Vegas Lounge — Restaurant in Minneapolis

Place reeks of cigarettes and now I have a sore throat. Speakers sound like garbage and its hard to hear yourself sing even though its loud to everyone else. The run down look of the place caused me to order a pitcher of Summit without first asking the price, I mean how much could a pitcher of beer from the same city I'm in cost at a karaoke dive bar? The answer to that question is $14. Maybe I'm just used to low income areas,I don't know what this neighborhood is usually like, but where I'm from a pitcher of mgd is $6 and Summit is, at the most, $8.50; at the Vegas Lounge MGD is $9, and Summit is a whopping FOURTEEN DOLLARS for a maximum of 4 beers, probably closer to 3.5.

It was pretty crowded and the only spots were next to the enormous table for the loud party table which is queezed up against the bar so that there is barely room to walk to the main area on either side, especially when the table is overflowing with guests. Crowd is mid 20's to late 30s mostly, and this place really brings out the hipsters; so be prepared to listen to very ironic renditions of songs, odd song choices, the purposefully goofy singing that comes from a lack of confidence, and large groups of girls shouting bubblegum music into the mic. Also expect to ask why you got skipped in the rotation. They asked everyone to vote for them in city pages for best karaoke, LOL. Apparently they have won it before which proves how meaningless...

Absolutely trash establishment. Avoid at all costs if you plan on having a good time.

Let’s start with the karaoke DJ, who flat-out refused to let us pay to sing sooner—but conveniently allowed others, particularly those dressed provocatively (both male and female), to skip ahead if they slipped some cash. Meanwhile, my friend and I (who weren’t dressed to their apparent "standards" and are both white males) were completely ignored when we asked the same. Apparently, fairness isn’t a concept they understand here.

Then there’s the bartender—charging men significantly more for drinks than women. I literally heard the orders and counted the change. It wasn’t a mistake; it was blatant price gouging. On top of that, drinks were weak, overpriced, and the place is cash only (probably to make sure they can overcharge without dispute).

The overall vibe? Shady, discriminatory, and a complete scam. This place caters to a select crowd while treating others like second-class customers. If you want fair service, decent drinks, and an actual chance to sing without being judged by your outfit or gender, go...

I went to this bar (26DEC2024) specifically for the karaoke with recommendations as I haven't lived in Minneapolisfor some years & while the crowd was lively & fun with people of varying talents but everyone was welcomed by the crowd. However, I do personally feel the DJ ruined the experience for those who wanted to participate in karaoke. I say this because the DJ was working off of a pay to sing system & not just giving regular tips but specifically if you paid him he would add you to the rotation of performers. I'm not against this as a system if it is put out front that this is the way things are done. I watched the DJ get handed money & put that singer to the front of the list were as people who didn't give him money their song requests were put in a discard pile. As someone who seeks out places for the karaoke experience when visiting, this is the first time that I have experienced this in Minneapolis let alone any other bar that I have been to in the US or internationally. Unless the current DJ changes his ways I cannot say that I would return to this establishment specifically...