We had a birthday party here on a Sunday . I was surprised how uncrowded it was . The party room was huge ! The kids were able to go on the track 2 times at scheduled times . They have a few games for the kids to play . They also did a little " winners " ceremony at the end of the two races . Sliders and fries were good . Only thing to keep in mind is everything seems scheduled . We were going to add another race on near the end of the party and was told it would be an hour and a half wait . Not sure how easy it is to just walk in and race .. could be why it didn't seem busy . read more

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We walked in for a impromptu birthday celebration for my Dad. We did the arrive and drive 2 race. The wait was about an hour and we got some food while we waited as well as played some of the games. The adults and junior race separate. There is only 1 track at this location. We had a great time and would Come back again. read more

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This was my second time go karting and K1 made it pretty easy! The facility is super clean, check in/waivers are easy to follow and staff is decently nice. There was a lot of confusion on when our party would be racing, we had someone from our party check every ten minutes. We were initially told an hour and a half wait, then it was 45 minutes, and then it felt totally random. If you don't have a party of eight, there will be other racers with you. My complaint was I wish they matched racers with groups a little better. We had 4 teenagers race with our group and they were obnoxious the entire time and incredibly rude. Staff didn't do anything to correct them either so it was a little annoying. Their food/drink bar is pretty nice with some good options on it. They also have some arcade games off to the side of the track if you're trying to kill time. read more

K1 Speed Carlsbad - Amusement Parks Near Me - Carlsbad, California

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Such a rad place for a party. From the initial email communication to the service on site. Awesome. Definitely want to give Bee a shoutout. She was amazing. Greeted with a smile, patient with all the check-ins, and helpful with all the questions that arose. Races were fun...the whole crew had a blast. Look forward to next time! read more

K1 Speed is a perfect place for a bithday party or a fun night out with friends or family members. From my last visit back which was back years ago this place is completely remodeled. No more gas, all the cars are electric. No noise, no fumes. The place is clean, huge, tons of room to sit and lounge. Arcade games, large rooms for corporate events or a celebration. Food (pizza, chicken wings) and drinks for purchase are available, tons of parking. read more

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They frequently have kids birthday parties going that take up all the walk in spots for juniors. They had no kids races at all 4 out of the last 5 times I came here. They do not share this in their websites and their phone number service does not know about the parties. I read "Jane from Customer Service's" response to my first post and find it disingenuous--- They book all of Junior racing karts/time slots for Private Events extended periods of time and there is no racing available at all for kids when they do this. Waits are not longer than normal--- Racing for kids does not exist during these parties unless you are with the party. They have a "Private Event Closure Info" section on their web page that they do not maintain. They do not have the ability to tell you if the track is booked for a private event over the phone. You have to drive your child to the track and hope they have spots open. Then you have to explain why they don't to a 9 year old. read more

Had a great experience after I really thought it wasn't going to be good. The Manager Matthew Slama made the whole experience extremely pleasurable. My kids and I had a great time and we will definitely be back. Matthew definitely needs to be recognized for his amazing ability to deescalate unhappy customers and make everyone happy. Definitely an asset to good establishment. He made it where I wasn't going to come back but now I definitely will be back. Thank you Matt read more

K1 Speed Carlsbad - Awesome time!!! - Amusement Parks Near Me - Carlsbad, California

It's a good track and good go-karts but the operations stink. They tell you it'll be 20 minutes and it ends up being an hour. The process of knowing when it's your turn relies on you hanging around and waiting to hear your name....which is hard to hear and they often mangle names.It would be so much better if it's some sort of digital notification system and a better way of knowing where you're in the queue. Food is also atrocious read more

K1 Speed is so fun! The service was amazing and everyone was friendly. My whole family had so much fun and I would definitely recommend. If you buy three races but only use 2, they save the one leftover on your account. I'm definitely going again. And super cute podium for pictures! read more

The Good: Great Atmosphere, fun racing, plenty of space, it's Clean and made for Birthday parties and celebrations. Very nice and professional employees The Bad: horrible service times on ordering food. I ordered Nachos, it took them 35 minutes to finally tell me they didn't have Nacho cheese, I told them to put shredded cheese on it. After 1 hour and 15 minutes of waiting, I finally received my Chips, Shredded cheese and chicken. The Food Bar employees were very nice and respectful, just the food took too long to make something so simple. read more

We brought our nephew and he had a great time. Not too much time in between races. Three races total. It's nice they have a food area with some good options as well. read more

My kids took me here for Father's Day. My son paid for memberships and two races for three of us $$$. We were told our first race would start in 40mins. Busy Father's Day. After an hour and a half we checked with the desk on why it was taking so long. They clearly forgot to put us in the queue. No apology. No acknowledgement of their error. So they finally put us in the queue but at the back of the queue. Our first race happened after WAITING FOR OVER 2-1/2 HOURS! The racing was fun but the customer service is atrocious. If you go, expect to wait longer than they quote and check periodically that you're in the queue. I work nearby and cancelled a team event I was planning there. NO go! read more

We did a belated, joint, bachelor/bachelorette get-together here, and it was an okay experience. We knew coming on the weekend would be busy, and the promised two-hour wait on a Saturday became 3.5 hours. We got pizza while we waited and it was surprisingly good. I have never done this before; I knew I was going to come in dead-last haha. It was difficult to steer the car for myself, and I was just happy to make it around the track. We got gifted two races each; myself and the other female in our group saved our second one and watched the boys on the track. It was more fun for me to watch them than to actually race- the spin outs, the competition! I was told "you're racing against your own best lap time" by my husband, but he came in first both races and was clearly gloating and having a blast. Aside from the poor time management of the front desk for our party and the fact they wouldn't honor an old card from 2018 that had races on it (husband has been here before), we had a memorable time. Pros: - can save purchased races - decent food - decent parking - near other activities (museums!) Cons: - very pricey! About 30$ a race! - kids working here are a bit disorganized - computer program sucks! - fees for cc read more

First time and my son had fun. can be a bit pricey so recommend buying online ahead of time. also trying to get there early due to birthday parties etc read more

We brought a group of middle school kids here for a weekday bonding day outside of school and they had a blast. It was clean and the staff members, Noah Miller and Caleb Armstrong, were very friendly and extremely helpful in accommodating our group of 15. While it would be great to have a print out or screen share of who gets to race together and what the group order would be to approximate the race time, it was still a fun time. read more

My grandson, 9 yrs old, had an absolute blast bit was safe, fun, exciting, and just a great day

So much fun! Staff was nice and good for adults and kids! You can sit and watch or eat &drunk or you can parti it the games!

My daughter wanted us to check this out. Great spot for a few hours. Three races was $70 / per person. Each race is about 10 minutes long. Great place for a birthday party or just to hangout for a bit. They do offer a small military discount. We will come back in the future. read more

K1 Speed Carlsbad - Amusement Parks Near Me - Carlsbad, California

We took our 8 year old grandson there. He loved it! He had so much fun. The staff was friendly and helpful. We will definitely go again!

Here is my experience with K1 tonight. Hint, NOT GREAT. Last time, I brought a dozen or so people here. It was my wife's 35th birthday. We had fun. A lot of fun. Thank you. Great experience. So it's tonight. I want to go bowling because we have gift cards to a place in San Marcos from Costco. But my feet hurt. We wanted to go to this place near ABC Vet in San Marcos but they are closed; perhaps, permanently. Alright. Like spending a few dollars on entertainment at Grand Slam. Owner is a cool dude. But I want something bigger tonight. Some place called Joes in Oceanside, their games don't work half of the time, we have personally experienced on several nights, and they are super sticky/dirty. Wife is a clean person and doesn't like the uncleanliness there. No-go there. Dave and Busters in Oceanside or Carlsbad Mall, not sure which city, but they are great. But you kind of get sucked in when you get there. Lines for drinks. Lines for food. You end up waiting a lot trying to have fun. Not feeling that tonight I want some light entertainment before we come back home to the community spa. It's my 39th birthday. I have a little more say in what we do. We thought about the shooting range, can't remember the name, the place in San Marcos. Too much money for tonight. And we want to take my Mom next time. We'll wait for another day. Brainstorming, my brain clicks. I said, "I GOT IT!" I'm searching online for K1 hours. REALLY HATE SHOWING UP TO A PLACE THAT IS CLOSED. Hey, they are open! I told my wife she'd figure out what I was thinking before I could finish understanding if K1 was open. Saturday night, shows, open. LET'S GO! Now here is why the post is so long. I felt so clever. I kept our helmet wraps/skins or whatever from last time. I think they are $5 or something. No biggie. Cleaned them, again last time, dried, put in a bag. And my card! Still have it! AND! We were given a $5 off coupon. THIS IS GONNA' BE GREAT! [Narrator insertion - it was not great]. I WAS GRINNING when we left. My dumb little K1 kit bag was FINALLY going to pay off. We roll up. Place is open. Seems to be amply staffed with employees. Not too many people surprisingly. Good vibes. We get in line. No one acknowledges us. We wait. We get closer. Again, NO ONE IS IN LINE. My wife and I sit there waiting to, well, open our wallets. We'll pay to play! We git it! K1 is a local business and we are ok with supporting it! The employees behind the counter are busy wrapping/unpacking stuff. Can't tell. But they are definitely not concerned with our presence. No big deal. Saturday night. Go cart racing place. Not expecting special treatment. It's like a dead zone for some reason. Oh, they have a silent auction. Nice. Even joke to my wife about putting us down for the Kobe auction for my wife's brother in LA. Like half joking though. We were considering it. "Are you new here?" Umm, yes. "Did you sign in?" Umm, no, where? "Go to the computer and log in." Alright. I'll do that. I'd like to pay to race but if I need to go somewhere else and fill out information to give K1 my money, ok, I can do that. I love racing. And have had great times prior. So we find the computers and we log in. We are actually happy that the information system remembered us. So we go back to the line. Note, there is no one in line this entire time. Still. We wait again. Employees are really focused on either unboxing or boxing stuff behind the counter. I can't tell. "WELL IT WILL BE AN HOUR OR MORE IF YOU WANT TO RACE." I really want to use non-nice words here but I decline. So...I searched the hours before coming. To make sure. Don't wanna' be the idiot showing up to a closed place. I walked in and checked. I was told to register to race. Cool. Kind of felt like we were being herded, but sure, businesses need those privacy policies in place for insurance. I get it. Did that. Got back in line. Do I clock in at this point? AN HOUR? WHY DIDN'T THE WEBSITE SAY THIS. WHY WERE WE NOT TOLD THIS BEOFORE SIGNING IN? An hour or more. No guarantee either. Oh man, words, would like to use some. There were about thirty go carts. EMPTY. Small line. Probably like, twelve customers there. Maybe twelve employees? I assume the business owner(s) is reading this. You can find me by my name and look at the time stamp in your logs. I'm trying to objective, but you can look at the the video and determine for yourself. I hope the silent auction benefited something. But next time, K1, when you rent your place out, let the people know before we waste our, as an adult, precious birthday time. I got dibs to go here and you burned me. I'm glad business development/event planning booked that event. But put it on your website next time. Let us know when we walk in. Don't try to hide it. But for fun words, don't have open hours on Google, don't ask me to get out of line, when there is no one, go do a task, then come back, and then make me figure out that you ARE RENTED OUT. read more

K1 Speed Carlsbad - I kept a kit for K1. For years. NOT WORTH IT. LOL! - Amusement Parks Near Me - Carlsbad, California

Check in process is insanely inefficient. Racing schedule isn't published so you have no idea how long you're going to have to wait to race (90 minute wait for us). That's not including waiting in line for 30 min to check in even though I paid online. Then over an hour for food to come out. I will never return here with my family. read more

Mike, the GM is an absolute professional and completely made our day. Can't say enough about how he is able to manage and his customer service. Thank you. read more

I want to start off by giving Sam and Noelle a special shout out! All the employees working this day were exceptional and helped us out, but Sam and Noelle went above and beyond. We had our daughter's 15th birthday at this location over a week ago, and I have to say that this has been the BEST customer service we have ever received. The service was so amazing that even the adults in our group are considering having their own parties here. From before the day of the event. Sam called to go over the details of the party and explain how our allotted time will go. We had some dietary restrictions due to religion in our group, and he ensured me that they will take precaution while preparing the food. He was so communicative that he alleviated a lot of stress I had, and answered all my questions as we had such a large party. On the day of the event, it was extremely busy as it was a Saturday, but we were greeted at the front desk by Noelle who seemed to eager to help us. I loved the communication of the staff, as Noelle took time out to go over the details and timeline of our event. She confirmed that all our guests signed waivers prior to the start of the event. Some kids were listening as she was explaining to my husband and I the details, which made them even more excited to race and celebrate. Before going to our designated event space, Noelle did a walk through to make sure the space was ready for us. All the staff were really on top of it. For each race, the staff called the party over on the loud speaker, and the staff on the track really need a great job keeping everyone in line and making sure they were safe on the track. The kids loved the award ceremony. It was so fun. The food we ordered was great!! The kids and adults in our group raved about how good the pizza was, and the wings we ordered were great also! We had a small mix up with the wings, but the staff made sure to correct the mix up which we appreciated so much. This overall experience made our event that much better. Sam and Noelle were key players in making sure things went smoothly. As busy as it was, I watched them run around helping so many people. The entire crew really did their best, and this location deserves to be recognized. Thank y'all so much for an epic day. read more

K1 Speed Carlsbad - Race - Amusement Parks Near Me - Carlsbad, California

Went here for a kids' birthday party. The food was fine. The program and process they use for getting the racers out on the track seems fine, though check-in was very slow. The place was clean. They have an arcade to play in while you wait for your turn on the track. Overall, it looked like a fun - but expensive - experience. The only reason they're not getting five stars is because they don't serve alcohol there. Apparently other K1 locations do, so this was a surprise and disappointment upon arriving. read more

A group of us (7) went last night for a last minute birthday celebration. Was so excited to finally get on the track I unfortunately could not finish my first drive due to nerves. I stop my kart let them know what was going on. They made sure I was doing okay and handed a water. Ten Minutes later they check on me again to make sure I'm okay. I kept apologizing to them and they kept reassuring me that it was okay. read more

K1 Speed Carlsbad - Almost all my favorite ppl are in this photo - Amusement Parks Near Me - Carlsbad, California

Today was supposed to be a GP race. A lot of parents showed up but the corporate office never notified the parents that it got changed to next Tuesday. Never sent out an email to tell them that it got changed to next Tuesday my son and I showed up we were disappointed that we were never notified but the manager and all the employees that were working today. Continuously apologized and did a great job especially Mike the manager. Thank you, Mike. You have a great crew. Awesome people now if we can just get management to get better chargers and batteries this place would be beyond awesome as of right now it is awesome. Love the crew. read more

A huge thank you to Mike, GM, for accommodating my 6 year old son with his very first race! Very grateful for understanding our circumstances and taking care of it!!! Friendly and welcoming team!!! Definitely will be back. Thank you, Mike! read more

Drive the extra distance to Pamona raceway and drive NASCAR. We drove over an hour to come here and with just 3 people we were told our wait would be 2 to 3 hours. No way to know before we left. No way to register for races online. No way to book time. No way they get my business. ​The girl tried to find a way, but this was not the first time she had to deal with this. The policy is company-wide despite location. A poor practice. I'd rather race a real car, book my time, know that I will get on the track. read more

We celebrated birthdays at K1 Speed over the weekend with a party of 6. The check-in process took about 10 minutes. We found all staff to be friendly, professional and very accommodating to our requests. The young men running the place were attentive and always had safety in mind. They helped with equipment and ensured our safety throughout the visit. All were happy to answer questions about the flags, car handling and racing techniques. The track was really fun. I loved seeing the scoreboard as I completed each lap. It made me feel more competitive. I collided with another kart and the race was stopped to ensure the other driver and I were both ok. It was not a quick stop and go. They literally looked into my eyes to make sure I wasn't dazed and asked for a verbal response. Between races we relaxed in the snack bar. We didn't try the pizza but it looked and smelled really good. We also had a great time playing a variety video games. I will definitely try this again. read more

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The staff was very accommodating and professional with our group of 15. They made it fun and got us squared away right away. I highly recommend reserving ahead of time. read more

We did a team building event that included going to K1 Speedway. This was fun and I did not realize it was in our backyard here in Carlsbad! Prices were reasonable in my opinion. The service could have been better, but when dealing with larger groups, I totally understand some of the chaos. They have an arcade that we took advantage of while waiting for our races. Ultimately will be going back. read more

Not everyone gets the same bang for their buck. I brought my 2 grandkids there today ( ages 16 and 17). First time racing at K1. The employee tells me each race is 12 laps. That is a misleading statement. The race is only 12 laps for the person who finishes 12 laps first. So , in walks a 46 year old male who obviously has raced here before. He finished his 12 laps while my grandkids were on lap 7. Race over !! Huge rip off !! So we try another race and guess who is back in line ? The 46 year old . This time my grandkids were able to get in 9 laps . How about letting everyone get in at least 12 laps. The 46 years old still wins and everyone gets their money's worth. Not going back until that changes. read more

had high hopes for K1 Speed in Carlsbad, but unfortunately, our experience was disappointing. When we got there we had to line up despite having the reserved spot. Once on the track, the karts were inconsistent--some were noticeably faster than others, making the race feel unfair. One driver was allowed to sail to a victory which was a joke. Customer service was another letdown. The employees had to be chased down for any help. This was not the case when payment had to be made - of course. For the price for several hundred dollars, I expected a much, much better experience. Between the inconsistent rides, poor service, and overall expensive and cold in appetizing food I wouldn't recommend this location. There are better go-karting options in the area. read more

If I could give zero I would. The wait in line was 40 minutes to get "checked-in". Then told the wait for one junior race would be about an "hour". The majority of the arcade games are overpriced, out of prizes, or don't work at all. Went to order an 8 piece chicken nugget, was told the wait for food was an hour. When asking when we were going to race we were told, after waiting for an hour, that it would be another hour. This place did not bring joy or happiness to my kids or family. When asking to speak to the manager I was told they weren't available and if I wanted a refund I could wait in the "check-in" line, which would be about another 40 minutes for a possible refund. No thanks, won't be coming here again. read more

I had a fun time racing here during my visit to Carlsbad and I would definitely recommend this to anyone in the area!

K1 Speed is my sons favorite spot! He loves it so much he started coming the first Tuesday of every month to race in the Juniors Grand Prix. The staff here run these very well and keep the kids safe while also creating an environment where they can have fun! We drive all the way from Temecula to come here, it's well worth it :) read more

I'm no pro but I'm definitely competitive. I completed my race but was notified that lap times were not recorded, I was quite upset since I take them seriously. I'm not going to say what they did exactly but I am very satisfied with how they reimbursed me. Very professional and friendly GM and staff. I did not ask for reimbursement of any sort, they made a mistake and fixed it so thank you. I will share this with future references to this location. read more

K1 Speed Carlsbad - Go karts! - Amusement Parks Near Me - Carlsbad, California

1 star at best... Extremely Not happy for over $700 for our son's birthday party. No customer service at all. There is not a person in charge of birthday party's. No one told us when we arrived where to go or where to sit. Finally, my husband had to ask if there was a problem. We was waiting for someone to tell us or guide us to the birthday party room. Communication on time to ride, communication about ordering food and on when to serve food we had to ask. There was 5 employees running around trying to figure things out. It was a Saturday, I understand it is a busy day. But I know this is not the first birthday party these employees have had. The food, awful. Pizza was Terrible cold, the crust was BLACK burned. The kids did not eat it!!! In the bottom of the electronic contract form it stated No outside food. So we did not bring any. We was really upset when we saw other guests bringing In Jersey mikes, cokes, chips in a wagon. NOT ONE employee told them they could not serve that inside the party room. I know because I asked. Apparently, the guests knew how terrible the food was. Unfair policy to have the statement in the contract and the employing enforce it. No birthday shout out in the room. Knowing this is a child's party we was upset...The children who wanted anything besides water were told to go to THE BAR to get drinks. Ridiculous!!! Will I spend over $700 there again... Absolutely NOT. read more

The blonde boy working the cafe ruined the whole experience. It was our first time. The kids were excited. The ladies that helped us at the front were very helpful. I forgot her name but it starts with a 'C'. Had no issues with anyone else. The process was pretty smooth and straightforward. Went to order food and the boy working was rude and had an attitude every time I encountered him. First experience was when ordering with him. He got annoyed with us for not hearing him even after I expressed that we cannot hear him well and it doesn't help that the cafe is right next to the track. Second experience was when picking up the food. They need to announce orders on the speaker. Unwarranted attitude. Spoke to a lady and she was equally confused by his demeanor. However the lady in the back kitchen was lovely and so nice! read more

K1 was great! Mike and his staff were all friendly and helpful. The facility was clean and the karts were well kept and ran fast! I highly recommend K1 for a fast time. Dave read more