Born and raised in Tokyo, Kenta Goto spent his teenage years helping his mother run her restaurant, which specialized in okonomiyaki. However, at 21 years old, Goto moved to New York City to pursue fashion design. In order to make a living, he picked up bartending shifts, serving vodka-cranberries to the masses. Goto was permanently distracted from fashion as his new goal was to convert basic drinkers into cocktail lovers. He fortuitously stumbled upon an ad for an opening at Audrey Saunder’s Pegu Club. He applied, landed the gig, and spent the next seven years under Saunders’ watchful wing, becoming part of the management team in his third year. As a result of his hard work and creativity, Goto’s was named “American Bartender of the Year” at the 2011 Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards. In January 2015, Goto signed a lease for a space of his own and six months later opened his namesake Bar Goto on the Lower East Side with a Japanese-inspired cocktail list and Izakaya-inspired dishes. Bar Goto drew almost immediate praise including Time Out New York’s “Best New Bar,” a spot-on Bon Appétit’s list of “Best New Bars,” and a James Beard semifinalist nod for “Outstanding Bar Program” in 2017.