The Mint Karaoke Lounge

It’s fun, we were there last night. security and bartenders are really nice. EXCEPT the DJ. In able for you to sing or request a song you need to put a tip first. Or else the DJ won’t even ply your request or he won’t even let you sing! That’s the only problem of this place. I’ve seen few people who wanted to sing. Gave the DJ the request but since there is no tip, the DJ just threw and disregard their request. Basically DJ is the only problem.

The first of all I want to clarify that although you can get food next door at sushi delight, that that's actually another business that is a joining. It's my favorite karaoke club, they have a very wide selection of songs you can choose from and more than one karaoke system in use makes it so that you have more choices than literally anywhere else I've gone through karaoke. The staff is friendly and helpful, and the KJ's all have their different personalities and are very cheerful and entertaining. The bar staff is professional. It is a very LGBTQ inclusive and friendly environment, and although the crowd is mixed straight and queer people it is a historically gay bar. It is a cash only bar, if you are a non-drinker there are a lot of non-alcoholic beverages, not all of them are on the menu so do let them know that you're looking for non-alcoholic options. Friday and Saturday are usually really busy and crowded, and Thursday and Sunday can be but aren't always it depends on whether it's summer, whether or not there's a holiday, whether colleges is out and stuff like that. Mondays are usually pretty quiet and is the day when regulars and karaoke Divas like to hang out because there's a quick rotation. Wednesdays can be quiet or busy you never really know. They are currently closed on Tuesday.

Good equipment for karaoke set up. It can be busy some days, found out there were 35 people ahead of me to sing one time. Also the online song list is outdated, the bar seems to have a similar amount of songs like the karaoke bar.

Everything is cool and good in this place . The ONLY problem is the DJ .We asked for 3 songs and gave a tip. But still ended up waiting so long. Other people came out to sing several times and didnt wait that long . One of the bartender said you have to tip high for him to play your song . The DJ is a BIG NO.

Great vibes, nice bar with drinks. There is a stage and the crowd is all friendly. Friday evening was pretty full but we got a good spot. Nice place if you want to celebrate a birthday or just have fun with friends. Highly recommend. Prices of drinks are also reasonable. Location is good.

Came here with a group of friends around 12 am and had an awesome time! I will say that it’s tough to get a spot on the list to sing cause the queue fills up very quickly but it’s a great community feeling with everybody singing along and having drinks together. Speaking of drinks, each mixed drink we got was only 7 bucks which is super affordable but WARNING: THEY ONLY TAKE CASH so make sure you have cash. If you don’t there’s an ATM there but it charges a service fee. Anyway, great staff - one of the bartenders gave me a whole water bottle for free. Had a great time and hope to go back soon!

The guy operating the karaoke throws the songs of people and whoever pays him more he plays their songs. He is a man of low integrity and I won't go again. Also I added a tip but he didn't see it. Greed is blinding.

DJ Jason was amazing !! He also has a great voice himself !! Will definitely come back ! Had a blast for my birthday.

The stage was super sparkly and fun! Long line to do karaoke though. Cash only bar, but they do have an ATM inside.

My girl was waiting for me here till i get off work. This place is a joke they badger you to buy a drink. They can't rely on their drunks. Though you wait patiently to sing and she stated she would buy them.just not yet shed just eaten n drank. She doesn't drink alcohol and was gonna get cash and get some juice later after a song. Again badgered by djs. Shes not a sell out. You want your 12 bucks you should have been patient like when we wait to sing all night. What an embarrassing establishment.You should be lucky you had her gorgeous presence making your bar look better. LIfe isn't tit for tat. Neither should be the bars.

This is a great local spot, don't get me wrong.... However there have definitely been nights where I don't have extra cash to "spot" the DJ so they'll straight up ignore my song requests..... most recent visit as an example ; sang ONE song, and ignored my groups request for the rest of the night. (We were there for damn near 5 hours) . ( last time I was there, I waited 3 hours and ended up leaving)... I understand the tipping culture bc I'm a bartender as well? But I felt taken advantage of from this place,,,,, I'm gonna keep going bc the idea of a karaoke night is GREAT, customer service is terrible, step it tf up..........

Super fun if you can get past the mildew smell. The owners need to do something about the air quality. The smell is bad - mildew and old stench. No way is this compliant with laws. Get some air filters or something before you get fined! The service and staff are great however!

Service is great! Drinks are only $10. They're cash only. ATM inside, just in case. Always a fun time.

My friends and I love to cap a night out in San Francisco with a visit to the mint. It's become a tradition for us to stumble in after a long night and get some affordable drinks and scream sing our hearts out. I've been to several karaoke clubs in SF and while some might have better ambiance, the Mint has a charm that makes you feel right at home.

It's insane because I was coming to Yelp to specifically call out KJ Tommy for being the reason that got me back to this bar and I noticed a review below me. Not sure what happened there but Tommy was so kind to my friends and I and and made karaoke a blast!

After two negative experiences, a review is in order. Tommy is by far the RUDEST KJ and the RUDEST doorman. I'm not sure why nepotism has afforded him, of ALL the regulars a job there, but if the goal is to drive away other regulars, you're winning! Guess it's time to hit other spots in the city!! Tommy lacks any couth or ability to be pleasant. If this is truly the shift at The Mint, you're better off going to a place like Pandora!

Great place to celebrate with friends and family. I will definitely support this business again. The drinks are not strong, but the Japanese restaurant next door delivered our food, which was a plus.

Visited the Mint karaoke lounge during the last hour of the night, and thought the place was pretty cool, but super small and cramped. Got to see some guests perform karaoke, with songs like Creep by Radiohead, but there was not much seating in the karaoke room, so I just watched and listened from the bar side. The place has a casual vibe, not too exciting or fancy in any way, but inviting enough to wanna stick around. The place closed at 2am on a Saturday, but the last call for alcohol was around 1:20am (that's super early IMO), and the music stopped around 1:45am with a hard message to leave, from the staff. This didn't leave the best impression on me as my first time there, but if you like music in all forms, don't mind being in crowds, and just want to get a drink at the bar, you'll probably have a good time here.

I'm not gonna lie, I tried this place a couple of times. The bartenders and the door guy are really cool, but it sucks when you're there for two hours buying drinks and food and you see people singing two or three times, or walking in 20 minutes ago and singing before you. It didn't bother me before, but one night I went with a friend (We are both AA) who brought it to the DJ's attention. The DJ tells him that he's lying and he actually had to show him a receipt that we had from the food we ordered to prove that we had been there for over two hours before he actually put us on the list. It was actually disheartening as someone who came to California to get away from this kind of behavior and is slapped in the face with it when simply trying to have a fun night out at karaoke. Needless to say, I haven't been back since. After looking at the reviews I found multiple people have had the same experience with the exact same DJ and their reviews have been put in the "do not recommend section" when you check their yelp. Unfortunate, because the staff is amazing.

RL is the greatest bartender in the world! He is so nice and so amazing. He has the best smile and will make sure you are having an amazing time!! Highly recommend. Give this man a hug!!

Fun karaoke bar with an extensive song list. You can order food from the restaurant next door. Awesome.

Was disappointed with my karaoke experience here. We got to The Mint around 8:15PM on a Thursday evening. Sound system and karaoke setup was great, but it took a long time for our songs to come up. After over an hour, our names were finally called. Then it was over another hour. Most of my group members gave up waiting on their second song and left. I stayed until the end and managed to get in three songs within a five hour time span. Seemed like quite the wait...and that was with me abiding by their two drink minimum (cash only by the way) and tipping the KJ for each song. My friend put in a song, which never came up. I'm not sure if the KJ noticed he had left and just tossed his song out. By 1 AM, there were so many names called of people who had already left, that there was not much of an audience to sing to. There were definitely some singers who were most likely regulars who got to sing more than others. In regards to COVID precautions, they definitely have that in place. Plastic barriers everywhere and patrons including singers having to wear masks while singing even after having your ID and vaccination status checked at the door. Excessive in my opinion, but I understand they are just following the rules. I think if the lineup had been more fair, it would have been a better experience, but the wait time was just way too long; basically an hour-and-a-half between songs and some singers definitely got to sing more than others. I'm inclined to give the place another shot when they remove the indoor mask mandate, but until then, I'll stick with my other karaoke bars.

A great place for after work enjoyment karaoke at the mint also with my friend Christopher Castillo yeah much fun but now he moved away not in the bay area anymore yeah also Jim

The Mint Karaoke Lounge is San Francisco's Premier Karaoke dive bar, with a very hip and authentic atmosphere which includes still being a cash only bar (there are two ATMs at the front door to make obtaining cash a little easier), talented mixmasters like Jane, Daddy, and Brian who have the skills to create an impressive array of specialty drinks, and of course the karaoke diva regulars that come in super early to sing when there's almost no one there. Located on Market Street just on the Outer Edge past the Castro, it was historically and remains a mixed LGBTQ and straight folks bar. that has always been a part of its charm. it's not just an LGBTQ-friendly bar, it's a bar where Brian will regale you with tales of the Castro back in the day while he pours you a drink. Jason does enough costume quick changes on stage to compete with any drag performance or burlesque show while simultaneously caging, blowing bubbles for the crowd to play in, and joining you on a song doing harmony. I swear, that man is the hardest working man in karaoke show business. LGBTQ regulars are also a part of the flavor of this establishment It's these little touches that make the mint a time capsule into the 1990s when karaoke first got really big in the Bay Area. if you ever sit in the little table near the front, which was the owner's table back in the day, you'll see a wall full of commendations and best of the Bay Area writeups. It's directly connected to Sushi Delight, which serves excellent Sushi and Bento boxes. They will bring the food right into the bar if you ask them to deliver it there. The Mint is also chill about you bringing in food from other places as long as you don't bring in any beverages. Different days of the week have their own regular crowd and their own particular flavor. as you might expect, Fridays and Saturdays are the most popular nights. Jason KJ's on these nights, and they're the nights on which you're most likely to find a younger crowd. there's usually one or more birthday parties going on, and I highly recommend booking a birthday party at the mint . my nieces bachelorette party was on a Saturday and Jason was caging he did two entire costume changes while entertaining her and making it a night will never forget. sometimes he puts on his wig and he jumps up there with the blow up guitar and starts playing it in the middle of the show. He is a blast and is very well versed in modern pop music, as well as music from the '80s '90s and 2000s. It is the night on which the under 30 crowd is most likely to party, everyone from Gen Z through Boomers and older this one regular who's 80 years old show up on these nights. I like coming in on Thursdays and Sundays when Jane is at the bar, a talented Mixmaster with a wry and entertaining wit, blue hair, a love for Nick Cave songs, usually some kind of cool band shirt on, and wonderfully informed and deeply thought out opinions that she's never afraid to share. She is the kind of colorful character that makes you want to hang out in places like this. she's been working there for 30 years and is usually surrounded by a grouping of very loyal regulars talking politics or sharing the hot gossip. Sundays are a welcome environment for the alternative rock crowd, and since the crowd tends to be a bit older (35+) it's usually mellower vibes, fewer drunk people, and most frequently you'll hear a lot of grunge era music on a Sunday night, mixed with some goth, punk, ska, nu metal, nu punk, emo... you get the picture. That doesn't mean other genres of music aren't heard cuz it's karaoke and people will sing whatever they want to sing. But that crowd does tend to come that night. KJ Daddy loves bands like The Clash, Pixies, The Pogues, and The Specials and wears cool Hawaiian shirts. He is super laid back and chill. Mondays, aka Minty Mondays with Toto and RJ are the OG night where they have a lot of much older people AKA boomers and up, and it's definitely the best night to bring your family to the mint if you want to have an intergenerational karaoke experience. show up and bring your mom, you'll all have a good time. You can bring your kids and your parents, you can even bring your grandparents. '60s music, show tunes, R&B from the '80s and '90s are the vibe. Will, the Wednesday night KJ, likes pop, 90s/2000s R&B and hip hop music, and a lot of times the KJs have loyal fans who will show up on their night. The Wednesday night crowd tends towards older Millennials and Gen X, and songs from the 2000s and '90s are very common. Again, any music and any crowd is welcome on any night but as a rule of thumb this is who shows up. Will is very technically proficient and is good at finding your song if it's not in the song book. If you come early on Thursdays, Brian will entertain you and Regale you with his stories of the old Castro and possibly sing some show tunes or if you're very lucky, some 70s alt rock like The Runways. he's another one who's been on staff for like 30

Very intolerant atmosphere. We went with a large group of both straight and gay friends. One of our friends was wearing an American flag bow tie, and was immediately approached by a patron sitting at the bar and questioned if he was a republican. After refusing to answer he was shoved and sworn at and told to leave. The bartender witnessed this entire thing and made only a slight effort to calm the aggressive patron, and made no apology to our friend. So we left. Bringing our group here was a mistake we won't repeat.

Great ambiance and party. DJ and everyone was welcoming and very entertaining. Good times!

Here's what happens when you visit this place. $31 with tip for two simple drinks. Regular " Jacquie" put hands on me, and when I reacted, I was shown the door, after I paid handsomely for my seat. If you're a male, avoid this place. The Mint caters to women who will paw you and then claim victimhood, and The Mint supports it. Additionally, I set down my wallet, and then when I picked it up, all the cash was gone. Garbage bar, avoid. You're not safe here, and they couldn't care less.

the bouncer made our night! shoutout alan for the nutella bread. what a friendly bar - the bartender made us the best white russian we've ever had. 10/10 and the DJ cared to curate a fun vibe to the bar. this was our last stop of the night and we had a great time.

I can gloss how much I love the Mint, but I'm gonna give you a different angle. if you care about singing and going multiple times, your best bet is 5pm on weekdays. yeah everybody likes going during the evening, but if you're willing to get an early start, it's a far more enjoyable experience. plus there's happy hour discounts. if you have to go later in the evening. Wednesdays are good rotation, but the closer towards the weekends, the longer the wait because that's when you get amateur hour as well as those that take it seriously. if you have the patience, yeah the evenings can be electric and a fun experience. The Mint has internet options aside from their regular song list that's on their web list. so everything is wide open!

Been going to karaoke places all over the country for 30+ Years. This place is the best I've been to. Full Stop. It's old-style, although I understand they have karaoke rooms; I sang at the stage at the end of the bar. Staff (and Manager) were present, fun, attentive, and both sang, as well. The Vibe is amazing ("Chill", my son would call it). Just the best.

Love this place sooooo much. Made it a second home. I remember finding this place back in July 2023 and met so many who've been coming for decades.

A fun divey karaoke bar with weak drinks! The staff are friendly & will space out requests so everyone gets a turn. The place had a great atmosphere with lots of birthday parties, and everyone was singing along to the songs. Lots of seating, but lots of people as well, so they go quick as the night progresses! The vibe on the stage did seem to be more individual performers, but they were lively with lots of crowd support & everyone certainly didn't seem to mind our big group going up. The music definitely skewed oldies, which the crowd loved! This might not really be fair to hold against the bar, but there was a creepy guy who was hitting on every girl in our group (and in the bar) all night stationed right by the stage, would love for them to do something about people like that. Overall a good time, I would just recommend pregaming well & getting here early to get more songs on before the place gets packed!

It's a mess. If you want messy karaoke, go! Crowd is hit or miss. Bartenders are great, KJs are so-so. Good for killing time and people watching. Not the best for those that want to actually sing karaoke.

One of my all-time favorite karaoke places on the planet! The staff is fantastic, the drinks are tasty (& affordable!), and the song list is second-to-none. Ironically, the only other karaoke song list I've seen that's longer is at Karaoke Kan in Tokyo! What makes The Mint even more special for me is that this is the bar my grandpa would frequent back when he was a guard at the *real* US Mint just around the corner. Everyone from every background and singing ability gets up to sing, which I think is great. What I enjoy is that a lot of the songs sung are classics I wouldn't otherwise hear at any other karaoke venue. The Mint is where you'll usually find me winding my night down winding my lungs up to belt out tunes!

I always have an incredible time at the Mint. Whenever I have a friend visiting from out of town, I always take them here. The vibes are always a blast, full of cheap drinks, lively and eclectic patrons, and very passionate singers-- the worse the singer, the more fun! It's free to submit a song, just keep in mind that it'll be a pretty long wait on weekends. In the meantime, you'll forget about the wait time because it's so fun to sing along with everyone else. This place is a gem within San Francisco, and I can't wait til the next time I go!

Bryan and RL are the top tier bartenders customer service is great ! Don't forget to tip them

Don't waste your time. You can't karaoke here unless you pay $20 to the "dj" We waited for 2 hrs and someone who came in after us sang the song that we requested. We were told by a patron who said that she has been coming here for 30 years that unless you pay enough to the "dj" that you will not be able to sing in a reasonable amount of time: I also rarely write reviews but frequently visit restaurants if you look at my history. The bartenders who deserve all of the tips in cash are amazing.I refused to a man city at a booth choosing karaoke songs tips that the bartenders deserve. Yeah I 10 out of 10 do not recommend this bar. Don't come here for a bachelor party, don't come here for anything unless you wanna waste your money on your crappy drinks and terrible karaoke service. Saving grace is the bartenders who are amazing.

This is a charming home in the wall karaoke bar, with an exceptional Karaoke dj. Jason was the sweetest and the drink prices are great for SF standards! Will definitely be back on my next trip!

Such a friendly staff! We ordered sushi from next door. Drinks were strong and large. KJ was great about moving us around if we needed a break. Great place for a Bachelorette party! We had a reservation which was right next to the stage. Friendly regulars showing us the ropes. We had a great time! Thanks y'all!!

The mint needs to monitor their karaoke KJ. He only allows people to sing if they tip him and he says it frequently on the microphone. I thought it was a joke but after waiting two hours I was never called. He kept calling the same people up and saying how great they were slipping him cash.

My stool is at the end of the bar near the front door. PLEASE do not sit here, as you will be sitting on a ghost!!!!!!! This place is SF's living room! Hey Ya'll! Love Brendan

Fun venue that always has Karaoke! We visited on a Friday night around 10pm. It started getting crowded by midnight. I suggest submitting your songs to sing early. The wait is pretty insane.

Bartender were personable but DO NOT go here for karaoke because you will be waiting for 2 hour even though only 6 people are ahead of you aka 30-45 minutes!!! Idk how people cheated the system and we wish we knew. I only wanted one birthday song for our friend but we had to give up after 2 hours of waiting :(

A really fun place. My friends and I came here after bar hoping and it was so good. I love doing karaoke and the people there are always such a good vibe. The drinks taste sweeter than usual places but other than that so good

This is a fun Karaoke bar. I really dig the the tv's of the performers above the bar which is on a slightly lower level then the performance area. The Tv's look like some really bad music video from the 80's! My boss knows whats up and paid 20 buck to budge in line.. Hungry why wait! I did my standard Born to Run by the Boss, drank some Bud heavy and had a pretty darn fun time I must admit! Decent sound, nice staff, and the bathrooms were pretty darn clean! Met some friendly folks.. A nice hour spent in this spot!

The mint is the best bar in San Francisco much less the best karaoke bar. We've had multiple events (3 in the last twelve months) where we rented out the entire place for team events and on-site celebrations as travel opens up. It is perfect for large groups, team events, and anyone who wants to have a good time. Above all the staff are amazing. They are kind, efficient, and wonderful hosts. I love the mint and will be going as much as I can.

Visited SF with my best friend for our upcoming birthdays, this past weekend. The concierge at our hotel suggested The Mint and I could kiss him for it! We ended up here both Friday and Saturday night and had the best time! Friendly bar staff, great drinks and an extremely energetic and fun atmosphere. We can't wait to return, hopefully soon!

A super fun place for karaoke, I just wish it wasn't cash-only! No complaints otherwise and would definitely visit again!

Best ever historic kareoke bar. Been singing here for 30 years. Best drinks, Best OG patrons, Best Bar tenders, Best KJs! Come join the fam!

A bit of a dingy joint, but if you're into that sorta thing expect an experience if you go here late at night!

This place is exactly what you would expect going to a late-night karaoke bar in SF! We went with a group of people from work and had a fun time. We had nice cold beer and a lot of fun. It was pretty dark in here, as they kept the ambience with disco lights when people were performing. You pick songs out of a monster book and sign up with the DJ at the front by giving him/her your name and request. Also, if you want food from here, bring your dollar bills! They have a vending machine in the back corner. :)

Honestly I would give this place a better rating because the bartenders are great, but the guy who holds the karaoke is a complete asshole he stopped my song in the middle of singing it, after I waited two hours he was the worst person in the world! and I won't go back just because of that awful man, I would recommend to Fired him, I hope you take this seriously because I did not deserve what this man did to me, I couldn't help that my mask was falling off as I was singing that's what happens when you move your mouth, Please Mint! fire that karaoke guy he really doesn't deserve to be in that position and acts like a dictator because he has some power.

KJ FRANK is the mutha fuckin best! He will hit your harmonies, bus your table, and toss you a wig! You want a spot light? Some choreography? HE GOT YOU. Thank you Frank for giving everyone their rock star moment!

The Mint is the legendary karaoke spot on Market street in SF. You can count on a great vibe with friendly people singing along with you as you belt out your favorite song on stage. The drinks are great, service fast, bathrooms clean - everything you could want for a night out.

If I could give this place zero stars I would. I got there around 7 or 8 with a friend and the guy who holds karaoke was completely rude. We waited for hours for our songs to come on and we realized that we were skipped meanwhile others who came in after us were able to sing. The bartenders were kind.

In all my travels around the globe, I have yet to find a Karaoke Lounge to match The Mint. There is no easy way to describe what makes The Mint so unique. It is a perfect combination of of its elements that make it what it is. From the award winning KJ Frank (who can move 100 singers through on a Friday night), the fantastic bar staff, especially Jane, to the amazing and friendly locals who make all feel welcome. My heart will always be here, singing, at The Mint.

Bar itself is great. Bartender is a snobby, worthless, POS. Made a reservation and waited 2 hours to sing to no avail. We also were told that we requested "too many songs" when no one else was in the bar and Mint employees monopolized the stage. Avoid at all costs!