Karaoke Hot Spots in Lehigh Valley

The activity of "karaoke," in which one publicly sings with pre-recorded instrumental tracks of popular songs, has become a national phenomenon over the past decade, with more and more restaurants, bars, and night spots participating by hiring KJ's (Karaoke Jockeys, analogous to DJ's) as the entertainment for a specified night of the week.. If you're in the Lehigh Valley and either interested in trying karaoke, or already a card-carrying aficionado, here's a list of places you'll definitely want to try.

Copperhead Grille - 5737 Route 378, Bethlehem - Tuesdays (9:30 PM - 12:30 AM)

As far as karaoke places go, this place has everything you could want for a Tuesday night out on the town. Copperhead Grille features an extensive menu, serving everything from salads to fajitas, even while karaoke is going on late at night. Most karaoke venues don't offer much, if any food selection, either because they're just bars or because the kitchen closes early. So that's a definite plus! Also, mixed drinks are extremely reasonable, as large-sized Long Island Iced Teas and Frozen Margaritas go for no more than about six dollars! DJ Monte's selection is extensive and, unlike many venues, up-to-date, and he doesn't play any potentially annoying music in between songs that wastes singing time. Another rare feature of this place - Monte won't take up several minutes of your time singing songs himself! The only downside to this place is the early end to karaoke, as most places end around 2 in the morning.

Maxx Regal - 1176 South Route 100, Trexlertown - Fridays (9:30 PM - 2 AM)

KJ's Rich and Cris are great people and, accordingly, they put on a great karaoke show every Friday night at Maxx Regal in Trexlertown. Maxx features a large television wall projection, generally displaying whatever sports event is currently relevant, and a square bar with several television screens along the top perimeter. The drinks are relatively inexpensive, the bartenders are always sweet, and, a personal favorite, they offer a huge plate of fries for a mere TWO dollars as part of their decent-sized menu. For avid karaoke fans, the selection is good, but not great, as newer songs are not added as frequently as at other places. However, if you inform Rich or Cris of a song you'd like, they'll be happy to provide it the next time you come see them. Also, there are several regulars here who often take precedence over newcomers, so the wait is often quite long. But the crowd is really into the karaoke spirit, which is often rare in other venues, so you don't have to worry that your performance will go unnoticed.

Blue Monkey - 1094 Howertown Rd, Catasauqua - Fridays (9:30 PM - 1:30 AM)

The Blue Monkey in Catasauqua is a great place to hit up if you have a big group, and not everyone will want to participate in a karaoke environment. The place is BIG, so they've split it up, with karaoke upstairs and a regular bar atmosphere downstairs. This can be a pro or con, depending on your situation. The karaoke is well contained, still in a large room with its own bar, and the noise from downstairs is not heard at all. The room is arranged a bit awkwardly, with several large circular tables placed randomly around a wooden dance floor, but it is conducive to meeting several new people. The selection is very good, with new songs frequently updated, and the dance floor is great for those of us movers, especially since dance floors are generally absent from karaoke venues with limited space.

Diamonz - 1913 West Broad St., Bethlehem - Thursdays AND Saturdays (10:00 PM - 2:00 AM)

Offering karaoke Thursdays and Saturdays, Diamonz is a great spot for its friendly atmosphere and great music selection. Although it is a gay establishment, the atmosphere is warm enough for anyone to feel welcome. Thursdays aren't nearly as busy as Saturdays, for the obvious reasons, but the KJ is so enthusiastic that it almost doesn't matter that the place is relatively empty. There is a full bar, although they stop serving food early, and there is a decent-sized dance floor. This place, like the Blue Monkey, is split up between upstairs karaoke and downstairs, but here the downstairs is more of a 'club' atmosphere, with pop music being played on Saturday nights. A downside to this place is their cover on Saturdays of five dollars, but they do offer both dancing and karaoke, so it's really worth it!

Rookies - 1328 Tilghman Street, Allentown - Thursdays (9:30 PM - 1:30 AM)

This place is the perfect town hangout, with a great bar setup and, obviously, karaoke setup. The restaurant offers a free Mexican burrito bar on karaoke night as well as four-dollar specialty martinis, all of which are quite tasty. The KJ is extremely friendly, the selection of songs is very good, and the crowd is refreshingly into the karaoke spirit. The downside to this place is their very strict carding policy, which prohibits anyone under 21 from even singing, forget about trying to get a drink. You'll have to leave anyone 'underage' at home if you're coming here, because they aren't allowed to even sit in the karaoke area.