G3

I came here a couple of months ago after hanging out with a bunch of friends at Ireland’s 23. The best part about this place is that it’s fairly empty 90% of the time. Why is this beneficial, you may ask? (1) You get the bartender all to yourself; (2) You can drink and sing your heart out without much judgment from too many «audience members.»
(FYI, every 1 shot = 1 free song to sing)
Plus, the owner and bartenders are all as sweet as pie. You can’t help but wonder how they don’t get more customers and overtip as a result.
However, even with the all of these pros about G3, it’s definitely not somewhere you actually plan to go ahead of time. It’s just a karaōke bar you literally stumble into when you’re bar hopping on Geary.

G3… is a hit or miss kind of venue… some nites. it’s crackn’…and some nites… it’s a ghost town… I sort of like it… it really depends on the promoter and what type of crowd they bring in. I like karaōke… and it’s nice to go to a free karaōke bar… just to hang out… I haven’t been there for a year now… but I’m sure nothing has changed… it’s a great location to host your own party…

Went here for Karaōke.
They have rooms for you to sing.
I was told they have live bands that play.
This place was alright.
The selection was OK, but they didn’t have a few songs I was looking for.
The one benefit over Do Re Mi is that they serve drinks there.

I’m shocked that nobody else pointed out how obvious it is that this place is some kind of money-​laundering front. They clearly don’t care about attracting clientele or making money. In fact, I think they probably want to lose money, but have just enough customers trickling in so the IRS doesn’t catch on. But people keep coming back, because you can always find a place to sit, and it feels the way a few of the lesser-​known Richmond bars feel — like you just rented out a bar for you and your friends for free. With Karaōke.
Drinks are comically overpriced. But seem to have gotten stronger.
Extra points for the dramatic silent Korean videos that accompany your karaōke songs. Amazing!
A year ago I was there with a group and 3 of us knocked over and broke glasses within a half-​hour. Nobody kicked us out or even flinched. A jaded employee just came over with a dustpan and cleaned it up.

I’ve never been here for drinks or to meet people. I just wandered in here one night lured by the sign above the door that said «Karaōke.» As far as karaōke goes, this place is amazing. It was practically empty so no fear of singing in front of strangers, you have the stage and bar to yourself! Awesome! They have quite the selection of songs as well, comparable to what you’d find in a J-​town karaōke joint. It doesn’t cost anything to sing karaōke, you just tip your waitress a buck every time she puts a song in for you. And since the place is so empty you get to see a bunch of songs! I will definitely be back.

Friend’s friend’s band was playing so we went to meet up. Three of the 7 of us had visited Unilocal before going and so we probably arrive hiding giant chips on our shoulders under our jackets.
The band we came to see was the 1^st of 3 bands and were halfway through their set at 10:10 when we walked in. Even though only about 19 people were in the bar they were still chargin $ 5 cover, and $ 7 per pint! I tried to order a mixed drink to see what everyone was fussing about with the small glasses and stuff so I ordered a Maker’s and Ginger. They… were…out…of…both…
Oh…my…goodness. No one kicked me in the face or threw a spear into my chest plate so I won’t give this place 1 star, but geez. Someone needs to alert them of their quickly dwindling reputation on Unilocal

So I was talking to someone who invited me to watch her band play at G3 Lounge this past Saturday. So, being a curious one, I came to check it out.
Arriving a few minutes after 9pm, I walked in and it was this dimly lit place that was nearly empty. Lots of seating everywhere and a small but decent stage in one corner with a dj booth in the very back. There was a pool table that people were playing on.
The ladies bathroom is kinda… not in the best conditions. Some of the seats are broken though they are still usable.
But then again, it is more like a dive bar than a nice lounge. I wasn’t in any mood to drink here but I heard the prices were really outrageous (from someone ordering drinks) and decided to save the cash to buy drinks for my sister’s bday party instead.
The entrance to the lounge is further back than the entrance to Ireland 32, the Irish pub next door, and had a TON of people smoking in front of the door. So if you are like me and can’t stand cigarette smoke (more like totally allergic to it), then don’t ever come here. The second hand smoke totally permeates the lounge.
When the band started playing, I could not hear the singer clearly AT ALL. It was cool to watch them play but the venue really sucks. The stage is a bit small but they worked well with it and there was a lot of jumping up and down and rockin’ out.
I would probably check out the band out again if they were playing a different venue than G3.

I went to this place last night when a friend’s band played there, so I can’t speak to the Karaōke experience… I was aaaight. They had a pool table that no one was using. They let my friend’s band play which was great and gets them a third star. I guess if you have some friends that are looking for a venue to play, this could be it.
Here’s the thing: $ 5 for a Heineken? Yeah, not going back unless I have a reason to. Just too many other places to go where the drink prices aren’t nearly the same pricey…

I actually had fun. Well, the karaōke was awesome. I like how it’s very spacey, but there weren’t that many people to fill this space.
This place does have potential if they separated the rooms to just a dance floor and another would be a karaōke room w/​a dance floor.

This place was formerly «Lamia.» I don’t know what happened. I stepped in there, saw the place half empty and was disappointed. I saw a couple girls making out on the dance floor and being provacative with one another, unpolite men approached me and asked for my number as if it’d be an honor for me to give it to them.
I was utterly perplexed, I tell you. My friends and I decided to dance and a group of guys drew a dance crowd next to us and one particular male tried to grind behind me and attempted to lift up my skirt. Needless to say, I danced away and one of my male friends luckily blocked him of my view.
The ambience of the place wasn’t exciting at all. I had a blast because of my friends but it was a drag to be in a place like that. Somehow, one of my friends even fell asleep against the wall in the lounge area. In my perspective, it was more of a recreational area rather than a club scene. Some men just lounged on a sofa near a DJ watching females and were seeking women to prey on as I’ve witness them just approached them to attain numbers and with failure return to their seats and repeated the process.
Bleh.

You know how you are like the best top ramen chef in the world right. And you are over someone’s house and they are like «hey, you want some top ramen, I got shrimp flavor.» You don’t want to be a jerk and say «only if you let me, the king of top ramen cooking cook the ramen.» So you politely say yes, I am here, I will have some ramen. Then it starts, they commence cooking the Top Ramen Shrimp Flavor. You watch in agony as they just do it all wrong! They use a frying pan, they don’t boil enough water, they totally break all the noodles into small little pieces and they don’t add the wonderful Shrimp Flavor packet until way too late!
It pains you to watch this tragedy. A part of you is dying on the inside. You want them to be good at cooking Top Ramen Shrimp Flavor but they just aren’t and they never will be. You want to grab the unopened package of Top Ramen Shrimp Flavor from your friend, shake them and smack them upside the head with a spatula (i love the word spatula btw) and Unilocal at the top of your lungs «LET ME DO IT!» I, the iron chef of Top Ramen Shrimp Flavor, will cook you the best Top Ramen you have ever had!
This is the feeling I get when I walk into G3, with it’s black walls, ceilings, bar, couches, stage, door; with it’s $ 7 well drinks and crappy drink «specials» and the cavernous echos you hear when the ice hits your glass (if you are lucky enough to get an actual glass). I just want to shake the owner so bad because it is a big place with a decent stage and nice long bar. There are «private» table areas (everywhere is a private area in this place typically) and it has potential for a SOMA type of dance club or an Encore type Karaōke Bar in the Inner Richmond, but alas.
Sometimes it is better to just not eat your friends Top Ramen…

Seriously, the most hideously clad (see also decorated) bar I’ve ever seen. Black walls and floors, mirrors, pink neon lights, cheesy black leather couches.
That said, the bartender calls my friends to let them know when she is opening up so we can crank up the karaōke machine. There is rarely anyone in the bar (at least when I have been there) and it usually turns into this spot where only my friends and I hang out. (Cue Cheers theme song.)

I dunno. I’m happy to see more places where bands can play, but I’m not so happy about seeing bands in a venue that reminds me of Gilman Street (at least the couches are nicer here).
The show was free, but the drinks were way overpriced.
This isn’t LA or New York (and even in New York, I was able to get 3 or 4 dollar well drinks at some bars). This is a bar in the avenues of SF. The bar next door was serving super weak drinks for 5.00, so maybe it’s just the neighborhood.
tip: If you’re female and you like a little booze in that 6.00 WELL DRINK, have a male friend go to the bar for you. My drinks were WAAAAAAAAAAY stronger when Mitch ordered them. I just wish they were a little bigger. I hate the little tiny cocktail. Even my 3.00 sprite was in a tiny little plastic cup.
one bonus: Nazario’s is down the street. Great pizza

G 3 frustrates me.
It is the proverbial note on report cards about having so much potential, just not applying oneself. We’ve been here more times than normal people would go, simply because we have a good friend in the neighborhood. Love the dance space, love the bartenders, love the owner — except for her one tragic flaw:
She simply will not see reason to charging normal prices for decent drinks. (And at the same time, she wonders why it’s always so empty.)
Oh, don’t get me wrong — she’s tried. Once, we organized an event here on the condition that she charge less for at least a few regular mixed drinks. What did she come up with? Kamikazes smaller than dixie cups for $ 6. So of course people went next door to Ireland’s to down shots and then come back over to dance. And then of course, Jenny complained that not enough people bought drinks and that’s why she should’ve charged more.
Arg!
I give this place 2 stars because I’m an optimist and this place makes me dream of great things. I long for the day that I can edit this and give it the 5 stars it could earn with a few very small changes.

NO BEER ON TAP?! WHAT THE HELL!
I’ve been here on three separate occasions:
1^st night: The place was empty, but pool was free. Chilled with a couple friends, drinking Heinekens and playing pool.
2^nd night: Same as the first night. Left a little earlier to go to @lpha Lounge.
3^rd night: Went on open dj/​stage night. Saw a DJ setting up and got excited. What sort of music would he play? Ears assaulted by something I cannot bring myself to call «music.» I can only describe it as «noise»: basically a stream of cacophonous audio with no rhythm or melody. My uncreative mind can only compare this auricular disaster to the noise created by Lucifer spewing curses and screams from his blasphemous mouth as he painfully discharges unholy amounts of diarrhea from his festering anus.
I’m never coming back.

Okay, you know there’s a problem when Ireland 32 is packed to the BRIM with people spilling out of the doors and G3, which is literally three steps away is virtually EMPTY.
The space seriously is like a big black box (as mentioned by a previous Unilocaler) with randomn artwork hanging from the ceilings; there is seating but why would they need it if there’s no one here?! EVER?!
Sam Hill was supposed to come and perform but with the sorry turnout this bar draws he cancelled, making things extra bad. No entertainment, no dancing, no fun. The drinks were expensive and small, but to be fair they were quite strong. The acoustics were S-​C-​H-​I-​T-​T and sounded grainy … it was only LOUD and we couldnt even hear what the lyrics to the song were. When you can’t even make out the words to a very popular song, theres a big problem with your acoustics. JEEZ. We were only here because we were showing some support for one of our friends, otherwise no way in hell would I come here on my own accord.
SAD.
Even the Tattoo drink promoter girls were bored. Lordy…

I would never, ever have patronized G3 if it hadn’t been so nearly next to impossible to get a drink at Ireland’s 32 on one particular evening (see my review).
Nor will I likely ever patronize it again. It’s a big empty box. I guess that’s for dancing… To the really bad music being spun by the DJ. Supposedly they have karaōke, too (like, there’s a sign over the door that says, «KARAOKE»)… Didn’t seem like a karaōke bar to me, though. No way would I get up and karaōke in the big box, in front of the crowd that place seems to draw.
But when you desperately need a drink, it does the trick. Cheaper, stronger drinks than it’s neighbor.
So one obligatory star for the fact that they indeed have alcohol and will sell it to you, and one for the fact that they’re one up on the guys next door.

If you are ever at Ireland’s 32 on a night when there are 300 people and one bartender and you have to wait 40 minutes to get served even though the guy is working his ass off…
Well, then it would be a good idea to come to this karaōke bar.
The guy at Ireland’s is on to you, though, and wont let you back in with a drink from next door. Somehow he will see you amongst the sea of people, whereas the bartender at G3 wont notice you strolling out, even though she has only 5 customers.

I’ll let you in on a little secret
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Just USE YOUR PERIPHERALS.
In any case, it’s kind of an odd place… and I’m sure it depends on who’s «manning» the DJ booth. That’s in quotes, because the «DJ Crew» would randomly leave Itunes/​Serato on shuffle and walk away for most of the evening. Even the few of us who pretty much try to dance to anything…(Pop goes the weasel? No problem! Theme from Punky Brewster? It’s on!) were kind of dumbfounded by the selections. Well hey, it was at least empty enough for a little «Drunken Master» from tha Fongz, and lots of space for impromptu lap dances. Drink selections are on par with what you’d find at a college house party…
No peeking!

G3 that’s good. Is that some coded inside joke for «Get ripped off 3 or more times if you come here»?
I’m not sure if there’s been a change in ownership, but back when it was Lamia aka purple Genie lamp. There’s nothing good to say about that place. This elder bar tender (swore you were a hottie… NOT) tried to rip me off one night. She tried to charge me for drinks her one and ONLY other customer was having one night.
Then the same person (i think she owns it) invites herself to stand around my friends and offered us Remy for the mix up. At the end of this stay, that round including her drink was own our tab!