Everyone is so friendly here. We came here on a Wednesday night and it was a vibe. Service was quick and love that this a full time karaoke place. read more

The High Note is a sparse little bar, but it knows what it wants to be: a place for folks to sing their hearts out after a few cheap drinks. The stage is set up against the front window so passersby can see the excitement within, and the monitors are placed around the restaurant so all patrons can sing along. Naturally, it's exceptionally loud here, so hearing protection is recommended. When we were there, the vocalists ranged from trained singers to drunks hitting every wrong note. We heard hip-hop, country, rock, pop, and even metal, so you can step up and sing whatever you feel like. Adding your name is easy, and the hosts flow between acts so quickly that it won't take long for you to get your time to shine. What surprised me most was how often the hosts sang. The two bartenders Ernesto and Mahogany each have absolutely breathtaking voices (Ernesto in particular made my ladyfriends swoon), but they sang roughly every 4 songs despite a steady flow of various other voices that wanted a turn. To their credit, they also valiantly offered backup vocals for duets and seemed to know every song. I watched Ernesto taking orders and serving drinks with one hand while belting into the mic with the other. Definitely an impressive skill set, but they might consider stepping their participation back a bit. There's an electronic drum kit onstage, and later in the evening a guy named Sosa sat down at it and began accompanying most of the songs with flawless beats. I could watch him all night. There aren't many seats - there were about 5 tables lining the walls, which offers plenty of space for dancing, and lots of folks jumped up to dance. It was a very supportive atmosphere . So supportive, in fact, that an apparent regular named Jake came over to hit on my partner. We had fun and each got to sing what we wanted, but agreed that the place could be furnished and decorated a little more fully, and that the bartenders were a little overbearing and intimidating when it came to singing. read more

Great group of people! Very kind and supportive for my first time trying Karaoke. We had a blast! read more

These are some of the most genuine and talent people I have ever met! Not to mention the absolute best karaoke bar I have ever been to. The locals took me in as one of their own and I could not be more grateful for my experience. read more

It's a safe, friendly, place to enjoy a night out. People come there from age 21 to 91 to enjoy themselves and feel at home.

Amazing local artist!!! Amazingly crowed me and my when for one night to Milwaukee and cause of this place end up staying for 2 days!!!

Always an enjoyable time!!!! Must say best karaoke in Milwaukee! Have been going there since 2015, the owner change was definitely a good thing, glad Even is the owner, much more organized. read more

Good drinks, gave me 8 cherries when I asked for extra cherries in my dirty Shirley so that was cool

Super fun place. So many bars in Wisconsin but all have the same dreary "wish you were here" feel. But if you do feel like belting out some Floyd it would be appreciated. Mahogany was great and the drinks were definitely the right price. All the regulars were very fun and encouraging and the crowd was a nice mix of people. Best bar experience I had in the state. read more

One of the most bizarre and unpleasant experiences I've ever had in Milwaukee. Had never been to High Note before, but as a karaoke enthusiast, I was thrilled to discover it. I even invited a friend from Chicago up to check the place out. Of course, I looked at the website and Google page for the hours before heading over. Upon approach, there was a large group of people hanging out and smoking outside. I tried to open the door (during business hours, natch) and it was locked. The assembled crowd informed me that there was a private party and we weren't allowed inside. I asked if there was any chance we could join the party (who doesn't like making new karaoke friends?). Some random dude responded, "They're all too nice to tell you no, but I'm not." My friend and I uncomfortably wandered away -- still confused, because there was no indication (e.g., a sign on the door) that they were closed for a private event. I then called the bar's main number and got a recording (the recording also said nothing about the bar being closed that evening). I left a message asking for them to call back to give me more information about what was going on. Well, to top it all off, It's been two weeks, and no one has bothered to return my call. read more

My wife and I had a great time. Tyler the bartender was awesome and helped us a ton. We were able to sing and enjoyed the other singers. This was our first actual karaoke bar and the staff made it easy and fun. read more

Staff are deranged. Clearly they pick and choose who they like. Takes forever to get to sing.

Had an awesome time at the high note, good drinks and great service. The crowd was awesome, they even let our friend use their drum set.

If you enjoy loud, fun, crazy singing, this is the place for you. They have a wide selection including in other languages. I'm hoping to visit here more often. Really great, supportive crowd. Like for any other restaurant I visit, I wish they had more diet drink offerings other than diet Coke. The entire world believes that is the only diet drink invented! :-/ read more

I love it here! All the bartenders there are great and fun to be around drink with Evan is an outstanding owner of the establishment as well really turned the place around for the better! read more

The High Note Karaoke Lounge - Spent my 26th bday here and I'm a regular here it's awesome! - Bars Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Aside from needing an interior review, main problem the staff of bartenders singing all the sings. Put in a song and was told it would be a 2 hour wait, meanwhile 5 bartenders got songs in while working. Let the paying customers do karaoke and let the workers do their job. read more

Drinks are considerably overpriced, lights are almost as flashy and obnoxious as the owner who struts around like an entitled knob.

So. Much. Fun!! We stopped here to karaoke while we were in town for the Harley Davidson Anniversary celebration. Everyone was super nice and the karaoke was great! The microphones and sound system are great! read more

The only high note here are from the karaoke singers... otherwise, this is a dive bar with a dive bar crowd. To some, I know I am speaking your language - to others, you'll probably just want to avoid this spot. Affordable drinks, limited options outside of your standard rail drinks and beer bottles. It's a cozy little spot, so the sound carries well throughout the space - plenty of screens to see the lyrics on, even a small stage at the front of the room to help you feel like a star for your song. It's just off the beaten path of the downtown scene, so your crew should be able to get in line for a song pretty fast. read more

Great energy at this fine establishment. Whether you are looking to shoot your shoot in comedy or in singing, this is a great platform to launch yourself. I see a good consistent crowd at this place on Tuesdays and Fridays when I am here. You get some chaos from locals coming in some days but the staff handle everything like pros. Drinks are a decent price and performers for the comedy mic get a free drink! Cheers Milwaukee read more

I have been to the High Note Lounge many times to perform stand up comedy and stick around for karaoke after the open mic. I've normally had fun times at the High Note Lounge each time I've been there these last few years, but I was recently at the High Note Lounge, and I unfortunately had a bad experience there this time. The High Note Lounge hired new bartenders who were very unfriendly and disrespectful. When I was there recently, I did my usual stand up comedy set, and during karaoke, one of the bartenders who was also working at the door asked me to step outside. He asked me to stay away from women and touching them inappropriately, but I did not do any inappropriate touches with anyone I interacted with at the bar. All I did was make eye contact and have a friendly smile with them while dancing to some of the music. When I tried to explain that to the bartender, he did not believe me and he creeped me out when he told me that he's been observing me all night. I then went back in and sat down at the bar and stayed away from dancing. And then when it was my turn to sing another song for karaoke, I went up and sang and did what I normally do on the stage, but then after the song ended and I sat back down at the bar, another new bartender lady who was also working at the door told me that I needed to leave immediately. The bartenders misinterpreted me and told me that they thought I was making other people uncomfortable, but no one I interacted with talked to me about that directly. If they had talked to me directly and asked me to stop doing something I didn't realize I was doing, I would have listened to them. The bartender threatened me and told me that I have to leave in the next 2 minutes after I was trying to gather all my belongings and get out the door. The bartender even grabbed my jacket from my chair before I even had a chance to put it on and she forced me outside before I even put my jacket on. Rushing someone out the door like that is rude and disrespectful. I think the High Note Lounge could be better staffed by more friendly and understanding bartenders and people working at the door and people who understand other people's perspectives and not only theirs. Because of the bad experience I had at the bar that I've never had before, I unfortunately don't feel safe coming back to the High Note Lounge again. I do not recommend this bar especially if you don't want to be put in a tough situation with the bartenders like I was recently in. It is not worth it. read more

NEVER GOING AGAIN. They took my friends REAL Michigan drivers license and would refuse to give it back. the worker is a complete douche and had no respect to all 6 of my friends and I who were paying customers. read more

Awesome night singing our hearts out! Big size drinks. Lots of songs to choose from. You can't go wrong here! Fun fun fun!

Quite frustrating as we love dive bars and we love karaoke, but despite being fifth on the karaoke list we sat for an hour and a half not to be called while seeing many people called multiple times, the bar's regulars taking precedence, and the list being totally ignored. The first time we went two years ago it was amazing, but now it seems overrun by entitled people. read more

Evan ... eh , Will on the other hand.... BEST SERVICE EVER he's the beat, sweetest, hardest working 'tender I've ever met! read more

The High Note Karaoke Lounge - Bars Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

ZERO STARS. from out of state and the rude security guard José assumed that my friends IDs were fake. Not to mention he yanked my sister by her shirt. So uncalled for. We are all 23-25 yrs old. Refused to give IDs back until we threatened to call the cops. Didn't even bother to scan the IDs or ask for additional proof of identity. what a joke. Took our business elsewhere. read more

Karaoke songs were only given to friends and regulars of the bar even though we were signed up. After waiting an hour and seeing the same people sing multiple songs we asked when our turn was and we're told we could pay $50 to be next in line even though she showed us the list and there were barely any people signed up. We said no and the karaoke worker went up and sang herself. She was a good singer at least. read more

WOW, best karaoke night I've seen in...EVER.. and most fun open mic comedy preceding that I've seen in like...EVER! It's the best mix of 'city karaoke/open mic comedy' I've ever seen, where it's good comics doing good work, yet also local pals supporting local friends-- GREAT PLACE TO GO!!! read more

Karaoke joints live and die by the vibe of the people who are in them. If the crowd isn't fun, nice or encouraging, no one is going to want to sing. This place has the right group of people. It's a small place, and the bar has a smaller selection of beverages, but the tender was attentive, and the DJ have a massive selection of songs. There's regulars here, who sing quite a big to be honest, but it didn't feel like they were hogging the mic. All comers are welcome, and all skill levels will be heard. Keep an open mind, have a few drinks, and you'll have a good time. read more

I take my sisters and mom here to celebrate one of their birthdays and Mother's Day. We all wanted to karaoke. I tip the KJ $20 and I would think that would give us some priority in terms of frequency of singing. We were there for 3 hours and I got to sing 2x. Plus you practically have to run up to the stage because the guy starts playing your song immediately after the next one ends. Then I close out and the bartender simply does not pay attention, has a stack of credit cards runs one and has me sign and when she hands me the card it's someone else's card with a completely different name. It was just all in all not the best experience. read more

I wouldn't come back. Bar service was fast and great. But the karaoke DJ played the same group of people over and over again. One girl (his sister or love interest?) sang 8 times in the limited time we were there. One group of guys sang, then one, then another. If you don't know the DJ maybe go somewhere else. read more

Had a great time here!! The place is a little small as it does get crowded as the night progresses. Everyone ends up being super support and friendly when you finish singing and there isn't a long wait between your song selections. My husband feels the drinks were too expensive, but we still had a lot of fun! read more

New owner! Woot woot! Yes, if it's packed, you have to wait. However, the drink specials are actually relevant and a good deal, the bartenders know how to MKE drinks, and the bathrooms are clean! I'll update as time goes on, I just want to listen to the good singers right now. read more

I've been coming to this bar for 3 years!!! I never had a problem with this place until recently. The bartender over charges if you keep your card open and the karaoke dj will skip over your song for her boyfriend. I waited 3 hours to sing my song while he sang 5 times ahead of me. I hope its not going to continue to be like this... Otherwise Im done! read more

Update: this place is just the best. Me and my husband went to high note after dinner downtown and took an Uber there. We stayed till close where it unexpectedly snowed a lot and out uber ride was going to be $80 back home. We explained we needed to wait inside to get our expensive uber and the manager let us know he could take us home after they close the bar. We definitely gave him a good tip for his kindness! I can't say enough good things about the staff at The High Note!! read more

We were visiting for the weekend and this place was SO fun and welcoming. Got to sing a few tunes and the crowd was encouraging and energetic: Strong drinks and a great energy. Highly recommend!!! read more

Need to get more bartenders! This seems to be a very busy place and with two bartenders the service sucks! Long can't time for drinks due to only two bartenders. This place need major expanding and major updating for sure! The crowd value is at a good rate best to expand bigger and update the whole inside!!! read more

This place is horrible. The bouncers have no idea how to do their jobs. I was rejected because he thought my ID was fake just because it was from out of state and that I look younger than I am. Our friend with a FAKE ID was able to get in while me, at age 22, was not. The bouncer was very rude, uncooperative, and called me the N word as I left. Do not go to this bar! read more

I was there on a Sunday evening for a Hip-Hop event to see some Indie Artists I know from Chicago. The bartender was friendly and the atmosphere was poppin! read more

So, you're itching to sing your heart out somewhere in Milwaukee? The High Note is the place! From the clean, welcoming atmosphere, to the EXCEPTIONAL staff, Milwaukee's High Note Lounge brings the highs in everything except price. Pick a weeknight (Wed. or Thurs.) for a usually more relaxed visit, or experience a full house on the weekends! Always a great time regardless. I LOVE this place, you will too! read more