The automatic doors parted before me like the gates to a forbidden arena. My heart pounded--not from fear, but from anticipation. The smell hit me first: burning rubber mixed with ozone, a bouquet that spoke of countless battles fought on these very tracks. I approached the counter, signed the waiver with trembling hands. This was it. My initiation into the world of electric velocity. The safety briefing washed over me. Speed limits. Racing lines. Flags. But my mind was already elsewhere, imagining the perfect lap, the flawless execution of every turn. Then I saw it: the kart. Sleek. Silent. Deadly. I lowered myself into the molded seat, gripped the steering wheel. The moment my foot touched the accelerator, everything changed. The instant torque slammed me back into my seat! No engine roar, no warming up--just pure, unadulterated acceleration that felt like being shot from a cannon! The first corner approached rapidly. I braked--perhaps too hard--and felt the rear end slide ever so slightly. My pupils dilated. This was it. This was the dance. Turn two. I remembered the instructor's words. Brake early. Apex late. Accelerate through. My body moved on instinct, finding the rhythm, becoming one with the machine. By lap three, everything crystallized. The track revealed its secrets to me. That slight banking in corner four. The deceptive tightness of the chicane. Each revelation was a flavor explosion on my palate--bitter defeat transformed into sweet victory! Other racers surrounded me. I could feel their presence, their fighting spirit! We weaved through corners in formation, each seeking that perfect line, that extra tenth of a second. When I finally executed a flawless outside pass on the long straight, my entire body surged with electricity! The laps blurred together in a symphony of speed. Left, right, brake, accelerate--a recipe perfected through repetition, each iteration bringing me closer to nirvana. And then, too soon, the checkered flag. My final time flashed on the screen. I stumbled from the kart, legs shaking, heart racing, a massive grin splitting my face. The other racers gathered around the timing board, comparing battle scars and bragging rights. This wasn't just fun. This was transcendent. This was speed distilled to its purest essence, served at precisely the right temperature to ignite the soul! K1 Speed had delivered a five-star experience that left me hungry for more.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ read more

K1 Speed - Amusement Parks Near Me - Gardena, California

This place takes zero accountability. They don't take the time to ask questions. They just get defensive. Just realize that when you go, you are really rolling the dice. The experience isn't consistent, the employees act like they don't want to be there and somehow, this is just how it goes. Cool then I won't be back. I asked the manager onsite first but just got defensive and said it was normal just a few spin outs . Is it normal for our carts to be shut off and barked at non stop and not have a clue as to why or who they are yelling at? I said my experience was trash but maybe it's just the organization. Have fun stealing someone else's money. read more

I gave this location (2) stars for the staff when you come in to register (they were helpful and welcoming) and because of my food (which took a while to order because the girl who took our orders seemed like she was not all there --for lack of better words-- she made the ordering process longer and difficult than it needed to be). The biggest issue was a staff around the track --this (1) girl in particular appeared to be having too much fun slowing certain go-karts down with her red remote, imo. But I'll get back to that in a sec. We decided to eat first: Food was okay-- ordered pepperoni pizza (they almost left it in too long and some of the crust was burnt. Had to break those pieces off and eat around it) and Pepsi in a bottle. My bro got sliders, wings, tots and Pepsi. His food took a while so we couldn't really eat together. Ended up sharing my food while we waited for his to come out -- which was weird since we were the only ones there who had ordered anything. When his food finally arrived he ate some of it and threw the rest away --guess he wasn't impressed. He mentioned it was "decent". Now to the races: Multiple people came and bumped me trying to get past me --never saw her slow their go-carts down but she definitely slowed down me and my bro multiple times when we were the ones getting bumped continuously. It got to the point where I just purposely stayed the last racer just to try and enjoy the experience and made no attempts to move up the ranks. Idk what the men's restroom looked like but the women's restroom had lots of gnats! Paper towels overflowing from the discard. Important to note: For as many staff as they had lollygaging around near the track you would think the place would be spotless. There weren't a whole lot of customer so definitely some staff could've been putting in some time and effort to clean around the place. Ultimately: We paid for (3) races. Ended up only using (2) mutually agreeing it was time to get outta there. Leaving the 3rd race on our accounts for another visit that we will be using at ANOTHER LOCATION. No I don't recommend and doubt I'd be returning. This review is reflective of my visit on 11/7/25 Duration of stay around 2hrs. read more

K1 Speed - Pepperoni pizza that they left in too long (as you can see) had to eat around certain parts. Smh - Amusement Parks Near Me - Gardena, California

I came here with family on a special day, on your birthday you can get a free lap. K1 is location in the city of Gardena, this one open it door's in 2008 there is lot of free parking here, there are over 40 K1 locations. Once you register by self sign in and get a K1 annual license to race plus get discount on apparel's and accessories, the staff give you info. and Instruction, you are given a head sock assign a car, 12 laps is about $28.95 The electric cars are 20 horse power 0.45 in 2.5 sec. can reach 45 mph. that is top notch go karting. All of the staff here were very nice and helpful, this was so much fun and I can't wait to get back here. read more

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Horrible customer service. The food took forever, which I was understanding about at first, but not how the situation was handled after they messed up my order. We already waited 30-40 minutes for the race, and even after the kids finished racing, our food still was not ready. I finally had to walk up and ask about it, and they pulled the food out of the warmer. The biggest issue is I never even ordered a hot dog. I specifically ordered the giant pretzel, yet somehow they gave me a wrinkled hot dog instead. When I pointed it out, the employee was dismissive and unapologetic. I would have kept but it look dehydrated and shriveled up, but was told that's how they all look.  He told me the previous employee charged me wrong and made me go get my credit card again to pay a $2 difference. After waiting that long and getting the wrong food, I asked if they could at least credit the $2 because of the inconvenience. He refused and said my only options were to pay the difference or get a refund. I'm also including a photo because the lack of professionalism and customer care was honestly shocking. While dismissing my concerns, he seemed far more interested in flirting another female co-worker, than resolving the issue. I drove a long way to come to this K1 location, and after this experience, I will never come back. Mistakes happen, but customer service matters. read more

K1 Speed - Customer service- food - Amusement Parks Near Me - Gardena, California

I came here today on 5/24/2026 for a birthday party. All of the kids were WAY over the 48 inches height requirement. Many of our kids were still told they were too little to ride.. What's wrong the point of the height requirement if the kids still can't ride.. read more

Absolutely amazing experience. The staff were great by welcoming us and showing us how to blend in smoothly, especially Ralph.

Great place for a work team building event. Fast and easy registration to race and the party room was nice and clean. Surprised how good the pizza was. The wings and ranch dressing could've been better. Also, I wish the track had better air conditioning instead of just the industrial fans that did not oscillate. read more

Been to multiple K1s with my family and we always enjoy racing. This one in particular has a fun track but I was very disappointed with the staff at this location. The ones running and observing the races were really rude to us and I saw them being rude to other customers as well. Experiencing and witnessing that type of treatment took the fun down a notch which was a huge disappointment for how much I paid for our mini Grand Prix. I will not be coming back to this location again and I wouldn't recommend it to others. read more

Still no refund. They cancelled our package and charged us twice. Horrible establishment. Do not spend your money here. They ruined my son's birthday. read more

K1 Speed - Amusement Parks Near Me - Gardena, California

I came here for a birthday party for one of my wife's close friends. I looked into what was in store on YouTube. I bought gloves. In a geek. The first set of laps was getting used to it. I placed 7/9 in that first round, so I started 7th in the final race. I finished 3rd, though I had a better average lap time and better best lap time than #2. It was fun. I'm an attorney, so I'm competitive. I was competitive in school, in academic debate, and as a lawyer. So I was competitive here. I hope that I wasn't a jerk. I saw other people ram into others and cut them off. The boyfriend of the birthday girl ran her into a wall. I didn't do that. It was an interesting human behavior observation experience. So this activity brings out competitive urges. Finishing 3rd made me happy, though I actually passed the other guy before the finish line. Did I mention I'm competitive? The people who work here are young. But they're nice and do a good job. The whole thing was pretty fun. I'd do this again. But I'd also want to get better at this. Did I mention I was competitive? read more

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Today I was at K1 in Gardena off 190th. This was my first time at this location. I took my daughter for her birthday and we had a blast of a time. From the moment we got there the staff welcomed us and made us feel like we were at home,or as if we knew them. As I was a bit nervous,the staff made sure me and my daughter were safe,as well as comfortable. I would definitely recommend this location,and I will be returning soon with other. Thank you K1,and staff for making me and my daughter first experience with you guys a blast of a time. read more

First off, they really need to fix their system. I put in my real email and their system said my email wasn't real so I just made a fake one and it accepted that for some odd reason. It doesn't help that you can't just register at their counter and must do it on your phone. I was here with a bunch of friends and got one of their packages which costs $80 per person ($90 on Fri-Sun). It includes 3 races, drinks for everyone and some pizza and wings. The employees need to know how their drink tickets work. When I used my ticket, I was told it doesn't cover any of the alcohol drinks, the Fiji water, or the Starbucks drink. However, all my colleagues had access to all the non-alcoholic drinks when they used their drink tickets. There is only one course and it's full of some really sharp turns. I wish there was at least two courses; specifically one where you can just enjoy your speed. The employees were good about making sure we were all buckled in both in our seats and with the helmets. Sometimes it was hard to see through the helmet; they're not eye glass friendly. I noticed that the steering wheels vibrate so much that my hands were sore afterwards. It kind of sucks being stuck behind another cart; I had the most fun when there wasn't anyone directly in front of me. Oh, with their package, you get small race trophies for the top 3. read more

Had a good time with my officemates here last year! I just wish they get better on their food choices!!!

I had so much fun going with a group. The workers were very friendly and helpful, especially this guy and there was another guy with short hair who was also really helpful. I'll be coming again with my family read more

K1 Speed - Very nice workers! - Amusement Parks Near Me - Gardena, California

Very funny experience good for indoor, especially when it's hot outside. Perfect activity for date night or with friends and family.

DO NOT COME HERE IF YOU WANT A CONSISTENT RACE. Many of the cars are busted--on the final race (of 3), my car randomly stopped three times. I would be going at full speed and then it would just power down and come to a complete stop. The third time, I wasn't even able to finish the lap because the car just wouldn't turn on again. And this wasn't even an isolated incident, as my friend's car also experienced issues related to sudden power cuts. The speaker system was also really bad in the facility. While it was loud, the employees words would be jumbled into a mess, making it really hard to hear when they call your name for the races. Overall, while it was fun when the karts were working, the faulty karts made the entire experience terrible. I would definitely recommend finding another K1 Speed. read more

K1 Speed - My results :( - Amusement Parks Near Me - Gardena, California

It was weird that we couldn't just register at the counter and had to use our phones an many in our group had to run back out to their cars to get phones or glasses just to start the event. We had fun once we got in but honestly the staff seemed very bored with their job and as though we were somehow interrupting their day. Glad we went but won't be back. read more

I visited this K1 location on Sunday and had a great experience. The two cashiers were extremely helpful and welcoming. Even though my family had about a two-hour wait, one cashier in particular--Kaylee, the one with the piercings--was especially helpful. She explained reservations, the kitchen options, and all the information I needed (I'm planning to make a reservation in the next few months). The track staff were also very kind and took the time to teach us the track rules and explain all the different signs and flags. The kids loved their chicken tenders, too. After a terrible experience at the Culver City location, the Torrance team really made me want to return to K1 in the future. read more

Absolutely thrilled with our experience here this Saturday. Staff was friendly, efficient, and experienced. We were also really pleased how we virtually had no wait time after our 1st race onto the second one. Our experience here was literally night and day compared to our 1 star experience we had at the new Culver City location about a week ago. I was close to canceling out K1 as a whole, but thanks to this location I've been revived and look forward to coming back to this location and bringing a group. I do prefer Culver City's new karts, so hopefully this location is able to eventually upgrade read more

If you come then they 1st open its great. Not crowded. Not noisy. Had such a fun afternoon racing read more

K1 Speed - We race ready - Amusement Parks Near Me - Gardena, California

I came here to celebrate with 16 friends. We did the group with two races that also included pizza wings and cookies. I gotta admit the the race is definitely fun. Me and my friends had a blast. What we didn't like... They split us into two groups which is fine but they called everyone to thr line so the second group was stuck waiting in the car for practically 2 races (the previous race were waiting to end, and the first half of the group race) When we were all finished, they brought out the food and before we could eat, they called our names again! So we all lined up and both groups had to wait again at least 29 minutes!. By the time I finished the race and went back to our tables, the food was cold. I don't understand the rush of getting us to race and then coming back with cold food. They should let us enjoy our food and then we can coordinate for our last race. If not then they should've fed us at the end of the races. The place looked like it was ran by teenagers so it was somewhat of a mess. They seriously need to improve the group experience and not have ot set up where we have to eat cold food. read more

This was a really fun, new experience. This was my son's request for his 14th birthday and we headed down to check it out. It was a fairly easy check in process and the staff was helpful. You get assigned to a race so you need to wait a bit and they do have some arcade games and massage chairs while you wait. (Totally took advantage of the massage chair for 5 bucks.) There is a bar with some food when you get peckish. They serve alcohol AFTER you race which seems pretty smart. These cars can go really fast and I'd hate to have someone crash into me because they were loosey goosey behind the wheel. You also get a print out of your lap times so you can see how you matched up. Really fun new experience! read more

K1 Speed - Race time! - Amusement Parks Near Me - Gardena, California

Worst Birthday Party Experience - Would Not Recommend After spending around $800 for a kids' birthday party, I'm extremely disappointed with how everything turned out. From start to finish, communication was terrible. I tried multiple times to reach the Ontario, CA location two days before the party to ask a simple question about bringing ice cream, but no one ever answered. When I arrived, I decided to take the ice cream anyway, only to be told they couldn't store it in a freezer. Then, while waiting over an hour for the kids' pizza that was supposed to be included in the package, I was finally told by employees, "Oh, they didn't tell you? We ran out of pizza." After I complained, they said they would just take pizza from the next party after mine -- which was unbelievable. To top it all off, they never gave us the medals that were supposed to come with the package. Overall, the lack of organization, poor communication, and unprofessional handling of a paid party made this a terrible experience. I would not recommend this place for hosting any kind of event. read more

Great first time experience. Came here with a group of friends celebrating an un-bachelor party. My friend reserved eight spots, and we were able to get whole track for two races (time qualifier/pole position race). The staff are very friendly and have great advice for safety and for those who are a little nervous or first-timers. The track is great, but you'll need a few laps to get used to. Once you do, you can get some hot laps in. We came at 4:30 for our 5pm reservation, checked in, and it was right on time before our first race. The total price for the group was $75 for the two races and included a $10 drink voucher. In which we used for drinks and some snacks and an order hot wings. It was pretty busy for a Saturday, but all the races ran pretty much on time. There was only one hiccup when one kids race was behind a bit. Enjoy! read more

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Tim helped us today ! We are truly grateful for our experience! Lots of fun all the way from Miami ! Thank you all we had such a great time ! & all the way up till the last minute it was fun ! read more

K1 Speed - Tim helped us today ! We are truly grateful for our experience! Lots of fun all the way from Miami ! - Amusement Parks Near Me - Gardena, California

Came here to do some indoor kart racing. Was told the wait was gonna be about 3 hours. Unfortunately, you can't leave because if they overhead page you and you're not there, they move on to the next group. Fortunately, even though they estimated it to be 3 hours, our wait was only 1.5 hours or so. There's plenty of seating areas. There's some right by the pool table and rooms so you can watch the track. There's even more lounging area and sofas by the restaurant side of things. We just sat there and chilled. We had some of their pizzas. It was ok. Nothing mind-blowing. Just regular event fare type pizza. Hit the spot, though, while we were sitting and waiting and talking. The go carts are now all electric. Back in the day, when they were gas powered, it stunk of carbon monoxide and just gave people headaches. But now, with these electric carts, all that stench is gone. They give you a one-time head and neck sleeve to wear under the helmet, which is cool. They give you a quick rundown of the flags. Lots of rules buy very safety conscious. Each race is about 13 laps. Which is about 6 minutes or so long. The go carts go pretty fast, and the pick-up on them is great. They turn pretty well. It's a great track with multiple different types of turns and straight aways. Your results are printed and also sent to you via email. It's ranked based on the fastest lap. It's a great place to hang out and drive some go carts. Being indoors, it doesn't matter how hot or cold it is outside. It's well air-conditioned inside. Doesn't smell like feet or BO. It's a great date bighy place or just hanging out. Yea it's on the expensive side of things. 2 races comes out to about $51. But it's definitely fun and worth it!! read more

K1 Speed - Pricing - Amusement Parks Near Me - Gardena, California

This establishment is very disorganised, rude, overpriced, and manipulative. They have a "license" that is $8.50, that you are mandated to purchase your first visit. I'd strongly advise you to check out other go-kart places. Save your time, money, and energy. read more

The customer service was great. The staff was very attentive to my daughter ensuring that she was okay after crashing into the side rail on the track. I would definitely recommend this place to others. read more

Last Saturday, I visited this K1 Speed location and had one of the most unpleasant experiences I've ever had at any K1. To begin with, there was only one cashier, and the line was nearly out the door. You'd expect a business like K1 Speed not to be so understaffed. The arcade was disappointing as well, with several games not working. Everything was fine until I was called in for a race. Instead of being assisted, I walked into a heated argument between two employees--an angry woman confronting and cursing out a male coworker who wasn't responding. This behavior was extremely unacceptable, and it was obvious that everyone around could see and hear the situation unfold. It's highly unprofessional for employees to air personal conflicts in front of customers, and there was no manager present during the incident. After the woman left, the tension was still noticeable among both the employees and the customers who had witnessed the argument. Overall, the staff seemed miserable at this location, to the point where situations like this occur. If it weren't for that conflict, I would have given this place a higher rating, but I was there with friends and we were all left feeling uncomfortable. read more

We went to K1 Speed to celebrate my son's birthday! Such a great experience. We purchased a birthday package to ensure our time was reserved for the night but we did not get the food in the package due to dietary restrictions. We did purchase Pizza and wings separately. The wings were really good but the pizza was a little dry and small for the cost paid. We got a qualifier race and a final race with 12 laps in each. We didn't have to wait because we purchased the package. You do have to wait 15 minutes in between races but it's good to take a break. My only feedback is the price of the racing, $55-75 depending on how many races you get. Thats a lot, so it makes it a rare occurrence when we go because of the cost. The employees were average with their service, helpful but not superb. I would go back but the cost is a turn off. read more

K1 Speed - Amusement Parks Near Me - Gardena, California

Went on a Monday midday and we only waited about 20 mins. This was a very fun experience and one race (12 laps) was enough for our group. The first time you will have to pay an $8 fee per person plus the race but they provide you with all equipment. I didn't try their food but they do have food and drinks available. The staff was welcoming and they have rules in place which made us feel safe. Plenty of parking available. read more

Horrible customer service. So rude and not helpful. We called the day before to ask about wait times. They made it sound like it would be fine, just a short wait. We got there and were told 6 hours! Then when I tried to get a refund to apply to a group booking, I was told, this is not possible and she can't refund me. All with a shitty attitude over the phone. UGH read more

4 stars only because my kids love this place. Otherwise, I'd give it 2.5-3 stars. It's a pretty decent way to spend an hour or two. They need a better (real time) online and/or wait list system for non-party visitors. There's a list on the website of all locations and if they're sold out on given days, but it's not easy to find and not 100% accurate. When you show up right when they open, first or second ones in the door, and there's already a 1.5-2 hour wait because of parties, that's really disappointing, especially when there's a wait for one kid but not the other. When you ask if you can leave and come back in 1.5 hours, the answer was no because "it might be more or less" than their estimate. The check in & snack bar staff need some customer service training and the food needs an upgrade. We've been to parties here and it's borderline inedible. read more

I've been going to K1 speed for a long time, I have younger brothers who love cars and especially love go karting. I raced multiple times here and one thing that I can say is its very fun. But besides that, it also comes with its cons. For one, a lot of the time when I try to call, the phone is never answered. I don't understand why the phone can't be picked up because I find it hard to believe that so many people are calling at once. Another thing us how busy this place is sometimes. Sometimes its very nice with a 20-30 minute wait which is not that bad. But on their more "busy" days its around 2-3 hours. For ONE race. That is ridiculous to me considering the fact that its only like 5 minutes maybe less of racing. Another main thing is that the customer service is horrible. Everyone doesn't even seem passionate about their job nor do they try to put an effort on making the racing experience fun. I will say, a few years ago this place was much better. I'm unsure to what happened after Covid but it seems like everything went down hill. It's really sad to see a place with so much potential become so low. I hope they fix these issues in the future and hopefully I can speak more highly of this place. read more

The kids had fun. BUT it was super slow and a hassle to check-in. We had ordered the pizza and the use of their party room. Out of 8 pizzas that we paid for probably if we were to combined all the eaten slices.... It will mean only ONE pizza got eaten. The pizza was terrible. And these are teenagers we are talking about.... So if a teenager is not eating the pizza you know it's not good... just saying ‍ Later on afterwards I ended-up taking a few of them to McDonald's because they were hungry. The place is nice and clean and appears perfectly safe. You CAN come and have fun.... But do adjust your expectations and I recommend you eat before or after you get here. read more

K1 Speed - Amusement Parks Near Me - Gardena, California

"Dude, don't cough up a dime for a private party. Worthless. Saw a fam throwing a birthday bash. Just put together a table, blasted some balloons and had a hell of a fun. I blew my money on crap . Their party hosting skills suck big time. If you still throw away your cash on a private party, hit me up on Yelp and try to prove me wrong. Spoiler: You can't." read more

Pretty cool place, Indoor track with a small arcade area and pool tables. My 17 years old had a good time with his friends. Cars go pretty fast. read more

K1 Speed - Race track - Amusement Parks Near Me - Gardena, California

Arrived at 11:15AM. We were told we'd have to wait 25 minutes. My kids were in line ready to race but then due to a scheduling error of overbooking, they bumped us. He said it would only be a 30 minute bump, but it's been over an hour, and it looks like our wait wiin fact be 1 1/2 hrs. The manager offered free food which was nice. However, they were out of many items on the menu and it's been an hour waiting for food and still no food. I think the manager did not want to disappoint us but if he gave us a honest time frame, that would have been appreciated . I had to push back all plans for the rest of the day, with two hungry and upset kids. Thumbs down. You turned what was supposed to be a fun day into a waste of time. Just be honest next time. We may walk out today because of the honest wait time but it will bring you future visits. Once the kids got to race about 2 hrs after arrival, they did have a fun time. read more

This place is good for parties. But a bit unorganized perhaps they are under staffed these days. The food wasn't tasty: pizza, chicken tenders, cheese quesadilla, and the salsa was way too salty. I didn't see the staff spray the cars with sanitizer after each race. They leave plenty of hand sanitizer on each table read more

K1 Speed - Amusement Parks Near Me - Gardena, California

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