The best karaoke bars in New York split into two categories that rarely overlap: Koreatown's private room operations and the open-stage dive bars of the Lower East Side and Brooklyn. Both are worth knowing. We have spent a significant number of evenings in both and have opinions about which is right for which occasion. This is the full guide.
Koreatown Karaoke: Private Rooms Done Right
The K-Town karaoke model is the best version of karaoke for groups. You rent a private room by the hour, order bottles to the room, and sing without strangers judging you. The rooms range from closets for two people to suites that hold twenty. The song libraries go deep into Korean pop, classic rock, and R&B. These are the best venues to book in Koreatown.
01
Gahm Mi Oak
Koreatown
$$$
Private Rooms / Late Night
One of K-Town's most polished karaoke operations with private rooms that run until 5am on weekends. The room quality is consistently maintained and the song library covers over 100,000 tracks. Bottle service is the way to go — the per-drink pricing at the bar gets expensive. The staff are efficient and unbothered by groups that arrive at midnight and leave at 4am. Book at least a week ahead for Friday and Saturday.
Order: Soju bottle package — ask for the Korean snacks add-on
02
Chorus Karaoke
Koreatown
$$
Mid-Size Rooms / Good Value
The most reliably good-value private room karaoke in K-Town. Chorus has eight rooms ranging from intimate four-person booths to larger group rooms with proper stage lighting and a tambourine collection. The song catalog is updated regularly and includes recent releases alongside the standards. The hourly rate is fair on weeknights. The English-language library is as strong as the Korean one.
Order: Makgeolli pitcher — pairs better with karaoke than soju
03
Nanta K-Bar
Koreatown
$$
Walk-In Friendly / Smaller Groups
The most walk-in-friendly private room karaoke in the neighbourhood. Nanta operates on a first-come basis during the week and keeps smaller rooms available for last-minute bookings even on weekends. The drink menu is short and competitively priced. The rooms are clean and the microphones are properly maintained — a detail that separates the serious operations from the rest.
Order: Hite beer bucket with two microphone setups
The complete New York bar guide
Every category, every neighbourhood — from Koreatown to the Upper East Side. Our New York guide covers 140+ listings.
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Open-Stage Karaoke Bars: LES, Brooklyn & Beyond
Open-stage karaoke — where you perform in front of strangers — is a completely different sport. The best venues for this in New York are the ones where the crowd is warm rather than critical, where the host keeps the energy up, and where the beer is cheap enough to get you to the microphone on your third visit. These are our picks.
04
Arlene's Grocery
Lower East Side
$
Live Band Karaoke / Legendary
The Lower East Side institution runs live band karaoke on Monday nights — you sing, a real band plays behind you, and the room treats it like a genuine performance. The song list is tilted toward rock and pop from the 70s through the 2000s. The experience of singing Bowie or Blondie over a real drummer and bassist is entirely different from a backing track. Arrive by 9pm to get your name on the list early.
Order: Cheap beer — the energy is the point, not the drinks
05
Sing Sing
East Village
$$
Two Floors / Mixed Format
East Village's most popular karaoke bar runs open-mic karaoke on the ground floor and private rooms upstairs, which means you can transition between formats in the same venue. The ground floor crowd is typically encouraging. The private rooms are mid-range quality at fair prices. The bar stays open until 4am on weekends. Song selection is comprehensive and updated consistently.
Order: Sake bomb to start, switch to beer for the long haul
06
Planet Rose
East Village
$
No-Frills Open Stage / Beloved
The most reliably entertaining open-stage karaoke bar in Manhattan. Planet Rose is small, unpretentious, and draws a crowd that is genuinely invested in the performances. The song library is enormous and the host manages the list without playing favourites. The drinks are no-frills and cheap. Our editors recommend it for any karaoke night that involves people who have never done karaoke before — the atmosphere is entirely supportive.
Order: Vodka cranberry — the house standard for a reason
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Brooklyn's Best Karaoke Nights
Brooklyn's karaoke scene skews toward bar nights rather than dedicated venues. These are the bars that run karaoke one or more nights per week and do it well — the selection is good, the hosts are engaged, and the crowd shows up prepared to participate.
07
Berry Park
Williamsburg
$$
Rooftop Karaoke / Seasonal
Williamsburg's rooftop bar runs karaoke on Thursday nights from May through September. The combination of rooftop drinking and karaoke is rarer than it sounds, and Berry Park pulls it off without making it feel like a corporate event. The song library leans toward pop and hip-hop. The rooftop fills up quickly — arrive at 8pm to guarantee outdoor space before the karaoke crowd arrives at 9:30.
Order: Seasonal cocktail or a draft lager on the roof
08
The Diamond
Greenpoint
$
Sunday Karaoke / Neighbourhood Favourite
The Diamond in Greenpoint runs a Sunday karaoke night that has become a neighbourhood institution. The crowd is a mix of longtime locals and the new wave of Greenpoint residents who have learned that Sunday karaoke is the right way to end a weekend. The bar is small, the vibe is genuinely warm, and the host is the kind of person who will give you a second microphone if you need it.
Order: Whatever is on draft special — changes weekly
09
Pacific Standard
Park Slope
$$
Wednesday Karaoke / Pacific Northwest Craft Beer
A Park Slope craft beer bar that pivots to karaoke on Wednesday nights — an unusual combination that works entirely because the crowd that comes for the beer also turns out to be excellent at karaoke. The song selection is strong on 90s and 2000s indie. The beer selection remains excellent during the karaoke portion. One of the few places where you can sing Modest Mouse over a truly good IPA.
Order: Rotating Pacific Northwest IPA on cask
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Our Verdict on New York Karaoke
The best karaoke bars in New York reward different things. The K-Town private rooms reward preparation — book ahead, agree on a set list with your group, and go in ready to commit. The open-stage bars reward spontaneity — show up, put your name on the list, and let the room decide whether you are any good.
Our single recommendation for first-timers: Planet Rose in the East Village on any weeknight. The crowd is forgiving, the drinks are cheap, and the host will make you feel like a regular before you have finished your first drink.
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