Austin Karaoke
6808 N Lamar Blvd.
Austin, TX 78752 (512) 323-9822
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Private Lot
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Music: Live
- Best Nights: Thu, Fri, Sat
- Happy Hour: No
15 Reviews for Austin Karaoke
this is the nicer of the two that i go to. they have more songs here, the rooms are nicer and they give you snack mix. it can just be hard to get a room depending on the time of the year and night of the week. definitely top notch though!
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This place is honestly a top 5 spot for me. I've been on a rapant search for activities that involve major drinking, music, and just fun having in Austin outside of downtown and this place is it.
Took a group of 13 for a birthday party. Showed up around 130 AM on Sat. We sang to every song possible and danced to the classics i.e. men in black, getting jiggy with it, and your favorite.. macarena. By 430 AM the bottles were empty and my voice was gone, but the memories of that night will never run dry. Bring whatever you want to drink, cool people, and just go. We ended up singing to every song in huge groups and seriously had a boss time. Just go here.
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I'm not going back into this place until they add "Nuthin' But A 'G' Thang" (Dre/Snoop) to their catalog. Otherwise, I claim discrimination against people with horrid singing voices but impeccable rap delivery.
Yes, harsh.
Edit 1/30/08: Changed from * to * * * *. Love the concept. The private, byob (or mj) setup is great. Reasonably priced for a group too. I wish the catalog were a bit more extensive. Lots of karaoke places these days are including very recent songs to their catalog. Also, these are not the original tunes, but fakes like you used to hear come on Knight Rider's stereo back in the day so that NBC didn't have to pay royalties. But once you drink enough you forget that the sax intro in Careless Whisper is synth, and it's "...nowwwww, whose gohhhhnnna daaaance with meeeeeeeee...". And come on...those videos! It's like they're on a randomization program or something. I challenge anyone to match a video to a song. But they're weird and funny nonetheless.
This place is good times.
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I love Austin Karaoke, and have been here well over a hundred times. In fact, whenever I hear the words "last call", I instinctively round up everyone in the near vicinity and attempt to organize a field trip to AK.
WHY? Because the point of going out is to cut loose... and there's no better way to accomplish this than singing crappy backup vocals to a song you'd otherwise never listen to (but somehow know the words), with friends who are singing just as bad (if not worse).
As an AK veteran, I can say that the entire experience hinges on 2 things. A) Who you're with and B) how wasted you are. I will assume that we're all grownups here and can adequately address B with no problems so I will expound on A based upon years of karaoke wisdom.
Tip #1) Bring chicks. Nothing sucks more than a roomful of dudes serenading each other. It's gay. Especially when some assclown violates every man law by putting in a cheesy love ballad like "Right Here Waiting"... If you need added imagery, look up "whack" in the dictionary.
Tip #2) Hide the Remote from the Mic Hog*. There's always one in every group... the one that thinks their voice is the bomb and has to sing every one of their greatest hits before the night ends. Yes, karaoke's about showin' off, but allowing the mic hog to hold a private concert breeds boredom. Giving autonomy of the remote to this person is even worse, because the song queue will fill up faster than you can say "Hotel California" and no one else will get to sing.
Tip #3) Don' t be shy. There are no good or bad singers at karaoke, just people that don't sing and people that sing too damn much. Nobody's gonna care if you butcher Green Day if it means postponing the Mic Hog's third rendition of Celine Dion. And when you DO sing, put some heart into it and let loose. I'll take a spirited performance complete with screams and falsettos any day over someone that just drones in a lower octave but hits every note...
Tip #4) Leave the Room once in awhile. One of the coolest things about AK is the diversity of people that frequent the place. Get out of your room and talk to some ppl. You might end up singing in a room full of strangers, you might even get some digits, but you will definitely have fun.
That's about all I've got for Austin Karaoke. I still don't know what anything costs there because usually by the time we check out, I've blacked out. But I will say that there are certain "benefits" for people that the staff recognize. If you haven't been, make an effort to stop by after your next night out on the town. And if you hear someone doing the Axl Rose "ay-eeeeeay-eeeeeaaaayyyyy" thing too much when you're in the hallway, well... come in and say hello, I could always use another backup...
* disclaimer: The author is a repeated offender, guilty of several mic hogging sessions.
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I love this place! Sure I've only been once, which was last night, but I had a wonderful time. The videos that went along with the songs were so random and they seemed so angsty too. That's what made the time there better though. At the end of a song you get scored but I'm wondering how that works. The songs available were good, but I hope their spanish section increases, along with everything else. The book was huge though so I'm not complaining.
I am looking forward to dragging a bunch of my friends here so that we can have lots of fun.
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Last night we partied it up with coworkers at Austin Karaoke, a freaking awesome whirlwind of colorful lights and loud jams that bounce and roll all over the room. I pretty much stayed planted in my seat most of the night for fear that if I ventured toward the front of the room someone would throw a microphone at me and cue Journey's "Any Way You Want It." Basically, I'm chicken shit.
But, if I had a group of great friends with me, I'd totally go back and sing my heart out.
I'd deduct half a star if I could, because if I were to sing my heart out it would be to the likes of Tenacious D, Willie Nelson or Dwight Yoakam, none of whom were in the song book.
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Love the private room - so that we all don't have to torture the innocents.
Love the cheap rate - so that we could sing till we lose our voice or wasted.
Love the song selections - too many to choose from and too many of us who wanted to show off!!
Perhaps someone should put a sticker label on the big yellow button on the remote so that we know that means "ENTER"?! Everything on that gadget is in Korean.
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It's not a particularly original formula, but it is an amusing one. Shoehorn 8-15 of your closest (or future closest) pals into a private room, fire up the TV and plug in tunes from any of the massive tomes they carry here for anywhere between a couple of hours and what seems like the rest of your life.
Yes, time slows down at Austin Karaoke, some might even say spins backward, and before you know it, your 6'5" buddy is making everyone imagine what Madonna might sound like -- if Madonna were some sort of truck driver or professional athlete wielding a Lone Star, the athlete's weapon of choice.
I'm a little disappointed in the fact that some of the song volumes tilt heavily to the Korean side first (what are we, chopped liver? :)), but then again this is a place that's as popular with its regulars (both international and local) as one might potentially expect. It's a fun vibe, and the owners do, by my estimation, a pretty good job of keeping things light and rentals easy, so you can get straight to the main event.
It's BYOB, so remember to hit the store on your way, and remember to make a mental snapshot of your pals on the way in. 'Cause it's possible you may never look at 'em the same way again...
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It's in the ONLY Korean strip mall in this part of Texas.
Better than some of the places here in Cali. Seriously.
Clean. Comfy.
HUGE selection of songs. Very Current. Multi-ethnic selections.
Vietnamese, AND Pinoy! (No shit you Pareh!)
Really good equipment.
Fair prices.
We went in sober, we came out drunk.
We had...the time of our life...and I never felt this way before...I swear....
Ooops.
I better stop now.
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Growing up with karaoke in my home always left me disappointed with your typical karaoke bar, but then I was introduced to Austin Karaoke! Just like being at home with the folks, these karaoke machines will tell you straight up how terribly or wonderfully accurate you were with your rendition of "Toxic."
The private rooms allow for the shiest of people to muster up enough bravado to belt out a tune or two while the colored ball spins madly overhead. Rumor has it, if you score a 100 on a song, you win some sort of prize.
Every time I have gone, I end up staying many more hours than expected. I lose my voice, my abs are sore from laughing, and my feet hurt from dancing. I recommended to the cashier that they start selling throat lozenges up at the counter to soothe all the crooners that went all out that evening. They would make a killing.
If you are wavering on the fence on whether or not to go, believe me, you won't be disappointed.
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A full-on concur, Sarah and Angela.
When I was briefly dating the zygote, he brought me and a throng of his (fun) college friends, and it was ON.
Like entering a different world, we were the only crackers here, and saw ourselves getting sucked into the cult of Karaoke as it became less of a fun drunken thing and more of a desperate American Idol-try-out-for-a-better-life-for-my-crack-baby kind of thing.
Personally, I thought I really raised the bar with my version of "I Want It That Way."
Maybe it was the cases upon cases of beer we slammed (you can smoke in here, too, and it really gets disgusting). Maybe it was the fact that everyone sings, so no one can laugh if you're being serious (or delusional). Either way, this place is GENIUS.
Korean woman that runs this place does it with an iron fist, is fair on pricing, and kind to her patrons. Bigger the group, the more fun you'll have.
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Whenever you feel the need to bust out with "She's just a small town girl, living in a lonely world, She took the midnight train going anywhere", you should come to Austin Karaoke.
I have found that you tend to have more fun not caring how bad you can sing when you are in a private room with just your friends to make fun of you. Also if you can get a group of people together, the cheaper the room will be. It is also better here because it is BYOB. The only thing that really takes away from the experience is that they don't have Salt n Peppa's "Push It". I mean come on!
Also there might not always be room available, so call while you are driving there to reserve one.
Now, my friends, this is a must...
Gather a group of your rowdiest friends, a cooler of beer and snacks, and head north on Lamar to Austin Karaoke. Welcome to super-sized karaoke.
Upon arrival, your party will be led to their own private room, featuring a giant television screen, two remote controls (good luck!), a couple of hand-held microphones, and a booth-style pleather-esque couch that spans three walls. Get comfortable, because you'll spend the first half-hour of your time trying to get the songs from their original Korean format into English.
When you finally arrive at the English playlist, you'll be slightly disappointed in the rather old-school collection, but it won't matter because someone will have already found Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" and the beer you're ENCOURAGED to bring along will be tasting good and cold. Hopefully, you'll be buzzed enough to let it go that the speaker volume goes far beyond the noise-decibel per sq. ft. ratio that your ears would probably prefer. If the music is getting to you, just concentrate on the "videos" projecting from the flat screen - happy Koreans frolicking hand-in-hand down the beach.
There's plenty of room to dance, plenty of songbooks to pass around, and plenty of opportunity for foolishness at this hilarious and ingenious venue. As they say, laughter is the best medicine, and any group will benefit from this light-hearted experience (kids, bday parties, bachelor/ette parties, adults, tourists, out-of-towners, or a clan of your best friends).
A few hints before you go. 1) Call ahead to reserve on a weekend night. 2) They charge by the hour and your group size (the prices are very reasonable). 3) The song "Copa Cabana" is longer than you think. 4) And most importantly: if you leave to go to the restroom, make sure you note which room you departed from...walking in on a random group karaoking is a common occurrence, and trust me...it's not as easy to spot your friends from strangers when they are jumping up and down to Madonna's "Like a Prayer".
It's the type of place that will come up years from now when you're sitting around the kitchen table with friends and family saying, "Remember that time at Austin Karaoke..." And then you'll all enjoy a healthy does of side-splitting guffaws.
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You have to come here! You'll have a blast!
There are private rooms that you go in and you and your friends can sing with the 2 provided mics to your hearts content! A tambourine is available to you for your best Stevie Nicks impression!
It's awesome!
You can bring food and drinks! The rooms were clean and the sitting was comfy.
This is definitely a must do for a large group. The rooms are different sizes and can hold a lot of people or a few. The rates are pretty reasonable, I went last Saturday for an impromptu birhtday party stayed for 5 hours (time fliess) and my total bill was $15!.
They gave us three huge binders of songs, most were Korean,and Japanese, however the English selection had a lot of really great tunes to choose from.
We had a blast and if you are looking for something to do late - like really late (its open until 5am!!) you should totally check this out!
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Good Times! I love karaoke! Reminds me of Japan!
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