7 Bamboo Lounge

Best karaōke bar I’ve been to! It’s a small yet casually hip venue with super nice bartending staff and there’s a well lit stage perfectly set up for the inner performer in everyone :) Plenty of seating and standing room for a smaller place and the people there are so much fun! Everyone chose a wide variety of songs that deviated from the obligatory country karaōke songs (who would’ve though guys would chime in to Part of Your World from The Little Mermaid and then switch it up to underground hip hop in a heartbeat) My first time there and already had great memories :)

Not sure how I feel about this place just yet. It’s karaōke, alcohol and way too super hot in there. Like A/​C was non-​existent, broken. Should’ve probably left the door open to get some type of wind in especially when you got people coming up one after another belting out tunes on their stage.
I instantly just think of me standing in a room full of hot. breath. Like standing inside someone’s mouth. Ugh.
Maybe on a less busy night, I’ll be back. But for now, I’ll likely skip out on this one.

I’ve lived in the area for 7 months already but never stopped by this bar.
Finally decided to stop by when we had some friends over. Didn’t know what to expect but I knew it was a karaōke bar.
It was super crowded when we went and there was no room to move. It was hot, stuffy & musky inside. We stayed to watch two people sing and they were all super good. You could tell they were regulars.
We were going to get drinks here but decided to bail because it was too hot and uncomfortable inside.
Will probably come here earlier next time so I can beat the giant crowd heat.

Came out here last night for my cousin’s birthday. A really chill spot on a sunday night. Parking was pretty easy last night, and the bartender was pretty helpful. I mean you really come down here for the karoke and they dont disappoint. Tons of songs and if they dont have your song they will download it for you. Definitely come out out and check it out!

KARAOKE BAR in san jose! it’s a pretty small joint and not much seating but tons of standing room
i had never visited before the remodel but the set up is a bit odd now… if you’re singing you face the stage instead of the audience since the monitors are on the wall (perfect for those who are shy!)
don’t be discouraged by a long list of names in front of you, the rotation goes pretty quick!
NOTE: the bar is kind of small and gets crowded so get your drinks when you get the chance

Dark but cool 60’s feel in only one of three Japan towns left in the US! It used to «feel» different. I can’t explain that but new owners over the past few years did some small changes. You can come here and sing your heart out via the Karaōke, drink a fairly strong drink and talk to someone with some intimacy for as long as you like. It’s got a classic old style bar vibe but lots of young people are going here now from SJSU + the newer upscale apartments they built in this area over the past ten years. It’s been here a long time!~

Super fun spot! Pretty long wait to sing on weekends but if you go on a weekday night not Friday then it’s perfect! Any song you want, except underground. Stiff drinks and cool décor :)

The bamboo is awesome for a good night out. They have a great karaōke song selection and they get super busy and popular. If you want to sing be prepared to wait though. On a Friday night at 9pm the wait is an hour!

Starting coming here on Wednesday nights. It’s definitely the place to be!
Place starts to pick up after 9pm. The bartender, Jewels, is smoking hot and she learns your favorite drinks.
Karaōke is always a blast, and there is typically a good range of singers — not just all amazing or all *also amazing.*
There are booths and high boys to sit at. The place is clean with a slightly dive-​y feel. Some people bring in food from the surrounding restaurants to enjoy while there, but people are pretty good at cleaning up after themselves (thankfully!).
Love it, and you should, too!

This place is decent!
It’s small and tight. When I first arrived I took a seat at the bar to watch the singers and not long after, the tallest guy in the room stood in front of me and the person I was with. That made things weird and awkward because there was no where else to sit or stand, but no biggie. Once people left we grabbed a booth.
I feel like this type of place is somewhere you go in a crowd of 3+ with VERY fun friends. Otherwise, this place can get boring fast without lively, outgoing people.
The crowd was cool. I liked the people who got up and danced because it made a dull club fun, and lively.

What a great place to stumble upon in Japantown! We were searching for a place for some after dinner drinks on Unilocal and we were lead here.
First of all, it looks awesome. We walked in through the beaded entrance and in my mind I was just like «this. is. SO COOL!» But I really like lights haha.
We also got there kinda early at around 8:30p. After seeing all the lights, we saw that it was also dead. There were 3 people at the bar. But eh, we got our drinks and sat at a table since there were so many tables to choose from (a.k.a. all of them).
Then, at around 9, the party got started and the karaōke was all set up. It’s so fun! Eventually more people started coming, the tables were filling, and the singers kept singing. I wish they had more songs available in their online catalog but still, it was cool to see everyone singing along to the popular songs.
Definitely gotta come back here sometime with a bigger group of friends and more drinks.

I would like to give this place negative stars if I can. I experienced my friends being discriminated against for the color of their skin. Friends who were hurt when someone said the «n» word that was derogatory against their race and expressed that concern on stage. Instead of this establishment recognizing this as a problem, they called the cops on them. The bouncer (very person hired to project Individuals in this bar) kicked my friends out and called the cops. He is racist and has no compassion for people outside of his own race. If you care at all for humanity and the fight against racism, don’t ever contribute to this establishment.

Fun, late night place in J-​town. Welcomed fun for everyone– regardless of whether you could win American Idol or make ears bleed. The only rule is not throwing the mic, which unfortunately does happen. Best advice is to just enjoy your reasonably priced drinks, free entertainment, chat with friendly locals, and try to sing a song or two before you get too sloppy to handle the equipment :) Totally chill and fun.

First time I’ve been to a karaōke bar, and it was pretty fun. I didn’t end up singing because I was a bit sick that day with a sore throat, but I enjoyed other people’s songs. Not a lot of people sang songs I knew! Also someone kept singing rap songs, which I didn’t really like. But, everyone claps after you sing, which is really encouraging. Great place to have a good time, and there’s no cover charge!

This place has changed under new ownership.
Not for the better unfortunately.
I have given this place 5 or 6 tries since the remodel to see if maybe it was just me setting my expectations too high.
I officially give up on this place.
I was out with a buddy, the place was somewhat empty there was 25~ people.
Not crowded at all.
I walked up to the bar and ordered 2 drinks.
There was an empty glass on the bar in front of me at the time which I scooted out of my way to the right.
As the bartender gal was getting our drinks a rude and on the short side guy came and sat to my immediate right and basically put his elbow into my chest and started to crowd me.
Errrr okay? There was plenty of room for you to sit and not to be all up in my business.
During this the bartender saw everything and said nothing.
At first I cut the guy some slack thinking maybe he was a bit inebriated.
I picked up my drink and started to look around for a place to enjoy my drink.
While doing so this fine gentleman started pushing some barstools around forcefully with an aggressive attitude.
He was also there with his buddy who was giving off the same vibe.
LOL
Anyways after a few minutes it became apparent he wasn’t inebriated, he and his buddy were just pricks incapable of behaving somewhat civilized.
They could have just said «hey homie you mind if we sit here and save a space for our homegirl?»
By the way these 2 interacted with the bartender I’d guess they are regular customers.
Great!
you’re regulars!
you like to hog up the bar!
you like to mean mug other dudes that are out to relax and have a good time!
I don’t get why all the hostility?
It’s not the biker bar from peewee’s big adventure
LOL
I would have stayed.
and bought more drinks.
and left a tip for the bartender.
If she had the gumption to tell these gents to be more courteous to her customers.
Kareoke is one of my favorite things to see and do.
But I cant enjoy myself in this place at all anymore.
Which is sad since I used to drop by and have a drink 2 – 3 nights a week not so long ago.
We ended up on South First Street in a bar I have never been in before.
Getting great friendly service from the bartenders.
Having a great time around friendly people.
Truly a big disappointment to a one time fan

This place was so much fun! Went with my husband and my friends when we were looking for a place to sing karaōke while visiting San Jose. They had so many songs to choose from, a full bar and great stage. Even if you don’t want to perform in front of others, it makes for a very entertaining night to watch everyone else. Great for bachelorette/​bachelor parties as well as just a fun night on the town.

We got here at 8:30 which was the perfect time, yes it was practically empty but the bar was easily accessible and the DJ hadn’t yet arrived.
We ordered drinks from a very friendly and knowledgeable bartender. Being here early afforded us the opp to pick a great table and seating arrangement.
This spot got «poppin» soon after so we were super grateful we arrived early. The crowd is friendly and the dance floor is big enough to dance.
The song collection is over 150k and when I requested a song the dj didnt have he said he would add it to his list for next week; can’t wait to come back next week.

We came here on a Monday night for karaōke.
I walked into a very dark room that leads almost directly to the bar on the left, an open area with some seats and chairs, and some fake trees with holiday lights strewn around them.
The furnishings were 1960s or 70s era, which clashed with the dim lighting and all of the strands of little lights.
Lo and behold, the KJ called off (I’m not sure if this is a normal issue or a fluke occurrence). But his absence resulted in only two other people being in the bar: a friendly guy who was one of the regulars and the bartender (an older man who had a lot of sass and too much attitude for my liking).
The shots were well poured. Prices were mediocre ($ 21 for two shots of rumpleminze and two PBRs). But the tender really rubbed me the wrong way.
I might give it another shot to see if the atmosphere is better when they actually have karaōke. But so far, I’m not impressed.

This place changed owners awhile back, and I figured it’s been long enough that things have had some time to settle, so it’s a good time for updating my review.
Things that haven’t changed: The energy is still generally good, the regulars are still friendly, the crowd is mostly enthusiastic and the drinks are still strong. Vic Jang is still hanging out with his shakers and bongos.
Things that have changed: Different karaōke system and song list. Mostly new KJs. Totally redone interior and bathrooms. The «quirky hole-​in-​the-​wall dive bar» vibe is gone, and replaced with a more clubby-​club atmosphere: super dark, low coffee-​table style tables, glowy lights etc. Drinks have a much better selection. They have draught beer. There’s bouncers. Oh, and they’re open 7 days a week! Awesome.
There are a few things to improve though for 7 Bamboo to hold onto it’s long-​standing status as best karaōke bar in San Jose. In case the owners might read this, I will list them in order of importance:
1. Get a scrolling list of the singer rotation on the screen.
2. Ditch the low tables. They suck so bad. Tall tables are great, people can stand or sit and still be together, and you don’t spend all night at crotch level getting crop dusted.
3. Get some foam on the ceiling or wall art or both. The new bare ceiling looks good but makes the sound bounce everywhere and sound like shit.
4. Get some sort of online songbook people can search on their phones.
5. Get some more light on the stage so we can see the performers.
Ok, that’s it for my wishlist.
TL;DR: New ‘boo is still good. Not as quirky as the old ‘boo but it’s a decent tradeoff for other improvements.

OK. Toshi and Sayoko finalized their sale of the 7 Bamboo tin September. The new owners closed the place for a few weeks to carry out remodeling, then held some weekend soft openings to iron out the main kinks and have now declared the place open for business … 7 nights a week.
The best news for us *karaōke addicts* is that karaōke is still the main item on the menu! Yay!
The best news for *me* is that Paul, part owner along with Jordan, says I can still bring in my bongos (cheered by some, jeered by others) any time I want! Yay!
Other good things. The remodel job is pretty spiffy. The dive bar ambience of old has been somewhat modified. A small front window has been added to allow the Japan-​town passers-​by to peer in, a nice outside paint job and the inside had been modernized and air-​conditioning installed!
The bar still has sports playing in silent mode. The bar is hosted by attractive young women.
Drinks priced about the same as before. Karaōke sign-​up for the time being is manual and the dollar-​per-​song fee no longer applies.
Song selection seems good. No books, no way to browse, but if you go up and ask for a specific song by a specific artist, chances are good that the house will have it.
Wireless mics allow you to wander all around the bar when you sing if you are so inclined.
The Boo’s regulars, and semi-​regulars, and casual-​goers all seem to be filtering back as word of the reopening gets around
The iffy parts. The lighting a little dark for my taste. They have adorned the place with artificial trees with blossoms of Blue and Red LEDs. giving the place as currently illuminated an appearance of a magic elven karaōke woods. When the place gets crowded. folks have a little trouble navigating themselves past the branches large blue-​blossomed tree near the front of the stage. The protocol for the call up order is not yet settled. Just who the regular KJs will be is not yet settled. The stage facing monitors, which would allow the singers to follow the lyrics while facing the crowd are yet to be installed. No system of displaying the order of upcoming singers.
I have the feeling most things will sort themselves out in the next few weeks.