4.5 STARS Date: Friday, January 12th, 2024 Time: around 10:45pm Group of: 7 What: Karaoke and After Dinner Drinks We were celebrating a few birthdays and one of the bday boys wanted to do karaoke! For some reason, I thought we were going to a private room spot, but this ended up being a bar with a microphone. (I believe it was $1 per song.) They just pass the mic around to whoever's turn it is. We were able to stake out two small tables at the end of the bar. Did a fair amount of singing and drinking while here. Our tab ended up being almost $400. But we were here for almost 5 hours, so not too bad overall. The staff here is super fun! When drinking, I always want to sing Cantonese songs and luckily they had them in the system. Bring on Jacky Cheung! I actually get very shy if singing by myself. The staff and other patrons were very sweet and sang the songs with me. Fun place to do karaoke. And it was bustling for a Friday night! read more

Is this place YUCK or does it BANG?? Shout out to the mom and son running that bar whenever I'm there. I started going here a couple years ago, but when I tell you nothing can stop me from going back. Pan fried Ramen?? Banging! Five spice chicken wings??? Banging! Homemade Hong Kong, Southern Chinese goodness???? Banging! This place could never yuck in my eyes. The song selections are also on fire. Just be mindful if you do put in a song and it's a busy night you might be waiting a while, but the wait is absolutely worth it. Honestly, they're just saving my life whenever I'm downtown in Manhattan especially when I don't want to be in Chelsea or Tribeca. Just take your ass to Chinatown please and go support this beautiful family. Mom also just got a banging ass haircut. So make sure you give her all your love cuz she's so beautiful and funny and a real queen! #YUCKBANGCERTIFIED read more

Up Stairs Bar - Life! - Bars Near Me - New York, New York

If you're looking for a local hidden bar, this is it. I've been here a few times only because someone I know likes to have his after parties here. The appeal is karaoke, cheap drinks, and just an overall good time. Definitely better on the weekday evenings as weekends are busy and crowded. The bar food is pretty decent as well. read more

Interesting karaoke bar. Typical drinks and cocktails. Was a bit packed in a Saturday night but fun nonetheless.

Please be aware of this bar, which requires patrons to spend $40 a person before they can sing Karaoke songs.

Came here after a nice dinner at Beauty and Essex. We wanted something low key and fun after such a boujee experience. This was def the spot. Very dive bar in a good way! You can request songs to be played and it reminded me of the late 90s karaoke machines at my house growing up with the giant laser discs but it clearly was more up to date. It was fairly quick to get drinks all night and we had a blast singing at the top of our lungs to every song that was requested or that we requested. The crowd was fun! We ordered late night fries which were really good! If you're looking for a dive bar with karaoke, this is your jam. read more

Up Stairs Bar - a man on a billboard - Bars Near Me - New York, New York

this is a fun divey bar that is hard to notice from the street. Karaoke, good drinks. good food too.

have to agree with Big D here and say that the moz sticks are off the effing charts. same with the chicken tenders, its a great place to go after dinner and get second dinner. Everyone who works there is kind, i brought my grandparents here once on thanksgiving and although it was a little much for them i had a great time and everyone who worked there was SO kind and accommodating. Truly, kindest people in the world. saw some reviews saying its confusing but like its only confusing if you don't get it, and thats not the fault of the bar if you just don't get it. the charm is in the confusion. truly this place rocks. its hard to find a great bar with great food, GREAT karaoke and great staff. read more

What an unassuming spot!?! Great fun to be had here folks with happy hour specials that'll make you wanna buy everyone a drink or 2 or 3! The ladies running this joint were on it! They were tending to everyone in there promptly again the prices can't be beat! Aesthetically it's nothing fancy, just a bar with 2 restrooms, on the 2nd floor with some TVs and 2 microphones! Great for for groups! Cleanliness is next to Godliness and yup all stars for that because it was white T-shirt and jeans Mister Clean- CLEAN! The food/ bar snacks - again well priced and nice portions! I had the fries which were seasoned Cajun for $6 bucks that could easily feed 4-5 ppl with leftovers! The fish balls seemed to catch my attention BUT when I inquired abt the type of fish.... that's when they lost me. Me: what kind of fish do you use for the fish balls Employee: ummmm I'm not sure some sort of random white fish... Yeap... I'll pass in random fish! My friend bravely tried it and she wasn't over the moon nor disappointed. They just weren't crispy according to her! That's how I ended at a 3 star review because of the uncertainty of the fish used! All in all folks! Go- sing some tunes drink (beer and a well shot $6 ) read more

Up Stairs Bar - a large screen with a message on it - Bars Near Me - New York, New York

It's impossible to not have a good time here. I love karaoke, I go to karaoke all the time, and this is my favorite karaoke bar in New York City. It's all about the vibe, and everybody is here to sing their hearts out. The staff is awesome as well - super friendly and very quick service! read more

One of the best hidden gems in NYC. Honestly surprised this place has a yelp page. Last time I checked, it wasn't even on Google maps. No idea why this is 3 stars -- other than the fact the people who are rating this are transplants, jerks, or openly rude people. The bartenders have always been fantastic here and Reina the owner is hilarious and sweet. It's a dollar per song which is NOT a big deal. The drinks are wickedly strong. (One time, they had finished mixing my drink and then just added extra vodka on top for the heck of it.) Yeah the renovation did make it lose some charm, but if you can get past that. It's the best karaoke bar in NYC. The food is great and cheap, the drinks are strong and most of the time you can avoid the rift-raff. read more

Don't do karaoke? No problemo; a plate of Up Stairs' five mozzarella sticks will have you singing. They're the talk of the mozzarella town. For starters, the temperature and texture will give your libido a warm rush of excitement. The flavor? Imagine tasting that tingle you get when a hot person says you are "nice." The pull of cheese? Oh mama, now that is the hug you wished for as a child. TBH, I always thought the best mozz sticks were served at strip clubs but apparently there is more out there and it can be found Up Stairs. read more

Good place, nice crowd, friendly owners. great place to be a regular.

We had a great time. Only thing is that most people sing from the table. No real stage. But the drinks are great and the servers are even better! I highly recommend it! read more

A decent place to go and sing with generally non-annoying people. They don't have the best selection of songs but it's cool. Bartenders are chill. This place was awesome and had such a great warmth and vibe until that stupid renovation. They ruined it. The bar is too big and all the hard, cheap furnishings give it a wannabe classed up vibe and just totally destroyed how great it was. read more

If I could give 0 stars, I would. We came here with a big group with mostly people of color and a good majority people ordered drinks. An older woman (the bartender??) came over screaming that there was a $20 per person min at the table (which ive never even heard of). We were then told to get up and give the seat to other people who bought more drinks than us when our tabs were still open. TERRIBLE customer service! Very very rude. We will not be coming here again and we used to like this place smh. read more

As another reviewer said, this place is confusing. It's a karaoke bar, located up a narrow flight of stairs above a bus pickup point. You sing in the middle of the room with a projection screen behind you, tables and booths around the perimeter. Decor is minimal, heavy curtains obscure what I assume are windows. Sound system isn't the greatest but I doubt your vocal skills are that great anyway. A group of older Chinese men were the only other patrons that weren't part of an event I showed up for. On a Monday at 10pm, I got the feeling not many people would have been there if not for us. It's divey, not in a dirty way but in a obscure bare bones, no frills kind of way. They serve Yuengling. read more

It was a Friday night and I happened to up end in Chinatown, so I yelp searched for a bar and decided to give this place a try. I fully expected a dingy Chinese karaoke bar where there were drunk old Asian men singing, cheap drinks, and cheap chinese snacks. Unfortunately, I found none of these. Once I walked up the stairs, I came into a room that had an ambiance somewhere between a speakeasy and dive bar, with none of the positives of either types of establishments. I guess that's what happens when a place gets overrun by hipsters. It was so crowded that there were no seats, only awkward standing room in the middle where one would definitely be in the way. The amount of irony there sickened me a little so I left pretty soon after and went for cheap beer and yakitori on St. Marks. My apologies to the staff and ownership for such a negative review seeing as how I didn't even stay long. And if this is your crowd, by all means, go - you will love it. read more

-Fully renovated -the feel is more Bar style now than karaoke (since the renovation) -bigger bar -more tv's for karaoke -still divey -heavy pours on drinks -great drinks -No more book of artists/songs, just write down what you would like to sing. - Been here random days of the week, friday/saturday, bizy/either nights are great -Later the better Instagram: HUSKY.NYC Facebook: HUSKY.NYC read more

This place was a blast Super cheap, strong pours, spacious Chinese dudes singing read more

Stopped in for a quick beer by myself. Has a genuine feeling. Bartenders are friendly and bilingual. Drinks are cheap. It's clean, including the bathrooms. (I believe) it's generally a Chinese bar (which is awesome) but all are respected and invited. Love the Cantonese song selection they have; it's nostalgic for me because it reminds me of my dad singing on the karaoke machine at home and family gatherings. Has sports showing as well. It's still a tiny bit divey due to the lights and new decor but it is cleaner than a typical dive. Great neighborhood spot! read more

This bar is confusing. I would say the drinks are mid price i would say those who gave this place 1 star are big jerks. The karaoke menu is difficult because it doesn't list the artists. What we thought was La Bamba by Ritchie Valens was actually a different song by Ricky Martin. The mics are really loud with reverb and the midis are fairly quiet so everyone sounds bad when they sing. Overall this place was cool and pretty empty on a Saturday night. I really enjoyed the privacy and the comradery of poor sad and inebriated cantors mixed with soho-lookin people who are there by happy accident. read more

The nice thing about this place is that you don't need to make a reservation. When my group of 11 showed up at 12:30 on a Saturday night we could easily get a huge booth and sing a ton of songs. It feels like you have your own private room without having to pay for one or figuring out how to play songs on a karaoke machine (most of the other karaoke places in chinatown have machines that are impossible to navigate if you're not a native speaker of Mandarin/Cantonese.) Drinks are pretty cheap, and super cute to see old Chinese men belt out a few songs. Def recommend if you don't care to pay for a private room and prefer a more divey, kitschy vibe with a supportive, mixed crowd. read more

This place is awesome. Cheap drinks, good food and cool people. Bartenders are super friendly and accommodating.

As a longstanding bar fly at Up Stairs Bar, you have to make sure the whiskey/green tea is on your radar. It's like the vodka/Red Bull for people who don't live for Santa Con. read more

RUDE bartenders. Usually when you read a 1-star review, you shake it off because it's just one out of the good ones. That's what I did when I came here. Right when I walked in with my partner, one bartender told him they needed to see my ID (I was staring at her, so I don't know why she didn't just ask me). Later she came to our table and asked him if he wanted another one - he said yes and she left even though BOTH of our drinks were empty. Ok, maybe it was just her. Let's try the other bartender. When I went up to the bar to get my second drink on the tab, the other bartender said I needed to use my own card. She changed her mind, asked HOW I knew him and said he needed to come over himself to buy it for me. They both saw we were the same party from the second we walked in, but kept servicing him and telling me to get permission from him. Just bizarre. read more

Karaoke, strong well drinks, and cantonese bartenders who will call you out for not having enough girls in your group. I'm all about that.

Chinese margarita. Think about that. Johnny Wilson exclusive video pre supreme nights. Maillett. Geetoz. Chinese dudes singing Debbie Gibson. Chinese margaritas. Meg turnt. K green Getsini Beedel coots. Chick that is fucking coots. Karaoke,geetoz,coots,scott Beedel. Get off my shit. Go listen to the best Chinese karaoke in th most weirdest environment. Douglas read more

Up Stairs Bar - Jesus christos - Bars Near Me - New York, New York

1980s Chinatown grime redux--LOVE this place!!

Super chill dive bar. Mixed crowd, mixed age groups. Great for groups and group celebrations. Super strong drinks. $1 karaoke, line up all your songs, though may have to wait if another group puts in a ton of songs. Would definitely go back. read more

I dont see how ppl like this place. You have to pay for songs to sing and the services isn't great. I was told this was an amazing time. Little did I know. They were wrong. They don't make you feel welcomed at all. read more

Torn score for this second floor hole-in-the-wall. On one hand, it's clean and there's plenty of bar area due to a recent reno. On the other, it's usually empty (sans a few older local gents), the karaoke is hit-or-miss, and there's linguine with clam sauce on the menu (what!). I'm rounding up though bc the bartenders were nothing but friendly (sure, we were the only ones there), I had a cocktail made with fresh watermelon (what!), and no one batted an eye when I started cursing a lot on the microphone (my bad). Our crew made the party, so if you're with a couple o' pals who feel like putting on a show (for yourselves) you can have a ton of fun here. Suggestion... get loose at 169 bar down the street, come here and crush a few tunes, then head to the dumpling place a few stores down. A good night right there! What bad decision you make after is purely up to you... read more

Why does this place insist on using an id scanner? Do you want this establishment tracking and copying your address, name, date-of-birth, license number? The waiter was pretty insistent she needed to see my id, despite my being 43 and telling her that I'm not drinking. and then she pulls out the scanner. I think WTF, the DOB is right there? I would never have consented. Is this an ID theft operation? Oh review, right. Terrible place. After what i witnessed on the mic, you may share herpies. A beer and a screwdriver in a water fountain cup cost my friends $12. read more

The vibe was great but the song selection was terrible and the bartender had no idea which were the right version of songs that people wanted. Like at all. Totally clueless. The food, though, is great. Don't come if you're a karaoke connoisseur but do come for the good times and the fried dumplings. read more

When you walk in, you see a long bar. It's clean and spacious with good service and drinks. You'll have a downtown LES crowd. They also have a karaoke bar which is fun. It's not on ground level so if you're in the know, you'll know to be here. read more

We walked, they took a cab. And the texts came in this order: "All the songs are in Chinese. Total bummer. What about the other karaoke spot?" "Nevermind. We like it here. U will too." "Just needed to settle in." Our crew of about twenty were the only non-Chinese clientele, but we were treated with respect, warmth and a nice, long evening of duets with the Chinese birthday party across. The song selection is not all in Chinese (though it's not comprehensive and w/o the band names, you get surprised with some incorrect songs), and we found plenty of classics we all loved. And we traded turns with the other birthday party serenading each other with birthday songs. The waitress was a total blast and one of my favorite servers in a long time. Don't come here if you're going to be a jerk. Come here if you want to join in (and/or were raised speaking Cantonese). We had a great time, with affordable drinks at a wonderful hidden karaoke bar. Just walk up stairs. read more

There is more than one bartender in this place. The one I met is an Asian sweetheart, goes by the name of Jenny. She is personable and makes everyone feel at home. I had a great time in this place thanks to her. read more

What a little weirdo spot. Tiny hole in the wall karaoke bar. Nice nerdy, normal crowd. Watermelon drink was amazing. No real structure to the karaoke, but if you want a laid back fun time this was a nice find. read more

I'm giving one star because there's nothing lower than that. Manager (short punk kinda blonde hair) sadly i don't know her name. But her costumer service is very poor, she doesn't know how to treat or talk to costumer. Just so you know they charged $1 per karaoke song (there's nothing wrong with that, but it's not very common) the problem started bc they charge us $23 on songs that they didn't even play half of them. And my sister and her friends are regulars, they've never been charge for a song before, even one of the employees from the bar one time told them that "they don't charge for karaoke songs". Anyway tonight I was there and we had the "karaoke song fee" issue and after we paid I ask the manager why they charged $1 per song( which I think is a pretty reasonable question) and she didn't took my question very well so she started yelling at me, very agitated. I just ask her a simple question and she didn't know how to handle it or respond to it but getting mad. I walked out while she's screamed at me to not come back. Overall her costumer service is trash (manager), and just so you know I've been working in Hospitality for 10 years. read more

This used to be a fun place, so many memories and always wanted to bring my friends here to enjoy the night. Sadly, this place started to change in more ways than one. The girls behind the bar are evil and so unkind to guests, which makes it so uncomfortable to be in the room. On top of that, you can't even pay to play a karaoke song without ordering an alcoholic beverage (we ordered food and non alcoholic beverages and they still didn't allow us to order a song for karaoke - disgusting!). This place has lost its charm and identity - the bartenders are evil and no one enjoys being in the room with them. read more