Second on Second Karaoke Bar

It was my best friends bachelorette party last night and she likes karaōke so I decided to take her to a karaōke bar. Mind you I’ve been planning this party for the past four months. I made reservations for this place two months ago and it was no problem I emailed them and a very nice guy named Peter emailed me back. Plans made we were good. So last night we were running a little late so I call them up and told them we were running a little late and if it was ok for them to hold my reservation for an extra hour the guy I talked to said yes. We get there and we take a seat next thing we know a lady is asking if we had a reservation and I said yes I told her my name and the situation and she went to look it up she then tells me that we don’t have any reservation under my name and to stay at the table it was going to be $ 75 and a two drink minimum per person to stay at the table. This is not what got me mad what got me mad was that she said it nastily and that they couldn’t find my reservation. She was rude then when I asked to speak to the manager she acted like an idiot about it. These people obviously didnt want our money and they are very rude. Dont Even waste your time or money in this place!!! You would be better off going to Sing Sing.

WHAT THE FLIP!!! Second on Second has been closed a year, so I was in the area and decided to check and see what moved into their old space… NOTHING! The Second on Second awning is still there and no sign of anything moving in. What a friggin, waste!

I’ll miss Second on Second a lot. Didn’t realize how much I loved it til now, when it’s closed. Apparently its last night open (according to their website and FB page) was a few days ago. And here I was planning on taking friends there Friday night … Have to find somewhere else now.
It’s one of my favorite places in the city (or was). Songs for a dollar, a two for one drink special before 9pm with great beer selection, I went here with friends many times and met a lot of interesting people. There was a communal vibe here that made shy people want to participate — people who didn’t think they were going to sing anything. And, almost without exception, people who didn’t end up singing still had a good time.
True, those who came in during peak hours on a Friday or Saturday had to wait awhile for their song to come, but I think that’s to be expected. It wasn’t a problem for me, as someone who came when things would just be getting started around 8pm.
There are a couple reasons why I can’t give it five stars. There is some truth to what people are saying in their complaints about the DJ who had maybe too many rules and took things too seriously. There was also the ridiculous «no hats» dress code, as though it were a formal place (when it actually was a dive, which is what I liked about it).
My worst experience here was when I brought a Meetup group to the big couch area stage right (which had been fine several times before), and we were assured from the waitress that we’d be able to get separate checks — an important thing when you’re in a large group of people you’re meeting for the first time. We were also assured we’d be able to sit in the couch area without a reservation, no problem. They went back on their promises a couple of hours into the night; we got booted from the couch area because suddenly a group had a reservation there, and they made us pay as a whole group on one bill. I felt lucky that no one in the meetup group had flaked out, and everyone pitched in enough to equal the tab plus an adequate tip. With Meetup members coming and going, it could have been a disaster.
That one bad experience had me second-​guessing whether or not 2^nd on 2^nd was the great place I’d thought it was. But I came several times afterward and just ordered at the bar, and everything was great after that. The crowd here had such a great, friendly energy that you felt like a star performer all the time, and any downsides of the place were outweighed.
R.I.P. 2^nd on 2^nd.

I came here when I first moved to NYC and LOVED it. Now I’ve been there a few times since and it just gets worse and worse.
They used to have decent food. NO MORE!
They are like SO SUPER STRICT about the «bar tender» vs. «waitress» service. For such a tiny space I think that’s ridiculous especially because by the end of the night they lose track anyway.
They don’t have books to look up your songs anymore. You have to use the computer. Which is just so anti social. The book helps you think of what to sing, now I have to think of it on my own. Lame.
You have to look up the song on the computer, but you still have write it down on paper. Double Lame.
NO ONE HAD A PEN!
Happy hour is a good deal and goes till 9. But I think I’m going to go somewhere else next time.

What can be said about Second on Second that hasn’t already been said? Allow me to simply add…
Yes, the drinks are kind of expensive, but the bar tenders are angels for putting up with the assholes that walk through that door (occasionally me).
And they do have every song imaginable, so on a good night you’ll leave actually having had some fun, but most nights you’ll leave embarrassed either for yourself or your poor friend who jacked up all those songs. When it gets busy, I would suggest not handing over your dollar because you may never get to sing.
In the end, this place doesn’t fail you when you want to scream out Alanis Morrissette on a Monday night, so who can say no to that?

Coming here reminds me of the Soup Nazi episode of Seinfeld. Honestly, I’ve never seen people taking karaōke as seriously as the girl hosting it and the crowd here. It was… interesting to say the least. I don’t think I’ve ever heard more un-​ironic Creed being sang. Ever.
There were a million rules to karaōke that I honestly could care less about the drunker I got (you have to list EVERY NAME on the slip that will sing with you, if you sing a song with somebody then your song comes on next you can’t sing your song until later even when you paid for it, etc the list goes on and on). I think I got yelled at 15 times because I wasn’t following the rules l.o.l. Also, reading these other reviews and seeing it costs $ 75 per hour per room ARE YOU SERIOUS??? Go to Gagopa, you are all getting ripped off.
They have Magic Hat on tap though so I guess that’s cool.

Thank you Second on Second Bar for teaching me the ways of Magic Hat#9.
After asking around what types of beer I should have, the server recommended I try a really rare beer that was starting to become popular and was about being grassroots in the music and arts industry. I was thinking… «All that in one beer?!? Maybe he’s been sipping too much on duty.» It was a really great beginning to my near cult following to that beer and it’s cause.
The bar food offerings were pretty good. It’s a world away from bar room pretzels and peanuts. The service was personable and wanted to educate you on the culture that was surrounding beer and the like.
I now come here every so often to be in the know, and have a good time.

This place absolutely saved/​made my birthday a HUGE success last night. After getting separated at a larger bar (with a hefty cover) we stumbled out into the rainstorm & I was worried my 24^th birthday would be a failure. But then, I remembered… Unilocal! I grabbed my iPhone searched for bars near our location and led my crew to 2^nd on 2^nd. We stayed from 1am until close, sang karaōke, made friends with the bartender, and generally had an incredible time.
Thank you 2^nd on 2^nd for not only salvaging my birthday but actually making it even better! Your reasonably priced yet deliciously strong drinks paired with your no judgement karaōke zone, good vibes, and friendly staff have turned me into a regular.

I’d been to Second on Second before, and it seemed like a relatively pleasant experience, with a nice enough bartender and a decent crowd (summer Friday or Saturday night), so when I was invited to a friend’s coworker’s Wednesday night birthday party, I figured it would be fun and we’d get our fair share of singing in.
Now, I feel like I need to apologize to the karaōke DJ for the single star because she herself was lovely — personable, helpful, encouraging, and a good performer when there was a lull in the night.
But the bartender (an earlier review mentions a «chubby-​hick blonde» with a horrible attitude, that’s the girl)…was a whole other kind of something. She demanded tips before pouring any drinks, and even when approached for water, replied, «If you tip me.»
I usually tip well, better if you actually deserve it, but I ended up not ordering a single thing from the bar at all, turned off by her demeanor, and not in need of liquid courage to make a spectacle of myself. For what it’s worth, if you feel like you have to ask for tips, there might be a reason no one is giving it to you of their own goodwill.
As we walked out, she stopped my friend to sarcastically say, «I just wanted to thank you for all your generosity tonight.» Sober as I was, I didn’t notice exactly what happened next, but suddenly she had grabbed my friend’s wrist and threatened, «If you ever fucking touch me again, I’ll _​_​_​_​.» I didn’t hear that part, and I’m not going to garner a guess. The bouncer’s jaw dropped, but he just watched with a bemused expression to see what would happen next instead of stepping in, and when I called the bar later to ask how I might file a complaint, the man on the phone was rude and condescending as well.
I guess I only have a tip for future customers, and not for her — open up a tab, since they take credit, so you can decide whether to leave anything at all in the end.

Wow, I can’t even believe I went to such a place, I’m not a big karoke fan to begin with, but I went to support a friend’s meet-​up group.
The crowd was sparse at best and mostly middle aged or tourist. The bar interior looked like a cross between a country skating rink (yes, I’m looking at you Reading, Pa) and an old man bar. They actually have a bouncer at this place… which is such a joke, it didn’t seem like anyone was dying to get in (although, I was dying to get out).
The entire time I was there (it couldn’t have been more than half an hour) all I could think was that this place was so B&T. What was that scent? Oh, right, desperation.

I haven’t sung in public since being forced to at a grammar school graduation many moons ago. My memory of «Memory» is shady at best, intentionally purged at worst.
Yet I’ve always thought the communal embarrassment of karaōke could be cathartic and fun. So when a friend’s birthday bash included a stop at Second on Second, I immediately thought «Why not?»
You’ll spot the red neon rooster from the street and know that you’ve arrived at 2^nd on 2^nd. I’d walked past the location many times and had no idea what exactly was there.
There’s a main bar area for community karaōke, whereby you can sing among strangers and either impress or enrage them. Fortunately we had a private room to shed our vocal inhibitions.
The private room was a bit dingy, how I’d imagine a peep show room looking back in Dinkins era New York. A fresh coat of paint would work as well as warmer lighting but with enough drinks you’ll start to ignore your surroundings.
The vast library of available songs was present in a book or a trusty machine running Windows. And yes, the ubiquitous «Not responding» warning popped up a few time as computer had to search and think. At least we didn’t see a blue screen of death!
Now I am by no means a karaōke expert but I noticed that the highlighting of words seemed a bit off. As in, either too slow or too fast depending on the song.
Confusion over the exact duration of our stay in the private room was an unwelcome interruption from the song fest.
A private room is $ 75 per hour, beers were $ 7 and a weak cocktail was $ 6.
My contribution to the night’s festivities included renditions of songs by Tom Jones, Sir Mix a Lot, Flo Rida and the Doors.
While a group can definitely have a blast here, be sure to check your bill any room duration discrepancies and drink up to forget about the interior.

What better way to embarrass yourself than aurally? Second on Second is my second favorite karaōke bar. Alas, I’ll sing their praises.
(For those of who have not been completed sickened by my shameless plays on words, I’ll continue).
Not sure how the drinks are priced since my buddy picked up the tab, but I can say that tasted good. Our cocktail server was also really nice. I asked her if she had an chips (the kitchen was closed) and I didn’t really expect anything. But, low and behold, a few moments later she produced a bowl of potato chips. Awesome.
On this particular night, this did not seem like an Asian karaōke place. It was very Pub-​Like. The crowd was not very ethnic, and it did seem a little like amateur hour: P How many times can one hear «Sweet Caroline» or «Paradise By the Dashboard Light» at karaōke?
Also, Since this is a karaōke bar, and they have private rooms and all, I thought that the main room could have focused a little more on the karaōke. There seemed to be a little much happening on the side.

I love Karaōke, and I go to karaōke bars often. This place is awful!
The doorman is rude and unpleasant, the first thing he told us was: you have to buy a drink, you can’t use the restrooms and leave.
The karaōke dj was obnoxious and bitter. she acted like she was doing me a favor for checking how many songs were before mine. you take a dollar per song, at least smile and be helpful, lady…
The minute we finished our drinks, the waitress asked us if we want another drink, when we replied that we will get one later, she asked us rudely to leave the table.
The song list is also quite weak!
The bartender was nice and friendly though!
This place takes the fun out of karaōke and out of drinking! do not go there!

Second on Second has private rooms, but I have no idea why anyone would want to miss the fascinating and hilarious spectacle that is the main karaōke lounge. You might see the most godawful rendition of Lady Gaga by a William Hung impersonator (perhaps not an intentional impersonator), a 14-​piece black ensemble group taking on The Electric Slide (complete with dancing), or take part in a full-​bar Bohemian Rhapsody sing-​a-​long.
You don’t want to miss any of this.
The song selection is actually better than decent (although I’m not sure in what world it’s acceptable to have 75+ Taylor Swift songs, and only one from Biggie), although the bar leaves a bit to be desired. The bartendress was much ruder than seemed called for, and drinks are certainly more than I’d prefer to be pay… but they do serve shots of tequila, which is the only chance anyone has of getting me to sing. Because all of you want to hear me sing.
And if all the girls you’re with decide they «…Just Wanna Have Fun,» remember to record them now and blackmail them later.

I have only been here once, so my experience here might not be indicative of the bar in general, but I had an awesome time! In my slowly expanding exposure to public karaōke venue, this place had the most receptive crowd of any place I’ve ever been. Everyone was super supportive of every singer who went up, regardless of singing skill, genre of music, whatever. it was amazing! Everyone was dancing and singing along and not a mean drunk in sight.
One thing that I have a slight complaint about. while the bartender was very nice, he was also really slow, and sometimes seemed a little oblivious as to people waiting. I waited for about 15 min for a drink, and my other friend almost waited 20. Otherwise, all was good, and they had a nice buy one get one free deal.

Stumbled into this bar… couldn’t decide between Cock or Urge so we took a chance here! Karaōke bar… no music videos, only the lyrics in tacky comic sans font. But the «live entertainment» was good enough, I think there’s 2 or 3 computers you can request songs on… which is neat.
After drinking on the East Village strip, this is a good place to sing out your lungs… when wasted!
Tip-​bits:
2 single stall female bathrooms! — now that’s common sense
Private rooms available
Dark bar
ID with credit card for open tab

MI MI MI MI MI…
Excuse me, I’m warming up my pipes for this review.
MI MI MI MI MI…
So, I’m something of a karaōke connoisseur. I have been to many karaōke bars both in the US and abroad. From swanky lounges to dives. Second on Second kind of falls in between.
First off walking into the bar is pretty overwhelming. It’s a total dude bar. You know what I mean. Luckily my friends and I made a beeline for the private rooms. We wanted to karaōke and we wanted to karaōke hard. At first it was difficult to track someone down to help us but once we got them getting the room was a breeze. $ 75 for an hour. A little pricey, to be sure, but we were on vacation so we said «what the hell?» We took that sucker down for 2 hours.
With our private room came our own waitress who popped by a few times to make sure we were appropriately liquored up. Now, the drinks here were, again, pricier and not terribly strong. I drank more than my fair share and left with nary a buzz. I have a weird tolerance level (goes from non-​existent to «like a fish» at the drop of a hat) so that might have something to do with it but I could definitely tell my g&ts were definitely more T than G.
You run your own booth here, and it was pretty easy to us

Since I have never gone to a karaōke bar in NY I don’t really know what I would consider good for a karaōke bar. But here it goes.
I have this thing against karaōke. It’s hard for people to understand but it’s like a principle thing with me. So my friend was well aware I will not be singing when she invited a group of us for what we called a k-​date. I figured as long as I’m haning out with friends then I can have fun watching people sing off-​key. And so it was. Mighty entertaining. Even those who weren’t singing off-​key were rather amusing. Leads me to think there must be a specific type of personality that karaōke attracts. Lol.
As far as this place goes, there was no cover charge, the songs were $ 1 each, bar food was cheap (although it wasn’t that good) and the drinks were not too bad either (although that I had a couple of martinis and was still completely sober probably meant something). And if you do want a private rooms they have those also.

This a cool bar and karaōke place. Normally, when I go karaoking with my friends we tend to rent a room, but the thing I like about this place is that you pay a $ 1 for each song, so it’s pretty cheap. On the downside, because it’s so cheap you have to wait longer for your song to come up.
Also because you’re not in a private setting, you end up singing with complete strangers which is also pretty cool.
If you don’t have a big group of people to rent a room, I recommend this place. Just be patient!

I came with a group last night to have a fun evening at a karaōke bar. The beers — even the happy hour prices — were overpriced for what they were. I signed up for 2 songs at 8:00 and didn’t get called until well after 10:30 — and it didn’t seem like there were that many people there.
The DJ didn’t go in any kind of order with the songs, which I didn’t like at all. Someone walked in the bar and was singing in 10 minutes while many people in my group had been there for hours. It appeared to me like they were playing favorites– people who they knew got to sing right away and the rest of us were stuck there paying too much for beer waiting for our song.
I didn’t like that their karaōke book, while impressive, was in order by song name instead of by artist like I usually see them. It was a pain to look for songs this way. The space was big and it was never too crowded, which was my only plus to this bar. I wouldn’t go back unless a significant group of my friends were and I wanted to see them… and even then I might recommend a different venue.