Poor everything. This will be our last visit. We were unhappy with food and karaoke room. We asked for a partial refund and it's not their policy. Well it's not my policy to eat food that tastes spoiled, so shouldn't have to pay for something you can't eat. read more

I came here Thursday night. I would like to say this place will be one of my favorite place. This is typical Japanese bar with good service. There were Sunny, Seiya, Amajang, and Ayako san. They were really friendly to me and my friend . I really enjoyed food and karaoke. The Ramen was really great. And the karaoke machine has lots of songs that i wanted to sing. I will definitely come here very soon read more

Karaoke House Nina - They gave me Chocolate for valentine's day - Karaoke Near Me - Mount Prospect, Illinois

Where do I even start? I have been there several times over the years. Their service have been getting progressively worse. There is minimum $7 per person charge, songs are $1 each and a 20% gratuity is already included. They used to have a system where if you score 85% or more on a song you would get a small bowl of noodles, but the score is now 90% and only on Japanese songs. The staff is not knowledgeable about their menu. It seems that they only come to take your order once and then you have to run after them to order something else. They spend their time with the men that are regulars. They have drinks with them and sit with them rather than paying attention to the rest of the customers in the restaurant. Having a bigger group and ordering more than their regular clientele doesn't mean you get better service. Easily put, don't go there unless you're a single man. read more

Hours on Yelp are wrong and their phone is disconnected. Not sure it is still open. I would recommend contacting them before driving over, but I'm not sure you'll be able to... read more

Karaoke House Nina cracks me up. The one time I've been here was a subtle assault on my expectations. Maybe I had none. The first (of many) leggy Japanese hostesses promptly seated our party of 5. There was a stage that stood empty as the patron belting out an off-key standard sang from the bar. The acoustics were surprisingly good and the song selection is quite extensive. There were plenty of English, Japanese and even some Filipino songs to choose from. This establishment definitely caters to the Japanese businessman. There are plenty of little conversations initiated by the servers who come and sit down with the regulars. Some of the servers will actually pull off a decent duet with you, per your request. Tip generously. No one took to the stage until I did. This started a trend that we kept up for a few hours. Prepare to wait your turn a bit as the crowd gets bigger. Be prepared to sit through many inebriated performances. Expect not to understand half of what's going on, unless you're a polyglot or Japanese or drunk off your ass. Soak in the noise. Try the sake. It's all gonna be alright. Maybe. read more

Nina charges a $7 minimum whether it be with choice of food, drinks, or songs. We got there at 8pm with our usual large group. It was doubtful if each of us would get to sing seven songs in between their usual clientele. Most of us ordered a drink and felt compelled to order some miscellaneous food stuffs to meet the minimum. The whole night, we were treated like we were an annoyance. Sorry- if we ruin the vibe, but I'm pretty sure we ordered more than any of the clients trickling in and out. If you're not the japanese business man type... or male, don't expect attentive, speedy service. read more

My coworkers and I love going here. The service is always on point. Well.. I should say usually.. Our last visit we kind of got ignored. Every other song we put in, they did not play.. And the service was up to par. We have been here at least five times, so maybe that night was just a fluke.. But that's why I gave them 4 stars. Also the pricing is a bit high... Not to mention the added gratuity is 20%. read more

One star for bad bad service. They force you to pay 20% gratuity no matter what you spend or how many of you there are, and then realize they don't have to attend to you since you're already tipping them. The waitresses go and flirt with random japanese and white men that are regulars. Seriously, it looks like a geisha house. Amazing ramen, but not worth the shitty service. read more

This is an interesting little place. We came in tonight just after opening, which is 8 PM right now. No other customers except for us. We got seated quickly and got our first round of drinks quickly. $10 minimum per customer with a mandatory gratuity added. Something to keep in mind. We were actually in to try the food, not to sing,, because we had heard it was good. We tried the takoyaki, the okonomiyaki, the rice ball, and then we each had ramen. Everything was tasty, though it did take quite a long time for the food to come out. Perhaps that is why there are "hiring" signs in several spots through out the place. Just as we got our ramen, a group of loud rednecks came in - already really drunk and loud and swearing, and then they started singing. Obviously this is where the money is coming in - $1 per song plus all the beer they were drinking. Definitely not the clientele I was thinking I would see there. Either way, I think if you're a group of male customers, you will likely get some pretty good service. Ours was not bad, just different. As we were leaving, not sure if the server/ host/ owner though we were leaving because of the group of loudmouths but she stopped us and asked us why we weren't singing. Not gonna lie, I wanted to take the microphone from the other customers's hands but I didn't want to ruin the birthday of whichever one was celebrating so we just told her we were there to eat and went on our merry way. I think we would try it again - the food was good enough that it would make it worthwhile. Not sure if we'd sing but... maybe? read more

Went here for the first time tonight with a group of friends. At first I was impressed. The space is really pretty. Not huge but definitely had a diamond in the rough feel. I was greeted with a hot towel while I decided on my drink. Which leads me to my first piece of advice: avoid the martinis! They are gross! I had a mango martini and it kinda tasted like sushi. No lie! Most disgusting thing I've ever had. So then I grabbed a tequila sunrise and it was the business! Absolutely delicious. So just make sure you watch what they prepare for you. They had a huge karaoke collection. I wad totally impressed. You can sing from the comfort of you table which is awesome. But if you expect good service and you aren't a Japanese business man or with a Japanese business man you are outta luck. We had to constantly bug the bartender for drinks and food. Overall I had a good time. And $1 a song for an amazing karaoke list is not bad at all. I'd def go back again, but maybe next time I'll just stay posted at the bar. read more

This place renovated in October 2008 but the place has been in business for 18 years. I must say, this place is beautiful! The best Karaoke song selections around the suburbs!!! Japanese AND English. It has a stage you can sing on or you can sing at your seat since the microphone is wireless. I think the owner said they have a karaoke contest 2 times a year...but I'm not sure. The food is also great, especially the ramen noodles & fried rice! Soooo delicious!!! Karaoke is free but you must use at least $10 for drinks or food + tip. Its def. cheaper than the karaoke boxes. Great for any occasions, even if you have the munchies!!! read more

Karaoke House Nina - the interior of a karaoke house - Karaoke Near Me - Mount Prospect, Illinois

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Rating: 3.4 Short description: Hostess bar with ramen Pluses: Very good ramen, large karaoke selection, good mixed drinks. Negatives: Expensive. First time, little interaction with staff due to wives. Second time, got ignored by the servers because we had one girl with us. so welp. Recommendations: Try the ramen, it's very good, and leave wives at home or you might get the cold shoulder. read more

This is an odd place... but don't get me wrong... it's enjoyable. First and foremost this place is about karaoke. They have a stage, wireless mics, good sound (for karaoke) and a huge selection of songs. The drinks are a bit pricey and sometimes the service is slow if you aren't an apparent regular or sitting at the bar. What is strange and also kind of great is that I've never seen this place packed. Half the time your group can do 90% of the songs in any given night without having to wait for 10-12 people before you're up again. That's great for a karaoke place as some places in Chicago you may only get one song a night. This place is ideal for a large group that wants to sing early and often. read more

Take in a great time in the midst of another culture. My friends and I are huge fans of Sushi and Habachi. We've wanted to try the Ramen thing, since we had heard it was good, and thus far, it seems that we enjoy Japanese food. Combo that with Karaoke and you have a great night out. We got there at 8, and we were the only people there. Ordered food- pot stickers, rice balls, and ramen. All of it was delicious. I can't wait to go back to enjoy the food. If there was a ramen place by my work, I would eat lunch there. The service staff is made up almost entirely of friendly, leggy, Japanese waitresses. You sit down, and you get a nice hot damp towel (all restaurants should do this!). I told them to keep the Sake flowing, and we were never out. The bill was reasonable (as reasonable as you can get with 6 people eating and drinking all night). 10:00 rolled around, and we handed in our Karaoke songs. The place had filled with Japanese couples, and Japanese business types. We might have been the only Americans in the joint. The clientèle were really respectful, and we were respectful of them. To thank us for enjoying the food, the chef sent out a plate of a new dish he is working on, to see if we liked it. Our group stared the singing, and it didn't stop until long after we left. Generally, we sang American pop songs. The Japanese customers sang American and Japanese songs. It was karaoke as karaoke should be- off key, drunken, and hysterical. I recommend this place, for a memorable night out with delicious food. What else is there to say? read more

Run for your life. Manager only thinking of you as revenue for money. Never go here. . . But if you do, I recommend you make sure you know the full breakdown of what you are paying for since the store will charge you for things they fell they are obligated for. Never felt welcomed here read more

Last night, my 2 girl friends and I went out to have some Friday fun. Instead, we had the most god-awful, laughable experience in this place. So many things went wrong I don't even know where to begin. First, it was awkward walking in because we got non welcoming vibes and stares. Maybe because we were not Japanese? Second, they were out of everything. No: Ashahi beer, mojito, curry ramen, rice balls. This is about half their menu. Even what we managed to order came out painfully slow (1 hour!!!) and screwed up. We ordered 2 bowls of Regular sized ramen but they gave us Half sizes (I'm almost glad for this mistake, it was too salty and terrible). We also ordered 12 piece gyoza but never got it because they forgot to put it in. Since they were out of rice balls and forgot the gyoza, the manager offered to make shrimp fried rice. Twenty minutes after finishing ramen, we inquired about it. It had been over an hour since we placed our orders and we were hungry! We were informed it hadn't been started yet so we cancelled it, got our check, and ran the heck away from there. Third, and maybe most importantly, they never put in our song. They really need to get their stuff together. There are so many other better options out there, which is where we ended up and finally had our fun. read more

This place is terrible if you are not Asian. Went for a drink one night treated like a peasant. Don't get the place. Wish I could give 0 stars read more

Good selections of songs! However everything is so expensive. Can't Lee ordering the food and drinks! They do have ladies night out menu which is kind of nice deal though. read more

Ramen is really good here. Toppings are typical but the hot sauce they bring out takes things to the next level! They say it's really spicy but I added four little spoonfuls and it was just right for me. I would have been able to try more food but apparently there are times when they don't have certain items. I only got the ramen since they didn't have the pork curry with rice that I wanted. We tried to get salmon onigiri but they didn't have salmon... totally sketch! Either they're not prepared to serve food or the kitchen just says no to certain orders whenever they feel like it. The menu is smaller but offers enough variety. Beer is the way to go here since cocktails are all about $10. No use getting individual beers since they use smaller glasses which are maybe 10 oz. Get a pitcher if you want to drink. Must spend $10 minimum for each person. Service can be lousy unless you're a regular, a Japanese man coming in alone, or a group of middle aged Japanese men coming in together. If you know what hostess bars are like, then you know this totally makes sense. Hostesses chatting up customers shouldn't take away the experience from a group of non-regulars though. Waiting around for your server to come back when you can clearly see she's not busy can be frustrating, especially since 20% gratuity is automatically priced in your bill. Why tip 20% when the service is less than average, you know? Karaoke is available and it seems most people sing Japanese songs. Not all songs are Japanese so peruse the book if you want to sing your heart out. You can use the main stage or they'll bring you a microphone so you can just sing at your table. Karaoke is $1 per song. Despite my criticism, the lounge atmosphere is nice and the rolling leather chairs are quite impressive. Appearance aside, I don't know if I'll be back here too often. read more

We arrived on a soggy Wednesday night. As we came in, we noticed a sign that said the Wednesday karaoke fee was $5. As we were seated by a hostess who I think was not wearing deodorant, they gave us our drink menu and told us the karaoke fee was not $5 but $10 a head. Now the bar was obviously empty minus 3 quiet Japanese men who I think we're passed out. We asked them to honor the 5$ a head charge, even telling them they would make more money. She refused and muttered something in Japanese which I believe was baka gaijin which I think means stupid American. I will not be going back. We ended up going to Dave n Buster's and had a better time. read more

I don't know what happened to that dude who said you don't get good service here "unless you're Asian." Um, not true at all. A big group of my friends went there one night and had a blast. We got great service all night. They have pretty good food if you're looking for some late night snacks. The pot stickers and fried rice are delicious! Karaoke is $1 a song and their song selection is huge. I stuck to beer so I can't speak to their cocktail quality, but we will be back purely based on the awesome service alone. read more

I think i'm doing Nina a favor by saying this, if you're not a group of Asian people then don't go there. Obviously the want a certain type of client, and my group was not the right type. Took 25 minutes to get our drinks and the Karaoke books to start choosing songs. Took 15 minutes after a bunch of confusion to get our bill together, and then the price we were quoted was changed at the last minute. I think they add the 20% gratuity for two reasons. One, Japanese people don't normally tip anyways, it make it less of a hassle for them. Two, so the can milk money out of people who they treat poorly. I love Japan, drinks with friends and karaoke, and I HATED this place. read more

Nina Karaoke was a nice surprise. Karaoke all the time not just on one particular day of the week. The system they have is top notch with a great selection of just about any song, There is a stage with lighting and great sound system. Its a very relaxed atmosphere and the owner will stop over and talk to you and make sure your up to speed if your not familiar with karaoke. They serve appetizers and drinks. The clientele is mostly Japanese with the exception of the occasional gringo such as myself. read more

I would like to say I'm a regular here. I try to go about once a month if I'm able to and though some of the times are more frustrating then others, there has never been a time that I don't look forward to coming back. $1 per song isn't that bad for this type of a karaoke bar. I know you could go to many American bars during the week and sing karaoke for free- but you're getting a completely different atmosphere at Nina. Though when it gets busy you have trouble getting many songs in or that much attention unless you're sitting at the bar. Generally the type of people you find here are Japanese(?) business men and what I'm sure the majority of the staff are used to dealing with. When my friends and I go in groups we get left alone for the most part since we're a large group and for the most part I'm fine with that. The food is pretty decent, I'm a really picky eater but I absolutely love the ramen they make. My sister is completely obsessed with their Pot Stickers as well. They have a $10 minimum between food, drinks, and songs. I generally specifically go there to sing and will spend all of my money on songs unless I'm very hungry- though when I bring my sister she goes specifically because she likes their food. The song selection is amazing. They update their songs about every three months so the newer songs you hear on the radio are in the new song binder. Meaning I get to sing all of my favorite Katy Perry songs (I apologize to the employees. They probably hear more Katy Perry in one night with me there then the rest of the month combined). They also have a book with songs in Japanese (and English) that has a scoring system where I believe if you score at least an 85 you get a free ramen (I'm not positive that's still an option though). This is definitely one of my favorite hangouts so I had no problem giving it 4/5 stars. I'd give it a full five but the service isn't always the best. They generally come by the tables a lot when you first arrive but once it gets busy you usually need to go up to the counter if you want something. Which I don't mind, but sometimes the friends I bring do. read more

A lot has been said about the wait staff being rude if you aren't or are not with a Japanese person. A group of 4 of us went on a Friday and found that that was not the case. I would say that the wait staff isn't particularly great, and some don't even know what drinks are on the menu (e.g. our waitress was not familiar with a white russian, which was on the menu, and she proceeded to look at my friend who was ordering it like she was an alien....or an idiot....or maybe both). I think overall the wait staff could have been way worse, but definitely could use more organization (especially since when we went there were maybe 10 people in the place). Drinks are a bit on the pricier side, not city prices, but not cheap either. I think they could truly benefit from some cheaper drink options, since it is pitched as a karaoke bar, and I think one aspect of karaoke is getting a nice confidence boost (buzz) before going on stage. Case in point, there are not simple whiskeys, only scotch, the cheapest of which is nine bucks a shot. Maybe it's the college town citizen in me, but again, they should pick up some cheap mixers. It may get more people in if they know they can get a 4 buck vodka cran, and no one is making a whiskey and coke with Johnny Walker black label. So the drinks are a bit pricey and the wait staff is a mixed bag. Sounds bad so far, but this is where things pick up, and why I gave the place 4 stars. First of all the chairs are super comfortable, you're not stuck to bar stools here they all seem like cushy office chairs, they're insanely comfortable which is a nice change of pace from breaking your back waiting your turn. I know this seems like a small detail, but you'll thank those seats half way through the night when you realize you're still super comfortable and not ready to head home. Speaking of sitting down, I found their whole karaoke set up rather clever. I am not a big fan of charging a buck a song, but I have to also admit that it's not a deal breaker. It IS a few extra bucks you wouldn't pay somewhere else, but for what you are getting I think it's pretty fair. They use wireless mics here, which again is smart in order to avoid people who get too excited and swing it around like they're Robert Plant. What makes this nice as well is that if you are a bit shy (couldn't afford your liquid confidence) you don't actually have to get up on the stage, but instead sing from the comfort of your office chair. On the flip if you are on stage your friends can add some "lovely" backing vocals from the table. It's a fun little system as there are mics everywhere in the bar so really anyone can join in. We made friends with a table next to us and helped them through some U2 song. Speaking of songs, the selection.....insane. I have never seen a song selection like it, it's gigantic and has stuff you'd never imagine (because the entire bar wants to hear all 7 minutes of a King Crimson song). This is where I let the $1 a song slide because you are at a literal banquet of song selection. They even had a book of stuff recently added which included pop tracks from maybe a month ago. Not to mention a health portion of the songs had backing videos....which had nothing to do with the song, but resulted in some laughs. Overall I think it's a great karaoke place, but a mediocre bar. It's a shame because it could be near perfect if they aimed at getting a younger crowd in with some drink specials. The $10 minimum is really a non issue, and the $1 a song is not bad if you consider the quality of the product you are getting. So Nina if you are reading this, buy some Jack Daniels and Smirnoff for your back bar..... Or just get drunk in the parking lot before you go in. read more

I love karaoke and this place has the best song selections hands down! This place is very very clean, and it has really good ramen. It's like a ramen karaoke house. Love it! read more

This has been my favorite karaoke place since 2007 and as an American customer, I'd like to address some of the negative comments people have made about the poor service to other, non-Japanese customers. What Americans should understand is that the main focus of Karaoke House Nina is to bring the Japanese Karaoke lounge experience to America - primarily for Japanese businessmen who are working here in the United States. In Japan, the karaoke lounge is a traditional way for businessman to unwind and relax from the stresses of work. Just like in Japan, Nina offers Japanese businessmen the company of a Japanese hostess to serve them drinks, converse with them in Japanese, sing karaoke with them and basically make them feel like being back home again. For this service they pay a cover charge between $30-$40, so naturally they are going to get better and faster service than other customers who aren't paying this charge. American customers are welcome but are usually not offered this service as many of them tend to misinterpret this service as something shady or illicit which could not be further from the truth. So, to other non-Japanese customers, I would say to come and enjoy the great food, karaoke and the atmosphere of Karaoke House Nina, but always be respectful of their main focus. read more

A room large enough to be comfortable, small enough to be personal-intimate. Had a great evening with froends here Saturday night 10/21/2017. Not inexpensive but experience was worth it. Unlimited live entertainment! read more