OffKey

Great concept bar. Way to dirty for me and the drinks are way to expensive for slightly just above a dive bar in appearance and total absence of table servers.

We came with a huge group on a Sunday night and had a private room. We all had such a blast, but there were a few downsides. There weren’t any kind of drink lists that I could find anywhere, drinks and tabs took a long time to get, even at the very slow bar, and I found it kinda shitty that they’d use auto gratuity. I understand that we we’re group of 40 – 50, but no one was informed of the grat and most people didn’t notice when they got their checks after a few drinks. Only minor annoyances, no major upsets and while it wasn’t exactly my cup of tea I would definitely recommend it to any karaōke fans.

Review only for a one-​time visit to a private room for a birthday party — have not visited the bar proper — LOVED our experience here with a close group of friends for a recent birthday party. I was allowed to bring my kiddo per the terms of the room rental contract and although I got some odd looks as I escorted my 10 year old past the bachelorette parties and douchy frat bros waiting to get in, it was worth it! Song selection was outstanding, waitress service was super attentive, and singing with my family before we Ubered to Town Topic for a late night burger was truly the stuff family memories are made of. Highlight of the night for me was dueting on «Paradise by the Dashboard Light» with the birthday boy who was way-​too-​convincingly dressed as Meatloaf! I absolutely plan to find an excuse to rent a room here for a party in the very near future myself!

The bartender asked the girl I was with if she wanted to play a game. She said yeah and he said touch my beard when she did he reached over the bar and grabbed her breast. My mouth dropped and I said what the hell is going on he just laughed and said «she said she wanted to play a game!» The most rediculous thing I have ever seen done by a bartender. What kind of place is this? I will never go back. How insane.

I’m reviewing this place based on the bar/​common area (not the private rooms). I arrived at Offkey with a friend around 8pm (when they opened) on a Friday night. It was pretty dead in there with only about three people. This was understandable since it was early in the night. No one was singing karaōke except for the female bartender at this time. Beers were $ 5 (credit card minimum charge of $ 10). After about 40 minutes, we decided to kick things off and sang a song. We were the first guests to sing. When we were done, a radio song played and then the bartender sang again. After that, people finally were putting in their names and the list began to build up.
The bar space is narrow and it got very crowded by around 9:30 with people just kind of crammed together. Not a lot of tables and the bar area was pretty packed. There were three bartenders at the height of the night and the one female bartender would continue (even with a long list of submissions from customers) to sing her own karaōke choices whenever she felt like it (and didn’t appear to be serving drinks and such during any of that). My friend and I put another song request in and saw it appear on the bottom of the list after a bit.
There are fifteen songs listed on the right side of the monitors so that you will know where you stand in line. At least three songs before ours belonged to people who had abandoned the bar prior to getting to the top. The bartender offered up the mic to anyone who might want to take a stab at these abandoned song choices («Don’t make me skip Christina!» She begged when Genie in a Bottle came up and it was taking a lot of coaxing to get someone to take the mic from her). After all of this, when our song reached the top of the list, we got up to get the mic and she pushed a button, skipping it. No explanation. No nothing. Now, I’m not saying we’re great singers or anything, but most people singing at the bar weren’t. In fact, someone was allowed to claim two of the unclaimed songs and they were in a similar boat (singing «skill» wise). I certain the reason we were skipped had to do with the fact that we picked songs from musicals. You know what Offkey, if you don’t want people singing funny musical songs, then don’t have them on your list. It wasn’t like we were trying to belt out Phantom of the Opera. We just wanted a quick song from Book of Mormon.
If I had a lot of money for the pricey private rooms, I’m sure it would be fun. I used to frequent private karaōke booths in Japantown when I lived in SF. Those were much more affordable by the hour than these rooms though. The only reason they get two stars is because at least KC now has a place with private booths. Maybe one day, if those prices drop, I’ll try it out. I’ll take a hard pass on the bar though (and on hearing more solos from that female bartender. Holy cow. Let someone else have a turn. If we weren’t allowed two songs in three hours then why did you get more than five?)

This is the worst bar I’ve ever been to in Kansa city. I found pubic hair in my tequila shot. And they kicked out my friend who blinked.

We had our all staff party for the year here and the venue and staff were great! Selection via the mobile app was huge and easy to use. My staff swore they wouldn’t sing karaōke, but I’ll tell you that after two or three people got up (and a few had two or three drinks) that everyone was up and singing. We literally had to drag people out 1 ½ hours after we were supposed to end our party because they were having so much fun that night. Thanks to Phillip and his staff for such a great night!

This place is so fun! Expensive but fun! I live near Atlanta and have gone to these types of kareoke bars. So much more fun in a private group than having to listen to strangers sing a bunch of old boring country songs. I will make a point to come back whenever I can while visiting KC. I came with a large group from work. This was perfect team building and we all had fun!!! Perfect night!

OffKey has so much potential, but there is a lot of execution that is bringing it down. After attending a private party last weekend, I’m torn on whether or not I want to return.
We arrived about 10 minutes before the party was scheduled to start, so we were waiting in the main area until our time. This area seems extremely small, and the bar was 2 – 3 deep as far as I could see so we avoided drinking beforehand.
After getting into our room about 15 minutes late (cleaning and negotiations between the guest of honor and management), we learned they were short-​staffed and we would not have the dedicated server originally promised. Because of this, we were offered discounted bottle service and a complimentary premium tequila (¹⁄₅^th size I believe). Of course, «make your own drinks» with a bunch of recent college grads means the bottle lasted about an hour. After this, our server was very in and out, so most people had to venture to the main bar.
As for the actual karaōke, the setup was great. There were multiple books with songs either by artist or by title for everyone to search. A remote provided quick inputs of a song. They also have a website with a ton more songs, and a simple access code entry (displayed on the monitors) means a simple click and your song instantly is added to the list. OffKey provided 4 microphones to float around the room for whoever wanted to sing. Here is my biggest complaint. These microphones were all outputting different audio levels, so being on the stage and singing still meant someone mumbling the song in the back could be the «lead vocalist». By the end of our 2 hours, 3 of the 4 microphones died and the only survivor was extremely quiet. Had we had our dedicated server, we might have been able to get these batteries replaced.
Overall, we had a good time. It would have been more enjoyable with a server there the whole time, and microphones that stayed on.

Had my birthday party here last night, and wanted to extend my thank you to the ENTIRE staff at OffKey! It was an amazing evening, and couldn’t have asked for anything better! Our servers, Rachel and Heather were AWESOME! Fast, accurate service and no guests of the party were left waiting, very impressive for a busy Friday night! This will be a night that I will not forget, thank you Off Key KC​for making my birthday one to put in the books! I will definitely be back with my friends, and will send people your way for their future special events! Cannot wait to go back! Five stars in every category!

Really great location. It’s in Westport so you can pop in to sing a song and then head down the road. Their song selection program is really neat, it allows you to choose songs from your phone, so no karaōke book needed! There are private rooms for parties so that you don’t have to embarrass yourself in front of strangers if you sing «off key».
I would recommend if you are tired of the club scene and p&l. Very low key… But always a good time!

This is probably one off the cheapest bars I’ve found in Westport. They have a decent selection of liquor. While they don’t have a large collection off beers, they do have a few decent ones on tap, and specials such as pbr for a dollar. Every time I’ve gone they’ve had live music, and all were good (something their name might not suggest). All in all, I’ve never had a bad experience here, and will gladly go back anytime.

On a Saturday night, Offkey KC seems to be a go-​to place for people. Who wouldn’t want to hear a variety of music, folks who sing well, folks who may be more of the «crowd pleaser», and just have fun? It’s a cool atmosphere and a neat idea. It has great potential with reasonable drink prices.
With that said, my complaints are about the system they use for how they pick songs. With a crowded room, there are all sorts of songs and people wanting to sing, so why let a person sing 4 out of the next 7 songs? The MC should spread that out. Repeat songs, too. I had to wait 2 hours for my 1 song (which happened to go well with the crowd); it looked like the MC was picking and choosing what songs get entered. Bartenders did seem to enjoy themselves and belted a few of their own, too.
I would still recommend checking out Offkey if you’re in the mood for karaōke (who wouldn’t be), but I’m going to go during the week to see how it compares.

Karaōke is the funnest activity we have access to in this short life. Having said that, nothing kills the buzz of a major ‘roke sesh with the homies faster than the same four fucking people singing every song. OffKey has the key to the kingdom of good times and great oldies, but it refuses to develop a more inclusive system for its patrons. Puff, puff, pass that mic OffKey staff. Quit bogarting the good shit, and get this party started.
Thankfully, the drinks are cheap

It’s oddly complicated to make reservations for the group rooms and I agree with others that, for the price, the sound could be much cleaner and the selection wider.
Pro tip: if you use the mobile option, there are more choices online than in the book, but still — for room rental at this price, I’d expect a larger selection.
Cocktails are super-​yum and the staff is sweet as pie.

I am nuts for karaōke. Off Key does it right, whether you book one of their private rooms or stop in randomly with a few friends.
I’ve not eaten here yet, so I can’t give it more than three stars fairly, but there are cheap drink specials and the staff participates in karaōke in the front room (though there are times I’m waiting for my turn and I wish they didn’t.)
My only other complaint is the size of the private rooms. Upwards of 8 or so people and the rooms get really crammed for space really quickly.
Off Key is a great addition to Westport. Give it a chance if karaōke is something you enjoy.

How can one not love this place!
Even if you are not a singer, this is a good time.
There is no stage, just take the microphone and sing where you feel comfortable. Mingle among the crown, hide at your table, wonder around the halls, it is all up to you and what makes you comfortable.
If the option of not having to be front and center on a stage doesn’t appeal to you, there are private rooms. For only $ 15 an hour you and your buddies can enjoy a private room and sing the night away without the anxiety of singing in front of that person who just killed it on Total Eclipse of the Heart while you kill Truly, Madly, Deeply and your tone deaf date swoons.
If you refuse to participate in singing, sober or not, this is still an awesome place to stop and have some drinks with friends. Great selection and awesome staff.

First, there isn’t enough liquor in all of Westport to get me drunk enough to sing Karaōke. However, Matt’s Big Kiss-​Off was a lot of fun just the same, and if you’re brave enough or talented enough to sing in public, this seems like a great place to do it. The sound system, including the microphone, is good, and they have a HUGE selection of songs. And if the customers aren’t holding up their end, the staff sings, and they’re good!
The drink menu has a definite Asian slant, including saki drinks and Japanese beer. I don’t remember the name of what I ordered, but it was sort of a margarita/​mojito hybrid that was refreshing and easy to drink. They don’t do food, but there are menus from Preservation Market next door (Local Pig food!) on the tables, and I think they deliver. Just please don’t sing with your mouth full!

Let me preface this by saying, I’m a total stereotype of my people. I love karaōke and OFF KEY is exactly what KC needed to fuel my love. I had rented out a room for my family on a Friday night. I wasn’t too sure how long to block out the room and ended up with on two hours. It was not enough. We ended up asking to stay an extra half hour because we were having such a great time. The girls were extra nice about everything. Our questions, our need to stay longer and our overall obnoxiousness (we weren’t really that bad, I was just with my sisters and we can go a little crazy).
After we were finished in our room, we hung out in the bar area. They have karaōke set up out there and it was just as fun. I really enjoyed the energy the MC had and kept up in the crowd.
The price to rent a room was pretty reasonable, for 10 people for two and a half hours it turned out to be about $ 100 or $ 10/​person. It was super fun and super worth it. They have bottle service in the rooms with $ 15/​bucket. Food is also served and provided by Preservation Market next door. I didn’t eat there, but I know Preservation Market is the bomb diggity.
OFF KEY has a large song selection, most of the songs that I wanted were available. They also have song books for Korean, Chinese, Thai and Vietnamese songs. OFF KEY knows who loves karaōke and that’s Asians. And for that, this Asian gives it a ginormous stamp of approval.

Really, $ 3 cover for a karaōke? It has a good screen distribution for those singing and the wireless microphones are a nice touch. The sound is not clean so you can not hear very well what people are singing, I would consider it as been worst then the average karaōke place. Drinks are in the acceptable range for Westport area, 3~5 wells and 8 for cocktails.
Botton line: it has everything to be a great place but it is missing something. (For this reason it deserves 3 stars)