The Best Karaoke Bars in London | The Ones to Make a Song and Dance About
The word karaoke literally means ’empty orchestra’…
…which would usually be a discouraging sign if you’d just started singing.
Thankfully what it means here is unleashing 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.
Here’s where to get your standing ovation…
Karaoke Bars In London
Moyagi | Marylebone
Sticky floors. Temperamental microphones. Inexplicably peeling leather banquettes. Moyagi has shunned all these karaoke staples to deliver an impressively sleek experience. Modelled on the two highly popular branches over in Sweden, their London karaoke bar features eight private booths of varying sizes off one beautifully moody, glowing corridor. There’s also a hidden bar, DJs at weekends, bottle concierges and apparently 150,000 songs on the books.
Address: 5 Cavendish Place, London W1G 0QA | Price: £20pp | Capacity: 4-25 | Book karaoke at Moyagi
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Lucky Voice | Soho, Islington, Holborn, Liverpool Street, Waterloo
To say that Lucky Voice does karaoke is an understatement. Because their five London karaoke bars have over 12,000 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: £8-14pp | Capacity: Up to 30 | Book karaoke at Lucky Voice
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The Old Queen’s Head | Islington
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 | Book karaoke at the Old Queen’s Head
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BAM Karaoke Box | Victoria
Just when you thought London’s karaoke scene already had it all, BAM – along comes this place. After years of providing glamorously raucous nights out in Paris, Madrid and Bordeaux, BAM Karaoke Box has finally hit English shores. You’ll find it in Victoria of all places, where they’ve created a lavish setting inspired by Nell Gwynn’s townhouse… who we’re assuming also had 22 private karaoke rooms, a neon-lit cocktail bar with a live music stage, and an open-air terrace.
Address: 74 Victoria Street, London SW1E 6SQ | Price: £7.50-14pp | Capacity: 4-35 | Book BAM Karaoke
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All Star Lanes | Brick Lane, Westfield White City & Stratford, Holborn
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 photo booths, so you can at least remember a bit of your evening the next morning.
Address: 95 Brick Lane, E1 6QL | Price: £10pp | Capacity: 4-14 | Book karaoke at All Star Lanes
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Karaoke Box | Soho, Mayfair, Smithfield
Karaoke Box is one of London’s karaoke institutions, 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 5-12 (Soho) up to 30 (Smithfield) | Book Karaoke Box
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The Blues Kitchen | Shoreditch, Brixton, Camden
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 talented musicians performing in the private karaoke rooms, a.k.a. you. All three of BK’s London spots offer the full karaoke set-up and free entry to the main club for the after-party. Oh, 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: Varies – free Sun-Tues | Capacity: 10-25 | Make an enquiry
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The Star of Bethnal Green | Bethnal Green
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 6LG | Price: £49-139/hour depending on room & day | Capacity: 15 | Book karaoke at The Star
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The Star by Hackney Downs | Hackney Downs
A little healthy sibling rivalry means that The Star’s other pub by Hackney Downs is just as well-equipped for boozy caterwauling: their private room comfortably fits you and 14 audience members for sessions by the hour, all powered by Lucky Voice.
Address: 35 Queensdown Road, London E5 8NN | Price: £49-89/hour depending on the day | Capacity: 15 | Book karaoke at The Star
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London Karaoke Club | Soho
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, canapé 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 £9.50pp | Capacity: 50 | Book the London Karaoke Club
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Bloomsbury Bowling Lanes | Bloomsbury
Just like any self respecting ’50s American bowling alley, Bloomsbury Bowling Lanes has 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: £60-120/hour (half price Sun-Tues) | Capacity: 30 | Book karaoke at Bloomsbury Bowling
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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: £25-50pp inc. drinks | Capacity: 25 | Book karaoke at The Exhibit
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BAO | London Bridge, Battersea, Shoreditch, The City, Marylebone
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? All six of their privately bookable karaoke rooms are uniquely designed, from the 8-bit BAO wallpaper of Shoreditch to the retro-futurism of Battersea. Over the course of two hours you can make your best dent in their 1000-strong song selection, and unusually there’s a minimum spend rather than a hire fee. That means you can spend your money on shaved ice cocktails and platters of BAO classics instead – and save all your best notes for the karaoke.
Price: £35pp minimum spend (or £180 for groups of 5 or less Thurs-Sat) | Capacity: 2-24 | Book karaoke at BAO
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Mama Shelter | Bethnal Green
Karaoke bars in London don’t come slicker than Mama Shelter. There are two private rooms for hire at this Bethnal Green spot 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: £22pp for 2 hours | Capacity: 6-15 | Book karaoke at Mama Shelter
Karaoke Nights In London
Piano | Kensington, Smithfield
Piano is like those New York bars 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 9PN | Make a booking at Piano
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Bunga Bunga | Covent Garden
Not one for the faint-hearted: Bunga Bunga is a subterranean, extrovert Italian temple to excess. So naturally, on Friday and Saturday nights the restaurant transforms into one of London’s most raucous karaoke bars, where you can let belt your heart out with a five-strong band of live musicians. There are also private rooms if that’s more your jam.
Address: 167 Drury Lane, WC2B 5PG | Price: Free | Book karaoke at Bunga Bunga
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Massaoke | Across 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 £17 | Book tickets to Massaoke
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Gospeloke | Brixton
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 tickets to Gospeloke
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Organoke | Camberwell
Here it is. The big kahuna. Organoke happens but a few precious times a year, which explains why when it does, tickets sell out almost instantly. Why is it so popular, you ask? Well, it’s another uplifting mass karaoke experience, featuring live musicians, an outrageous compère and flowing drinks, all in the unusual setting of a Grade II* listed church. In which you’re accompanied by the mighty, thunderous power of a 180 year-old organ.
Details: See upcoming Organoke dates 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 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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