Relying to Jessica T's review: I'm Tom Richardson; the driver who gets the 'special' treatment. I thought I'd add my two cents to balance things out. First of all, I understand your concerns. I'm not going to address the white privilege thing because I'm a middle aged white guy and nobody wants to hear that. I know we live in a world where people face discrimination every day so while I've never had the misfortune of feeling your pain, I feel your pain. I'd love to think that we'll eradicate racism (and all the other isms) during my lifetime but I'd be surprised. I'd feel remiss, though, if I didn't stop to point out that the staff at K1 is pretty diverse and any special treatment I might get isn't because I'm white. A year ago I was a pretty average racer. I decided I wanted to get a lot better so I adopted K1 as my new hobby. You can look up my progress on their website (I'm the Tom Richardson from Bellaire). I put in a lot of time there over the last year. I was their single biggest individual customer at the Houston track (top ten in the country) so if it seems like the employees are treating me differently than the general public, it might be because they all know me. Regarding your other concerns; I generally get to ride in every race because I'm racing solo and I ask. It's hard to make room for groups in every race but there are a lot of solo drivers that get to do the same thing. Also, the employees usually put me in one of the front karts because I'm a fast driver. They don't "let me" go fast. I'm genuinely VERY fast. I won last years racing league and there's only one person who's ever gone faster on that track than me (not a white guy). I also race my car on a racetrack once every couple of months and I own a race kart that I've been campaigning lately in a local racing league. I rarely crash into anyone, I make a point of it. It's an exercise in control now that I don't have much left to learn about the racing line. But when I do crash into someone (and it's my fault) I make a genuine effort to apologize afterwards. I'm a pretty laid back guy and I try to make sure im not ruining anyone's night. Several guys helped me out when I was still learning to go fast so I never hesitate to return the favor by showing new racers the real race line if they ask. Jessica, I invite you to stop me if you're ever up there again and I'll teach you to go faster. Also, in general, if they slow your kart down, it's because they have reason to believe you can't safely drive the kart at the regular speed. Either you're crashing a lot or spinning in corners or taking a dangerous line through the corners. A lot of people have asked me if they give me the 'fast karts'. They don't. If you look at my records you'll see I've driven every kart they have...several times...and I'm faster on all of them than the vast majority of the public...because I put in a lot of work. TLDR; K1 Speed has a friendly, helpful staff that goes out of their way to meet their customer's needs. They cater to all different levels of drivers. If you want to learn to go fast...K1 is a cheap, effective place to develop good racing habits. If you want to have a good time, it's a great place to do that, too. read more

Had a good time. Staff was friendly. They gave clear instructions. It was tidy and neat. Would go again.

For electric cars, this was an exciting experience during our lunch break! WooHoo!

I went here with the boyfriend and assorted menfolk, and we had a good time! The little electric carts are FAST. We ended up purchasing the three race package, and I'm not going to lie, I only used one race (although I can go back at any time to use the others!) I couldn't really get into just zooming around and around in circles. I wish the track was a little bigger, I guess. Also, I don't like fast things and I got demoralized by the frequent waving of the "You're going too slow!" yellow flag. But it was an overall fun experience. It was cool getting print outs after each race to see your standing, your fastest lap, etc. It's a little bit expensive for the experience, but it's well maintained and the staff are super friendly. I'll be back to use my remaining two races next time the boys are feeling antsy. read more

After receiving my Austin F1 GP tickets earlier this week, I was feeling a need for speed. I went to K1 Speed with a couple of friends on a Thursday night. The price was somewhat reasonable, as we got 3 races for $40. The wait wasn't long. I think we waited 15 minutes to get into our first race. The track is pretty well put together with a balance of a speedy section and a number of 180 degree turns. The karts are fast, responsive and well maintained. However, some karts appear to have better tires than others. I must resonate the complaint that I didn't like how the staff had control on how fast we went. The staff forgot to allow me and my friends go full throttle until we yelled at them on the 3rd lap on one of our races. Regardless, I was thoroughly entertained on my visit there. Based on the other reviews, it looks like they had some growing pains when they first opened. However, it appears they have their act together now. I would recommend this place if you similarly have the need for speed. In addition, I would highly recommend you visit this establishment on Monday-Thursday nights to get the discount and to avoid the crowd. read more

Really cool. Manager honored discount for both me & my son, plus our turn to rides came up pretty quickly. Went on a Friday night read more

K1 Speed Houston - Competitive stares lol - Amusement Parks Near Me - Houston, Texas

Fantastic facility with great karts and no grimy smell about. The electric karts surprised me as they are very quick and like I said, don't stink up the place. I started competitively racing shifter karts 15 years ago and would recommend this place to anyone. Great location too. Call ahead. The lines can be long but plan accordingly and for the most fun, gather a group of friends large enough for a private race. read more

First time here and it's not good. First, they don't have a working restroom (men or women) and second they offered a package deal which includes 2 races, membership fee and a T-shirt. Only after we paid, they told us they do not offer Kid's size T-shirt (2 of 4 membership was for kids). They should have a sign post on the front door, NO WORKING RESTROOMS. In addition, this place have a lot of kids as customer, they should offer Kid's sizes. I don't blame the staff for not giving us all the information upfront but I do blame owner(s) of the establishment for in adequate training. I hope they do better so everyone can enjoy the race. read more

Counter Staff super friendly but the track staff let "regulars" break the rules. I've been to a few K1s in different cities as well as several gas-powered high-speed cart venues. I like the electric carts because they're cleaner, quieter, and generally more consistently matched. But if the staff running the race is not professional then you just waste your money. And that's pretty much the case at this location based upon our experience. We went in a small group of three and bought two races. There was a party of two others that were clearly first timers and then a party of two guys who were regulars or had some kind of club deal, because they had their own helmets and continually raced the entire time we were there. During our first race the newer drivers were slow and clearly backing up the other karters. That happens, but the track staff let them do it for nearly the entire race before flagging them to pass, which wasted our money. Meanwhile the regulars were ramming the h*ll out of us. In our last race the first timers left... So we figured we might get to actually "drive". But instead the regulars just got crazier. I mean seriously at least two of our three people were hit from behind or the side really hard. Other carting places would not have put with that kind of behavior. We made a point to drive cleanly but aggressively but the "regulars" didn't. Oh. And they have a stupid "license fee" of $8/year, which serves no purpose, other than to collect more cash. If you want a good carting experience I'd say there are better places in town because they are more consistent with running the sessions. read more

Best Karting in Houston! Expect wait times on Saturdays, but it's worth the wait! Staff is friendly, Carlos is awesome and Yuliana was very kind and helpful! read more

The best place for a party or just have a race , speed on ,,,, the guys are very friendly and helpful, the girls at the cashiers are amazingly nice , the prices are on the money for this kind of cart , which brings me to the cars , they are super fast I'd say about 30to 35 mph I average in the 24.500, they have a lot of grip on the tires just don't smash on the brake and turn , you will spin out , the track is great, it hasn't changed in a while but still challenging, , bring the kiddos they will have tons of fun , remember to tell them to use the brake , I've seen quite a Kids crash head on two the wall due to not using the break, drive safe and don't get flagged down , read more

I really have a bad experience because I drive 40 min to get there, I even calle before to ask if my kid could drive and they say he has to be 48" and he is 52" the manager say no! I really don't recommend this places manager don't have a good communication. read more

We had a good time on our Mom/daughter date. We'd go again! We went on a Saturday. They were helpful in getting us through quickly, answered all of our questions, and we definitely enjoyed ourselves. read more

I was a bit apprehensive due to the aggressive, experiences drivers I saw on the track when I walked in, but I had a blast. It was my first time and I thought my car would flip, but it did not! I got into it the last round and had a decent time. Note: do not wear flip flops!! I didn't know I was going until I was there and had on flip flops which I had to worry about falling off while driving. Made my time slower and my calve muscles sore. will def go back again! read more

K1 speed is open till 10:00 and i came in at 8:50 and they rejected us when we have been waiting on line i think the girl was just lazy to put us on the race because the people in front of us were accepted so i just wasted my gas for nothing read more

I will never be attending this specific K1 speed ever again. I race at K1 speed very frequently and the amount of disrespect I got from here is horrific. The manager Boa is so racist let alone very rude. I'm so sad to see a place like this being a former racer. read more

Pros: Fun kart action Interesting electric driving experience Fresh, grippy tires on the karts Cons: Less than average track layout - the back section is fun, but the rest is too slow and the medium speed areas are tied together in a way that just begs the novices to go too fast and run into someone (one guy got hurt at one of these spots while I was there). No dynamic throttle on the karts - throttle is a stepper switch with what felt like 4 steps, so don't plan on nailing that partial-throttle bend through a turn, or rolling smoothly back into the power through that mid-speed corner. Rubber marbles get all over your clothes - this is a side effect of those fresh, grippy tires, but is unwelcome when you have black rubber specs all over your back and butt when you step out of the kart. This is a worthwhile con and I would happily put up with it if I wasn't wearing white, or if I brought a date and was tasked with cleaning her off. Employees were sloooooooow, rude, and generally not helpful - If you want to hire cute teenage girls to work your counters at a business catering to males, fine, but don't hire ones with a high-school mentality of customer service when you're selling a premium-dollar experience. Prepare to do lots of waiting while teenagers take their sweet-ass time at everything. Confusing layout/check-in system - when you walk in, there are no signs telling you where to go or how it works. There are some people behind a counter, but no way to tell what line you're supposed to be in (and sometimes the girls behind the counter go on break without telling the customers that they won't be returning to help them - and their managers will back up the girls if you try to make an issue of it). Then when you finally get some help they tell you you're supposed to check-in at the computers first - yeah those ones off to the side that look like they're in a hallway-to-nowhere...yes those are it, the ones that are completely unmarked, have no signs, and have their screens turned away from the track. Seriously long wait times - took over 2 hours to run one race that was less than ten minutes long (most of the time it seemed like no one was racing). Kids take up whole track when they run - they should take a hint from the competition and set up a separate area for the kids to race. Overall, if you've got several hours to kill, lots of patience, and don't mind paying the cost to race, then this could be just the ticket for a fun evening (and yes it will take up your entire night). read more

Visited this place for my son's 10th B-Day I had at least 15 riders and you know this place ain't cheap. When we arrived the staff was not helpful at all to say I had a party booked way in advance spending that type of money for the highest package they offered I was not impressed with the service of the staff ,manager ,supervisor etc. We ordered their food(pizza) which arrived uncooked by the time they recooked it none of my guest wanted it just a horrible overall experience.. The manager try to help and adjust things for us but the supervisor in charge killed it for me when I over heard him tell another employee get this party out of here!!!!!! I will never book a party here again the kids still managed to have a blast although the staff fussed n screamed at some of the kids for wrecks that clearly everyone was having I mean the junior karts aren't that fast however it was just clearly unexceptable for first time junior riders that attended ...the karts itself were comfortable n very fast for the pre teen riders but I didn't care for the small track but the ride was very smooth .However my experience overall I will not b returning regardless of how many coupons they send to my email the customer service was poor as hell n just ruined it for me my bill was $ 1200.00 and had I been able to get my money instead of a credit for the remanding time we had left off the races I would have left the facility earlier ... read more

I have really bad experience in this place. I went here with 8 of my friends. Unfortunately, they put me in wrong race. I have to race by myself. And the worst thing is that i was not even registered on the next race. I dont have any result pr printout that give me the information about my speed. What a waste. The employee did not even care when i spoke with them. Disappointed read more

Employees AND manager are so rude! We received a coupon online and had no idea it was only valid Monday through Thursday the manager was so rude about it instead of simply saying it wasn't valid for today. I mean we are PAYING to use your facility why is it so difficult to put a smile on your face??? We were planning on racing regardless and didn't make a big deal about the coupon not being valid so why the need to be rude? Without customers like us that come at least twice a month your business will not be opened anymore!!! We will definitely be looking into a different indoor racing facility next time! read more

It was a lot of fun, I received $5 off by checking in on YELP. The 3 stars because the cashier was so confused and keep making mistake in taking me and my husband order (we each requested 2 rounds) and she keep pushing to get 3 round. After we said no at least twice she let it go. She then suggested we pay a bit extra that will include T-shirts. Well, we never get our T-shirts! I would go back but will complain for sure. read more

Its ok place, little expensive for just the ride time dow. I dont think 30$ for one race( 8min last) is worth it but its just me.

WAY TOO EXPENSIVE! I had my sons bday party here. Not worth it. Staff was not helpful. They burnt the pizzas 3 times in a row! No joke. Staff seems to be young to handle duties and responsibilities. My kids party was a disaster and a waste of my money and time. I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone. I honestly think they need to lower their prices, and get a more caring staff. read more

If you guys ever wanna go kart racing in Houston. Dont go to k1 speed by 290. Everyone there is gruuumpy. We said it felt like we didn't get all the laps we paid for.. one of the ladies in the staff rolled her eyes until they were white and told us to talk to the manager because that was none of her business... he said we did get all the laps and we said wow it felt like we didn't, it went by really fast and all he could said was "whatever" and walked away.. if you bump into walls they get extremely aggravated and yell at you. Money totally wasted. NO SENSE OF CUSTOMER SERVICE. This should be a fun place! But everyone there looks lile they hate their job... read more

I booked a birthday party for my son next week but the coronavirus arrived in Houston yesterday and I asked to rebook his party to a later date-- and k1 speed was so accommodating. Honestly, I was expecting to have to make my case but they just rebooked the party without asking any additional questions. It shows a lot of consideration on their part. We haven't even had the party yet, but I give them 5 stars! read more

Looking for a place top let your inner child roam free? K1 Speed is just that place. Of course, you can also take your actual children there for a fun time too. This Go Kart venue offers a race track where groups of thrill seekers can race each other. I visited this location during the week and it was still pretty busy so I imagine it can get really crowded on the weekends. The price per race is pretty high but the fun of racing makes it worth it. Purchasing race packages can give you a break in price. While waiting for your race to start, there are game tables and tvs to keep you entertained. Once your group is called, the staff walks new racers through the process and the flags they need to pay attention to. These are not bumper cars and so intentionally crashing into others is not tolerated and can get you ejected. The staff was also very helpful in ensuring that everyone is properly fitted in their protective gear and securely strapped into their cars. The track was fun and exciting. The only downside is that depending on how many people are waiting to race, you can get grouped with people of different racing levels and can therefore get stuck behind a new, overly cautious driver. At the end of each race, you can pick up a print out of how you placed in the race. Let's just say I won't be quitting my day job to take up racing. All in all, a fun experience. read more

Fine place but overpriced. We paid $45.xx for two persons. The rides are much regulated and the speed of each kart is decided by the teenage supervisors. read more

Stay away. The service is ridiculously bad and the manager was a huge a-hole. We had four separate coupons for two races per person for $30, and when we gave them to the cashier, she told us the total was $112. The math didn't quite add up but we didn't complain. The receipt was unitemized. After our first race each, they told us that we would have to pay for the next race (they had charged us $25 for one race per person). We explained the coupons, but the cashier was adamant that we only had one race each, but finally got the manager with great reluctance. He then refused to honor the coupons even though the cashier had been the source of error. We would have been happy to pay the difference (like $20 after tax maybe) but the manager outright refused. Will never come back. Stay away. read more

Here is an edit for you - My first review (below) is not showing in the list as of 3/12/15. Found the business searching the web. Loaded my two kids up, 14 and 8, and headed out for an hour drive in the rain. The website said there were no closures on the 16th. I get there and the girl at the counter says no adult rides for 2 1/2 hours because someone booked the time. Really? Thanks for wasting my time. What isi the point of posting closures if they are not accurate? Just tell everyone that they have to call! And just in case, I looked when I got home and it still has no closures. So I was going to let my girl ride. We bring her to the measuring marks on the wall. The girl behind the counter glanced down and said my girl is too short she couldn't reach the pedals! I am looking at the chart and she is 48" which is exactly what they claim you have to be to ride the junior carts. I am pointing this out to her and she says she can't reach the pedals again. She would not even look. I had to leave there with my 8 yr old crying. I hope that made you feel good and grownup on your power trip. Not a snow balls chance I'll ever try again - and I will tell everyone I see don't bother going to K1 Speed. And BTW, my friend that was with me said he will not be back either as 2 out of 3 times he has had the issues of you being "booked" and couldn't ride. As much as you charge you shouldn't be so fast running off ANY business. read more

I finally had a chance to go back and try the karts. A friend from Venezuela was in town for several days and we decided to check K1 out on Sunday afternoon. It was fun enough. The electric karts have pretty good speed and handling. But, there was some stoppage time during both of the races that we ran, with quite a bit in one. A few issues make the overall set up problematic though. In each race it was just a random mix of skill levels, from the ringer with his own helmet and gear (that I beat, lol) to the absolutely clueless. It made it difficult to get the full enjoyment of competition. The only separation seen was of the really young kids, that raced in smaller, slower karts in their own races. The place was reasonably clean. The staff was relatively friendly. But some just seemed to be going through the motions. At this price point, there should be a little better focus on customer service. Part of the confusion on the track was the total lack of understanding of how the kart actually worked by some of the drivers. The kid that went over the instructions on how the kart operated before the race started had obviously done it so many times that it was almost intelligible at the speed he gave the instructions. So, if the patrons weren't familiar with how these karts worked, they were still clueless once on the track. With the karts being electric, unlike gas operated carts, you cannot push both the brake and the accelerator at the same time. The kart stops, even with just light pressure on the brake pedal. This led to several accidents and stopped and really slow karts being mixed in with other karts traveling at full speed. I definitely would have preferred to wait a little longer and have been able to drive with a field of a higher skill set. I'm not saying that everyone needs to be as good as Boris Said, but there should be a way of separating the drivers to end up with better racing and more enjoyment for drivers of similar skill levels across the board. The races are only 14 laps, and I lapped more than half the field in both races, and some 3 and 4 times! With some changes, I could see myself becoming more of a regular. But, in the current format, I would only be a casual and infrequent patron. read more

this is just a shout out to the Saturday night crew, Blade, Patrick, Jimmy and the rest. Y'all rock. Thank you so much for letting us run that last race ... sorry if any of y'all had to be late for your friends on account of us. We did have a blast, and we def. appreciate read more

I had a horrible experience here! I went to go speak to the manager(Carlos G) about why the wait was so long and the manager continued to degrade me and refused to talk to me. He tried to make fun of my inability to do math in my head & walked away from me as I tried to talk to him. He was completely unprofessional and rude to me. I cannot believe I experienced something like this. This was one of my favorite spots but I will not be returning unless I receive an apologize for the mistreatment. read more

Busy holiday weekend and ANDREA was amazing working my husband and his brother into races despite crazy projected wait time of over 2 hours! Very professional while being easy going, we'll be sure to come back and recommend to friends/family. Thanks!!! read more

It's cool but the line was very long but the ride made up for it recommend this to other family's really fun place bye

Had a good time here. I travel for work and have been to a lot of these aces throughout the country and this one is as good as any. Younger kids with average service, but it's not like you need much from them. I will definitely come back to this location. read more

I went here with my girl, this place is pretty cool. They are a bit pricey, 36 dollars for 3 races, (special price) and that's per person. The go karts are really fast. They also have a concession stand at the front but not much to choose from besides nachos and pretzels. read more

My family had a fantastic time as always! We didn't have to wait long even though it was the weekend. Everyone was friendly and professional. Thank you to James and the crew! read more

I am a frequent racer at K1 Speed and and it is a thrill. The Karts are very fast and the track will test your driving skills. The staff are very cool and do all they can to help you enjoy the experience. The fast guys that go there are always willing to give you tips on how to go faster. If you are up for it there is both a junior and adult league. The guys in the adult leage are really fast and a great way see if you can run with the fast guys. I will keep going back to K1 for the fun, the challenge and the thrills. read more

Brian , Manager called to apologize and offer my son a free ride. Although we will not be going there anytime soon(far for us), gesture is very nice and someone really cares to do a better job. Thank you Brian! read more

K1 speed was an okay track. I was dissapointed with the karts, because they didnt go as fast as i thought they would. If i were to go back to k1, the reason would be because i am going with a group of friends otherwise i wouldnt go. I recommend this place to kids ages 9-13 read more