmarked Martinique New York building, also hosts Baekjeong Black, a Korean barbecue restaurant that opened in September 2026.

The license covers on-site alcohol sales. It is one step in a longer process: no record shows Nyx & Nox has passed every inspection or started serving. Baekjeong Black's opening keeps the building active while Nyx & Nox's opening date stays unannounced.

Why it matters

Koreatown's 32nd Street karaoke strip gains a new competitor for the same late-night drink-and-sing clientele.

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Key Indicators

Liquor license issued

Nyx & Nox's food-and-beverage license granted September 29, 2026.

Karaoke lounges on 32nd Street

At least three competing venues advertise on the strip (Karaoke City, Space, MK).

Voices

Curated perspectives — historical figures and your fellow readers.

Organizations Involved

Nyx & Nox Bar Karaoke

Bar / karaoke venue

Liquor license issued September 29, 2026; other approvals unconfirmed

A karaoke bar seeking to open at 49 West 32nd Street in Manhattan's Koreatown.

New York State Liquor Authority

State regulatory agency

Issued the license on September 29, 2026

The state agency that licenses and regulates alcohol sales in New York.

Timeline

2 events Latest: September 29th, 2026 · 1 month ago

September 2026
Liquor license issued to Nyx & Nox Bar Karaoke
Latest Licensing

New York State Liquor Authority grants the venue a food-and-beverage license at 49 West 32nd Street.
September 29th, 2026
Baekjeong Black Opens at 49 West 32nd Street
Development

A Korean barbecue restaurant opened at the same address as Nyx & Nox, inside the Martinique New York building. A Time Out feature later confirmed it open.
September 2026

Scenarios

Nyx & Nox opens its doors on 32nd Street

Possible Resolves by Q2 2027

Discussed by: The venue's own trajectory, compared with active Koreatown lounges listed on open sources

With its liquor license in hand, Nyx & Nox completes remaining approvals, finishes its buildout, and begins taking customers. Opening is the natural next step for a business that sought a license, but it isn't automatic.

License issued, opening stalls

Possible Resolves by Q2 2027

Discussed by: Nothing in the record guarantees a venue opens after a license filing

The business holds a license but doesn't complete the remaining steps, or opening slips well past a year. Licenses can sit unused; one filing is not proof the venue ever serves a drink.

Historical Context

One moment from history that rhymes with this story — and how it unfolded.

1971

Karaoke's Japanese invention (1971)

In Kobe, Japan, drummer Daisuke Inoue built a coin-operated machine that played backing tracks for singers, creating karaoke. He never patented it, so the idea spread freely across Asia.

Then

Karaoke bars appeared across Japan, then Korea, where private singing rooms evolved into noraebang.

Now

Singing rooms became a fixture of East Asian nightlife and a defining feature of Manhattan's Koreatown, where 32nd Street hosts a cluster of karaoke lounges.

Why this matters now

Nyx & Nox's license lands at the center of that cluster, adding another venue to a strip whose format traces back to Inoue's 1971 invention.