Karaoke Bars in Washington, DC

Buttoned-up DC wonks need chances to get ridiculous. Enter the karaoke bar, the democratizing dens of voluntary embarrassment (for some) and showboating (for others). Karaoke bars in DC prove that impressive credentials do not make one immune to belting out Journey hits.

Free-flowing alcohol is pretty much a necessity before the vast majority of people will decide that Lady Gaga is singable, so boozy bars like The Brass Monkey are popular with amateur songbirds. The Brass Monkey is actually five separately-named bars under one owner, and one of them, The Peyote Café, is a veritable slosh fest of recent college grads jostling for position at the bar and “singing” karaoke.

Other DC karaoke bars may be less sprawling, but they all bring the energy of groups of friends shouting out their favorite songs. Dank dive bars like Recessions give singers an audience of hipsters and very strange regulars. Gay bars such as Remingtons and Green Lantern hand over the mic on karaoke nights to the bold and the fabulous.

If you’d like to avoid subjecting yourself to the American Idol judgments of strangers, private karaoke rooms give you the perfect hideaway. Korean joints like Muzette Karaoke & Restaurant rent out rooms for you and your loudest, most forgiving friends. Drink up some liquid courage and belt out the songs that make your gang shout out, “I love this one!”