The Red Balloon

Not sure if I would go to this place again. I’m not positive why the female manager found it appropriate to discuss her recent herpes outbreak while getting us drinks. Not impressed. Exactly the opposite. I feel like I need more then a shower after leaving this grimmy dark dungeon. Plus the bathrooms look like someone took a dump and missed the stool completely.

I stopped here for a night on a road trip and thought it was a pretty great taste of what that area had to offer. They had some pool tables and we shot the shit with the locals the entire night. Wasn’t too crowded and didn’t have to wait for drinks. Not a place to go if you’re looking for a fun, karaōke, dancey night. In my opinion it’s more of a laid back townie bar. I enjoyed it, thought it was a cheap night overall. It was dirty but not more than any other dive, I think most the other comments blow it out of proportion

The bar tender called me and the two of my friends cunts after flirting with the other bar tender… And before offering us a drink she took a couple shots her self… This proves that your bar has bartenders that’s priorities aren’t in order.
And if this bar wants to make it then you have got to change the staff… My friends and I will never be back and that was the first time all of us have been there… You missed out on a few hundred dollars tonight… So if I was the owner I would Fire the blond manager behind the bar… Can’t even believe she’s a manager!

The waitress was on meth and gave us the wrong drinks, then she dowsed me in water for requesting the drink i asked for. She then had me kicked out because i refused to take her phone number. My suggestion is to find somewhere else to do karaōke!

Dear Unilocal,
Sexual violence is never okay.
Yes, I am a female.
Yes, I am gay.
The manager of the red ballon slapped my ass while I was waiting at the bar as the bartender took my valid ID. I walked straight up to the manager and told him what he had done was never okay. The bartender proceeded to «verify» the legitimacy of my identification with said manager. The bartender then proceeded to tell me «she couldn’t take this»… Getting the hint I left.
Take what you will from this review.
Yes, it could have been worse.
But this should never happen.
And if you are the owner you just lost the business of 10 «normal» people for several hours.

This is a local dive bar. No frills. Single liquor drinks and ice cold domestic beer in a giant schooner. Karaōke every night is their claim to fame. It’s a good place to people watch. Set up a cab ride ahead of time… it’s a do a shot and pound a schooner kind of place.

This bar is disgusting. The bathrooms are enough to have the place shut down. You can smell the urine that must be all over the mens room floor as you approach the restroom area. My fiancé said that in the men’s room the stalls were bungee corded open? Weird. I cannot believe this place is allowed to serve food. The bartenders are always semi-​rude and trashy and the cocktails are overpriced. We ordered 2 Skyy vodka and redbull totaling $ 16 cash. Are you kidding me? What is this P&L? It’s not like I’m paying for the atmosphere around me at this bar. Yuck. And not to mention they are a cash only bar. Don’t recommend this place unless you carry cash, don’t mind trash, and enjoy bad karaōke.
We’ve given this place 3 chances. The last experience was enough for me. We won’t make the same mistake a 4^th time.

I have nothing but fond, albeit hazy, memories of The Red Balloon. But let’s get the negatives out of the way.
I never ate the food despite stopping in dozens of times — I lived accross the street for over two years, don’t judge me — so suffice to say the food isn’t all that appealing.
It’s cash bar, as I’m industry and have cash on hand that doesn’t bug me.
The place is generally dirty, with the bathrooms being particularly dingy.
So, what’s good about the place? Everything else.
The drinks are strong and cheap. They have solid specials most every day. Pbr tallboys are $ 2 or $ 3 on Thursday. Cocktails are stiff, even top shelf drinks are more than reasonable.
You may need a stiff drink to get through some of the karaōke singers, myself included.
The place is divey, but they embrace the hell out of it, with keystone on tap, friendly people, and a come as you are ethos.
The Red Balloon is an offbeat place to meetup with some friends for a night of drinks, you’ll be rewarded for your choice.

Hands down best place for karaōke and people watching in Kansas City. Always great service! It’s a dive bar so expect as much.
Would have given 5 stars but the karaōke DJ constantly sings when customers are waiting to sing! I’ve been several times, he doesn’t just do it while waiting for people to put in songs, my friend and I both had songs in and had to sit thru the KJ’s song!!!

We were there a bit early for karaōke. And we didn’t hang around too long.
If there had been more than 5 other people in the place… or if there had been at least one other woman in the place, we might have stuck around for a bit. But it was super dead and very dude/​regular heavy. We felt pretty out of place.

Well… what can I say. The drinks are cheap! Yeah, that’s about the best I’ve got. It’s a divey place, but not in a fun-​divey way. And don’t roll up in here with your credit card, it’s a cash-​only joint.

First time at the Red Balloon late on a Saturday night. On the way over, my brother in law warned us that it was a total dive and we would be overdressed and out of place. He was right about the dive bar status.
Another dive bar located in a precarious spot among some side of the road businesses on 75^th street and Switzer. The first thing I noticed was the amount of smokers outside the blacked out bar. The inside was just as dark with a handful of small tables, a couple long tables for groups, and some high tops amid the three pool tables and dart boards along the wall.
The crowd was pretty young and two groups were celebrating birthdays. Another group was with a bachelorette party. A few servers were circulating trying to peddle pre-​made Jäger Bombs, but were friendly and attentive. $ 3.50 PBR Pounders (24 ouncers) were a great deal (not so much this morning). Not sure if they had food though some folks were eating from catered serving pans. A few others had walked to the Taco Bell two doors down and brought some chalupas back.
Karaōke is the draw at the Red Balloon and it’s pretty good. They have a massive song library. Some of the «new» songs (listed in the front of the manual) weren’t exactly new, but there is something for everyone in the book. The karaōke DJ was lively and kept the show rolling. As soon as someone was finished, there were some music interludes and another person or group moving to the main stage quickly. No props or fancy accessories — just a stage, two microphones, and a television hanging from the ceiling with the scrolling lyrics.
It’s definitely a dive but some serious high energy and fun here.
I’ll definitely be back for a drink and some karaōke, but only with the group. I wouldn’t come here by myself or with one other person.

No thank you! Maybe a little rough for someone wanting to see what a 7 day a week karaōke bar. Regulars are pretty territorial as well.

CLASSIC DEFINITION OF DIVE BAR.
Loved it…
BEER SCHOONERS ARE HUUUGE and at a good price…
SHOTS ARE HUUUUGE and at a good price…
They’ve got karaōke, pool, darts, some FULL-​ON bar food…
Joe the bartender is jumpy, but cool enough… you’ll see…
It hit the spot…
You can buy smokes at the gas station next door and smoke ‘em out back…
The music is LOUD…
The front door is busted so take a jacket…
All in all… great spot!

if you’re looking for a new, fresh, clean, bar — this is not it. If you’re looking for douchebags in popped collars and sunglasses putting out the vibe, this is not it either. If you’re looking for a great local place to hangout, drink for cheap and karaōke, this is definitely the place. The Red Balloon is a great hole in the wall with beers in cans and local customers without teeth. But that’s why this place rules. I’d much rather go to this place than to the P&L or Westport. Jukebox, pool tables, darts, tvs and fun and dirty atmosphere. So next time you go out on the town, bring it and sing it over at the Red Balloon

I don’t feel equipped to FULLY write a review because I went here on a Tuesday, roughly 15 minutes before closing.
Either way, it kind of reminded me of «the bar» from my small hometown. I don’t know that I’m really looking for that here, but what I AM looking for is some karaōke when I’ve been drinking. And this place has it.
The KJ seemed a little self-​serving, singing multiple songs herself in the very short amount of time I was there, and trust me, my group of friends were more than ready to perform. But it was still a fun atmosphere, and the «regulars» were great people. Easygoing, fun… not too judging of the fact that I was drunk on a Tuesday… That’s all you really need in a bar.
I will definitely be back.

This was a stop on a recent party bus excursion for fellow Unilocaler Nikki B’s birthday. After pre-​drinking and a stop at another dive in OP, our bus pulled into the Red Balloon as the sun was setting.
We rolled in with about 25 people and immediately hit the bar. I was looking around after one drink to see where the rest of our group was and one of them had bribed the KJ and started belting out «Don’t Stop Believing.» There were probably 50 – 60 people in the bar and nearly all of them were singing in unison as our friend high fived random patrons during the chorus. Needless to say, we had announced our arrival.
The next hour was much of the same, bribing the KJ, dancing, talking to people that could barely speak since they had started much earlier than us. The bartenders look like cheap prostitutes, so don’t mistake them for anything but your friendly neighborhood alcohol supplier.
We departed after an hour and a half of debauchery to seek a dance floor, but I will have fond memories of our time at the Red Balloon. I will definitely be back to get services, I mean drinks, from the bartenders. Cheers!

I once repaired a ham radio with nothing but a safety pin and piece of fruit stripe gum so I know a thing or two about dive bars.
Most dive bars have that puked in, peed in, smoked in smell built up in strata on the dingy walls that could no doubt be studied by post apocalyptic scientists to determine the approximate age of the building. I am not suggesting that The Red Balloon does not have that charming stink-​patina. However, other than profit-​defying pricing and Keno, most dive bars stop there. The Red Balloon, however, is just getting started.
If you suffer from ADD or ADHD then this place is for you. There is ALWAYS an activity going on. Some highlights:
Darts & Pool & Pinball– always available for downtime
Karaōke– every day!
Trivia– all the damn time!
Deal or No Deal– any drink purchased over $ 3 (yes, they have drinks under $ 3) qualifies you for an entry into this backwoods version of the Howie Mandel gameshow. The bottom prize is a penny and the top prize is $ 50. You sit in a metal folding chair in front of a pool table covered in pink caboodles while the MC walks you through the game.
People Watching– Nuff said.
Please make it a point to visit this place. All of the staff members are very friendly and they deserve your cash!

I sing. Alone. In the car to myself. Basically, even after a few drinks (i.e. MANY drinks), you could not pay me enough to sing karaōke by myself. But if I ever got the nerve to go in public and belt some tunes, The Red Balloon would be, without a doubt, my number one pick.
This is the place to go if you don’t want to deal with any extra BS or hecklers or snobbery. I know karaōke joints in general usually aren’t the most uppity or classy places but sometimes, and I know you’ve experienced this, you just get that embarrassed/​awkward feeling when someone gets a little… how do you say it…“pitch-y.”
From what I’ve experienced, the crowd will cheer you on no matter what you choose to sing and regardless of your singing *ahem* talent. (This private singer finally got up enough nerve (several times) to sing duets and in other groups for a few songs.)
The Red Balloon experience is certainly «branded»: Plenty of noise, lots of laughter, people-​watching GALORE and not an ounce of pretension. Every time I go there, I know I’ll have Fun, not just a good time. And come on, who wouldn’t enjoy a place with Spaghetti-O’s and Beef Jerky on their actual menu?

To me, karaōke is never fun, no matter how drunk you are. There is always that hint of humiliation in the back of your head, telling you, «Don’t do this… you can’t sing… remember that mishap in 8^th grade?» But still, karaōke calls to you. It begs you to enjoy it.
And if I’m going to enjoy karaōke (as much as you possibly can), I will do it at the Red Balloon. They are open every day of the year, and beside karaōke, they also have poker on a couple nights a week, with prizes for the winners. Nothing says fun like beating complete strangers at games they think they’re good at! :)
This bar has a low-​key atmosphere and is also fun to come to to laugh at the karaokers, as well as laughing yourself as you stand there, swaying to ‘Stayin’ Alive’ by the BeeGees and trying to let the other girl sing into the microphone more than you.
They usually have good drink specials as well. It is in a weird location, but what good bars aren’t? :)