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Hattie Lloyd 08/12/22


The Best Karaoke Bars In London

The Best Karaoke Bars in London | The Ones to Make a Song and Dance About

The word karaoke literally means ’empty orchestra’…

…which in any other situation would be a pretty discouraging sign if you’d just started singing.

Thankfully what it means here is that it’s one the best things to do in London at night, where you can unleash your vocals on a room filled with people who – bound either by friendship or just professional awkwardness – are obliged to at least pretend they’re enjoying it. And not only does London have excellent karaoke bars, from private party rooms at restaurants to glossy basement booths, it also has a roster of regular, raucously fun singalong nights. Many of which actually do have orchestras.

You might be the next big pop-star in the waiting and nobody knows about (yet), and this could be the breakthrough that starts the chain of events leading to a headline gig at one of the best live music venues in London – or you’ve begrudgingly accepted responsibility for the next office work do. Either way, both scenarios (and many more scenarios) call for this list of the best karaoke bars in London.

Here’s where to get your standing ovation…


Karaoke Bars In London

Lucky Voice | Soho, Islington, Holborn, Liverpool Street

Lucky Voice karaoke

To say that Lucky Voice does karaoke is an understatement. Because their karaoke bars have over 9,000 songs to pick from; private booths for up to 30 people; controllable, themed lighting; ‘Thirsty’ buttons for cocktail delivery direct to your room; dancefloors; cocktail masterclasses; bar snacks; dress-up boxes and a 4am license.

Address: 84 Chancery Lane, WC2A 1DL | Price: £8-14ppCapacity: Up to 30 | Make a booking

The Old Queen’s Head | Islington

The Old Queen's Head, best karaoke bars in London

Depending on how big you want to go, The Old Queen’s Head has two options for you. 1) Hire out the private karaoke room, accommodating a mere 15 persons within its tiki-inspired walls; or 2) hire out the playroom for up to 70 people, where – aside from stunning your captive audience with one of 10,000 songs on the system – you can also play table football, battle on vintage arcade games, and enjoy your own personal booze-stocked fridge.

Address: 44 Essex Road, N1 8LN | Price: On enquiry | Capacity: 1-70 | Make a booking

All Star Lanes | Brick Lane, Westfield White City, Bloomsbury

All Star Lanes

All Star Lanes have brought that loving feeling back to bowling, with cocktails, non-sweaty shoes, and stylish 50s vibes. And just in case an hour of hitting the pins in an atomic-era bowling alley with a killer soundtrack, authentic American diner food and 2-4-1 tankards of piña coladas somehow wasn’t fun, they’ve also thrown in one of the best karaoke bars in London, too. And with photobooths, so you can at least remember a bit of your evening the next morning. It also makes a great option for when it’s a rainy day in Bloomsbury.

Address: 95 Brick Lane, E1 6QL | Price: £10 | Capacity: 4-12 | Make a booking

Karaoke Box | Soho, Mayfair, Smithfield

Karaoke Box

When it comes to karaoke bars in London, Karaoke Box is an institution, thanks to their no-frills but endlessly dependable combination of private booths, great songs and extremely well-stocked bars. Smithfield is their biggest, with 15 rooms to hire and a dancefloor to hit afterwards, while Soho is better for smaller party sizes – and retains superior status thanks to its pole position between Ceviche (for a classy dinner beforehand) and Little Italy for the afterparty (and if that’s classy, you’re doing it wrong).

Address: 18 Frith Street, W1D 4RQ | Price: From £30ph for 5 people | Capacity: From 5 (Soho) – 30 (Smithfield) | Make a booking

The Blues Kitchen | Shoreditch

Shoreditch Blues Kitchen karaoke bar London

Sure, The Blues Kitchen is renowned for its constantly changing line-up of esteemed blues, soul and funk musicians every night of the week. What it’s (tragically) less renowned for are the musicians taking to the private stage upstairs, a.k.a. you. Hire their gorgeously kitted out Playroom, and you’ll get a karaoke machine, table football, and your own dedicated server bringing you dirty Southern BBQ (or alligator tail, whatever floats your boat), the world’s strongest beer, and superlative cocktails all night.

Address: 134-136 Curtain Road, EC2A 3AR | Price: Minimum spend variesCapacity: 10-25 | Make an enquiry

The Star of Bethnal Green | Bethnal Green

Star of Bethnal Green karaoke bar London

Decked out with plush furnishings, vintage-styled wallpaper and a karaoke system powered by Lucky Voice and loaded up with over 15,000 songs, The Star of Bethnal Green’s spacious karaoke room is pitch-perfect, even if you aren’t.

Address: 359 Bethnal Green Road, E2 6LGPrice: Sun-Thurs £49ph, Fri & Sat £69ph | Capacity: 15 | Make a booking


London Karaoke Club |
Soho

London Karaoke Club

At London Karaoke Club the stage is truly yours, as you have to hire out the entire venue. That’s right the entire venue, so you and your entourage have the bar, canape menu and Ipad/mic all to yourselves. It’s essentially like having your own private club/live music venue, just with a potentially questionable booking policy…

Address: 19 Berwick Street, W1F 0PX | Price: from £200 (minimum of 10 people) | Capacity: 50 | Make a booking

Bloomsbury Bowling Lanes | Bloomsbury

Bloomsbury Bowling Lanes

Just like any self respecting ’50s American bowling alley, Bloomsbury Bowling Lanes have a fridge full of beers, hot dogs, and five private karaoke rooms featuring 30,000 hand-picked songs and touchscreen tech. Which sure beats all those other steam-powered karaoke booths into the dust.

Address: Tavistock Hotel, Bedford Way, Bloomsbury, WC1H 9EU | Price: From £27.50ph | Capacity: 25 | Make a booking

The Bat and Ball | Stratford

Bat and ball karaoke stratford

If ping pong isn’t ballsy enough for you, Stratford’s resident table tennis bar – Bat and Ball – also has a UV-lit private karaoke room, with tropical decor and a sweet 25,000 songs on the slate.

Address: Westfield Stratford, Montfichet Road, E20 1EJ | Price: £8-10pp Capacity: 16 | Make a booking

Piano | Kensington, Smithfield

Piano Bar

Piano is like those bars in New York that you see in films where people load up on negronis and find themselves crowding round the piano singing along to old classics, arms around a group of people who – negronis notwithstanding – are definitely their new best, best friend. But in London.

Address: 2-24 Kensington High Street, W8 4PT | 14 Long Lane, London EC1A 9PNMake a booking

Bunga Bunga | Covent Garden

bunga bunga karaoke

Not one for the faint-hearted: Bunga Bunga is a subterranean, uber-kitschy Italian temple to excess where, on Friday and Saturday nights, the stage in the restaurant itself turns into one of the best karaoke bars in London where you can let belt your heart out with a five-strong band of live musicians.

Address: 167 Drury Lane, WC2B 5PG | Price: Free Make a booking

The Exhibit | Balham

Exhibit your talents at Balham’s cinema-cum-bar-cum-restaurant The Exhibit, whose private screening room also has a Lucky Voice karaoke system installed. They run a couple of handy drinks packages here too, and – oh, would you look at that, all the seating has all been arranged to give you the perfect audience…

Address: 12 Balham Station Road, SW12 9SG | Price: From £25pp | Capacity: 25 | Make a booking

BAO Borough | Borough

Bao Borough Karaoke London

Fun with buns. It’s a faultless combo. Which, presumably, is why BAO Borough – aside from serving the micro-chain’s excellent bao buns, and a new grill and noodle menu – has its own basement karaoke bar, where you can retreat with your friends, pitchers of Hi-ball cocktails and a platter of BAO party food. There’s a thousand Western & Asian songs loaded up onto the KTV system, and you can even upload your own…

Address: 13 Stoney Street, SE1 9AD | Price: £69-199 for 2 hours | Capacity: 2-14Make a booking

BAO Noodle Shop | Shoreditch

Bao Noodle Shop

And now for the reprise: BAO Noodle Shop is the latest BAO location, set on a corner of Shoreditch, featuring cool, retro decor (including a wallpaper patterned with 8-bit Bao dishes) a noodle-focussed menu, shaved ice cocktails and an intimate basement karaoke room.

Address: 1 Redchurch Street, Shoreditch, E2 7DJ | Price: £69-199 for 2 hours | Capacity: 2-14Make a booking

BAO Battersea | Battersea

bao karaoke rooms

Ok, so at this point BAO might be in danger of becoming a karaoke chain with bao bars attached, rather than the other way round. But who’s complaining? Their latest joint inside Battersea Power Station has a private room that looks like the kind of karaoke bar the Thunderbirds would let off steam in, and comes with platters of fried chicken, pitchers of booze, and over 1000 songs to choose from.

Address: Hall A, Battersea Power Station, SW11 8DD | Price: £69/99 for 2 hours | Capacity: 8Make a booking

Mama Shelter | Bethnal Green

Mama Shelter

Karaoke bars in London don’t come slicker than Mama Shelter. There are two private rooms for hire at this Bethnal Green where you can make your way through over 10,000 songs on the Lucky Voice system, and then take a load off on banquette seating that – for once – doesn’t feel like it’s seen more wine than your glass.

Address: 437 Hackney Rd, London E2 8PP Price: £20pp for 2 hours Capacity: 15 | Make a booking

 


Karaoke Nights In London

Massaoke

Massaoke Karaoke Bar London

What is Massaoke, you ask? Or, at least, we think you did, because we can’t hear you over the joyous crowds simultaneously singing along to some of the best songs ever written, played live on stage alongside projections of the lyrics and full-on pyrotechnics, creating one of the most euphoric mass-bonding experiences of your life. Maybe you just said ‘stop knocking my beer’.

Details: From £13 | Book here

Ultimate Power Club

Power ballads. Confetti. The silent clash of hundreds of air guitars. Ultimate Power Club is a communal karaoke night dedicated to the power ballad in all its forms, creating nothing short of a religious experience.

Details: From £9.90 | Book here

Gospeloke

Gospeloke karaoke bar London

Stopping just short of an actual religious experience is Gospeloke – karaoke on stage, backed by a live, 15-strong gospel choir. Like any good congregation, there’s confessionals from the crowd (with prizes), as well as contests for best soloist and best duet.

Details: From £15 | Book here

Hip Hop Karaoke

Sometimes, you like to mix things up. And as – unbeknownst to your friends, and yourself – the dopest of rappers… this is one of those times. Where on Thursdays thanks to Hip Hop Karaoke, The Queen of Hoxton turns into one of the best karaoke bars in London with DJs and an adoring crowd ready to catch your mic.

Details: Every Thursday night | Queen of Hoxton, 1 Curtain Road, EC2A 3JX | From £5-7 | Book here

 

Looking for the best bars in London with live music?

Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club

If you’d rather leave the singing to the pros and keep your suspect renditions of ‘90s classics exclusive to the car that’s perfectly okay too. There’s still heaps of places in town where you can drink, sit-down, have a fun time, and watch other people (the professionals) nail their high notes. Check out the best bars in London with live music

 


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