Karaoke GS Studio
Waikiki Joy Hotel,320 Lewers St, Honolulu, HI, 96815
Karaoke GS Studio Menu
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Address :
Waikiki Joy Hotel,320 Lewers St
Honolulu, HI, 96815 - Phone (808) 921-3576
- Website https://www.karaoke-gs.com
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :12:00 pm - 4:00pm
Specialities
- Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Parking : Street
Bike Parking : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Average
Music : Karaoke
Good For Dancing : No
Alcohol : Full Bar
Happy Hour : Yes
Best Nights : Fri, Sat, Sun
Coat Check : No
Smoking : Outdoor Area/ Patio Only
Outdoor Seating : No
Has TV : Yes
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Erica A.
What does the GS stand for? Great Songs? Giant Squids? Well whatever it stands for, GS is my favourite place to come for Karaoke! It is the closest thing to Karaoke in Japan that I have been able to find locally. It is not a big, intimidating, open room- you get your own private room with friends! They have different size rooms for small groups, medium groups, and a VIP party room for up to 25 people. I've been here for my birthday, friend's birthdays, my bachelorette party... pretty much any excuse I can get, I am at GS! I come for the Japanese song selection, which operates on a touch-screen system (I believe it's Joy Sound, one of the more widely used systems in Japan). Most of my favourites are in there, even some more obscure visual kei selections. Bam, you have one happy, metal-screaming fan. As for the English system, they also have an impressive selection. The system is more old-school though, as in, you look up a song you want in a book, punch in the number, and enjoy. For the best deal, I come for the Early Bird special. I forget what the rate is, but it's something like $12 flat for any length of time, as long as you're there from 12pm-8pm. It includes one free soft drink, too. It is not BYOB, but they do have their own bar, a happy hour, and their prices are pretty standard. You can BYOF, even cakes for birthdays.
(4)TaraMarie P.
If you're a first-timer, please read--I have a tip or two for you. Warning though, this is going to be epically long. To start, you must know that even though I am a regular, I can be very critical of things just as anyone else. Even though I love many venues, I will point out flaws where I see it. That being said though, I have seriously never had a problem with service in all my years of coming here. I've not had unfriendly attendants or bartenders including the new girl they recently hired--even she was amazing. Kyle is still my favorite though. He is like the face of GS to me and if he ever left, it just wouldn't feel the same. He is very friendly and entertaining to boot. As far as drinks go, they can make maybe 75% of the things I prefer. If they don't have it, the bartender is usually skilled enough to substitute for something similar. I wish I could remember the name of the cute haole girl, but that's what she did for me one night. Whatever I had (I can't remember at this point) ended up being way better than what I originally wanted. To that bar-tender: If you're ever reading this, thank you--though you may not remember me because I was entirely blue in the face (with face paint). Room talk: yes, the rooms may look a little dated but there is nothing wrong with them (at least not that have experienced). I feel bad for that one guy that said his air conditioner didn't work but I am usually freezing my bunnies off in those rooms. Always. Bring a jacket or don't sit in line of the AC. Other than that, the rooms are always clean. Karaoke systems: GS (and Toma's) has the best song lookup system of all the karaoke venues I've been to. Take note: there a Japanese system, which uses a handheld input device and an English system, which uses traditional books and song numbers. Both are in every room. Your attendant will usually switch it to the English if it's obvious you're not going to sing Japanese, Korean or Chinese songs. Here is the secret though, the Japanese JoySound system is the best I've used and has all the most popular English songs. From Frozen to Queen, they've got you covered. Why choose the JoySound over the English machine? Because the JoySound uses a handheld touchscreen input that lets you search artist, song, partial queries, history, genre, ranking, and keyword--though I've never used that button. If you want to make your life easier, consider learning how to use it. You will never use those bulky books again! Ask an attendant to show you the basic functions and all you have to do is memorize what they look like. You don't have to read Japanese at all. There's only a few things you need to know: where to search for songs (press the button that says English), how to enter, cancel, and go back. Later I'll make a video tutorial and post a link or something for how to use it. I swear by this machine even if I'm only singing English songs. (I do try my hand at Korean and Japanese from time to time though.) Lastly: Price. I find their prices ridiculously fair. I actually come here alone sometimes and I get what I call the "2-hour lonely-man special." Don't ask them for that though, that's not the title of the special lol. I don't know what it's really called but somehow I will spend two hours belting out songs to myself only to pay about $11. Yes. People karaoke alone. I think it's therapeutic lol. If you ever want to go solo, that's the option for you! Other than that, check the rates at karaoke-gs.com by clicking service. (My, isn't that convenient?) Technical difficulties: There is only one time I've ever encountered an issue and it was with a mic in one of the rooms. The sensitivity was kind of finicky and it would only pick up your voice if you were singing loudly or directly into the mic as close as possible. The attendant came to adjust it and it was better but not perfect. Not enough of a hiccup for me to deduct any stars or for it to drag down my night. My sis and I just switched off with the good mic. Five stars because that is how satisfied I am with my experience every time I come. So far there has been nothing that negatively impacts my opinion and for me, GS is the best place for karaoke on the island.
(5)Nikki M.
Usually love this place but the bartender last night was not very good. We ended up having fun, but make sure you know how to make your own drinks or the "bartender" might not be able to handle it.
(3)Eula B.
This place is right at downtown Waikiki area so it can be very touristy and at the same local. The place is not that fancy but props to having the latest popular songs on the radio and on viral. Our room was VIP 2: the mic was moderately loud, the remote is user friendly, although the white speaker on the ceiling was choppy for a couple of songs. We got a reservation at 9:30 pm and stayed there until 1:30 am. There are two types of books for the old: sort on songs and sort on artists.
(3)Ward K.
Have you ever heard someone ask someone that is singing: "Hey who sings that song?" The person says who the artist is and then person who asked the question then says: "well let them sing it then!" Some people just should not sing outside the shower. But when they do, and the drinks are flowing, it might be one of those epic nights where everyone thinks they can sing and the party over here don't stop till 4 in the morning. Yes that's right they are open from 12pm till 4am every day. Unfortunately this place isn't BYOB as they have a full bar, but it is BYOF (Bring Your Own Food). To me their specials are a little confusing but it is listed below: Early Bird 12 Noon till 8pm: (includes one soft drink) Mon -Thurs $9/per person Fri, Sat, Sun $11/per person Evening Special 5pm till 9pm: (includes one soft drink) Mon - Thurs $11/per person Fri, Sat, Sun $15/per person They also have regular room rates by the hour with a cover charge of $1 per person. To enter songs you can do it two ways. You can look through the book and find the number for the song you want and punch it in on their key pad like most places have. They have this electronic tablet that you can look up by artist, or song which is pretty cool. A good thing to remember is that no one under 21 is allowed at night. Parking is either on the street or in the metered parking behind the hotel off of Kuhio. Over all my friends and I like this place.
(4)William W.
I'm not a regular but I do come here once in a while. For maybe the past 6 times I've received such excellent service from a younger Asian guy. I recently visited the place on a friend's birthday and received "Meh" Service from a lady worker there. First of all with the younger Asian guy, I noticed he treats us each time we visit like we're new customers and he goes thoroughly through the process and menu (and prices). He explains how to switch between machines (Japanese with big tablet, and English with the keypad and pressing the DVD button). He also explains that before 8 pm or so its happy hour so we get a free drink as specified on the menu and he explains about the call button. If you have problems or need drinks hit it and he'll be right over. These were two things she failed to explain if we were new customers. I didn't realize their customer service is not up to par if it's NOT the younger Asian guy that I grew accustomed to. I noticed when we got there he wasn't working, instead was a lady. We were placed in room #9 and didn't even bother to direct us ("*sigh* it's around the corner past....") as usually the guy directs us with great nice customer service. I should of notice that was the first red flag with her. So we go into room #9 and it's HOT as hell. I know sometimes AC machines take time to get cold so I usually wait a couple of minutes to see if it was working. Boy I was wrong. It's was hot during the entire 4 hours were there. It was colder outside of room-- second red flag. It was my bad for my part, but it was my friend's birthday so i didn't want to make a big fuss, so I told my friend to sit directly in front of the AC machine which temperature was like "56 degrees" and hot. Normally I hit the call button and the guy tells us we can order through there and he delivers. So hit the button and no one picks up. So I head over to the main bar where I see the lady playing with her iPhone while charging it. I asked her for drinks and asks if the button call still works, where she says something like "oh i didn't turn it off or on" idk, I was really getting irritated at her job skills at that point but it was a friend's birthday so I didn't want to let an employee with shady customer service experience ruin the his birthday--- third red flag. What really set me off and my final red flag was we ordered a second round of drinks after she answered the call button, I asked her that how to change between singing sets because in an honest mistake I forgot how to despite the directions noted. I'm not too sure if room #1 and #9 have a big difference in machines but I just couldn't figure it out. When she explained and sighed, and didn't even show us how to do it. "*sigh* press the white button under...." I was so upset with her by the first 2 hours, that I decided from that point in my life if I ever get shady customer service I WILL NOT TIP ANYONE---Sorry servers what makes you think you can have my hard earn $$ if you not going to work for it? It's your job but my money! You want my MONEY? Work for it especially if I'm not being RUDE or GROUCHY. In all I would recommend this place if it's the younger Asian guy working. If not I'm not really going to tip you unless you do a really similar experience like that guy. You can be at least attentive to your customer and fake like you like helping them or be happy at least and not be kind of in a "rolling eyes" phase. I understand it's a chill job at times but if you do encounter the girl I wouldn't recommend on tipping her. She can check her iPhone all she likes for new jobs with the attitude she has.
(1)Tasheena Z.
Love this place! Haven't tried out many others to compare, but we always have a great time, equipment works for the most part, staff are helpful and accommodating. Love the set-up of the place, the individual and varying sizes of rooms are brilliant. I love karaoke in general, so compared to all my previous karaoke experiences (bars), this place really outranks that experience! It is clearly dated and the rooms themselves have a very dingy feel to them. The food is tasty enough, but I like to eat pretty healthy so there isn't much on the menu that isn't fried. But I think it's cool they serve food as well as drinks.
(4)Conant F.
Good mics, bad speakers, selection can be better. Looking for strictly English songs might be a bad idea here. They seem to be missing a bunch of classics, and more modern hits. I do like the room atmosphere to encourage fist time singes in you group as well as giving privacy. The service was good and fast. The equipment can use a browse feature, and the speakers were mounted 4inchers with horrible feedback. Overall I had a good time with their setup.
(3)Jhoren C.
I'm revieiwing this place now because I honestly don't know when the next time I'd actually come back here.... Came here on a Saturday night randomly to continue celebrating my friends birthday. One of her other friends recommended this place because she said their prices were cheap and the songs were free! this place is kinda small and hidden. I have not heard of them and I also saw that they give you like a 20% off discount if its your birthday and they're open til 4am They do have a bar where you can order your drinks, the rooms were clean and the songs were mostly updated. I think for 2 hours with drinks included on our tab our bill totaled to like $140.00. so if you're in the waikiki area and feel like singing you check them out.
(3)Kelsey U.
As a friend and I first walked in, we were a bit wary as the place is a little run down and smells kinda funky, but the rooms were neat and the service was quick. We went for the early bird special which allows one to do karaoke from around 12-8pm and includes a soft drink, and we ended up paying about $26 in total - completely worth it in my opinion! If there were no early bird special, we would have paid over $45 just for three hours! The song selection is GREAT if you love Japanese, Korean, and English music - they are not as up-to-date with Japanese and Korean songs as I would like, but they still provide many hits with the song selection that they do have. My friend is OBSESSED with AKB48 and we were both surprised to find that they have what seems like a hundred of their songs! When I spoke to someone on the phone about whether or not they had AKB48 music, they said they had "some" but this is a lot more than I was expecting. Bathroom was clean, but the floor was wet, which was both kind of disgusting and hazardous to those who may need assistance. Their food selection is a bit disappointing, but with Kimukatsu downstairs and Gyu-Kaku across the street, I think it would be good to get out of the karaoke room after a while! I will definitely be back to Karaoke GS Studio and will bring more friends for the early bird special!
(4)Lealah P.
This place is everything I want in a karaoke place! Great song selection, private rooms, disco balls, alcohol service with big beers, clean, no frills, and they have a birthday discount!!
(5)Ashley L.
As a young college student I truly appreciate businesses like these. Good service for cheap rates. I went in for the early bird special from 12pm-4pm. If you get in within this time slot you can stay till 8pm for a flat rate of $8 per person. The special includes a free drink that's not just a can of soda but an actual drink in a tall glass with ice. I'm not drinking age but looking over the menu the alcoholic drinks seemed reasonably priced for the Waikiki area. You can also bring your own food (my friend and I went in with a full pizza and no one said anything.) The karaoke room itself was air conditioned with a comfy couch and a table. Song choice is amazing, especially for those of my generation. I sang Ariana Grande, Pharell Williams, Katy Perry (roar anyone?) as well as oldies like N'Sync and Aaliyah. Sure the place has outdated wall paper and ugly carpeting but for the price and location I can overlook all that. Bathrooms were clean, couches were clean and drinks were good. Worth every penny.
(5)Tracy K.
You don't need vocal training. You don't even need to know the top 40. But you DO need to know how to let loose and have fun! This is karaoke. A few years back, I was that girl in the dark room hoping the mic would never get passed my way. I'd scoff at karaoke invites making every excuse not to attend. The thought of hearing such amazing vocal talent and then hear me squawk and squeak was beyond mortifying. I'd mumble a line or two under my breath when I'd take a "bathroom break", then clear my throat amd let out a voice that was audible only to a harvest mouse. Until now. GS Karaoke is our bi-monthly play time with friends! Located in the Waikiki Joy hotel on Lewers St, it is the perfect venue for drink and song. Equipped with 16 spacious studios, a handful of VIP rooms, and friendly staff, GS manages to blend comfort with cool. Parking is available behind the hotel and in the DFS Galleria. There is a BYOF (Bring Your Own Food) policy so feel free to lug those party platters at the next event. They run their shindig until an eye-squinting 4 a.m., ample time to shake off the work week and hum your favorite Bon Jovi medley. The bar area has a few tables by the women's restroom for those who choose to mingle with familiar faces or watch TV. It's nice to be able to run outside and chat it up with the bartender and friends, then run back in with your original singing crew. The staff has been pretty consistent over the years. Mr. Kamata, Marilyn, and Danson are just a few names that come to mind when I think of the long time GS veterans. And they are so incredibly helpful and efficient! If you can't read the Japanese buttons on the machine, if the remotes are on the blink, or if you need to order your next Mind Eraser, the intercom is just a push button away! The prices are reasonable but be aware of the rates prior to entering as they make it clearly visible on the front desk. Weekends are especially stacked in price, particularly for the English VIP rooms, but if you have six or more friends it definitely defrays the cost significantly! Love this place, love the staff, two thumbs up!
(4)Iliya Y.
You have to find the songs searching through several different books. No digital search. Most of the songs are some weird midi and not the real thing. The Lyrics are often wrong.
(2)Sarah K.
Mi-mi-mi-mi-mi-mi-meeee...(clears throat). Okay, I'm ready. Ready for what?! Ready to do some stress-relieving, sing-along-with-my-friends-like-we're-in-a-movie-Âkind of singing. It's fun and low pressure because we're in a private room, lol. Completely different story if it was done on a stage in front of strangers - that calls for a little (or a lot of) liquid courage, as they say. Anyway, for the times I've been to GS Studios, it's been a blast, very spontaneous and FUN; classic video moments were captured here. The song selections are pretty current and if you're like me, I can never remember which songs I wanted to sing but don't worry, they have song books that are categorized by Artist or by Songs - that's helpful. It's like going to Tower Records back in the day and walking through the doors saying to yourself, now what was that song I heard on the radio and stand there having a shucks-I-should-have-wrote-it-down kind of moment. Not here at GS Studios, you're bound to find your song choice by going through their thick song books/binders. Another plus of having your private room - you and your friends can "karaoke-dance" to your hearts' content! You can't just sit there and tap your feet while your friend belts out Daft Punk's "Get Lucky" or raps J-Kwon's "Tipsy", can you? Not me, lol. Street or metered parking available. Open til 4am (just in time for some breakfast at Liliha Bakery).
(4)Gspot H.
Has a 4am Liquer License. Small bar area, big booties. located on the 2nd floor, mountain climber. Karaoke Rooms are clean and plentiful and varied in sizes, silly freak(s). They have KetalOne Vodka, savory Tongues. Local Service industry peoples stop up in here after 2am to endulged in their revelry.
(3)Julia K.
I have been here a couple times and it seems like a very good place to go karaoke in Waikiki. They have a wide variety of songs in Korean, Japanese, English, and Chinese (i believe... never tried it though). They do have two machines so they work very differently. As for the Asian song machine, it mostly has the popular English songs, so be warned, you may not find the song that you love on the Asian song machine if many people like to sing Asian songs. One thing I do love, is their Early Bird Special! If you go anytime from 12-8, it is just $10 per person(i think...) plus a free drink(with some limitations)! I have even gone out on an 8 hour karaoke sesh, buuuuut my voice got hoarse after that Although I'm underage, I have the understanding that it isn't BYOB, BUT you may BYOF. It's the go to place for me and my friends since we love to sing a mix of Asian and English songs, AND that it is pretty cheap~ Don't forget to check it out if you're around or feel like going somewhere for a good price, ESPECIALLY if you sing for hours.
(4)Alysha K.
I won a couple gift certificates here from a silent auction. I like that you don't have to make reservations even on weekends. There are open rooms available. It's a little bit confusing because although they have a wide variety of songs to choose from, they have two different systems for the newer & older songs. So you have to switch between the systems depending what song you want to sing. And sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. However, they are good about allowing you to switch rooms not once, twice, but three times if they can't figure out how to fix their equipment. I like that they have a full bar. Even though it's not BYOB, they don't really "scout" you beforehand. There is a metered parking lot which is good considering there's barely anywhere to park in Waikiki, but sucks since you do have to pay. The two times I've been here so far, I've had a good time. A-Okay.
(3)Lily R.
I am not a singer. I hate when people try to get me to sing. I SUCK. I sound like a cat trying to escape from drowning. That being said, I do enjoy spectating and drinking. 3 stars for the super cheap drinks and private rooms. I think I only like Karaoke when I am smashed and I end up there..unplanned.
(3)Christopher T.
We go to GS every Wednesday! The song selection is great (better than others I have been to) and the workers are very friendly! The rates are great, especially if you get the early bird special!
(5)Yuko A.
Although I'm a little ashamed to say it, this was my first time going to karaoke for legit 2 years...I blame being born on the East Coast... Karaoke? The closest place you could do real karaoke was probably 3 hours away....No joke. I also did kinda live in the boonies....but still. Of course in college there were those bars that offered deals on karaoke on certain nights but I never went, who knows what kind of people you may encounter in those types of places.... Anyway, it was two of my co-workers (one was Dan M.) birthdays the other day so we decided that after a stressful night at work - getting both these men wasted was our priority...We started off at Round Table for their Happy Hour and hopped on over to GS because someone suggested it.... I wasn't by any means drunk, maybe a little buzzed so I agreed to tag along. It turned out to be a good time. The birthday boys had fun. The food was terrible - pizza sticks were burnt like black burnt and the shumai were definitely frozen but sang some English and Japanese songs and ended the night on a happy note. YELP 365: 219/365
(4)Scott K.
GS Studio is probably my favorite karaoke place at the moment. Their system is a bit old, but when you compare it to other places such as Krazy Karaoke, they blow away the competition. The rooms at GS Studio are also maintained well, with no cracks in the seats or having a dirty looking floor. Going back to the sound system, again, a little old but better than all the other karaoke places that I've been to so far. A nice change is that they have a small electronic tablet that you can type in a song/artist to play instead of having a huge book and punching in a song number (although they still have a book as well though). Next, their song selection is excellent! When we go to Krazy Karaoke, we joke, "It's a good song, they don't have it." At GS though, they have a HUGE current selection from popular artists that make it a delight to sing from. In terms of food and drinks, you cannot bring your own. No surprise here, although that would be awesome if they did do that though. Drink prices were not that bad, they have both alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks to cater to everyone. You do have to buy one drink per person though. As for food, I've never tried it over here so I'm not too sure how it is, but from the pictures they seemed pretty appetizing. Overall, this place is awesome, if I had one real complaint, they ID everyone, and they don't allow anyone under 21 at night time. Which is a big bummer, you would think that they would have people who can drink either have a band signifying they can drink, or at least having them only drink at the bar. When the majority of my group are all under 21, it's a major pain. That and parking, being in Waikiki, it's near impossible to find good, cheap parking. Other than that though, GS is pretty much the only reason why I would want to venture into Waikiki.
(4)Jay P.
GS Studio, my new home away from home! Are you an avid Karaoke singer and want to find a cheap place to sing with friends? Feeling international and want to sing some Japanese or Korean songs? Then GS Studio is the place for you! I came with a couple of friends during the early bird special and before our plans for dinner later. We stayed in a comfortable and cozy room for about four hours...man did time pass by so fast! I'm not too much of a karaoke person, but when I go, I try to sing as many songs as I'm paying for. The selection of English, Japanese, and Korean songs seriously is amazing. There's also a full bar and affordable drinks, although I only ordered the required drink that comes with using a karaoke room. The bill per person? I only ended up paying about $9! The only problem I have with GS Studio is parking. Considering that GS Studio is located in Waikiki, parking is extremely difficult and expensive. I ended up having to pay $12 to park nearby. If you plan on exploring Waikiki or bar hopping after GS Studio, the parking fee shouldn't be too big of a problem. For me, I ended up going somewhere outside of Waikiki and felt like parking was an extreme waste of my money.
(5)Adam A.
A nice little spot tucked away in Waiks that offers karaoke and drinks late into the night. Located across the street from gyu kaku, if you don't know what your looking for you can easily pass this place several times like I did. They have a pay lot in the back if your feeling lazy about finding parking, but street parking can be found depending on what's going on. Mostly japanese frequent this place, with japanese being the most spoken language that I heard. Good song selection, drinks brought right to your room, and opened super late. Will easily return here if in the mood for karaoke next time I am in town.
(3)Rise D.
I really liked GS! lots of karaoke rooms at fair prices and a large song collection. The service was friendly too. The small room was just right for me and my two other friends. Parking sucks, but I would totally go there again!
(4)Mark H.
I like it here. Other yelpers have reported getting diverted to a more expensive room when cheaper ones were available, but that didn't happen to me. There was just me and my date and they promptly assigned us to the cheap $10 room. They have a good selection of songs and are frequently updating their song list. Not as up to date at Nocturna but recent enough for me. We were constantly ordering drinks on the intercom and the drinks always came to us without much of a wait. Their 300ml Kikusui sake was cheaply priced! Consider ordering this when you are here. I didn't order any food but we did notice flyers on the wall that food was available for order from Kimukatsu (restaurant situated adjacent to GS Studios) As other yelpers have reported, finding parking can be challenging being that it is parked in the middle of Waikiki. I don't waste time hunting and just pay the $10 in the lots behind the building. Even with the parking difficulties, I would not be opposed to coming here to sing!
(4)Ariana M.
I personally don't care for karaoke that much just because I am not a very good singer. Don't get me wrong, I love singing along with my radio or my iTunes. Its only when I try singing it on my own I always fall off beat... Ha-ha. Anyway, I like that this karaoke has a full bar! You can order pretty much any kind of drink and they will have it. I usually get the typical touristy drink such as Mai Tais or a Tropical Itch. Oh BTW, this karaoke place is not BYOB. Unless you try to sneak some in your purse or something. The prices for a karaoke room are pretty reasonable. There are like 3 different sizes of rooms with different prices. This one night my boyfriend and I went to get a room by ourselves to sing and they only had a medium size room available. So we were like okay, whatever we just want to drink and sing. It really annoyed me how they charged us the medium room price even though it was only the two of us. I feel they should have lowered the prices because it was not our fault they didn't have a smaller room available.
(3)Brandon L.
Whenever my friends and I feel like going Karaoke, this place tops the list. There are a few parking options. 1 - There is a small lot behind GS, but it is pretty expensive ($10). 2 - Be lucky enough to find street parking. 3 - If you turn left onto Kuhio from Lewers and take the next left again, there is another small metered lot. You can always cab it too. I usually try to park in the metered lot. A quarter will only get you 10 minutes, so bring a roll. 3-4 hours is sufficient for me. I came for a birthday party on my most recent visit, so we had the party room. It's the biggest room they have and can seat up to 30 people. Normally my friends and I get a standard room. Their website has all the room sizes and prices. I think their prices are reasonable. Since there were so many people in the party room, I stayed outside because it was much cooler. There is a full bar and a few tables outside. It gets crowded around the bar area too. Sake bombs (sake + beer) are a good way to start the night! Just don't drive if you plan on drinking because there are a lot of cops around Waikiki at night. I think this place has the best selection of Japanese songs. That plus being in Waikiki must be why I see so many Japanese tourist here. They also have English and some Korean songs. I found out during my last visit that they also serve food. I didn't get to see a menu, but my friend ordered a ton of pizza stix and frozen pizza. It was delicious at the time but looking back, it wasn't a healthy choice. Nonetheless, I've always had a good time at GS Studio.
(4)Priscilla N.
This place is a good place to sing karaoke in Waikiki if you're looking for a private room and a place that also serves alcohol. The song selection is so-so but isn't terrible. You'll find the classics but won't offer as wide or new song selection as Nocturna does. The prices are pretty decent for a private room and they usually have had rooms available whenever I have gone without a reservation. If you're already in Waikiki and don't want to wait long to sing your song in other busier open karaoke bars, get a private room here.
(3)Sasha L.
My favorite karaoke place hands down!! Dansen, Marilyn, Alex and Brian are great!!! Service is always perfect and I always have a good time singing or hanging out at the bar. They have fun songs and l love getting drunk here and singing some Guns 'N Roses! Plus they make the best Scooby snacks!
(5)Shay F.
We thought we'd go here for cheap karaoke.... $15/hour for a small room, but when they checked us in, they said, Oh we have the $25/hour room. But then when we asked about the $15 one, they were like, oh we have that too. -___-" They were trying to get us to pay more... Ugh. Anyways, the system is pretty old... and you gotta keep switching back and forth between the Korean and English system if you can't stick with one language. They don't have too many new songs... like how can they NOT have gangum style!?!?! LoL.
(3)Nikara M.
Had a really fun night at GS with 3 friends, the night ended really bad though! My friend who was very drunk had forgotten to pay and because they were closing up we were standing outside. Then the waitress came out (who had already been rude to my girl friend) and started screaming at me if I wanted to have my friend going to jail because we didn't pay. This was of course a mistake and we went up to pay. Then I told the waitress in a calm way that next time it would be better not to go out and start screaming at people right away especially when it was a mistake. We were not running anywhere, just standing right outside the bar. Then she freaked out and started screaming at me again, continuing after I left and my friend tried to calm her down. I am a bartender my self and have NEVER experienced a person talk to me like that. It was such a bad experience and she was extremely rude. I will not recommend this place to anyone because of this waitress and will never be back again.
(1)Thanh N.
This place is great! Especially they are open until 4am. I have heard of this place so many times and finally I had a chance to check out this place on a random night; and they were not busy, it was around 7:30pm. They have variety of new songs and the system to input the songs is pretty modern, clear and convenient. Their prize is cheap as well, $15 on Saturday after 6pm for 1-3 people room. This will be my favorite place from now on! Definitely coming back.
(5)Dan M.
Praise the MIC!! Karaoke is my gospel and this place is my CHURCH. When I used to live in Japan (a recurring theme in most of my reviews, sorry), I lived in the countryside. Only thing to do was drink and... karaoke. Seriously. Every Saturday after work, we would head across the street to our fave karaoke place and sing until 4 or 5am. When we could see the sun coming up as we left, we know it was a night well done. I am SO GLAD that I can continue that tradition here. GS not only has an awesome selection of English songs, but really new and recent Japanese songs! They had all of my favorites. Plenty enough to leave me with a hoarse voice in the morning. One thing is place DOES have that Japanese karaoke boxes do not is a walk-up bar. This is awesome if you wanted to take a short break from singing and just chat with a friend for a few minutes over a GnT. Bartenders were chill as hell and super polite. I'm sure they have crappy drunk customers annoy them all the time, but they keep it smiley behind the bar. Only thing that could use improvement is their food. It's not the best and if I remember from my first visit (difficult as I had an "alcoholic warmup session" beforehand), it was disappointing. But other than that, you can't beat the location and even their prices are way reasonable. If you go, sing your heart out. Dance! (Literally) kick off your shoes! Jump on the sofa! Go nuts when you're singing! Otherwise you're doing it wrong!!
(4)Kim M.
I'm not super down with karaoke, but I like this place. Sitting at the bar is my thing, so that's what I do. (And I'm good at it.) As much as I hate drinking in Waikiki, I'd make my way down here to have a drink or two. The bartenders are super friendly and make great conversation. (It's a guaranteed good time.) And drinks are NOT crazy expensive like at most Waikiki watering holes. :) Actually, this is probably the cheapest place to drink in Waikiki (other than Moose's .. with their $1, $2, $3 specials...) Also, I'm sure you'll most likely run into one or two people you know at this place. People like to sing. And drink! Haha. Yelp 365 - #296/365
(4)Lisa M.
Response to Mojo C (Employee Bullies - 1 star rating) All I got to say is LOL. The bartenders remember you and your little friends quite vividly. You and your friends came in the bar at 3am completely wasted. You requested for a room but was politely denied because they had already closed all the rooms. Your friend (or maybe you) proceeded to yell at the bartender claiming all the supposed "business" you give them, therefore they should make an exception. The bartender took your order, handed you your three miller lites, and told you to enjoy them at the bar. You and your friends then proceeded to take you beers, go into a room of your choice, TURN ON ALL THE MACHINES, and starting singing songs. A bartender came in the room, turned on the lights, and shut off all the machines, completely astounded at your audacity to blatantly disrespect workers, policies, and an establishment that you "supposedly" frequently visit. He started collecting all your beverages because you were obviously wawwy too intoxicated to follow the rules; therefore, showed you the door. A girl in the bar screamed, DON'T TOUCH ME! DON'T YOU FUCKING TOUCH ME! The girl bartender, then, entered because of all the noise and backed up her co-worker (obviously). "You can't touch me. You can't take MY beer", the drunk female said. After a lot of shouting and just plain rudeness (from you and your friends), you finally "decided" to leave the karaoke room that you claimed on your own. The female customer, then, THREW her glass beer bottle across the room and it smashed into pieces putting herself, her friends, and the workers at risk. I can tell you this, no one was laughing because you were obviously wasted and now there was glass all over the floor. Actually, do you even remember this? I bet you don't because you did send a complaint to the company and THAT'S when they actually laughed at you. How does someone think they can go into a bar, do whatever you want, disrespect employees who just worked a 8 hour shift because you're so intoxicated, THROW glass, and then scream and pretend like a male bartender is assaulting you? Oh AND complain.. TWICE. P.S. If you are completely wasted and insulting the bartenders--YES, they CAN and WILL take away your beverage. They actually should have refused service to you guys to begin with (since you were all heavily intoxicated). I guess that's what they get for their benevolence. Even if you wanted to come back, I'm pretty sure you can't; you're 86ed. ~~ I am NOT an employee of GS Studios. I was just there. :) SOBER.
(5)Curt C.
I was in charge of setting up a karaoke birthday party this past weekend and after weighing the pros and cons, we ended up at GS Karaoke over Krazy Karaoke....some of my notes on my research... Room and Drinks: The room we got was supposed to fit thirty people and was $45/hour. There is a birthday special, where if it is the same day as a person's birthday it is 30% off the room and 20% off for drinks. Compared to Krazy Karaoke, the same size room was $90/hour (they also have a bday special, buy one hour get one free). However, GS is not BYOB like Krazy, so that is a huge trade off. We were looking at Nocturna Lounge as well, but their rooms were like $100/hr and you had to purchase all of the drinks. The biggest room at GS says it can hold thirty people, but I don't think it could fit thirty people comfortably. The great thing about GS is that there is a bar in the lobby, so if it gets a bit too crowded in the room you can at least go outside and hangout by the bar. At Krazy, you would have to hope there's another room open or you may get charged extra if there are too many people in the room. The rooms at GS can get a little cold, so if you're prone to get cold easily I suggest a jacket. It's not the nicest/cleanliest karaoke room I've gone to, but they are adequate and a tad nicer than Krazy. Music: The song book isn't the most current as they didn't have "Gangnam Style" so my friend was a bit sad about that, but they did have Call Me Maybe!...Not like I sang it or anything...But it does have the typical karaoke songs and a variety (or so I'm told) of Japanese and Korean songs. Food: You can bring your own food into GS and Krazy, but if there is an emergency (as in really drunk and you absolutely need food) GS has some random small frozen pizzas, the kind that make you instantly regret eating as soon as you take a bite, and yet proceed to finish anyway. If you're able to make it down the stairs, there's usually a hotdog cart on the weekends next to Moose bar. Parking: There is a parking lot in the back by Genius Lounge, but it is metered and the past few times the lot has been full. I suggest parking at the Royal Hawaiian Shopping center, getting it validated by getting a drink at a bar or purchase something at the ABC store and then walking over. First hour is free and than a dollar after that for up to three hours. GS Karaoke is a fun place, doesn't close until like 4am so this is a great place to either start here or end up here. I personally would rather go to Krazy over GS because there is BYOB and we can end up walking to Tsunamis or Zippy's to sober up, but you really can't go wrong with either place if you're looking to sing some songs and have a few beers.
(3)Ikaika O.
GS is clearly my favorite karaoke place in town. With 16 individual rooms, they have plenty of space to rent out for parties of 2- 20. The rates change on the weekends so plan accordingly. They have a full bar with most beers running around 5-6$. They do allow you to bring outside food after hours when the kitchen is closed. Parking is $10 all night so eat some dinner and pregame at Gyukaku them head over and get your parking's worth. For the most part, their English selection is good, but can definitely be better. But considering gs studios is a Japanese company, they do good enough.
(5)Jasmine N.
Wanna go karaoke? Call me maybe The good: ~The price per hour is reasonable (for the large room on a Saturday it was $45 per hour) ~The room was clean and pretty large ~If you don't mind being observed by the public they have one room downstairs with lots of windows so people passing by can see you sing. You think how is this good? Well you get a discount. ~Can bring your own food ~ Lots of oldies songs ~Right in the middle of Waikiki (On Lewers near Kimukatsu) ~They do have a small parking lot The not so good: ~Not BYOB ~The new songs aren't so new... ~It's in Waikiki so the parking isn't always that great. RHC and WSP are good places to park (WSP has a $5 flat rate from 6pm-midnight; make sure you get your car out before midnight) ~The song books were sticky ~We had to keep switching back between english and asian songs Must try: Bring your own food.. we had cupcakes, if not kimukatsu is downstairs LOL Be brave and opt for the room down stairs! 31 yelps- 7/31
(3)Anya A.
My favorite karaoke place! The seats are comfy and the music selection ranges from the 90's to present. You can choose among singing English, Korean and Japanese songs. Be sure to avoid the songs with a special lyric video attached (it will say on the song) because they lyric display is weird and makes it hard to sing. Once seated, you are given the choice of one free beverage (I usually get a Coke or juice). There's also a nice little buzzer usually near the light switches so you can call the workers. They are open EVERY DAY of the year including holidays. They charge you per person rather than per hour for the early bird and evening bird special. For the early bird special, (you can bring outside food ONLY around this time) it ends at 8pm and then they just charge per hour after that. I remember six hours of awesome singing and paid only $12 (we usually give a big tip). Since my friends and I are regulars, there's a worker there named Kyle who is super friendly! The restrooms are also well kept. There's a bar where you can purchase drinks alcoholic or not. Their hello kitty drink was delicious! The parking lot located on the right corner of the building is definitely sketchy but the guy inspecting the cars gave us a deal so we were really luck that time :D Overall, the best music updates and comfortable karaoke on the island!
(5)Gary N.
Gs Studios is good. The people are friendly and the food is good. Drinks are a good strength. I find it a little expensive when I go though. I suppose it's because it is in Waikiki. Parking isn't too bad as there is a paid parking lot nearby, or if you're lucky you can find street parking a couple of blocks away. One great thing that I found is their song collection. They have many Japanese songs and a wide variety of English language songs. From reggae to pop, to R & B and rap, it's all there.
(3)Tiffinie K.
GS Studios isn't exactly my #1 choice for Karaoke because of the cost factor. It's expensive, you can't BYOB, and parking is tough and pricy (what do you expect from a place located in Waikiki anyway?). Despite my reasons in paragraph above, there are a few reasons to go to GS. 1). Full bar; 2). friendly staff; 3). food; 4). fun; 5). asian music sound choice. I was there for a party, so it was very fun. There is an open area to associate, as well as rooms to gather your party in. The largest room only fits about 20-25 people.
(3)Jay P.
Came here around 9pm looking to get my evening going with some karaoke and some drinks... boy did I make a mistake! When I arrived there I was greeted by a lady who asked me how many people in my party. I told her two and she told me to go to room number 9. Where the heck is room number 9!!!! Couldn't you just walk us there!?!!? After walking pass the endless empty rooms we finally arrived in the room number "9" and was trying to look pass the negative vibe from this place. When we try to figure out how to use the machine that looks like it was from the 90's we realized we can't figure out how to use it. I went up to the bartender and asked if I can order some drinks since no one bothered to ask in the 1st place and also asked him if someone can come to the room to show us how to operate the Karaoke machine. He said when he brings us the drinks he will show us how to use it. Finally... I thought someone is gonna help us in this freaking place. After a few minutes the same lady we were originally greeted us brought the drinks and took off. I was fuming at this point. Why tell us you are going to come by to show us how to use the machine and never come by!!! RIDICULOUS!!! Before the lady left she told me to use the intercom if I need anything... So I did. I pushed the intercom button and some other guy answered in a rude tone "WHAT DO YOU NEED?" Come on now I'm a paying customer is this how you treat a customer? I asked the gentlemen If he come by and show us how to use the machine. He came by after a minute or so and showed us how to use it. I asked this guy if I can order some french fries and he told me he will see if the kitchen is still open. There was a sign posted on the wall that shows food order are until 11pm and it was around 9:30pm when I ordered. At this point I just gave up and realIzed I need to get out this dump. I hurried my drinks down, inhaled my fries, sang a few songs, and left there in hurry. I walked to the reception desk and vented to the lady and asked if she was a manager and she stated no. She asked me if I wanted to talk to one but I declined because there were three people running the place and all of them I encountered didn't seem to care to be there so what's the point? I know this ain't K-town so I wasn't expecting much but it's pretty obvious why this place was empty. Placed ruined my 2nd night of my vacation.
(1)Mahina C.
I LOVEEEE to sing, scream, rap, talk during slow music, and did i mention sing? GS is across from gyukaku waikiki. Located right next to kimi katsu, take the stairs up to your arrival of fun! They do have a bar that offers fufu drinks galore so if if your friend is a randal no can handle, this is just the place! Many different rooms with lights to set the mood and i mean ANY mood. Disco balls, you just can't go wrong! They have a very extensive song list of japanese, korean and engrish...i mean english. OH! they also have hawaiian songs too, so if you're feeling like taking it back to your roots, like me, Hapa is on the playlist! LOVE that i can find a song that's not popular on the radio here. that is a MAJOR LOVE about this place! Only reason why i deducted a star was parking...it's horrible! you drive down this path to the end and it feels like you would get mobbed as soon as you walk out. i'm not saying it's happened, but it felt like i was or maybe it's just a creepy path with not that many lights...but you still have to pay! gah! waikiki, i hate, love you at the same damn time!
(4)Jonathan V.
Synopsis: In the middle of Waikiki, expensive drinks, plethora of Japanese songs, comfortable seating, terrible parking (unless you go to Julian, then it's 5 bucks ALLL night). Environment: There is a bar downstairs, which closes early. Then you walk upstairs to do karaoke. The rooms have disco lights, rooms can be dimmed. Semi-private because the doors are see-through. The sofas are very comfortable. Don't get too drunk or you will passss out! People: You will definitely see Japanese natives frequent here. It's quite a spot, especially since it's close to Gyu-kaku. However, the opportunity to meet new people are quite limited, unless you sit at the bar and are willing to foot some dinero. Drinks: They force you to buy juice for each person, which is lame. The drinks are generally expensive, and WORSE of all you can't bring in your own drinks (um..might as well go Krazy on Young St. or Toma Enterprise). Songs: If you know Japanese songs, I suggest here. They provide the most updated songs from Japan that is available. However, recently other places such as Toma Enterprise, Krazy Karaoke, and Karaoke Hut have songs as well...so this place is losing it's "Japanese song fame." After 2 hours you can go some place else in Waikiki, because you don't have to drive to your potentially next destination (bar, club). Or this can be the place to go to after a bar or club. Food: I have not eaten on the first floor and eaten a few times. It's not really noteworthy. I suggest eating after or before. Probably after, so the expensive drinks you order easily affects you. Special Features: Birthday and Special Rates: Their special rates are awesome. 50% off the entire room!!! This place is good for only two. My BFF and I went for 2 hours and paid 10 bucks each. Hollahh! However, other places have just as good, or even better (i.e. Krazy Karaoke)...
(3)Nate A.
This is my first Japanese Karaoke bar that I've been to and ever since then I've been coming back for more. Everyone gets a free drink once you get settled into your room. I have to say that the rooms are pretty cozy. They have a mini disco ball, A/C which can be adjusted to your comfort level and a small stage if you want to rock out, and last but not least they have a speakerphone if you want to order food or drinks. I believe that every three months or so they always update their song lists. Also, they are always updating their sound system to the latest new gadgets. Best part is that you can bring in your own food but sadly no drinks. I normally go in the afternoon on weekends since there are some discounted rates such as the early bird special. Wonderful customer service. Wide variety of Japanese music, they also have an English book and a section with local music. One thing that I dislike is parking, since Waikiki is so busy. I normally park at Ala Moana and take the bus with a couple of friends then walk across or I would park in the Galleria and pay about $10-15 depending on how long we stay. Overall: Great atmosphere. Cool People. Awesome place to hang out.
(4)LaRaina W.
Great song list and the staff is friendly and they make a stiff drink. I suggest the Tropical Itch for a nice kick!
(5)Sajili B.
"Started out talking right here... Puttin' it down like a mu*f***ing mack..." That's Falsetto by the Dream if you didn't know, now you know. I love Karaoke. I f***ing love Karaoke. Let me tell you how much I love Karaoke: that's how I screen for girlfriend material. Serio! If a girl can sing, she's "Selling that Candy all up in my ear..." Ideally, girls who I'm gonna holla at don't remember this at all because one way or another I'm taking you to Karaoke and it's freakin' audition time. Also, ideally girls are too lazy to read my award-winning reviews (LOL). Anyway David and Tyrone at GS Studio provide stellar service. These guys are the guys who you want to serve you and your crew. My recommendations: Get Skittle Shots and STP if you got the ladies with you. TRUST. The downside to GS is that there aren't many corny music videos, the ones that I love so much with the Korean dude dressed up all metro crying chasing a K-Girl. Also, sometimes I overload the computer with too many requests. Woops.
(5)Jamila J.
This would get 4 stars because I absolutely love this place. However, parking is a huge pain and unlike other places you can't bring your own drinks. The upsides are: they've got a huge catalog of songs, full bar (tropical itch comes with a back scratcher!), and nice spacious rooms. Also, if you didn't know, on your birthday you can get special discounts on rooms! I've never had a bad night there and have had parties of at little as 5 people to 30! Open to 4am!!! What! the after hours spot for sure!
(3)Nicole M.
eh. I didn't get it, the worker kept confusing us by misunderstanding us or using weird wording. apparently $13 a person on Sunday deal with one mandatory drink order each. the booths were like a hotel hallway with leather chairs and idk. I wasn't digging it. They did have a screen thing to chose songs (kinda like an ipad) but the worker was so bad at explaining it or understanding that we needed help that we just gave up after a while.
(2)Faye M.
Came here for the first time for a friend's bday and like the 2 star rating says: "Meh. I've experienced better." First of all, the parking situation sucks - there's a lot around the corner, but it's not cheap (I know, I know - it's Waikiki!). Secondly, it's not BYOB, so you gotta leave your room to order from the unfriendly bartender (they don't come to you). And lastly: their song versions are junk. You can however, bring in you own food - which is good, since my friends ordered from Gina's so that was good! On a weird note - there's a small room on the first floor for 2 people that has clear walls, so people that are walking up and down the stairs to the main floor can see you and your friend singing it up!
(2)M.B. L.
I've been here several times. It's not cheap but it has pretty current songs and the service, drinks, and food remind me of karaoke boxes I've been to in Japan. This place has Japanese and English songs. Their system isn't as sophisticated as the ones in Japan, but it's probably not a fair comparison in Hawaii. This place is open late and offers a nice alternative to bar hopping when in Waikiki looking for a good time with friends!
(4)Tyron H.
My number one karaoke stop on the island. The only issue i haveand also the main reason it looses a star now is that the restaurant downstairs that supplied the bar food closed down. They do allow outside food to be brought in just no drinks so it isnt all bad. Rates for the rooms are decent and the staff is friendly. Note it can get busy on weekend nights but then again what doesnt in waikiki?
(4)Evan H.
This place rages after 2am. Open till 4. The room fill up pretty quick. Rates are a little pricey but it's always a fun time there! Good place to end the night at after a bunch of bar hopping!
(3)James H.
This place is one of the better karaoke spots I've been to on the island... They have a huge number of songs to choose from as well as multiple books and rooms. They also serve drinks in your room and the customer service is outstanding. What I didn't like about this place was the size and shape of the rooms and location. Because it's on Lewers street in Waikiki, you can easily get pulled over for excessive drinking.. Also parking is pretty bad in Waikiki. There's a small parking lot behind GS but it cost $10 to park their all night. That's a lot of money if you have a big party there. So make sure to car pool!
(5)Reuben M.
There are a number of good things I can say about GS Studio: It's kept clean, they have a great song selection, their equipped with a full bar, and you don't feel like you are going to get stabbed once you leave the place. The wait staff is decent and the equipment fairly new, albeit a little bit confusing when you have to switch languages. That being said, I am definitely NOT in agreement with the fact that not only is it NOT BYOB, but everyone in your party HAS to order a drink! Seriously? I mean, I guess that would be cool if the drinks were moderately priced, but I don't like the fact that I have to fork over an Alexander Hamilton to order a glass of Scotch (That's a $10 bill for all you non-history nerds). While most of my experiences here are pretty enjoyable, there is one instance that stands out that has left a sour taste in my mouth up till now. My friend had smuggled in a 40 oz. Miller Draft in with her. When the attendant came in and saw her empty bottle beside her, he kicked us all out immediately. Again, are you serious?! If we were under 21, I would understand but they card everyone at the door so I don't see how seeing a bottle of alcohol from outside gives them grounds to throw us out like a bunch of juvenile delinquents. Definitely not the establishment's finest hour. Overall, I still give them 3 stars for the number of things going well for them. However, they do need to tweak some of their ridiculous rules and regulations. Oh, and as mentioned in previous reviews, parking for this place blows since it is in the middle of bustling Waikiki.
(3)Renee L.
I have had countless good times here!!! They always take extra good care of us. Strong drinks, awesome updated songs. The rooms are comfortable and relatively clean.
(5)Amy Y.
The last time I went to this place was 4 years ago. It really did improve (the technology). There were different types of music (English, Korean, Chinese, Japanese). They have most of the updated music and the old ones. The time we went was happy hour (12pm-8pm) and costs around $12 per person. I didn't like the service that much. There was one person working but there wasn't that much business. Yet the service sucked. We were required to pay the gratuity. So was kinda pissed about that.
(4)Cara H.
Cool spot for karaoke! Yes, Waikiki can be a pain in the ass for parking and in general, but to me it is worth it. The prices are great, the early bird special is $10 a person for unlimited, private room karaoke from 12pm - 8pm. They have a huge selection of songs, organized by both song title and artist and in English and Japanese. The only thing preventing me from giving 5 stars is that you can't bring outside food and beverages in. But the drink prices are not bad, $2.50 for a beer during happy hour. I've been here twice, my favorite spot for karaoke on Oahu.
(4)Cy C.
When I'm hanging out with my crew in Waikiki, GS Studio is one of our stops. Now yes its a Karaoke place but I think of this place as a great hangout. In fact I honestly don't do much singing there. However they have a lot of spacious and comfortable rooms to sing in. Its clean with a modern decor. We just like to hang out at the bar area. They have 2 tables and some bar stools at the bar. Not a big area but there always seem to be room for us when we go there. Bartenders are always nice with an array of drinks to serve. Whats surprising is the food is pretty good with Japanese and local selections. Now be aware this bar does cater to Japanese tourist but I always see a bunch of locals here and there. Overall this is a great place to hangout with a bunch of friends and meet people. Wanna sing or hangout then GO to GS Studio
(4)Cristyn T.
I think I might be a gay man trapped in the body of a woman. Especially since I thoroughly enjoyed secretly following around the hooker outside and impersonating her attempts at trying to pick up Japanese tourists. I feel most in my element sharing (but mostly trying to hog) the microphone, and getting down with my drag-queen-in-training friend. I only get to see said friend once a year due to residing in different countries, but I can always count on our reunions involving loud, obnoxious karaoke, with or without the liquid courage. We were supposed to go see the movie "Precious" together, but as we were leaving Waikiki after having some food and beverages, we got distracted by the Karaoke sign and decided that we just HAD to check it out. $10/hour for a private room + 1 drink minimum??? Sweet!!! I had some type of soju/sake drink for my drink, but I didn't really need to drink anything to have a good time. The room was perfect for the 3 of us, except we had to ask the guy how to work the remote! I guess my 10 years of Japanese language classes didn't pay off :( The song selection was mostly geared towards the Japanese patrons, but we were able to find a pretty decent English selection. We sang and danced to hits by Lady GaGa and other divas and had an amazing 2 hours! These bitches get docked 1-star for being sneaky though. They automatically add in about a 20% tip to the total bill with no warning signs anywhere. Is that legal??? Now that I think about it, I think they also have a cover charge per person. Sneaky way to appear cheap, yet rack up your bill! Anyway, it still ended up being pretty reasonable for a damn good time! Sketchy people hang out at the bar there though so stay in your room!
(4)Sean H.
I really really really love this place. They have a very good selection of Japanese songs. They have Korean and English songs too, but the selection is not quite as expansive or current. I always get really excited coming here, because there is always a small crowd hanging around outside the entrance, and there are always people walking in and out of the rooms completely drunk. Fun environment! The service is friendly, and very honest. Last time I was here with the crew I accidentally left my phone in the room. After we paid and started to leave, the person who was cleaning up our room ran out and handed me my phone! I wonder how he knew it was mine... But still. That was very nice of him :). I took off one star because this place is insanely expensive. The hourly rates are expensive, the drinks are expensive, and the food is expensive (and not very good). Oh yeah, and the parking is expensive. Well, this place is in Waikiki... I would probably give this place a higher rating if they upped the quality of the food, since I do get really hungry while singing and drinking for hours on end. Or if they lowered the prices (yeah that's not going to happen).
(4)Jaymes H.
I love this place! My friends and I always drunkenly head to GS after the bars close. It's never too crowded, so there's always an open room. The bar tenders and 1 waitress are super friendly. Some cons: Probably not the best selection of songs, but they do update their list every season. The also stopped serving food...booo... Drunk, in Waikiki and feeling confident enough to make a fool singing Karaoke?! Head to GS!
(4)Sheryl G.
what: super cool japanese karaoke place :) something good: this place is pretty cool. i would totally go and sing there again~ the bartenders are really nice and drinks are decently priced :) the rooms are good sized and pretty neat for the most part!! something not so good: the bathrooms are kinda crazy looking. i would appreciate a cleaner restroom :) something to try: karaoke and drinks!
(4)Tessa t.
yelp 365 challenge #o4/365 i F#*&$#^ LOVE this place! the staff is oober friendly :) plus, you get a great mix of people... you have FOB's walking in and out of the rooms... i usually sit at the bar where you will find people who have wandered away from kelly's... they have a yummy udon soup that drives me crazy when i'm drinking :) parking is in the back for like $7... or there is a guy who will give you a ticket for $5... (he's not always there) or you can park on the corner...just be careful not to get towed :) i recommend this place for either getting a karaoke room... or to just sit at the bar and drink :)
(4)Aline T.
I went here with my friends a couple of times. The rooms are small unless you wanna pay the biiiiig bucks. It's catered towards Japanese tourists - we had a hard time finding English songs. One time we had one of the bigger rooms and they had an English song book - it does exist! Just not in the smaller rooms maybe. They have a policy where each person has to order a drink. We parked across the street in some building where it cost like...$7?
(3)Jonathan D.
Very Japanese place is you love singing Japanese things. I can't sing Japanese so there isn't a lot of selection for Englishand I've been coming here for about five years. They never memorize my name but they recognize me. So that's a plus. I love that it comes with one free drink. It's one floor but I love how sound proof the hallways are b/c if I talk on my phone outside the people in the room can't hear me. I love that it's also a full bar but it's not a BYOB for several reasons but hey it's an ok price for a drink.
(5)Joie Y.
Despite being in Waikiki, this place has a good handful of "locals". These are your friendly people who work in Waikiki, and want to have a sing down without having to go too far, since they most likely finished work after 11 PM. Their song lists are all right, but they do cater to Japanese, so there are some Japanese song books to pick from. So a good plus if you want some hardcore Japanese karaoke, but if you want some Hawaiian stuff, you're better off else where. They do have current music too. They're open pretty late, till 4 am and they still are serving alcohol till 3:45. You can either enjoy yourself in the private rooms with mini stage and all, or party out by the bar. The closest metered parking is around the corner, but you have to use a really creepy alley if you don't want to walk all the way around. It took us a while to figure out how to enter in songs, but I guess it didn't help that we were all tipsy. And by the time we sang 5 songs, our time was up. And we did go looking for help with the remote and the guy didn't really explain it, so we were on our own. Oh well...
(2)Becky T.
Domestic (the Buds, Miller Lite) for $2.50 before 9pm. You can also get food from the Japanese restaurant downstairs. We rented a private room and sang our little hearts out from 8 until 2 and half of us weren't even drunk. They had an awesome selection of songs. We found everything that we were looking for. We did everything from Taylor Swift to Michael Jackson to 4 Non Blondes. UYE karaoke anyone?
(4)Jin Hee K.
Good late night spot, but the only bad thing is it's in Waikiki:( and parking could be challenging.
(4)Jeff S.
I can't believe this place is still open. I used to go to GS years ago and nothing has been changed or updated. First thing you notice is the sour stench of years of cigarette smoke that is stuck in the torn seats, the falling down ceiling tiles, the well worn wooden floors and the peeling wall paper. When we left, we smelled like cigarettes even though no one has smoked in these rooms since the law took effect. You select your songs out of a sticky beer stained book then wait for a very long time for your song to play. Then you get to sing cut rate karaoke into a smelly microphone. Also, no BYOB. High prices for wine that's almost vinegar or tiny little watered down drinks. Oh and the parking. Its Waikiki so you're getting bled before you even step foot in the place. I can only conclude that they are cruising along on the Japanese tourists who don't know how to get to anywhere decent. Fool me once...
(1)Heidi S.
I love this place! My favorite karaoke hang out. Only thing that prevents me from giving it 5 stars is that the new machines aren't in all the rooms yet...that and there's this one girl who works downstairs but covers on occasion who is clueless. But it's nice that they have the restaurant that you can order from that sells good food. They also remember faces (or stuff you drink in my case).
(4)Albert F.
Havent been here in awhile, but going soon. GS Studio was one of the best places to get your karaoke on. Private themed rooms and tons of songs. Cant say on the current condition, but will update after some karaoke party someones planning for there. What I do know, and I used to work at a Karaoke bar in Restaurant Row is that its pretty nice.
(4)Mark G.
I don't get to Waikiki often but I do like to go to GS Studio. They have small rooms available, which is good if it's just you and a couple friends, just one special friend. There is a full service bar with food and an intercom to order drinks. Plus they are open very late; 4 AM. Downside is parking but that's everywhere in Waikiki, the food is not spectacular, but it's fun.
(4)Kitty T.
This place has shady employees! After I left I realized I forgot my camera on the table in our room. I went back and my camera wasn't there. I asked the manager if they have my camera and he said no. I asked if anyone went into the room, he said only the employees cleaning the room. So obviously whoever cleaned the room took the camera! But the manager insisted none of the employees took my camera. Lies!!!!
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