Japas 27

 

2

6

Kimberly W.

New York, NY

Although this place looks hit or miss due to reviews, I think that this is certainly one of the BEST deals I've found through yelp!!  My friends and I were amazed at the $30/2hrs unlimited alcohol, plentiful food, and great karoake songs!!!  It's the SAME PRICE as regular karoake, plus this place had a lot of openings on friday!  The only reason why I'm not giving it 5 stars is because they have a reservation policy that they will charge $15 for each person that doesn't show... =(.  Not good for flakes but awesome for group parties!!!

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Elite '08

299

299

Javier M.

New York, NY

It was reprehensible.

A narrow room, shabby, colored in horrible bubble gum pink; definitely not the place to karaoke, talk with friends, or even be at all! But we came...

Let's start with the "water": transparent plastic bottles scattered here and there containing that bronze colored water/tea mix that you often find in some joints in Korea Town right? NO! I gulped half a glass before realizing it was hard sake! You can put a practical joke on many things, but never on thirst! Thankfully the food (and by that I ONLY mean the spicy sausages) was edible enough to forgive the sakenous intrusion (afterwards I decided to continue the sake drinking but, er, that's not the point of the review), but there was another type of intrusion; the sound isolation was non-existent, and everytime we ended a song (and sometimes in between our songs) we could clearly hear the guttural howls next room crying "thRiLAAAhhh" amongst other Inquisitional chamber chants, groans and whimpers.

It gave me the chills, and this karaoke room should only be perfect for screening sessions of the Ludovico technique, but for Karaoke? Two words:

P I N K   W A L L S

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Elite '08

132

412

RoDERICK a.

Jersey City, NJ

Japas 27? How about "Lame Ass 27"? This was the most horrible of all the Japas places that I've visited on my never ending search for good no rae bang.

The whole posse came here in celebration of a Leap Year Birthday Party. We figured: its Japas, the food will be good, the drinks will be plentiful, and the songs and dancing will just add to the merriment. No such luck. To use a quote from a certain Elite that I know, "it was reprehensible". It was god awful. Where do I begin:

- audio feedback, not from the room next to us, but from the room  BELOW us

- food that was rather lacking in taste, and which pretty much stopped coming before we even arrived. This is supposed to be unlimited food, right?

- drinks that pretty much stopped before we even arrived. Not to mention that most of us couldn't tell which pitcher had water and which pitcher had sake, because they were both in the same variety of pitcher. this is supposed to be unlimited drinks, right?

- service? I did see some waiters on the way into the joint but then I never them again. Okay, not true. they did come to try to figure out the audio feedback, but they did not solve it, and left, with audio feedback still intact.

Such a bitter disappointment to us and most especially to my Leap Year baby. She deserved so much better. But then again, she was a bit inebriated so I don't even think she remembers even coming here.

PS yes i'm giving it three stars, so it has an outside chance of getting ROTD. Oh the irony, right Alanis?

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Elite '08

87

600

Sean T.

New York, NY

Recommended for:  BAD karaoke, BAD service/drinks.

Service -5, Ambiance 1, Fun 1.

Oye Vie!  Yes, I started this review in Yiddish.  We all came here to celebrate my sis', our beloved Julie K's birthday.  Since the organizer wasn't able to attend, I sorta took the reins and tried to steer this party right.  But no amount of Sake-ninjaism could prevent this from being a blah experience for us all.

We did enjoy food, and food was plentiful.  Sushi yummy, fries crispy...  The sake and beverages on the other hand were very sparse, worst of all we didn't have enough cups!!!  This resulted in, well, use your imagination :P   The sake, was most likely Ozeki which is the cheapest sake of them all.  It usually is used either to get drunk really hard really fast, or for cooking and was served no less, in large plastic containers.  

Ambiance, well, our mic's picked up the horrible sounding and enormously rowdy group of high schoolers in the other room.  We couldn't listen to our own singing and sang loudly without the mics.  Sadly, the speakers kept blasting in songs and words these fragile ears just could not take...  In fact, since our large room was across from the broom, I made"certain" comments outside the room leading some of the teenyboppers to apologize.  The room was incredibly hot, and while our theme was 80s night, we didn't intend for it to feel that much like a high school prom :P

Service.  BAKAMONO-NA!  I wanted to shout so many things in Japanese to these people, but one of my friends prevented me from going completely Ninja on them.  Not only could they not fix the mic situation, bring us adequate libation,  or cups but at least keep the room within a modest temperature.  They came 3xs, but refused to lower our price to compensate us for not being able to enjoy our experience.  We explained numorous times that my sis' bday comes ONCE every 4 years and they were ruining the night with their sheer imcompetance!.  They eventually decrease the tip owed and rate by a bit, but still, I know I could've gotten more.

All in all, this place was difficult to find, difficult to negotiate with, and just difficult to enjoy.  I truly hope from our reviews that management changes this here cause as far as I'm concerned, they're done!

Sean Approved:  NO WAY.

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Elite '08

40

378

Julie K.

New York, NY

I tried to have a reservation for my birthday party on Feb. 29 2008 at Japas 38..  BUT since it was Friday night + the end of the month, I couldn't get into it..  understandable..  had to find out new venue..  didn't want to screw up my BIG day!  I'd read lots of good reviews about Japas 27, and they have the exactly same Party Package plan ($30 deal: unlimited Food + Drinks within 2 hours)..  why not?

apparently, they put wrong name under my reservation when I got there..  crap..  they made me to fax my name, credit card info, and signature on some stupid policy (cancellation or minimum # of ppl and whatsoever)..  then, no my name on the list?   F*CK!  I should be smart enough it might turn out displeasingness at that moment!

we got interruption by horrible singers from other room - YES, you heard me.. it was HORRIBLE!  wireless mic technology didn't work!  
we got no quick service at all - YES, we were big group (20+ ppl)  eaters + drinkers..  needed to fill out our belly by FOOD + HOLY WATER : SAKE!  there's no excuse!  we paid for those!
we got no good food and drinks - honestly, sushi wasn't that bad, but sake in Plastic Bottle?  you kidding me?  thought it was water at the first time.. what can we expect from PLASTIC BOTTLE?  
we got no pleasant - oh, wait!  eventually we got 10% discount with all above awful service..  wasn't good enough to fix the situation..  oh, HELL no!

my REAL birthday only comes every 4 years!  should I happy with those GREAT experience, or not?

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Elite '08

398

399

Audrey J.

New York, NY

The first time (that I can think of) where Dr. Tam and I differ in opinion.

This place sucked. BIG. f-a-t. donkey. balls.

The staff was rude, and we were definitely under-liquified and under-nourished.  Considering there are 20 people in the room, let's be a little smarter about how much alcohol and food you will have in the room, people! The supplies were woefully inadequate. I know y'all are Asian -- you should be able to do MATH. (As in...do math and count how many people there are and then go back and count how many -- or rather, how FEW -- bottles you've brought in.)

The decor was pretty bleak, and the layout was maze-like. On top of all of this, the karaoke system sucked and blew (yes, it did both -- I just couldn't decide which one to use this time and in the end decided it was so bad that it warranted both).  The song selection is pretty good, but when our system kept picking up the signals from someone else's (as in...NOT of our party) wireless microphones, I was ready to throw something. At someone. Namely you, person who is screaming "Don'tcha" by The Pussycat Dolls, whoever and wherever you are.

So no. It's a no go. Actually, this place is a HELLLLLLLZ no go.

Forewarned is forearmed.

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Elite '08

124

348

Maria M.

Woodside, NY

I'm still pissed about Miami airport.  

And Japas 27 reminds me of Miami airport: not cute, not efficient, an insane amount of stairs, totally lacking in decor, unaccomodating staff.  Add to all that a small and not-terribly-comfortable room and a horrible sound system which kept piping in the singer from the room next door (and the staff did nothing about it).  

The food was OK, but not what we expected, having already been spoiled by the fine folks at Japas 38.  In particular, no tasty sausage!  They were not at all generous with the alcohol.  At 38, the staff was wheeling in the carts full of alcohol before we could even finish the first round.  

Izu may be low-budget no rae bang, but at least you know that since you are not shelling out a lot of money (or any at all, if you're savvy), you aren't going to get a lot.  Here, it was $30 a person for the same package we had gotten at 38 (appetizers and unlimited drinks), so we expected our money's worth.  We were SOOOO disappointed.

Warning: There are a lot of college frat people, hence the excruciating rendition of "Don'tcha" coming from the room next door.  Don't bring your kids here.  Had to be said.

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Elite '08

120

354

Jen N.

New York, NY

This place sucked in terms of service and decor, but man, their chicken wings were good!  That alone bumped them up an additional star.  Yes, THAT good!

When we arrived, they had "lost" our reservation, and by lost, I mean one of the less detail-oriented employees mistakenly wrote down the reservation under the wrong name.  Then, they were pretty bad about bringing in additionally ordered drinks in a timely manner, and given that we're on the clock for the $30 deal, this is unacceptable (by the time tax and tip are added, you're looking at $35 per head, which is ridiculously not worth it).  Add insult to injury, and their wiring or something was buggered because we kept hearing god-awful singing from other rooms in our room.  Management was completely inadequate in offering appropriate compensation for all of these factors, hence my refusal to ever return there again.

Good company and chicken wings saved the night.  Hooray!

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Elite '08

185

253

kristine r.

New York, NY

Ah, Japas 27.  How do I love thee?  Let me count...

1 = private room

2 = big platters of food that we can never finish (sushi, chicken wings, edamame, mini wieners, etc) per the party package

3 = hours of unlimited karaoke and booze

45 = dollars for aforementioned 3 hour party package (excl. tax & tip)

5 (x6) = 30 dollars for 2 hour party package (for those who are uninitiated to the splendors and pure joyousness of karaoke)

60 = dollars spent, after tax & tip included

7 = total hours spent singing karaoke once Chorus time is accounted for (see review)

8 + 20 = 28 years before I finally had my own karaoke party (what took me so frikkin' long??  oh yeah, I can't sing)

9 = times per hour we probably called the readily available and attentive staff to replace our empty pitchers

10 = how many people fit into said private room

All right, this is too much math for me.  Just hand me the frikkin' mic.

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Elite '08

14

112

Molly T.

Astoria, NY

I like the concept: a karaoke room with all you can eat and drink.

But here's my advice: If a group of your friends is going for several hours and you can only make it for the last hour, skip it. By the time you arrive, your friends will have eaten all the food and they'll already be hammered. You will have to pay the same amount ($30) for only staying an hour so you will feel compelled to catch up by drinking cold sake from a huge plastic bottle.

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Elite '08

28

197

Diana N.

NY

The rooms are spacious, and very brightly lit.  Song selection is so-so - they don't seem to have many new songs.  The room we werre in had all 6 large tables in the middle, which made the seating area feel very cramped - so even though the room was technically spacious, it wasn't a comfortable hangout.  Also, it was hard to enter songs into the karaoke machine - you literally had to be right in front of the machine - so we had to designate a person to put in all the songs. They also made a big stink about how we had people come and go - supposedly you need to tell them exactly how many people left at what time and how many people joined you.  

Karaoke is always fun - but I probably wouldn't come back here.  There are so many places in the city that are more relaxed and chill.

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Elite '08

50

175

angela g.

New York, NY

As you can read below, Jodi K. loves this place. And so, that's where we all went for her birthday. The place was kind of hard to find, as it's upstairs and only has a small sign that had been covered by someone leaning against it smoking a cigarette. But once we were tucked inside that little room with it's vinyl booth, we were singing our hearts out and forgot all about the ten minutes spent wandering up and down the street to find the joint. The evening laced with beer and 80's tunes is somewhat of a blur. But i do remember that i had a fab time and got to sing all the silly songs my heart and throat could handle.

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0

8

Jazmin H.

Jersey City, NJ

I went to the conveyor belt sushi restaurant on the first floor for lunch on Friday. It was great. The service was attentive. The sushi was good and selecting you meal was fun. I would think it would be a good date restaurant.

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Elite '08

96

76

Tam N.

New York, NY

Japas 27 is an enabler of the best sort and will unbutton the inhibited among your friends.*

If you like to drink and you like to sing, or if you can only sing when drunk (guilty!), Japas is for you.  At Japas, it's all about ...

Drink Party Pack (24-hour advance notice.  Tips and tax not included.)
$25/person for 2 hours of singing and all the beer/sake/wine you can drink.
$35/person for 3 hours of singing and all the beer/sake/wine you can drink.

Food Party Pack
They also have a food party package, but when you're this serious about drink and song, food is just plain distracting.  Eat a light dinner beforehand, and be prepared to cut loose.  K-town's a short shuffle away if you need some 24/7 meat to sponge up the booze.

I've karaoke'd in private rooms at Karaoke Duet, Karaoke One-Seven, and Sing Sing (Ave A).  While Japas 27 doesn't have Duet's light show, Karaoke One-Seven's exposed brick wall, or Sing Sing's new wave selection, what distinguishes Japas (27, 38, 55) from its competitors are their seven Pixies' songs and their unlimited-drink pack.  

Boys and Girls, let's talk practical math.  $35 is what I spend on booze alone on any given Sunday.  Knowing you have only 3 hours to make the most of the cash brings out the competitive drinker in you.  Is Japas really worth the 19.4-cents a minute?  Yes!  Wear an adult diaper if you have to.  Give your friends the opportunity to pickle your liver and grind in your lap.  

*  Unbuttoned friends included a geneticist, an economist, an i-banker, and two lawyers.  I.e., an otherwise uptight bunch.

Drink:  4.  Drinkable beers, decent house white, potable sake.
Value:  5.  See above.
Craveability:  4.  Cherishing the memories by spacing out my visits.
Service:  4.  Earnest, speedy, helpful.  But sometimes confused.  Refills on carafes of sake/wine and pitchers of beer can be made via in-room phone.  
Ambience:  3.  Think:  bare room with one (dimmable) bulb.  Oh, and climate control.

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Elite '08

6

180

Jodi V.

Brooklyn, NY

I had a super fun night at Japas 27.  We got a private karaoke room for ten people.  At first it seemed too small because everyone just sits around a table that pretty much takes up the whole room, but I ended up really liking the set-up.  It's far less intimidating to sing while sitting around a table as opposed to standing up in front of a group of people.  We got a package w/ unlimited wine/sake/beer which was somewhat dangerous.  I must admit I don't even remember everything we sang, but I know I had fun and I know I want to do it again.

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Elite '08

61

196

Annie P.

Cambridge, MA

Ummm hello???
UNLIMITED .. ahem.. UNLIMITED... did you hear me?? Un-li-mi-ted Sake (which was far more decent than cheapo ones at fake sushi bars), Wine (we didn't get any) and "unfortunately we are all out of our other beers like Bud and Coors, tonight we will have to serve Sapporo" Beer (and the crowd goes wild) for 2 hours of pure music bliss??? Is it real?? Yes. Wait we ended up doing 3 hours because no one wanted to leave. With tip.. $45/each. Yowzazzzz-- beautiful deal.

No complaints.
Our room keeper (waiter) who acted annoyed but learned to adore us stuffed 17 of us into a 10 person bathroom stall size room and then moved us to the bigger room for the later half. It was loads of bonding knee to knee, refugee camp style but there was also plenty of room for shoulder to shoulder dancing so that made up for it. All the other waitstaff in the halls were also just as accommodating and pleasant when we removed one table from the room entirely and filled it up with low couch stools.. they were giggling with dead serious faces like zombies when they peeked in our room. Plenty of songs to choose from. Go for Daft Punk's Digital Love in robotic voice for some group singing along session. Have one or two people learn the remote that's in Japanese and then spread the instructions. Make sure to stock up on some energy before you go .. you leave exhausted but screaming your head off in happy land.

You can also sit at the bar and sing for that Lost in Translation feel. Haha..

Sumimasen, we'll be back.

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Elite '08

39

365

Natalia J.

New York, NY

Go to Japas 38 so that when I call 27, they'll have rooms available.

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