Ding Dong Dang

I've only been to one other private room karaoke place -- Lincoln Karaoke. Which, after going to Ding Dong Dang, I definitely prefer (even though we used a groupon at DDD). Here's why my Ding Dong experience did not live up to my expectations:

-The staff was not very friendly or helpful. They didn't even offer an explanation of how to use the karaoke system until we asked. And we had to go back a couple times with follow-up questions since their explanations were not very clear or thorough.
-The remote control buttons were in Korean...Wouldn't have been an issue if the staff was more helpful!
-Only 2 microphones, and one remote. I was expecting more since we were in a larger room!
-Spotty song selection -- There were quite a few songs they didnt have.
-Even though there is a restaurant attached to it, we couldnt bring in drinks from the bar! It was BYOB only, which was not advertised anywhere...a sign outside would have helped! :/
-They gave us a two minute warning before our time was up, to the minute. Stingy! esp since they didnt have anyone waiting for the room.

Even with all the criticism, we still had a good time. But next time, I'll be ready to BMOB, ask lots of questions to figure out all the features of the karaoke system, and have a list of backup songs ready in case they don't have my faves! :)

Good food, byob so good value, also have nice karaoke. Very fun place.

I truly love the concept of karaoke bars where you can belt your heart out to your favorite songs in the privacy of just you and your closest friends. ((Look up noraebang on Wikipedia))  However, Ding Dong Dang just didn't deliver like I had hoped it would.

First off, this little noraebang is not the easiest to find. It's in a strip mall that doesn't face Golf Road. Not to mention, the name is written in Korean with the words "karaoke restaurant" underneath in much smaller letters.

After countless drives up and down Golf Road, we finally found Ding Dong Dang.  The actual sign "Ding Dong Dang" was inside which doesn't make sense. But, it was my friend's birthday and I was just wanted to celebrate and bring out my inner rock star. My previous experiences in a karaoke bar like this, were more than a good time to say the least, so I was hoping for the same. I guess things started off on the wrong foot with the birthday girl, since the previous reservation ran over and our reservation was pushed back 45 minutes. I suppose I question what the purpose of the reservation was for then.

Anyhow on to the nitty gritty - the good and the bad...

Good:
+ Variety of room sizes ((We had the largest, comfortably seating 15-20))
+ Average prices//packages available
+ There's a snack menu with both Korean and American dishes ((the wings and potstickers were decent))
+ Songs are available in multiple languages
+ Shades for privacy
+ Full bar
+ Comfy, plush couches/benches in the rooms

Bad:
- Weak song selection - unless you're all about pop music ((Britney Spears and the Back Street Boys gets old after a while...))
- Terrible videos playing in the background of the lyrics, most of which were depressing
- Disco ball and neon lights didn't work. We were told the bulbs "burned out". Ummm...why not replace them??
- The remote is somewhat confusing. Actually, a lot confusing.
- Difficult to find ((Please see above))
- Needs some serious remodeling. It was fairly decrepit
- The staff spoke little English, so be prepared
- Prices were inconsistent. A pitcher of Sujo for one person was 15 bucks. Thirty minutes later it somehow went up to 18...

I didn't stay until the end of the party ((which was 2am)) but apparently there was was some sort of mishap, and the staff attempted to charge the group an extra 90 bucks without any warning or notification that we went over the allotted time ((even though our party started late)). Kinda shady.

So, is it super exciting to have an awesome noraebang in the middle of the burbs? You're damn right it is. It's just too bad Ding Dang Dong isn't awesome.

I think I'll pass and head back to the city next time.