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- Hours:
Mon-Sun 6 am - 2 am
- Music:
- DJ
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Best Nights:
- Fri, Thu, Sat
- Happy Hour:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- No
- Coat Check:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Loud
- Good For Dancing:
- Yes
- Ages Allowed:
- 21+
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
Reserve our Velvet Party Room for FREE! Choose Your Drink Special For Your Event! For Reservations, Email: MyParty@TheGoodNite.com
160 reviews for The Gaslite
Review Highlights
160 reviews in English
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Review from Kristin C.
West Los Angeles, CA
2/9/2012
I love this place just for being its Hot Mess self, every night of the week.
Yes, it may be small, and warm, and somewhat corny, but thats its beauty.
One year for my birthday, I came here to conquer my karaoke fear. The regulars were a great crowd and I was able to blame my voice on the 3 baskets of free popcorn I ate.
On the weekends, the crowd is usually very fun, if you disagree, maybe your the one not being fun...so have a drink and join in the Sing-Along extravaganza.
GREAT karaoke bar!!! Don't stop believing.. -
Review from Eric P.
Santa Monica, CA
10/21/2011
Go here anytime after 10pm on a weekend and see the best (best is a very subjective word) crowd in Santa Monica. Most of the karaoke singers are pretty bad, but there are a few gems every now and then.
Resist the urge to make fun of the DJ, who is a dead ringer for Justin Bieber's older brother... the guy is crazy talented and pretty nice.
The drinks are cheap, the entertainment is free, and the experience is unforgetable. -
Review from Vivian N.
Santa Monica, CA
9/13/2011
I went to this place on Friday night, after my friends saw me perform with a jazz trio. They were inspired to do karaoke after hearing me sing. So we headed over to The Gaslite because it was the closest karaoke place near the location where we were at the time. What a mistake that was.
The place was crowded and hot. The KJ was a complete Douchebag with a capital D. This wanna be white boy rapper/hype man Justin Bieber look a like did multiple things to annoy the crap out of us. 1. He played an entire track between every singer. 2.He put himself in the rotation multiple times when there were more than 40 singers on the list. 3.He sung and beatboxed over the singers as they were singing 4.He didn't go by the list, so you had to bug him to find out where you were. 5. The sound system was terrible I'm pretty sure he didn't know what the hell he was doing up there, and just turned everything up.
The one thing that pissed me off more than anything was when it was my time to sing, he let the girl in front of me sing the song I chose. And when I came up to do my song, I chose a Metallica song. He took one look at me and asked "Are you sure you want to do this song"? Yes I'm sure (you jackass!) I took it he's never met a black woman who liked and could sing the hell out of a hard rock song. I had to school him with my performance. My friends sang their songs completely out of order and he tried sing over them. We left there disgusted.
I hope the owner of this place reads this review. Get rid of this guy and hire a real KJ that isn't some moron trying to make this place his own personal rap concert. -
Review from Chrissy K.
Manhattan Beach, CA
11/28/2011 1 Check-in Here
This bar is gross and dirty. I'm not a fan at all of this bar. Hopefully I wont have to return. And they don't have pinot noir.
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Review from Brynn M.
Santa Monica, CA
7/22/2011
This place.. is TERRIBLE.
TRUST ME- GO TO BOARDWALK 11 FOR KARAOKE!!
There was disappointment and disgust around every corner.
I love a good karaoke joint and I love a good dive bar. I was fine with this place being either one of those. But it wasn't.
Here's how your night will probably breakdown if you so choose to go here:
- You will walk into the bar and realize immediately you are now trapped in a loud sauna that smells like it has been drying socks filled with barf.
- You will then look at the stage and see a super douchey (im white but i want to be black) DJ doing his best Dr. Dre impression (that the bartender will explain is 'a show').
- You will put a song in out of boredom and hope that things will get better once a song plays that isn't from 'Power 106' from seven years ago.
- You will watch a girl sing Britney Spears or No Doubt and wish you had be born deaf. You will think you are next.. then the DJ will get up and do another round of 2004 Hip hops greatest hits.
- Repeat the last one 10 times and be uncomfortable for 2 hours.
You now feel sticky and have a headache.
- Your song will come and go. A drunk girl will ruin it by screaming the song from the dance floor.
- Your friend will ask you to do a duet that you wait another hour and a half for- and watch another 6 songs by the DJ. You will get tired and go home. -
Review from Rebecca S.
Redondo Beach, CA
8/7/2011 1 Check-in Here
Great dive bar located in Santa Monica (more towards West LA) on Wilshire blvd. YES it is THE bar that Jewel made the surprise visit to and shocked everyone after revealing that it was in fact, Jewel herself singing one of her songs. So yeah, on that note, the sad looking sign that says "world famous karaoke" is true; their karaoke is sorta kinda world famous.
Bartenders are cool, drinks are stiff, theres actually PARKING (!!), FREE POPCORN, patrons are generally cool and laid back, always someone interesting to talk to if you're flying solo.
One thing thats strange is that they don't serve drinks like long islands or AMFs in a pint glass; you just get em in a weird oversized tumbler. I prefer the tall glass, but oh well!
I personally kind of consider this place somewhat of a landmark... so yeah, if you're in Santa Monica or W. LA, stop by!!Listed in: Bars Bars Bars!
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Review from mary n.
Los Angeles, CA
6/16/2011
Came on a weekday night just to check it out since I was in the area with friends. The place was full of older people, sprinkled with some young-uns having drinks and watching the game on their TVs, but it wasn't bad. Everyone was friendly and supportive of the singers and songs that were being karaoked. The DJ said that it was her first time working that night, and she was pretty good! Inbetween singers, she would play good 80s music and even sang a song or two herself. The dance floor was teeny tiny, but some of the older people had fun dancing by themselves. They also tended to come up and sing with you if they liked the song.
The servers are definitely nice. I had a jolly rancher drink that turned out to be pretty good, and my friend asked for something citrus-y and sweet. They made her something that tasted like a lemondrop, and when she didn't like it, they made her a new drink right away. Their baileys on the rocks was also yummay.
Oh, they also don't serve food other than the popcorn that comes out of their cart off to the side. -
Review from Karen B.
Glendora, CA
7/3/2011
My friend is a regular at the Gas Lite. The bouncers and bartenders know her, so me and my other friend decided to check it out with her. To be honest, it wasn't really my thing, but I was just happy to hang with two of my very good friends.
We got there at 9:30pm and it was not too packed. Come 10pm, it was packing up with people. The crowd was mixed in age, some old, some young. When we came, a bunch of frat-looking guys came in. Some of them looked presentable or just plain sloppy. They took over the dance floor and I felt awkward being one of the only girls on the dance floor. This Beavis and Butthead-looking dude with a baseball cap and long stringy hair did this voodoo type dance around me and freaked me out.
Karaoke was a hit or miss. They didn't have the song I wanted ("Rolling in the Deep" by Adele), so I decided to sing "No Scrubs" by TLC with my friend. I don't have the greatest voice, but the people in the house cheered us on anyway. There was also this older gentleman who kept singing the same tired-sounding songs, as well as this older woman who sang horribly off key (and drunk senseless). Some of the singers were actually not too bad, but the two who sang horribly made me cringe.
The drinks were at best okay. My friend got me a Malibu, which was decent and my other friend got a Long Island Iced Tea which was heavy on the tequila. Needless to say, she didn't have another one.
We left around 11pm although my friend who's a regular usually stays til closing time. If you like dive bars with karaoke and a relaxed feel, come here. But if you're looking for more dancing, I suggest going elsewhere. -
Review from josh s.
Santa Monica, CA
4/1/2011 12 Check-ins Here
Hands down the best Dive/Karaoke Bar on the West Side.
Bartenders are fast, always remember your drink of choice, & will not put up with your shit. Karaoke starts at 9 every night. Get your name in early if you want to sing because the list can get backed up. This is one of those places that needs complete re-decorating inside but refuses to do so which makes it so amazing (minus the restrooms. Those are fucking gross). My nose doesn't work so well but I've had friends complain about the smell of the bar. Whatever, I just tell em to drink more.
This is one of the only packed houses in Santa Monica on weekdays. You can imagine how the weekends are. Overall, the vibe here is awesome. Everybody comes expecting a good time. It also really pushes it how late they're open so when 2am is approaching, compared to Q's & Cabo locally that close at 12:30 or so, head over to NY&C Pizza to end your night/morning.
You can also catch your favorite games on one of the many tv's. -
Review from Jessica B.
Los Angeles, CA
10/25/2011
Why so much negativity man? Gaslight was awesome when I was there! After scoping the line at the place next door, we opted to check out this sketchy looking dive bar. GREAT CALL. The six of us sang the night away with people we barely new and made close friends with the DJ... he may have found us annoying by the end of the night. Lots of dancing and phenomenal performances made it for me! I'll be returning soon.
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Review from Natalia K.
Denver, CO
4/15/2011
If you're looking for a low-key bar for a fun night with a couple of friends, this place is perfect.
Service: bartenders are great -- very fast and efficient and always attentive.
Karaoke: ton of fun and doesn't put you in the spotlight too much; I can see how it might not be happening on a slow night, though, so I suggest going later in the week if you really want to sing.
Dancing: small dance floor, but easy to make room and people are definitely dancing.
Music: awesome.
Crowd: really chill, laid-back people, all having fun. Always someone interesting to meet and talk to. -
Review from Whitney G.
Marina del Rey, CA
1/17/2011
Hmm, Gross.
I'm all for a dive bar, but damn.
The bouncer was nice, but immediately we found it odd he was sweating bullets.
No cover so we figured, what's the catch?
Oh, we learned... Big time.
This night was a total bust. The place was mildly but not severely packed. It had some random chick dancing by herself on the dance floor with no shoes on.
No one seemed the slightest bit interested in participating in karaoke (which they're known for), and most importantly the space lacked proper ventilation and the joint smelled of something sour/rotten.
It was bad... it was all bad.
Fingers crossed it was just an off night. -
Review from timo t.
Brooklyn, NY
12/19/2010
This review is strictly for the karaoke DJ, Stoobie, I believe is what he calls himself. He runs by far the WORST karaoke in town. First off he plays a dance song in between all of the karaoke singers. The songs are always horrible, Stoobie sings over all of them and they make for really bad transitions into the karaoke songs. This also means you will wait at least 2 hours to sing. We got there around 10pm on Saturday and the place wasn't very full at all. The list had about 6 people ahead of us and we didn't sing until 12:15am.
The worst and most offensive part of it all is that Stoobie takes pride in making sure no one out shines him. He does this by never turning your mic up past a whisper, the music is always 20db's lower than the dance songs and guess what . . . he never has the song you want to sing even though it's on the list. What is even shittier is that he's a liar. Turns out he did have the song I wanted to sing when some girl wanted to sing it. Turns out he has his own mic that is turned up very loud that only he gets to sing from. Turns out he doesn't even go by the list if some lame girl wants to sing a Brittney Spears song. What an ass!
He is clearly the king of all douches. And that is saying a lot given the fact that this is Los Angeles.
If you have any intention of really singing some karaoke, avoid this place like the plague. There are about a dozen other places around this bar that have proper karaoke set ups. -
Review from Tim S.
Los Angeles, CA
1/3/2011
Made the mistake of coming here on Dec. 18 when I guess there was a pub crawl going down on Wilshire in Santa Monica. It definitely wasn't worth the haul out there from Pasadena...me and West LA never seem to be on the same page.
That night it was already raining hard, and after I found street parking down the block, I sprinted over to the Gaslite to find a line of people waiting to get in as if it was a Hollywood club or something. The bouncer did well to limit the number of people who can go in because the place is small and gets filled up easily. The kind of place where you have to push past people just to get to the bathroom, and if you're holding a drink, you'd better hold it way up in the air so as to avoid someone's drunken elbow spin-around. The bartenders seemed attentive enough. I didn't know at the time about this crawl, so I was wondering why there were so many people wearing Santa hats or pajamas.
There was karaoke going on, and in between the DJ would play old middle-school era jams that would make all the drunken white people shout OHHHHHHHHHHH SH*T and proceed to dance furiously. Drink prices were alright. If you like really crowded dive-bars (at least on a Sat night) with a college-party feel, check this place out. Kinda feels like a smaller Busby's haha. On the way out, I noticed V Lounge (never been there) was just as, if not more, crowded...so the night I went might not be totally representative of a normal weekend night. -
Review from Carly P.
3/21/2011
This place used to be one of my favorite karaoke bars in LA. However, I guess it gets totally packed on the weekend now due to the recent cameos of celebrities singing here for fun.
My advice would be to go on the week nights. If it is mildly busy, it will take about an hour for you to get your turn to sing once you put your name on the list. That's just the pace it runs at and seems to be on par with other karaoke places I've been to.
Don't expect anything fancy. This place is a dive bar with karaoke added to it. The regulars are great and the bartenders are nice. Its a great place for some fun any night of the week - just be forewarned that the weekends are PACKED! -
Review from Caroline S.
Torrance, CA
1/2/2011
You want to be drunk to fully enjoy and embrace this place.
But if you're not, their beer bucket (4 beers - $12) will help you get there... and a few more rounds will inch you closer to bravery to sing your rendition of Journey "Don't Stop Believing."
It's free karaoke, so don't be wallet shy and drink away the stage fright and belt those tunes or loosen that belt to drink all that cheap beer! -
Review from Nathalie C.
Santa Monica, CA
3/5/2011
I was really excited for karaoke but nobody was singing. I'm assuming it was because the ten people in the place were all just watching the Lakers game. I want to try this place again but at a later time of night because I think we were just there too early. But there a couple of homeless looking people that just stared at us so we felt uncomfortable and left. If the place was crowded I'm sure it wouldn't have been so bad. But since there were only 10 people, it was pretty obvious and very creepy.
On the plus side, my well rum and coke was only $5.
I want to come back but I just don't know. -
Review from Jean L.
9/21/2010
I come here more often than I like and for various odd reasons - once for Halloween, once just because, and the last time...I think just because. Hello, I think this means someone ought to open a good karaoke bar in west LA!
You don't really come for the karaoke though. As others have noted, it takes an absurd amount of time for your chance to go up. Even then, the sound system isn't great.
The place is tiny, the carpet probably hasn't been changed in over 20 years, and the red lighting...makes everyone look better. I think.
The two best points about this dive bar:
1) No hassle getting in, despite the fact I've always been when there's a line. This last Sat, it was me and 4 men. Show me another bar that has a line in LA that will let in 4 guys and 1 girl at the same time, with no cover.
Plus, the bouncer's always been really nice to me, letting us leave for a while to return if I forgot something in the car, etc. He only keeps people waiting bc the place is so small, and it's a fire hazard if it gets too packed.
2) The drinks can be really strong, if you want them to be. It's a dive bar. Just ask. -
Review from Courtney L.
Los Angeles, CA
12/24/2010
I had one of my absolute favorite nights out in LA at this bar. My friends and I had just finished our first year of law school and we had been drinking for HOURS, so we were pretty drunk by the time we got there. We immediately signed up for karaoke (because we'd been there previously and had never gotten to sing), and it was a fantastic time. People were singing along to all of the songs, there was a dance floor that people were actually dancing on, and everyone seemed to be having a great time. Of course there were some people who couldn't sing, but that's what makes karaoke great! You can make an idiot out of yourself and still have a really good time.
Overall, I would not recommend this place to everyone. It is pretty small, and you have to appreciate the karaoke scene in order to have a good time. But to anyone who just wants to have a fun night out, this is a great place to do it! -
Review from Donald B.
Los Angeles, CA
2/7/2011
A few of my friends and I walked out of some unspeakable horrors at V-Lounge next door, and I decided that, despite having my blacked out friend get kicked out for getting a little too freaky, the party wasn't going to end. We walk over to Gaslite. I was kind of worried that the bouncer wouldn't let us in because I was busy propping Ronan up, but I guess it ended up being a lot less of an issue now that everyone else there was on our level.
Do you ever walk into a bar and damn near shed a tear because it satisfies all of your checklist for a good night?
Cheap drinks? Check.
Unpretentious sloppy people? Check.
Someone singing Michael Jackson's PYT? Check.
Nobody trying to fight my blacked out friend despite his sleazy shenanigans? Check.
A clusterfuck of a crowd? Check.
I was pretty satisfied with what was going on. Nobody could coherently sing, everyone was way too happy to care, people were super supportive of whoever was trying to sing. You could feed on that kind of energy for hours. It's not really so much of a karaoke bar as much as it's an I'm-going-to-get-really-drunk-and-make-up-the-lyri cs-to-that-fast-rap-song. Don't come here expecting that. Just come here expecting to be trashy around other people who are trashy. Expect to get your dance on, and don't be mad if the person next to you is flailing her arms around in excitement. Just embrace it and make a new friend. -
Review from Christine C.
Los Angeles, CA
10/8/2010 1 Check-in Here
Only memorable in the fact that the drinks were TERRIBLE, the crowd was annoying, the MC/DJ did not know how to transition songs between or in/out of karaoke, and played them way too loudly for such a small place. They also skipped over my friend in the list to sing... lame.
I probably would never come again unless I were coerced, despite knowing what a staple in wild drunken karaoke times in the area. Maybe it's better during the day or earlier in the evening but usually then I have better things to do...? -
Review from Leena D.
Cerritos, CA
8/10/2011
karaoke on a monday night? sign me up!! this place is really small, its got that dive bar feel but when i was there i ended up talking to mostly tourists (people from canada, and switzerland)...the bartenders dont seem to know how to make complex drinks quickly, but oh well...(we ordered a round of b-52s and i think she took at least 5 mins to make 5 shooters) but once they were done it was all good. The only bad thing about this place is the girl who runs the karaoke. she only seems to play those songs that everyone would know, and she skips over less popular songs. true karaoke means letting people sing/rap whatever is in the book. if it's there, it's meant to be sung!
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Review from Perla B.
Venice, CA
8/24/2011
Went to The Gaslite on a Saturday night and it was incredibly packed. It was so packed that there was a line to get in. I had never been here before so I was intrigued as to why there was such a long line.
After a few minutes in line, we were able to go in and well that tiny place was packed, I mean really packed. No wonder there was a line. It was extremely hard to move in since there was no room at all. I could barely see but there was a stage for karaoke and some girl was singing. It was ok, but too packed. We were not able to get drinks besides we had just come from another place. We were just looking to sit and relax and maybe sing a bit but this place was not doing it for us.
I might check it out another day and will hope it is not so crowded. We were there for less than 45 minutes because we were getting pushed around a lot and got bored easily.
People were dressed in a very casual way, some wearing flip flops, beach shorts, while others were a tad bit more fashionable. The crowd seemed ok but not a place I would call my go to spot.
We had no problem finding parking; we parked right across the street and it was free. -
Review from Jay P.
Pasadena, CA
6/30/2011
Just a laidback, anything goes dive bar-a fine place to end the night. I've been here a number of times, and have always had a great time. Usually the singers are pretty talented, either that, or I've had to many drinks. I guess celebs also stop in once in a while too, we ran into Charlie Day.
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Review from Matt R.
New Haven, CT
8/13/2010
Probably my favorite Dive Bar of all times. It's dark inside, so if you start drinking in the afternoon, you will be blinded by the sun for a good 5 minutes when you emerge from that cave.
If you've been drinking here for more that 2 hours, do not sing karaoke. You may do something like request the theme from Gilligan's Island & be too sauced to keep up with the lyrics to the point where you turn your back to the audience of 5 like people whispering into the mic things like... "I hate you people... Why did she leave me? Probably because she judges me the same way you shallow people do... plastic... phony... I... ughhh...how long is this song?"
It was here that I discovered men cannot tip over a pack of smokes with their nose while on their knees, & arms behind their back, yet women can. Amazing really.
This place is also near a nicer bar with a pretty wooden exterior, but if I had a gun to my head, I couldn't tell you the name of it. In fact, I'm not ever clear on if it's in walking or driving distance. Wow. What were we talking about? -
Review from DR A.
Santa Monica, CA
11/24/2011
I am personally upset that the glite does not have DJ White Jade anymore. It kinda sucks, actually. I like the bartenders and everyone else there, but it just is not the same with the right DJ. He really does take it to another lever. It makes a big difference when DJ White Jade is there, and no offense to the new Djs, but I just think DJ White Jade brings something unique to the GLite that no one else can live up to. I have gone to the Gas Lite regularly for the past year, at least twice a month, and I feel completely different about it now that my DJ is no longer there. I really want to boycott the GLite, that is my New Years goals.
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Review from Eric O.
Los Angeles, CA
9/18/2010
Hands down my favorite bar in Los Angeles. I've lived here for 4 years plus and have been through the front door of this place at the very least 179 times.
Don't get me wrong: this place is not for everyone. Many friends of mine detest the place and refuse to go there (although this can work in your favor if you want to shed friends on any given night. Just throw out " Gaslite?" and they'll scatter). But if you're into this place, you're INTO THIS PLACE.
To love the Gaslite you have to love fun...or love getting absolutely hammered. It's not a place to sit around and have long conversations catching up with an old friend. It's a place to get loose, dance, sing, and sing along with anywhere from 12 to 70 of your closest friends.
It's small, can get crowded, and can get hot, but if you're looking for a place with an unlimited ceiling on any given night (I've been in there on Sunday nights that got out of control) then check out the spot at 21st and Wilshire. You won't regret it. -
Review from Ranny K.
Tacoma, WA
7/17/2011 1 Check-in Here
Small and stuffy, kinda like a frat party. Not my scene, which is unfortunate because I LOVE karaoke. The two didn't seem relevant. Oh well.
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Review from lauren b.
5/18/2010 2 photos
(Disclaimer. I am not a karaoke fan. If you catch me karaoking, I must not know whats up from down. Basically, I cant handle these places for long and just don't like the cheesy clientele but, thats what you get at karaoke bars, right? ).
Aside from this place being a bit grungy/old/small/run down, the Gaslite is pretty fun.
They have just about every ridiculous song you could think would annoy those around you.
Beers were pretty inexpensive and the dance floor was packed with single girls dancing in packs with each other. Fellas, if you happen have a sweet sweet singing voice and want to wrangle in some mediocre karaoke-loving ladies, this is the place to do work. -
Review from Rubina K.
Long Beach, CA
6/7/2010
This place entails entertaining bartender with a side of a KARAOKE bar! :) My friends and I love going to karaoke bars in koreatown since we do enjoy a bit of singing when we're tipsy. But this place has a good vibe for people to come and just get drrrunk and sing to their hearts content.
I still remember my first experience here.
I felt like an outsider walking in here, sitting down at the bar, trying to scope out the place. Soon enough, I order a drink to get the balls running and notice a group of mid 30s-40s ladies having the time of their lives at a corner. 5 minutes into the bar, and one of them decide to whip out I believe it was cher? Yeeeapp. And all the others decide to clap, dance, sing back there supporting the one on stage. I had to admit, the thought of my girlfriends and I here in a nice size group did get my stomach tingly. :)
Oh! And there was one performer I just can't forget. I was told he's a usual here at this establishment. He's was old, but sure had a diva inside of him. He was up there quite a few times enjoying the drunk crowd cheering him with his iddy booty shaking. Haha! It was fun to watch.
Bathroom 3/5. I'll take a leak here. -
Review from Kimberly H.
Los Angeles, CA
5/19/2010
Not the classiest of places...probably the epitome of and ULTIMATE definition of a DIVE Bar!
Came here after happy hour at Cabo Catina for co-worker's going away party. Didn't come for drinks, so I can't tell you how the prices are or how heavy/light handed the bartenders are...
...but what I can tell you is that the Karaoke is legit and the atmosphere is nothing like anything else you've ever known. Crowd is a strange mix of people and I'm sure, if not extremely confident that all the "serious singers" are local celebrities.
Come here for...
* the karaoke - assuming you come with a fun group who can contribute something whether its by...
a) not being shy
b) doesn't mind singing along (every singer needs a groupie!)
c) can rip up the (tiny) dance floor
* the super casual atmosphere
* the popcorn and people watching - you'd be impressed! -
Review from Diana H.
Park La Brea, CA
9/9/2007
Question: What's the best thing to say to your tone deaf friend after she completes a rather heinous rendition of Sublime's "Santeria" at a karoake bar in Santa Monica?
Answer: "You looked like you were having so much fun!"
Translation: "You were really really bad, but I think you actually believe that you looked/sounded cool/good, so I'm going to come up with something nice to say that isn't a lie!"
I'm not afraid to admit it. I'll say it (or sing it) loud and proud: I was the bad karoake friend, and I didn't even need more than one drink to do it! I poisoned the ears of those surfer lads, Stephen King look-a-likes and girls wearing obsenely skimpy outfits, like a champ! And yes, I did have "so much fun" doing it!
Gas Lite gets my vote for "ideal destination to make a fool of yourself in front of lots of randos making fools of themselves as well." It also gets my vote for "nice spot to chill with a group of friends who let other friends do karoake." And finally, Gas Lite wins the "friendliest bartenders in LA" award for excellent table-clearing skills, efficient service and of course, eagerness to fill up those glasses to the brim! I'll clink clunky wine goblets (and sing!) to that any day! -
Review from Anh T.
Pasadena, CA
11/5/2008
You have to be a hardcore karaoke lover to hit up this place in the middle of the day. I am definitely not one of those people, especially because I only like doing things I'm good at...like napping and eating duck fetuses. I hadn't even finished my first drink, and my classmates were already crooning GNR on stage. This is probably why I don't have friends in school. I'm just not always "down" with what the white people want to do.
Though this place is a hole in the wall, drinks were not the super cheap dive bar prices I expected ($7 for a vodka tonic), but the bartender was pretty nice. I also have no idea why this is place is listed under "dance clubs." There's hardly enough room for a Jenny Craig death match.Listed in: Ear Fetish?
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Review from hannah g.
Santa Monica, CA
Updated - 9/17/2010
I went back here recently after a long absence. What happened??
The bartenders TOTALLY IGNORED us sitting at the bar. It went like this:
We parked.
We entered the bar.
We sat at the bar.
There were about six other people in the bar at that time (early evening, weekday).
Two bartenders talking behind the bar.
Two bartenders walking around behind the bar.
After waiting for several minutes, it seemed really obvious they weren't gonna help us.
Rather than insist on service they (for whatever reason) didn't want to provide, we left.
No one cared.
Sorry Gas Lite. I loved you once. I wanted to love you again. What happened?1 Previous Review: Show all »
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3/25/2009
This place is an unapologetic dive in the middle of Santa Monica.
Whacky karaoke, only the way it's… Read more »
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Review from Kevin A.
8/20/2007
KARAOKE KLUSTERFU*K
can't...move.... so...packed... no one moves...when you try to walk by... creepy guy who looks like he dresses up child-like mannequins in his basement getting too close... no where to run... don't want to end up a lampshade...
unable to get to the bar...anger...kevin smash...makes me use too many ellipses...
20 fewer people and I would've loved it. I'll be back for another round. Maybe I'll go at 6AM when they open. -
Review from Keisha A.
Los Angeles, CA
2/6/2009 1 photo
I walked in for happy hour at about 6:30pm on a Thursday night and the place seemed a bit empty. It looked like one big red room with Christmas garland hanging, two very unique ceiling fans and a few regulars at the bar. It reminded me of what I imagine the Regal Beagle would look like in real life. The first thing I noticed was the smell of popcorn and sure enough there was a popcorn machine. Score 1 for the Gaslite, I love popcorn at bars!
My friends and I sat at a large, round, red booth underneath a large HDTV - one of several in the bar. The Lakers were playing and it was all Lakers on all TVs.
Score 2 for the Gaslite? Happy hour that lasts until 9pm! Happy hour 'til 9? Really?! Sign me up! $2 off all drinks and these awesome buckets o' beer. $12 or $16 for six domestic or import beers in a bucket. If I weren't driving, I probably would have purchased a bucket all for myself!
Around 8:30pm once the Lakers game was over, the karaoke heads started coming out. There are some pretty dedicated American-Idol wannabes here and their enthusiasm is fun to watch. The woman who runs karaoke is actually a pretty good singer! By 10pm this little place was packed with people ready to show that not everyone in America's got talent.
The only thing missing here is food. While they do sell hotdogs during football game days, other than the popcorn they don't serve any eats. They do, however, have a book full of menus and places willing to deliver to the bar including the Koo Koo Roo next door.
Parking was easy - there's plenty of metered parking out front (availability likely dependent on your arrival time.)
Fun place to go with a group - get there early if you want a place to sit before the karaoke crowd rushes in.Listed in: Happy Hour in Santa Monica, Mama I Want to Sing!
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Review from Nneka I.
Torrance, CA
5/16/2010
I'm a Karaoke fanatic and this place is one of the best I've seen on a saturday night. At first glance it is small, cramped and a little dingy but that adds to the warm friendly atmosphere. The singers and song choices were great but what made the place was the "DANCE FLOOR CHOIR". These are the people on the dance floor like myself who are dancing and screaming the words to the song and having a good time. They had a great song selections. I did single ladies by Beyonce and Last dance by Donna summers. I am defiantly going back there and I recommend it to anyone that wants to dance/ drink and sing all night long.!
the only problem is the Mics aren't loud enough so if you are in the back you can't hair and the crowd can't see the words to the songs they should have a screen facing the crowd. -
Review from Dave L.
Los Angeles, CA
8/23/2006
This place smells like vomit.
Other than that, Gas Lite is a good karaoke dive for singing and scoping out the other people. It's a small room with four tables and a small dance floor. They are open at 6AM(!!) for happy hour. The bartender guy is nice and fast and he even offered us popcorn. His drinks aren't that strong though. And my friend didn't enjoy paying $4 for a bottle of Budweiser.
The first time I went was on a Monday and the KJ was having problems with her mouse. But the second time I went, on a Tuesday, she had resolved the technical difficulties. She nearly molested my friend who sang Barry White and Jodeci, but didn't really pay attention to the big black guy who was there because he had a fat crush on her. Apparently she likes Asian guys who think they are black instead of the real deal.
There seems to be a bigger crowd on Monday nights for some reason, and the eye candy was much better, at least in my experience. If you go, make sure you go up and sing cuz the crowd is very supportive, even if your voice sucks. I would know.Listed in: Lonely LA Activities
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Review from Mary C.
Culver City, CA
5/3/2007
"Hooold me closer tiny daaaancer... Count the headlights on the hiiiiighwaaaaayyy!"
On my BF's 25th birthday (a Wednesday night), he decided to celebrate youth in the best possible way... karaoke! We had gone to the Gas Lite for beers before a show at 2020, and were delighted about their "every night is karaoke night" philosophy. Needless to say, the birthday party was magic. He sang Blind Melon, I sang Tiny Dancer, and at the end of the night everyone in the bar sang "Don't Stop Believin'". Even the bartenders and waitresses will get up and sing!
Flash forward to my birthday... It was a Saturday night, and we arrived to a PACKED Gas Lite... We crammed inside, listened to some drunk people sing, and watched the bartender lay the smackdown, but none of us got to sing because it was just too crowded. Sadly, we were unable to recapture the magic of that first birthday. My advice is to go on a weeknight, bring a big group of friends, and get those pipes ready to go. Oh and best to leave the inhibitions at home. -
Review from Val B.
Torrance, CA
3/29/2011
I always have fun here. The singing list gets mighty long so I wouldn't recomend if your goal is to get ur sing on. But the drinks are cheap, the crowd is friendly, there's lotsa dancing. If you want to go to v lounge next door, they probably won't let u in if they see you walking out of here. Gaslite is also good to watch a game, at that early hour there is still parking in the lot, no singing, and no crowd.
