With Christmas time approaching and companies looking for a good place to hold an office Christmas party, we decided it was time to do a Round Up and present our Guide to Karaoke!
To make things fair, we tried to hit as many as we could on one night. Unfortunately that only meant we got to three, but they are definitely three of the best. As well as this we kept the booking the same for everywhere that we went. 10 people for 1.5 hours.
So here is the breakdown of our night:
This was the first venue and definitely the best. They had a microphone stand in the room, as well as hand held mics The mic stand allowed you to bust out a lot of extra moves (think Mick Jaggar or Axel Rose), that you simply can’t do with a hand held microphone. It is also an Izakaya, which is an informal Japanese drinking venue that serves food. The food here was fantastic!! We actually had dinner while doing Karaoke and would happily come back for the food alone! Song selection was pretty good and all food and drink ordering was done via computer.
Decor 10
Song selection 9
Price $80 per hour (for 10 people)
Food/drinks 10
Overall ambience 10
The second venue was Dynasty Club, located in the heart of China Town. While most Karaoke venues in Sydney have a Japanese or Korean feel, Dynasty is distinctly Chinese. The rooms are similar to other Karaoke places with dark walls and splashes of neon but the detailing has more of a Chinese feel to it. The really big difference here was the communal Karaoke room. As well as having private Karaoke rooms, the centre part of the venue is a large Karaoke Bar. It’s free to sit in the bar and request whatever songs you like, all via computer. This is a fantastic cheap option as all you pay for are drinks and food. Drinks and food in the private rooms are ordered via a phone and the song selection is computerized and amazingly abundant. Unfortunately we didn’t try the food here but the menu seemed substantial and as the club is owned by the same people that own Mizuya, we would hope the food is good! The one drawback here was the constant feedback on the microphones.
Decor 8
Song selection 10
Price $6 per person, $8 per person VIP room, free communal area
Food/drinks 8 (drinks only)
Overall ambience 8
Karaoke World has been around forever. It was revamped about 18 months ago with all of the rooms getting a make over. Because it’s been around for so long, they do the basics very well. Never any feedback, good sound system, efficient bookings etc. The food here is not great, especially when compared to somewhere like Lantern. However, the drinks are ordered at the bar and the service is quick and polite. Their song selection is probably the best which comes from being around as long as they have.
Décor 8
Song selection 10
Price $96 per hour (for 10 people)
Food/drinks 7
Overall ambience 8
Other venues to consider:
K Square – Well appointed rooms. Order drinks at the bar. Decent song selection
Mizuya – An Izakaya similar to Lantern. Owned by the same people as Dynasty. Computer ordering. Decent Song Selection.
Echo Point – Budget Karaoke in the heart of the city. You get what you pay for here.
Ding Dong Dang – Budget Karaoke in Surry Hills. Some love it, others hate it. Again, you get what you pay for!
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