Cruzers Seamans Club

Cruzers is a total dive... And I love it.  Karaoke is a blast and one of the bouncers has an incredible voice.  Only serves wine and beer, no mixed drinks.

Karaoke.  Feared by some, loathed by many, and embraced by others. Others like me. Like most of my friends. And of course, all Filipinos.

There is an unwritten Filipino law that you or your family has to own a large rice dispenser, a piano, a large wooden spoon and fork sculpture thing that you hang on the wall, and a Karaoke machine.  These are things that all good Filipinos grow up with.  But again I digress.

The food here is good- pancit, lumpia, chicken adobo.  You can only get beer and wine here.  The beer is cheap though, and they offer everything from PBR to San Miguel.

But really, you should come for the Karaoke.

Bring a group of people when you go here.  Come during the week.  On a good night you and your group can take over the microphone and sing whatever the hell you want.  After many years of waiting, they have finally updated thier database and have more songs to choose from.  And you don't have to watch strange vacation footage in the background of the TV screen while you're singing.

If you haven't been to a karaoke bar before, there is usually a "KJ" who hosts the evening and calls people to the mic when it's their time to sing.  Not here.  You sign up for a song, they load it for you, and you better be ready to sing it when it's your turn.  It can be a little chaotic, and lots of fun.

Very laid back, unpretentious, and inexpensive.

"You have to bring Lani to the Filipino Karaoke Bar!"  exclaimed many Virginians within the past year or so.

So I made it out there and well...let's just say, my family's living room could probably host a higher quality karaoke event.  The song books were extremely disorganized and dated.  The TV was broken so it looked like it was 3-D sans glasses.  

The bartender was really nice and helpful although it is not really "hosted".  You sign up and then your song plays and if you aren't paying attention it'll start without you and you have to run around the bar looking for the wireless mic.

Plus side, they served San Miguel and Red Horse.