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"4 Naughty boyfriends and a miller light please!" The bartender gave me a smirk and began getting my drinks together. (Yes, unfortunately, they were drinks, but 4 REAL naughty boyfriends could make for a VERY interesting Saturday night). As a line formed behind me, he made the comment," Great order, I do not think the guys behind you will want to replicate that! " Instead of confirming his observation, the comment that came back was "We would each like 2 naughty boyfriends, that sounds AWESOME!"
Welcome to Lincoln Karaoke! A place where all bets are off. The most timid individual morphs into a Patty Smythe Wanna be. Tuff looking guys belt out Boys2Men at the top of their lungs. There is no shame, hopefully no regrets, and a great time! Each party has their own individual room set up with couches, microphones, a variety of rainbow lights, multiple flat screens and a karaoke machine.
Song variety- well... if you can read in Korean, it is absolutely AMAZING. Otherwise, they still have quite a selection. We went from Europe to Metallica to Aretha Franklin and on to Wham. We were not bored!
Our dancing like freaks and singing at the top of our lungs was accompanied by the question- Why do we not do this more often? For REALZ! It was a blast! Drinks were well made and relatively inexpensive and served with a smile (Cheers to DAN! Great Bartender).
So- head on over, give it a try, and enjoy!
It's rare that I am someplace that has karaoke. Even rarer that I will actually get up the nerve to sing. I actually sing every day. I'm an early childhood teacher, so I'm basically singing everything and anything to keep the kids on track. My favorites include "It's time to wash your hands, it's time to wash your hands, let's walk to the sink, it's time to wash your hands" and "All done toothbrush, all done toothbrush, all done toothbrush, I'm putting you away".
But ACTUAL singing? Nobody wants to hear me do that. So in the unlikely event that I'm someplace with karaoke, it usually takes me several hours, and several drinks to feel comfortable enough to take the mic (and to ensure that the entire bar has had enough to drink and that their beer earphones are on snug). I walked into the room at Lincoln Karaoke and was immediately handed a mic...and immediately began singing...something...brittany spears? This place is FANTASTIC! Private rooms with couches and flat screen TVs displaying the words to your secret favorite songs and random nature videos in the background. There's a common bar that sells mixed drinks and beer. I was attending a party here, so I have no idea how much it costs to reserve a room, but I'm sure it's worth it. After a couple of hours my head was hurting (probably from my singing), but I had a great time!
Fell in love with this place last summer at my girlfriend's birthday party. Naturally, I immediately booked a room five months in advance for New Year's Eve.
Everything you read about this place in other reviews is true--depending on your disposition, you will view these things as positive or negative. The folks who run it are friendly as hell, and not stingy with the complimentary shots, especially if you happen to run into a minor snag or two (static problems in the sound system, slow check-in). Much appreciated old-school customer service, and I'll just pony up and say that it certainly DID influence me to not only write a glowing review, but to recommend it to everyone I know. Not to mention plan another party!
My one quibble is that I wish their song choice was more extensive. However, unless you're one of those people who takes karaoke seriously (i.e. as practice for your American Idol audition), you'll be able to find more than enough songs to keep everyone doubled over with laughter for at least three or four hours.
Oh, and for some reason, the "new" room we got at NYE didn't feature the now-legendary "HAVE A GOOD TIME!" message flashing across the screen repeatedly. Bummer, because that was one of the funniest and best features. Bring it back, yo!
Went here last weekend and had a blast.
It's kind of like a brothel for karaoke...the Madame leads you down a narrow hallway to a nice little room with a number on it. There's an elegant, hard-backed, wrap-around couch; funky "mood" lighting; and a stripper pole slightly off center. The Madame says something in Korean, puts on some porn, and leaves...I'm nervous. Apprehensive. A funny feeling in my loins. Will my performance be satisfactory? Will they laugh? How much does all this cost?
Yeah...it was great. I wish they had more songs, but this place is still ridiculously fun.
LOVE LOVE LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE.
This place is for true karaoke junkies or just people who are embarrassed to sing in front of strangers.
The staff are ridiculously nice, the drinks aren't expensive, and you don't have to wait 7 hours to sing!
The song choices are completely random, but also awesome. Judas Priest, TV show theme songs, and pop hits, all available for your singing pleasure. The music videos that go with the songs are hilarious. You spend half your time interpreting Asian soap operas or trying to figure out how in the hell what's going on TV has anything to do with the song.
All I know is, I know where I'm having MY next birthday.
I liked everything about this place... but I really felt like when I walked in to meet my friend's party, that I had entered a different dimension.
The lay out of the place is very much like a frat party-- people in the hallways, cheez-its and snacks on the bars, and wooden doors with numbers on them where people go in to have a private party.
I went into door number 3 to meet my friends, and there were 4 people with microphones singing "Barbie Girl" looking at two flat screen televisions playing korean music videos and live performances with the kareoke lyrics super imposed over them.
Every two minutes "HAVE A GOOD TIME" would flash on the screen.
I sat down-- sang "Piano Man" at one point, drank beer that someone kept bringing in "HITE" it was called-- and ate baked cookies that someone brought in as well.
Then at around 11:30, pornography began to play behind the kareoke lyrics. Women in chains ladling water over themselves, wet ripped tee shirt contests, on beds, steps, forests, -- and anime porn.
I'll leave you there-- because that's when I decided I should drink more and "have a good time."
With a big thanks to Yelp, my friends now all think I'm the coolest cat in all of Chicago. Why is that? I introduced them to Lincoln Karaoke.
+1 for the background screen with the boobies.
+1 for the electric, light up tambourines.
+1 for the first free round of shots one of the owners bought for us.
+1 for the owner himself, who was pretty awesometastic. (How could he not be? His job involves booze, karaoke, and boobs.)
+1 for the ridiculous evening with my friends. Birthday cake, booze, karaoke, boas, tambourines, and boobies.
Oh Lincoln K, what happened to you? Why did you go from a nice hangout to a porno-rama?
My fiancee made reservations a few nights before my birthday, and they marked her name down for Saturday 1/23 at 11pm. Well, it turns out we finished dinner a bit early, and so we asked if we could come at 10pm instead. They said it wouldn't be a problem.
We get there around 10:05pm, and like usual, there's a bunch of people in the hallway. It's an adventure just trying to get to the check-in area. That's fine, as we've been here before and are used to it. So we tell them that we called on the phone earlier, and they said, "OK, coming right up."
Fast-forward to 10:45, and we're still in the hallway waiting. We were fine with that since we did originally reserve for 11pm. We decided to ask them again after a couple rooms opened up and the hallway crowd had died down. The guy there shows us their reservation list, and it turns out that they never even took down the reservation!
That irritated me a little since we've been waiting here, and they told us that they had our reservation. So they decide to let us have one of the medium sized rooms, but there was a catch. They have now instituted a $150 bar tab minimum on top of the medium room rate!!!
The last time we came here (12/3), they didn't have this policy, but they said they've always had it. Unbelievable! We don't even drink, but they told us there was nothing they could do and could only offer us the small room. Yea, how are we going to fit 10 people in the small room?!? The worse part was that the small room's TV screens were displaying porn with "HAVE A GOOD TIME!"
We've been here several times in the last year, and have never had such a bad experience. A $150 minimum bar tab is a pretty big especially for those of us that barely drink. The rooms are decent and they have a good variety of songs, but it's not worth the premium for us. The worse part was watching some chick walk out and vomit all over the floor of the shop next door. I believe the bar tab minimum was the culprit. Did I also mention that they are playing porn on the TVs now?
Never been to a Korean style karaoke bar, and this place was awesome.
First off coming in the bartender, older guy not sure his name, probably the owner was like "Hey!" as we walked by.
I thought he was going to yell at us, then he gave all my friends free shots before going onto our room.
So as I walked down the hall, which reminded me of a very Japanese version of the terrible movie 'Hostel',private rooms with strange noises coming out of each room as you walked by. Terrible things must be happening in each of the private rooms.
We got to our room and sat two LCD screen TVs, we were bombarded with Korean pop music videos, awesome. Confusing, yet ultimately hilarious. then someone set it to the nudie channel.
Everyone got trashed and sang hilarious renditions of songs normally not sung by groups of young adults.
I sang Red Red Wine by UB40. It was epic.
So yeah, we had a great time, even though the room was ungodly hot, but it was kinda small and packed with a bunch of dudes so that's usually gross as it is.
Everyone who worked there was super nice and helpful.
Hang out in the hallway, great people watching!
Go here with your friends and family and sing horrible songs loud and obnoxious, it's super fun!
Sigh. I'm such a karaoke snob!! I can't help it; everything pales in comparison to LA's karaoke scene. Anyway, I'm giving this rating based on the relative lack of karaoke rooms in Chicago... this is probably one of your better options. Anyway to the korean karaoke noobs out there, basically you get your own personal room for your friends (small rooms for small groups, larger rooms for bigger groups), and they usually charge by the hour.
As one of my friends observed, everyone is always really happy here. It's definitely a fun place to come with a group of friends. The machines are better than at Karaoke Restaurant. But it is SO crowded on the weekends here, you'll have to wait for awhile if you don't have reservations.
As we waited, the door to the room in front of us swung open, with horrible screeching sounds of a mutilated Journey song.. and I'm sure all of us waiting in the foyer were thinking to ourselves the same thought: Do we all sound that bad??? The answer is probably yes. But we're here to have FUN! not win american idol.
They have a bar with lots of drinks available, thus lots of drunk people stumbling around. Not really my scene particularly. I'm sure it's much less crowded here on the weekdays.
OooO and I was impressed by the fact that they had FOUR MICROPHONES. Amazing! Anyway the selection of songs are great, and you can never go wrong with karaoke!
I'm biased - I have a singing phobia, and my friends tricked me into coming here.
Them: "Friday at 8pm - You're free, right?"
Me: "Um, I guess so, but what are we doing and where?"
Them: "Oh, it'll be fun. We're just going out."
Me: "Wait a minute... This sounds suspicious... Like it could be karaoke! No way!"
Them: "No... It's even better than karaoke."
Me: "What, a dancing competition?" (much sneering sarcasm in voice)
Them: "You'll see."
...And sure enough, I found myself at Lincoln Karaoke on that fateful evening. I didn't know which door to go in upon entering the building. (It's the one towards the right.) It seemed pretty cool to have the private rooms, but they said there was a $150 minimum tab on top of the $40 per hour for the medium-sized room. For six people? I didn't even want to drink, and we weren't planning on staying very long. Thanks to someone's excellent negotiating skills, we were able to avoid the minimum this time.
The Korean song books were of no use to me, and the English ones seemed skimpy in comparison. One of the group was quite upset that none of the songs on his must-sing-on-karaoke-night list were available here, and they weren't obscure tunes. There was enough to get by though. I think most people could find at least one song they knew and/or liked.
The microphones didn't work too well. An employee came in a few times to try to adjust the cord/contact, but that never fixed the problem. So one microphone essentially was for show. I could have played pretend at home with one of those plastic microphones that have a spring to echo voices. We seemed to have trouble getting the remote to work consistently as well. Some songs never showed up on our queue.
The disco light was a nice touch. I grew tired of the repeating travel-ad-like video clips behind the words on the screen. It seems we could have changed the channel though.
We ended up staying quite a while because it was cold outside and didn't want to bother leaving to go elsewhere. While - as I disclosed previously - I am biased against singing in the first place, I don't know that I'd come back. I think that other karaoke places might have more to offer.
HAVE A GOOD TIME!
This place is as random as all getup, but as their karaoke machines instruct you to do, it's impossible not to have a good time. The staff is super attentive, and will most likely gift you with a bottle of champagne and free shots. It's helpful to know in advance that a reservation isn't iron clad. They start charging you when you arrive, so if by chance you're running late don't assume that they're holding your room and charging you for it. I haven't figured out if that's inconsiderate or convenient, but they're so delightful at Lincoln Karaoke that I'd like to think that they're doing that out of kindness.
I had never experienced anything like it....
First of all, this is located way out in North Bumblef***, so it takes FOREVER to get there if you're on public trans.
I walk up to this stark white place with a singular neon sign and say what the hell have I gotten myself into? It looks like some seedy massage parlor from the outside and I half expect some girl to come out and say "Me love you long time" (which will in turn send me fleeing for my life down Lincoln Ave.)
Then you walk in.
Enter the sounds of AC/DC blaring at you with 6 sorority girls singing the lyrics in concert........
Nine of your tone deaf friends and 3 with falsettos all in a room, shouting the lyrics to Boyz II Men's 'End of the Road' (It's unnatural WHOOO! You belong to me- WHOOO!! I belong to YOOOOOOOUUUU girl!) into 4 microphones whilst drinking buckets of Bud Light.
HAVE A GOOD TIME!
My BFF chose this as her birthday spot and we did scary-oke the good ole' Korean way, complete with dumplings and chicken wings (hot damn they were good)
I had a ball and that freakin' Arctic trek up Western Ave was well worth my (have a good!) time.
When you arrive, you'll question your decision because the building looks odd, but when they take you to your room, you'll be thrilled! You'll step through the door into what looks like an extra-looooong limo where you can Karaoke your heart out in the privacy of your closest friends!!!
Lincoln Karaoke is a bit off the beaten path and sandwiched between a few "by the hour" hotels, but it's a blast and its clean. To ensure your fun, make a reservation. We were there for just over four hours and the rental (for a room that fit 20 people) was about $45/hour. We had four mics, two big screen TVs, a disco ball, a lighted tambourine, and about 6 song-list catalogs.
We were there for a birthday, so we brought a cake and Lincoln Karaoke threw in a bottle of Champagne. Overall, drinks are affordable (buckets of Hite were $16) and served from two bars (one on each side of the building). When groups are arriving, it can get pretty crowded, so I recommend ordering drinks as soon as you arrive. They did have munchies available, but they weren't very good. I think they might have a kitchen because I saw some food being delivered to one of the rooms, but I never noticed the menu.
Odd things about this place: I saw a pole in one of the rooms; they have a naughty channel you can choose as the backdrop to your lyrics. Go figure, but go, because it's fun!
Dear LK (abbreviations...we are at that stage in our relationship, right?),
O em gee. Tonight was hott. I knew you would read my last letter, but I didn't think it would sink in as much as it so obviously has. You have, once again, won my heart. I can't believe that I almost thought about giving up on "us". Tonight proved to me that you are serious about our relationship. This isn't just a "one night" thing to you. Maybe I'm that dumb, naive girl that just keeps coming back, but fyi you. are. worth. it.
Tonight you were attentive to all my needs. When I was thirsty, you quenched that thirst; when I was hungry, you fed me; when I wanted to school that girl to "Gangstas Paradise; you played the music; when I wanted to make my own drink; you let me behind the bar...I could not have asked for more.
I'm so glad you have come to your senses and realized that there is nothing that is comparable to what is you and I.
xoxo,
Carla
Dear Lincoln Karaoke,
I still love you but think maybe you have become a little too…
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i've been here several times for regular hang outs as well as birthdays, and i've enjoyed it every time. the last time, though, we got stuck with a room that was too small for our group for the first hour or so, but they gave us shots and a bottle of champagne when we moved to the bigger room.
drink prices are fair enough, with a pretty long list of bottled beers. one of our microphones was running low on juice, and the owner was quick to come in and get us another working one. as an added bonus, we got to sing songs with crappy porn as the background video on the tv's.
the song books could definitely use some additions, but the night turned out to be pretty inexpensive per person. it's not the best karaoke place i've been to, but it's probably the best in the chicago.
I really don't even have to say much - this is one of the best birthday parties I have been to in a LONG TIME.
We were probably there for about 5 hours or so, and it was seriously a blast. I was slightly surprised at the lack of Simon and Garfunkel, but I quickly got over it.
The drinks were great, the people that work there are simply saints - so nice and kind while somehow dealing with drunk bachelor parties, and the drunk feathered boa wearing bachelorettes.
Great time, and I would go back in a heartbeat.
This place is just plain nuts. I went here with my sister's co-workers for a birthday party and it was about the weirdest cool place I've ever been.
Of course, my first impression was "What the heck is going on here?" If you drive or walk by, you will probably miss it, since it is a very unassuming building/storefront. Actually, it looks like a little office complex. I had no idea which door to go into.
But once I got in, I figured it all out. It WAS an office complex. Only instead of a front desk/lobby, there's a bar. And instead of putting desks & stuff in the offices, they put couches, TVs, karaoke machines, and coffee tables.
So basically you and your crew rent one of these sweet little offices, cram onto the couches, and pass 3-4 microphones and a glow-in-the-dark tamborine around and belt out songs getting as nutty as you want. It takes everything annoying about karaoke (waiting in line, listening to strangers sing, having to sit around while people who seem to think they're semi-professional karaoke artists use vibrato and crap) COMPLETELY out of the equation. It's just you and your friends and your drinks in a room getting goofy!
Also got to call out the staff here. They are so super cool! The guy and his wife or girlfriend behind the bar just kick it and chat with you. He quizzed me on pirate trivia and gave me a free drink for the right answer and also poured our party some free whiskey shots. Also at some point, some sort of chicken wings showed up magically in our room, compliments of the staff. I seriously heart these people.
Yes, it's a bizarre little place but it is such a fantastically good time with a big and wacky group.
And the 5 star kicker moment was watching my boyfriend duet "Billie Jean" with the wife of my sister's boss. Complete with appropriately placed OWs and EEH EEHs. Suh-weet.
Go there and HAVE A GOOD TIME! (Oh, you'll see....)
I have been here a couple times, and ALWAYS leave with a hoarse voice.
There is nothing like sitting in a room with a bunch of pals with a microphone in your hand.
The staff is very friendly and helpful. The last time I was there the room got way too crowded though, which made it difficult to share a microphone. People can be quite grabby when a favorite song comes on, grabby as in they grab the microphone out of your hand... not grabbing your ass, although that can happen among friends, right?
Also, there can be quite the line for drinks, and bring cash, I seem to bring not enough, but the place is not expensive.
Great place for parties, just make sure you reserve the bigger room if there is gonna be a lot of people.
We absolutely love Lincoln Karaoke. We've gone at least once a month for more than a year, and have also affectionately called the place "Dave's Bar."
If you're new, here's the essentials
- It's a private room karaoke joint. If you're looking to laugh at other people you don't know on a stage, go elsewhere. If you're looking for asian-style private room with disco balls, tambourine, and korean soaps on the screen with your lyrics, you're in the right place.
- Make reservations on the weekends. If you know the place, it can get crowded and there tends to be a line after 10pm on Friday and Saturday. And even if you're great friends with Steve or Dave, you still might have to wait, so call ahead.
- No, you won't find the current top 40 on the playlist. Yes, you will find lots of 80s/90s music. There are also a ton of songs in other languages if you're looking for chinese/japanese/korean music too.
- Dave is a great bartender. Drinks are cheap and shots are strong. Take some time to get to know him and leave a good tip, and you will not want for alcohol for the rest of the evening.
- The place is slightly run down, but it's clean and it's all part of the charm that is LK.
- Birthday parties, engagement/wedding parties, work parties, layoff parties, we've done them all. Letting them know it's a special occasion will often gain a bottle of champagne. There is also some munchies to be had, or you can go next door to the kabob shop.
- HAVE A GOOD TIME. We always do!
Oh now you stop it. This is NOT a brothel!!!
We are here to have fun and sing for a friend's birthday. So stop with your gawking.
What room are we in?
Number 10!
Ignore the Japanese porn though on the screen...
Bartender rocks...lotsa vodka...splash of cranberry...
I sang my heart out to Brandy, Journey, Shakira and Bon Jovi....and it's alll on my Facebook page, as a video...gaaaah...
The most fun I have had in the city in the last few months was spent in a room half the size of my bedroom with 8 other people. That's right - Lincoln Karaoke provides you with a private room where you can jam out and sing to your favorite songs without having to worry about a bar full of people to impress. (Side note: song selection is a bit weak for a Karaoke bar - no Janis Joplin!?!).
Overall this is a GREAT place to bring a group of friends for a birthday party or other type of event where you can be a big dork and have a great time.
Lincoln Karaoke is no frills and it's a pretty long trek from downtown but this place ROCKS and is an awesome place to host a group of friends. Buy the bucket of beer, get some shots and let the good times roll with cheesy song after cheesy song. Love the random videos that are played in the background on the TV (yes, each private room comes equipped with your own TV, sound system and comfortable seating) and the selection of songs is pretty darn good too. The staff was friendly and yes, you can open a tab with the bartender (it might look like a cash only sort of deal but cc's are accepted!)
A good friend and I (after dinner and several drinks, I believe) decided that our random weeknight out just wasn't over. And we had heard rumors...mysterious rumors of this place in the far away land of North Lincoln Avenue.
So we sought. And we found. And we had the most ROCKING time.
It was Thursday, and the place was practically empty. It was also not THAT far from closing time (had I mentioned we had drinks before hand). So the older Asian gentleman who - I assume - was proprietor gave us a deal on a room and the fun times commenced.
We had purchased a couple of beers - not too expensive. A half hour or so into our session, there's a knock at the door. Enter lovely Asian gentleman - with free drinks!! WOO HOO! A little while later - another knock - enter lovely Asian gentleman - with free food! Like spare ribs!
Now, I don't imagine that this is typical treatment. But he was so kind - and since it was a slow night, he really made us feel like we were his welcome guests. That says something.
We had a blast. The song selection is a bit weak as some have mentioned due to the shared space with non-english language music. But who cares! Fun with two people - can only imagine the wild and crazy party it would be with more.
This could quite possibly be the most unexpected fun I have ever had. Went for my friend's birthday, rode my bike with my husband. On the way we discussed how neither of us would be singing, as we are both not good. Hold up! I did not realize it was a PRIVATE room, and I don't care if my friends hear me sing badly!! We got there at 9:00 and rode our drunk asses home at 2:45 in the morning.
A big group is key, because the room rate is like 35-40 bucks an hour. They let us bring cake in and they have this funny little stocked bar outside the room that has a good bottled beer selection, and a bartender who makes very appropriate shots for karaoke. I recommend just drinking Hite, which is I think Korean Miller Lite?
Some guy (the owner?) kept coming in bringing us free rounds of beers, and a bottle of terrible but highly appreciated champagne. I have never laughed so hard in my life.
There may have been some illegal activity going on in the bathroom, but who cares? I have a whole new respect for my hubby after seeing him bust out Round and Round by Ratt. And I would like to think I brought the house down with my rendition of Making Love Out of Nothing At All. Gotta love Air Supply.
You gotta go to this place. Or come next year for my birthday.
I was visiting Chicago and had difficulty finding places to go at night that did not have a douchebag in every direction I turned -- such as Rusk St and the likes. I could not escape. Alas, I turned to something I knew -- KARAOKE!
Lincoln Karaoke is your typical noraebong. Korean style karaoke rooms where you and your friends do not have to wait for strangers to belt out a song on stage. The rooms are clean and equipped with a tambourine and multiple mics. Even the small rooms have 2 flat screen monitors in case you want to sing while you're sitting or standing facing your friends who ARE sitting! You're also given some snacks to munch on while you sing. You can even order soju for some liquid courage if you're shy in front of the mic.
Song selection was quite good. I see a lot of the reviews are slamming on the song selection. English song selection - true it is limited in comparison to a primarily American place. However, given this is a Korean karaoke place, it had awesome song selection. Not only did they have English and Korean, they also had Vietnamese and I'm sure they also had Chinese.
Depending on the room size, I believe the rate for a small room is $30/hr.
Great for a group outing. The disco and laser lights really top it all.
Sweaty and hoarse, it took days to cool down and stop smiling after a bout at LK. This place is bacchanalia at its best. Four mics, comped bottle of champers, Korean snacks and flatscreens, I felt like I was glowing from the inside out. A human lightning bug all atwitter following a duet of "Under the Sea" with my beloved.
Of course we had back-up.
And that's the god damn beauty of LK, because if you're not blood sibs with the peeps you go with when you enter the sketchy doorway, you will be afterward. Mother Karaoke Hen takes good care of all patrons. Really, the owners just want everyone to have fun.
Fun ain't even doin' this place justice.
I wonder if they will let us bring our Rockband set-up next time? Maybe knock down the walls, elevate us to stage height and transplant us in Grant Park. Cuz we would sell out. No doubt. Speaking of, I'm bringin my blond bob and doing more Gwen next time.
p.s. See profile pic of results of the aforementioned qualities. You've been warned.
Oh what an experience. There was so much singing, love, messiness, tomfoolery, drinking, dancing, and random Japanese television (including porn).
I went here for my best friend's birthday this past weekend and it was quite the event. We had a room reserved for 9 p.m.-12 a.m., but somehow ended up staying there until 2 a.m. There was nothing more that she wanted then to get all her friends together and sing her little heart out...and I encourage making birthday wishes a reality.
The room was large (about 20 people were there), had four microphones, lots of shots, light-up tambourines, comfy sofas, "clubbin' lights", and the list of song options was fantastic. My favorites included: Against All Odds by Phil Collins, Be With You by Mr. Big, and Kiss by Prince.
Although this is far away from just about everything (one of my friends asked if we were in Skokie), it's well worth the trip...I promise.
Lincoln Karaoke has several private karaoke rooms surrounding a bar. I liked this configuration because it made it easy to get drinks. The bar was also nice to be able to take a break from the karaoke if necessary (I didn't) and talk to people who aren't in your group.
We came here for a birthday party in a group of 11 that later grew to about 15. Our room (#13) was clean and comfortable even if it was a little crowded for a group our size.
There were two problems for which I give Lincoln Karaoke two starts. First, the mics in our room did not work properly. It seemed like anything more than 2/10 on the volume knob gave us feedback. One mic could take full volume, but you had to almost shout into the rest to be heard.
Second, the music was some kind of midi/muzak version rather than the real thing. It's just not the same when you're trying to rock out to muzak Journey. That we still had a great time despite the feedback loops and muzak is a testament to the winning formula of korean karaoke + friends + booze. Overall, I prefer the korean karaoke at california and peterson because of the better sound setup and real music even though they do not have a bar.
I don't know which I prefer: a neon-light lit karaoke bar with a main stage and flashy bar ... or a more intimate joint complete with private rooms with the feel of an Asian spa.
I'll take the latter.
It was, oh, *late* on a Tuesday night when Kevin N, Sarah P, Kathleen M, Tiffany C and Nikki C and I *stumbled* into Lincoln Karaoke. I'm not exaggerating when I say I was a bit concerned. We walked up to an office area, paid for a room and walked in ... but what did we find once we opened the door? It looked like a living room: couches, coffee table, flat screen TV and sound system. Of course, there was a microphone and flashing lights tambourines--not your typical living room accents.
I sat on the couch with my "Oh, I'm just going to watch" face ... but after a few more brews, I was snatching tambourines and the mic, busting out with the best of my B Spears and Madonna moves. Was I awful! You know, the shower is pretty misleading ... I never thought I was that bad. I actually took a look at my mic thinking that something was off with the mechanics. Nope, that's just your awful singing, Fairy.
So, here's when it got *really* good...
Tiff C and I were looking to make a run for it, or so I remember, when we stumbled into another party's room. As soon as they saw the embarrassment on our faces, two seconds later, these folks handed over pineapple and rum bevs. Now that's what I call Midwest hospitality! We ended up doing the Soul Train line and sang songs like "Candy Shop." Tiff C certainly got down and was droppin' it like it's hot. Who knew hipsters were so bootylicious?
The text I sent my husband last night around 2 in the morning read: " I feel like I'm on a karaoke acid trip."
I'd never done private room karaoke before. How could I have been unaware of such genius? In addition to our drinks we had a platter of cheeze its, crackers and nuts. They were a perfect accompianment to the champagne. ;)
I thought the spinning lights, the light-up tamborines, and the random Chinese home videos were the highlights.
There really are no words for the genius of this place.
Private rooms so you can really belt it out, light up tambourines, and quality beer? I am so very very sold. Can we get one in Atlanta? Pleeeeease?
Give me a private karaoke room on the heels of a few too many drinks and I'll give you all the out-of-tune, terrible singing you can handle. And sadly, this is what I did with my fellow CMs. I'd like to take this opportunity to apologize to you all and especially poor Nikki C who was an innocent bystander in the lighted tambourine shaking, booty-dropping, party-crashing evening.
But, seriously, if you're looking for a place that rents private rooms for karaoking it up this is it. You're given a room with light up tambourines, a book of songs and whatever alcohol you order to get the good times flowing.
And I'd just like to send a special thank you to Farrah A for joining me in crashing into another karaoke party room, announcing to everyone that I had just gotten engaged, which turned into us drinking with these people and me dancing my South Florida heart out to their version of "Candy Shop." It was most definitely a hazy, memorable evening.
Have a Good Time!
where else are you going to take a carload of well marinated, filet o fish seeking, I want to sing like a Madonna RhineStone CopaCabana Cowboy out of towners at 1:30 in the am and minimize the risk of harming animals within close range?
Do IT!
Whoa! If you were wondering where the wheels fell off, the answer is right around the time we hit the front door of Lincoln Karaoke: we descended upon this place like a pack of hammered lotto balls, bouncing off the walls and unsure of when our number might be up. And the folks at Lincoln Karaoke were only too happy to christen our downward spiral: they heard that it was my birthday and swung through with a bottle of champagne. This seemed like much more of a good idea last night than today when the sun came out again and smacked me around a little.
In between, there were brilliant glittering light shows, a decent selection of standards and newer songs we screech along with for style points, plenty of singalong opportunities and several other rooms of varying sizes where the same silliness is going on pretty much all the time. Thank heavens I was with a few locals in addition to those of us from out of town...I might have awoken here today otherwise. And that wouldn't have been good for any of us. But like most moments at Lincoln Karaoke, you can be damn sure it'd be funny.
My own little room for karaoke where I can scream (um, i mean sing) to my heart's content and not worry about the judgment of strangers. This is better than the shower!
I dragged 16 peeps, including an unsuspecting bachelorette, here for a night of singing and drinking on Fri night. I booked a room with Lincoln Karaoke's sweet owner, Steve, awhile back and he had room 9 waiting for us in all it's glory. The room consisted of 2 huge flat screen tvs, some comfortable couches, microphones, and even a few tambourines. Oh, and I can't forget the pretty awesome remote control that was so big you needed to hold it with 2 hands. Being the technotard I am I stayed away from the remote control, but fortunately we had a few tech savvy girls with us to plug in the tunes.
2 bottles of champagne and a round of kamikazi shots later we were belting out Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, Lionel Richie, and other favorites.
This much fun usually has a price tag on it, but I found Lincoln Karaoke to be pretty reasonable. Our large room was $40/hr (it's less expensive for smaller rooms). They have a fully stocked bar and even food to order, but I ordered in pizzas from Art of Pizza for our rowdy group of girls.
We had so much fun that I'm racking my mind for other occasions to go back to Lincoln Karaoke! Who's in?
4 guys, 1 gal, Saturday night. What's the plan?
Can't really hit the clubs with all the dudes, so after pregaming sufficiently, we hopped into a cab and 30 minutes later were outside of the most sketchy looking store front ever. BUT, hidden inside is a karaoke wonderland where we had the TIME OF OUR LIVES!
Real, Asian-style, private room karaoke. A good selection of English AND Korean songs (separate song books for each.. Taylor Swift ftw!) $15 soju and $3 beers sustained our stupid/awesome night. Before long we were jumping up and down the comfortably cushioned seats belting "A Whole New World" at the top of our lungs with reckless abandon. The lights got brighter, the night got hazier..
.. and we were back 3 days later to celebrate a birthday. This time, we got free champagne! Sigh I love this place.
I love this place! I fell in love with private room karaoke in Japan and am so glad that I can do it here too.
The staff here are always way nice. I kinda wish that they served the drinks in the room like they do in Japan, and maybe had another bar area because the line can get long. Despite that this place is sooooooooo great.
Oh, and the nudie channel on the karaoke monitor is incredibly distracting, of course guaranteed laughter.
Disclosure: I usually have A LOT to drink before I go to Lincoln Karaoke. My memories are therefore a bit skewed.
That being said, this place is awesome! The staff is friendly, accommodating, and genuinely wants you to have an awesome time. It is definitely a "one-of-a-kind" experience. My friends and I come here often so the staff knows us and loves us. They even kept the place open a little bit later for us one night because we weren't quite done singing our hearts out to classics like "Don't Stop Believing" and "Here I Go Again on my Own".
This place is a must for a large group that loves to sing and act goofy! You will have your own private room complete with two flat-screen TVs, a catalog of 1000+ songs to sing to, light-up tambourines (for those who want to contribute but can't/won't sing), random Korean videos that have no correlation to the song they represent, and endless photo opportunities that you can later post on MySpace/Facebook/Twitter and embarrass your friends (it's all in fun, right?)
Reservations are a good idea on the weekend. You really have to go here at least once - and, as the karaoke screens mandate after every song, "Have a Good Time!"
First off, Karaoke is NOT LAME.
What can you do with ten friends on a Thursday night that requires downing shots and making loud noises WITHOUT getting arrested?
When you enter the room, you'll find folders with song lists. Most of the folders contain Korean or Asian songs. The white folders normally contain English songs. There is a single remote available to enter songs to play. The remote is completely in Korean, but it isn't hard to figure out. You'll only need to use the numeric pad, "enter", and "cancel" buttons. The remote signal lags, so punching the song number on the system below the TV is way easier. Once the song and video starts playing, a rotating light ball will come on turn on and flash with the music. You might want to avoid coming to Lincoln Karaoke altogether if you suffer from epilepsy. For more special effects, there are lighted tambourines to play along with the music.
Mind you, the song selection is rather poor, but they will have your favorites: Queen, Bon Jovi, Guns 'n' Roses, et cetera. They really should update their song list. The walls aren't sound-proof so you can hear neighbors, but you'll be too busy singing to notice. The food is very pricey, but the drink prices are average. What do you expect? (I got a free bottle of champagne for my birthday party. Sweet.) If you and your friends are too drunk to walk to public transportation, just flag a taxi down on Lincoln Avenue.
"HAVE A GOOD TIME"
(Inside joke. Not really. You'll find out.)
Neighborhood: Bucktown
Category: Karaoke
Chicago, IL
Category: Korean
Neighborhood: Irving Park
Category: Sports Bars
Neighborhood: Wicker Park
Category: Karaoke
Neighborhood: Near North Side
Category: Breakfast & Brunch
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