Tsubaki Restaurant Lounge & Karaoke — Restaurant in Columbia

Save yourself time, energy, and money. Last night, 2 friends and I ventured here in search of a spot for private room karaoke. I'd been here before they "permanently closed" and had a blast, so revisiting seemed like a no-brainer. However, I quickly realized it was a mistake. Upon arrival, we were greeted by a lackluster setup and two employees behind the bar - one clad in pajamas and the other in a tacky vulgar Halloween costume (in April..?) We waited patiently (10 mins) to reserve a room, eventually encountering the sour-faced Patricia (Halloween gal).

From the get-go, Patricia's attitude was less than welcoming, and it only went downhill from there. Despite our interest in a small private room, she insisted only a medium room was available for $30/hr, a negligible difference from the $20/hr option. The room itself was a mess, with peeling furniture, scattered dishes, and remnants of the previous patrons' meal. Patricia reluctantly cleaned up, making it seem like our fault for the mess.

After a tedious setup process (with us googling and doing most of the work) and a disappointing (oddly sticky) menu, we finally settled in for some karaoke. However, technical issues persisted, and our request to use the alternate Korean system was met with dismissal because they assumed we couldn't "read it" spoiler we could! We soldiered on, only to be informed abruptly that closing time was imminent, contradicting their advertised hours but honestly we were okay with that. We were in the room for a little under 1 hr & a half hrs but were okay when they asked us about charging us for two. The real kicker came when we received the bill, laden with unexpected charges, including a hefty tip ($23). When questioned, Patricia became defensive and condescending, insisting it was standard practice to tack on extra fees for large parties (3 of us lol). Then she says that If I knew better when you go to any bar or establishment even if you just order a drink they always charge at least 20% gratuity on every check. Wrong! Just because I look young I will not be "little girled" and belittled. I pay my bills, taxes, and vote. I am a paying customer of this establishment and will be treated with respect. At this point now I am thoroughly annoyed so I ask if someone else was there to speak to she laughs and says that she is the only one and everyone else is in Greenville so I'm all she gets. I ask for a contact and just get told no, that her name is Patricia I can pay my bill and just go. Mind you the bill was already paid we just needed to sign. I won't be returning anytime soon, and I urge others to steer clear unless they enjoy subpar service and unnecessary charges. It's high time the owner reevaluates their staffing choices and restores some semblance of professionalism. There shouldn't be staff who think their only job is attempting to flirt with drunken old men for a $5 tip instead of doing what they were...

So, we are in our 70's , TLC time for us , a getaway, bf is a retired Elvis impersonator, during Covid all gigs stopped...he had one bad ear, totally deaf in that ear, other ear progressively got worse, when all opened up again there were to be no more shows for Bobby J as Elvis. GOOGLE this guy . So every once in awhile we go to Karaoke, this time singing Bobby J kind of faltered and I was dying inside for him. BUT, Bobby the bartender at this bar was so very kind, the Karaoke guy tolerant, the customers , AMAZING!! Ty for those who applauded this man who since 1997 kicked ass everywhere from here in SC , NC , and the only Elvis in Key West where he entertained at the Bull and Whistle for ten years, and also in NJ , NY, even Venesuela , all over the country, he's been on the Today Show, several talk shows, look it up.... its all there on Google, so anyways, he kind of was off key and not so perfect anymore there at this place, but damn if he did not get respect !!! Awesome people , good people . Tears.... thank you from , the girl with Elvis..as I am...

The bartenders are attentive and are excellent mixologist. They can make pretty much any drink you ask for. Despite the snippy review about regulars being treated better, that simply is not true. This is a karoke bar. You can't expect to come at 12pm midnight and start putting in songs when there are 50 songs ahead and the bar closes at 2pm and then whine you didn't get to sing because the regulars get treated better. No, we just know what days are crowed and when to come early. That being said this is a nice hangout spot. A good mix not too crazy crowd. You always leave here having a good time! So eat, drink, SING and be Merry. And if you show up late and it's Closing time ...still want to SING your song???? Don't whine...Be nice and tip your bartender and they may be obliged to let you SING 1 more song!!! Best place in Columbia to have...