Best karaoke bars and private rooms in Bangkok

Yankii Robatayaki & Bar works on two levels, literally. Upstairs, it is all charcoal-grilled skewers, cold drinks and the kind of loose, lively energy that makes you feel like you have wandered into an izakaya somewhere in Tokyo. Downstairs is where things get louder. Styled like a retro Japanese sweet shop splashed with neon, the bar doubles as an open karaoke space where anyone can grab the mic and join in. There are no private rooms, no bookings and no time limits, just a room full of strangers singing everything from city pop to early 2000s hits. The yuzu sours go down easily, the sake list is solid and the robatayaki menu makes it worth arriving hungry.

12 Sukhumvit Soi 24 (G/F, Skyview Hotel Bangkok), 02-821-6808. Open daily 6pm-1am. BTS Phrom Phong.

The most accessible entry point into Japanese-style karaoke in Bangkok. Karaoke Manekineko is a major chain from Japan with several Bangkok outposts, and the Silom Edge branch, on the fourth floor of the mall and directly linked to BTS Sala Daeng and the MRT Silom skywalk, is consistently one of its strongest. The rooms are clean, the sound systems are solid, the touchscreen interfaces are easy to navigate and the song library covers Thai, Japanese, Korean, English and Chinese with enough depth to keep most groups busy. The headline draw is the value: promotions start from B100 per person for two hours, including unlimited soft drinks. VIP rooms can fit up to 30 people, making this an easy call for larger parties. Food and snacks are available if you need to refuel. Walk-ins are welcome, but book ahead at weekends.

2 Silom Rd (4/F, Silom Edge), 02-234-5569. Open daily 11am-5am. BTS Sala Daeng (Exit 5) / MRT Silom.

The dependable all-rounder. Blu-O has been on the fifth floor of Siam Paragon since 2006 and remains one of the city’s most complete entertainment packages, with bowling lanes and karaoke rooms under one roof. Two Platinum rooms combine private bowling lanes with karaoke for groups of up to 40, while the regular karaoke rooms are comfortable, well run and reliably good on sound. There is a full food and drinks menu, and the mood shifts from family-friendly by day to group-night territory by evening. The song selection spans Thai, English, Japanese and Chinese. Karaoke rooms start at B550 per hour; Platinum rooms cost more and require advance booking. The Siam branch is the flagship: busier, slightly pricier and generally better staffed than the other branches.

991 Rama 1 Rd (5/F, Siam Paragon), 02-129-4625. Open Mon-Fri midday-midnight, Sat-Sun 11am-midnight. BTS Siam.

The Ekkamai branch of Osaka-born izakaya chain Shakariki 432 is one of the more low-key entries in the brand's Bangkok network, and better for it. Themed karaoke rooms sit alongside the usual sprawling menu of Japanese dishes, while the crowd skews more neighbourhood regular than mall-goer. It is a solid option if you are already in the Ekkamai-Thonglor corridor and want to fold karaoke into a longer evening rather than make it the whole point of the night.

114/1-114/2 Sukhumvit Soi 63 (Ekkamai), 02-004-1713. Open daily 11am-late. BTS Ekkamai.

Ask any group of Thai friends where to go for karaoke and this is the name that often comes back. R&B Karaoke has been running private rooms across five Bangkok neighbourhoods – Sathorn, Silom, Ari, Asoke and Chidlom – since well before the Japanese chains arrived, and it remains the default for locals who want a proper room, a decent drinks menu and 200,000 Thai and English songs without the faff of a minimum spend or a heavily themed interior. The rooms are comfortable rather than stylish, the staff are matter-of-fact and the whole operation is geared towards groups who are there to sing rather than be seen. Pick the branch nearest you; the experience is consistent across all of them. Book ahead, especially at weekends.

1124/2 Narathiwas Soi 9 (Sathorn branch), 02-675-4224. Open daily 6pm-midnight. BTS Chong Nonsi. Additional branches in Silom, Ari, Asoke and Chidlom.

Tuba is part bar, part Italian-Thai restaurant, part vintage furniture showroom, with almost everything on the walls technically for sale. It feels unmistakably Bangkok, and it has survived because a loyal crowd keeps coming back. The karaoke room fits the same spirit: less a dedicated singalong zone than the natural extension of a long dinner that refuses to end. The song selection leans Thai and English, and is updated regularly enough to keep things current without overthinking it. Come for the laab moo tod, stay for the strong cocktails, and you will probably end up singing longer than planned.

34 Ekkamai Soi 21, 02-711-5500. Open daily 11am-2am. BTS Ekkamai.

The oddest entry on this list, and all the better for it. Haru Ranman is a Japanese manga cafe that also happens to have karaoke rooms and stays open 24 hours a day, every day. Hidden down Sukhumvit Soi 39, it has been a community hub for Bangkok's Japanese expat crowd for years, and the atmosphere reflects that: low-key, functional, quietly welcoming. The karaoke library skews heavily Japanese – crucially, Japanese songs are displayed in hiragana rather than romaji – alongside a Thai and English selection. There is also a manga library of around 30,000 volumes, Japanese food and a drinks bar. It doesn't have much visual personality, but it has something more useful: a genuinely regular crowd who come because they like it here.

20/11 Sukhumvit Soi 39, 02-100-9102. Open 24 hours. BTS Phrom Phong.

Opening hours and prices are subject to change. Always confirm in advance, especially for private room bookings.