The name comes from haikara, meaning elite or Western-modern, after the starched high collar worn by Western-dressing young men. Bon Yagi, born in Japan, moved to New York in the 1970s and is responsible for many of the restaurants and bars around it. Hi-Collar opened on East 10th Street in the summer of 2013, then moved to a larger space at 231 East Ninth Street in July 2020. Each cup is made by hand as pour-over, AeroPress or siphon.
A glass siphon on a brass stand sits on the long timber bar, beside Tiffany-style lamps. Japanese whisky bottles and stemware line dark shelves in front of exposed brick.
