Galaxy Restaurant & Lounge

This is another place that I REALLY want to love, but don’t usually because of one of the KJ’s working there who is a total prick. He plays cowbell and sings backup during your song — which is super rude. Duh. No wonder this place is always dead.
The bartenders are always really rad though.
Sad to hear that the fish with teeth, Bully, is no longer there. That was one damn cool feature of Galaxy.

My friends and I were in Portland last weekend celebrating our friend’s 30^th birthday. We were staying at the Jupiter Hotel (love it), and decided that for our night out, we would end at Galaxy so we could drink, karaōke and be merry.
Our server was fantastic. She was friendly and on it– drinks emptied and she was ready to take another order.
The KJ, however, was like some military sergeant. We arrived around 10:30 on a Saturday night. The place wasn’t very full. It did fill up a bit as the night went on, but nothing like some places I am used to. Anyhow, we came in as a group of 8 and immediately put in song requests. Granted, we didn’t put tips in the jar, but my custom is to tip the KJ after I get my first song in. It took well over an hour to get one of our songs up there, while people who got there when we did or *after* sang twice. And clearly the KJ has his favorites and perhaps takes his very important job seriously. But c’mon… don’t you want to welcome new people into your establishment? We are a fun, friendly group of people who wanted to celebrate our friend’s big day. And you only let each of us sing once. But your friends certainly sang more than once.
We had fun, but not because of the karaōke. We kept each other entertained, and the company made it a wonderful night.
If you are visiting Portland, do not visit this place. There are plenty of other great establishments to frequent.

Ooooh boy… the Galaxy is a Portland institution. I’ve spent many a night here belting out my favorite tunes and getting hammered on Vodka/​cranberries. But on a recent visit in May I was shocked at how bad the place has gone downhill! The song books are disgusting, they smell like vomit. The carpets are dirty, it smells funky, everything just felt gross. My drinks were awful too. I had to take a shower when I got home just to get the skank off.
I heard they are knocking the place down to build a completely new karaōke bar from the ground up. It’s kind of sad they couldn’t renovate the existing space because it’s kind of cool.
But let’s hope they replace those barf-​binders you have to flip through to pick your songs out!

I like going here for karaōke because no one takes themselves too seriously (except for the KJ) and I can actually talk myself into getting up and singing after only 3 or 4 drinks. I used to suffer from a crippling singing phobia, and I still get the jitters about singing in public. At the busier and «cool» karaōke bars you probably couldn’t pay me to get up and sing, but Galaxy is laid back and I feel more comfortable (don’t get me wrong, it still takes some liquid courage and lots of encouragement from my party to get me up there). This place is what is it, I’m pretty sure this location used to be a Denny’s, and it isn’t fancy. But I usually have lots of fun when I end up here. As a bonus, it is right across the street from Doug Fir, so you can come over after a show, and then head down the street to sizzle pie after last call.
Oh, and they have this cool button that they can push to call a taxi for you. Awesome!

Slightly sketchy, no nonsense karaōke and fried Chinese food. Great for late night, and usually a kind crowd.
However, was anyone else totally weirded out by the giant fish tank… with just one fish in it? Seriously, this thing is more than 10 feet long… for one fish.

Crime partner and I had a «Where did this happen and why can’t we mutually remember oh right because the dranks» discussion about a karaōke place where the KJ got all pearls-​clutchy because one of our friends let loose with a bad word when he owned the joint with «The Humpty Dance.» Crime partner thought this happened at Chopsticks. I insisted it had to be Galaxy.
Then I decided to update my review of Galaxy and, lo and behold, but it feels good to be right once in a while. I mean, all the time. IN YOUR FACE, CRIME PARTNER, who doesn’t have a Unilocal account and will never know the sweet online justice I just dispensed. Little victories. Sigh.
One thing is for sure — the KJs at Galaxy are still exercising their dubious levels of authority in arbitrary fashions. In 2007, it was over cussing in a song that an adults-​only establishment had in their roster of songs to be sung. In 2012, a different KJ decided to pull rank and miraculously lose the slip that would have granted Crime Partner the microphone to bring forth the awful tidal wave of suckage that is Nickelback. Crime partner is not deaf, but instead had a bet with his friend who had to sing «Mmm Bop.» The stakes for their bets are insane.
I agree with this move on principle. Nobody likes Nickelback, especially babies, kittens, cute old couples, Brazilians, and people with ears. Actually, there is one kind of person who likes Nickelback, and that is the down on his luck Oregonian who is returning an empty beer can. Oh, and assholes.
But in practice, this is a bullshit thing for a KJ to do on a late Wednesday night with just a handful of people in the establishment and a larger party that bursted in already intoxicated and demanding to have their nickle back. As a result, that large party had to drink overpriced Jamesons and listen to the same two women sing equally terrible songs for an hour before determining that not even revenge Nickelback was worth our time.
If there’s any upside, I WIN, CRIME PARTNER. Booyakazaam.

The Galaxy is one of those interesting Chinese Restaurant/​karaōke/​Dive Bar combos that seem to thrive in Portland (and maybe elsewhere?). While I’ve definitely never had the Chinese here I have sung karaōke plenty of times, and it generally comes off as an okay place. It’s close in, the servers tend to be friendly, the drinks are… well, not quite strong enough for a dive of this calibre, and the décor is classic kitschy space theme. That should make for an all around win win win, right?
Well, a couple of down-​sides keep me from wanting to come back more often. My biggest complaint is the «no swearing on the mic» rule. Even if it’s in the song you’re not supposed to do it. Really? At a 21+ dive-​y bar/​lounge? Huh. I’ve been admonished for it a couple of times. So odd. Second, the sound in there could use some help.
Otherwise, the karaōke experience here is decent. On the upside, it’s not full of pretentious people who think they’re professional singers and scoff at anyone who isn’t.
Just remember — if, like me, you like to do rapperoke — remember no f-​bombs on the mic. Otherwise, you’re good.

Um… awesome! This place is so weird it was entertaining for a while anyway. The inside is like some total lame 80’s space age design which makes its own strange ambiance. Its a dive but its a nice dive haha. Don’t worry about that duct tape holding your table together okay!
The patrons are the best part of this place. These people are hilarious and they are all so different. A nice motley crew of randomness in a weird little joint with a sign on the window that says «Yes we are still open»! Hahaha.
The drinks were about average for the hood and mine were pretty strong, not watered down at all. The waitress was nice. They had a pretty decent karoake library to choose from.
Overall, it is just entertaining to see this place. Just check it out for amusement alone. :)

So irritated, I can’t even wait til I get home to Unilocal about the $ 5.50 short-​pour well-​vodka-​and-​seven I am sipping on at The Galaxy right now. What the hell happened to one of my favorite dive bars?!?

Remember Ho Jo’s?
It’s that with karaōke.
Good list but sad place.

I feel really torn about this review.
The goods:
— The Karaōke selection was A+
— Lots of babes up in there
— Cool décor
— Not super crowded
The shits:
— Too fucking expensive, PBR for $ 3.50? Bottom shelf liquor for $ 5.75?
— Some of the people there took karaōke way too seriously.

I think I’ll start getting in the habit of leaving my mobile notes at the bottom of each review…
A friend and I came here to sing karaōke. She doesn’t drink, I do.
I didn’t try the food… But the Coors Light was cold.
We walked in and I instantly felt at home. Granted, I grew up in Montana, so divey bars are my thing. But this place is divey and cool all at the same time. There are some huge booths for groups, and the servers were friendly and fast.
My rendition of «Ice Ice Baby» didn’t hold a candle to the songs sung by «Alice», who is apparently a regular there. The KJ revolves the singers pretty quickly and fairly.
I’ll be back. Oh yes, I’ll be back.
karaōke
friendly staff
ice ice baby
not too crowded
comfy booths – some large booths for groups
sing once every 20 – 30 minutes
Alice

Apparently I’ve been to this place once before, but it was Halloween and thus my mind had already checked out 2 hours prior to stumbling in here. So my most recent visit is officially my first in my book.
We went on a Wednesday night, and when we walked in, it was hardly crowded. In fact, only the «pros» were out that night, save for a couple that sauntered in about a half hour after us. Up front, closest to the stage to ensure a quick microphone hand-​off, was the weirdest, motley crue (lolz) ever. They could have only been brought together by a karaōke enthusiast message board. There’s no other explanation.
So, the pros were hogging the mic for a while but they eventually left after one chick did a rousing rendition of «You Could Be Mine» in the style of Guns n Roses. We waited about an hour when our first round of songs came on. I did The Smiths «This Charming Man.» It probably ruled.
You know what didn’t rule? Paying $ 4.75 for watered down mixed drinks and $ 3.something for a pint of Pabst. I guess the allure is the karaōke and NOT drink specials. Good thing I pregame, always. You should probably do the same. Especially if you’re getting on stage.
I guess I’ll end this review with a shrug, and by saying: I don’t regret coming here. In fact, I had a lot of fun. It’s kind of hard not to at a karaōke place where you’re the only group singing. And really, where else am I going to sing The Smiths, «Everybody» by BSB AND «Mother» by Danzig (while wearing a viking hat). Surely not in my own home.

The Galaxy is about as classy as my Tuesday night tradition of kickin’ back with a cheap beer and watching NOVA & NOVA Science Now on OPB. Sure, I’m not really proud of it, and I sure as heck don’t fully understand it, but I can respect it.
Consider falling through some sort of intra-​universe wormhole out in space. One second it’s 2010 and you’re standing on East Burnside after a seemingly hip time in the urban neighborhood. But the next second, as you cross the threshold into the small vestibule, you’re transported back to middle America, where the original Denny’s (I presume) architecture is thinly veiled by planetary iconography reminiscent of the Cosmic Bowling décor of the early 1990’s.
But hey, it’s not like you’re here to impress anybody.
You’re here for a drink and maybe some karaōke… or at least sitting in the back booths with a big group of people where it’s not quite as audible. The bartenders are attentive, but don’t hover at the tables, and the drinks come out quickly. It’s definitely not as cheap as opening up a tall boy at home on your couch, but definitely in the same price range as the surrounding establishments.
Will I be back? I’m not really sure. I don’t find myself with a reason to seek the Galaxy out, nor do I find one to avoid it. I guess for now we’ll just leave it as something to be determined by the universe… I’ll consider it a sign if NOVA gets canceled.

The bar food was alright. We had mozzarella sticks, which came with a basket of french fries. I don’t think I’d eat there if I craved Chinese food, though, we ate here because it was more of a convenience than a destination. We came here for karaōke, not for dinner.
The staff was nice, bartenders and KJ included. Nothing special, but nothing terrible either, which is good.
The crowd that was there was lame, a bunch of ugly fat people. (Yeah, that’s a very superficial statement. What’s it to you? I like being around attractive people on my Saturday nights; you probably do too, whether or not you are willing to admit it. I personally would like to know ahead of time if I am going to meet an entire trailer park.)
…putting that aside, our prime directive was finding a new spot for karaōke. This KJ does NOT do rotations. This is good if you get there early enough, or if you really love tipping your KJ just to get your song in, but it sucks for everyone else. I waited two hours to sing one 2-​minute song while other people went 2 – 3 times and another guy sang a 9-​minute metal song (complete with headbanging and hair swinging).
I was unimpressed, and will not be returning unless I am in the neighborhood, DESPERATE for karaōke, and too drunk to drive somewhere else.

My apologies to those there last Sunday night who had to hear my drunk ass sing… often!
I stand by my last review except for this time I would like to add that I reallllly liked the DJ on Sunday. He sang (I love it when they sing) and he sang well. Not to mention he had great taste in song selection.
I had a blast. Again!!! :)

This economy is really effecting everybody. I came here on Saturday night with some friends and it was dead in there. We didn’t eat, just had some drinks and sang few songs.
Their drinks were spendy for a Chinese food/​karaōke bar. $ 4.50 a pop for watery down Jolly Rancher and also another $ 4.50 for watery down Vodka Cranberry.
The KJ was nice and we got to sing. I even sang a couple songs. A so so performance of Madonna’s «Like a Prayer» and a terrible performance of The Fray «How To save a life.» Hey, it wasn’t my fault, the karaōke music was off key. *roll eyes*.

The Galaxy. What a spiffy name for an American Chinese food karaōke bar. I’ve been wanting to check this place out for awhile. Unfortunately, I was disappointed.
The bartenders were humdrum, robotic. The bathroom was slightly creepy. And the little room in the back with the video poker, pool table, bright lighting, and random chair? How weird is that?
The interior of the front room is pretty soothing. I dug the long fish tank, though it also seems bland. I’m sure the fish love it in there…
All of the patrons were good-​looking men (my friend and I were the only females, aside from the bartenders). I’m not sure if that’s a plus or a minus.
And even though the karaōke singers sang well, every song we heard was a slow downer. No wonder the bartenders were less than enthusiastic.
I could do naught but laugh and shake my head at the price of our drinks: $ 4.50 for a weak well vodka cran, $ 4.25 for a pint of beer, and $ 7 for a shot of vodka with an orange juice back. OUCH.
Maybe I went on the wrong night. I’ll stop by again to let it try to redeem itself.

I’ve never tried the food, so I may have to add or subtract a star in the future, but for the purposes of rating this place on karaōke and drinks alone, I’ll give it 3 stars.
One star is for the fact that they have karaōke every night of the week 9p-2:30am and it’s a mere 7 blocks from my apartment. You heard me right, I could stumble down there any night of the week and be treated to an extra creepy version of Morrissey’s «The More You Ignore Me» belted out by a guy who manages to make me feel even more uncomfortable than if Morrissey himself were stalking me and screaming his ode at me.
The drinks are super strong. This is a cardinal rule that must not be broken in a karaōke bar. EVER.
The song list is pretty decent, they don’t by any means have every song you’d like to get up and wow your friends with, but it’ll do. My choice for the evening was Roxette’s Listen to Your Heart. I brought the house down.

Karaōke bars have always scared me. My fear of them began in the early ’90’s, up on Crystal Mountain on a weekend retreat with my psych prof, and a few classmates. We went to a little tavern close to the cabin, and after a few drinks, the prof convinced me to sing «The Rose». That in itself would have been enough, but he also decided to video tape it. Somehow, that moment scarred me for life. No more karaōke for Jeannie, thanks!
Anyhoo, this is one of the first karaōke bars that I actually enjoy going to. It’s in a Jetsonesque building kitty corner from the Doug Fir. It’s divey in a cool retro way. They have a huge salt water fish tank that runs the length of the side wall close to the stage. There’s a cool big fat grey fish that Kim V mentioned in her review. He’s my favorite. Dude swam laps around all the skinny fish all night. He must have plans for the New Year. The food is typical American Chinese. The menus are stained from many years of drunken spills. The crab puffs are made with krab, klassy. I like the egg rolls they aren’t too bad. The drinks are strong, and not outrageously priced. Our server had no problem doing separate tabs for the 9 of us, although she was very busy on the Saturday night we went.
There were people of all kinds, which is great for people watching. Some people were really good, others not so much, but everyone seemed to be having a good time. I would recommend going with a larger group and getting a big table. You must have a group of 8 or more to sit at one of them.
It’s not overly polished, but if you need to get your karaōke on, it’s not a bad place to go.