The last Zhongshan KTV guide walked the district by street: Linsen North, Jinzhou, Songjiang, Fuxing North. This one swaps the ruler.
By songbook.
Whether tonight is Mandarin hits, Japanese and Korean, or passing a mic with strangers over old songs decides three entirely different kinds of shop. Eleven regular KTVs on file, cut three ways. The list is at Zhongshan KTV; hostess-style venues are outside this piece.
Type one: Mandarin chains, worth it with a crowd
Four.
- Songjiang Rd 199, 錢櫃 台北松江店, 4.1 stars, 5,940 reviews, the most-reviewed in Zhongshan.
- Linsen North Rd 312, 錢櫃 台北林森店, 4.1 stars, over 5,600 reviews.
- Sec. 2 of Nanjing East Rd 3, 錢櫃 南京店, 4 stars, over 1,890 reviews.
- Jinzhou St 19, 好樂迪KTV 錦州店, 4.1 stars, over 1,570 reviews.
Ratings all hover at 4.1, so do not pick by stars. Pick by location. Songjiang is about eight minutes on foot from Xingtian Temple Station (Songjiang Rd 316), Linsen sits at the north end of the Jotong alleys, Nanjing is near MRT Zhongshan Station (Nanjing West Rd 16).
The value here is big rooms, food and staff. Under six people on a weekday afternoon runs under NT$300 a head; after eight on Friday and Saturday it is NT$500 to 800 a head, posted prices rule. Three or fewer people here is wasted money; read on.
Type two: Japanese-Korean songbooks, small rooms, deep catalog
Sec. 1 of Fuxing South Rd 36-9, 13F, 艾莉森 elysion 日韓KTV, 4.8 stars, 890 reviews. Sec. 3 of Zhongshan North Rd 53-4, 2F, Donz 日韓文KTV, 4.8 stars, 95 reviews.
What they share: Japanese and Korean catalogs far deeper than the chains, small rooms, best for two to four. Elysion is on the 13th floor and needs a weekend booking; Donz is small enough to list only a mobile number, 0919 210 093, so call before you go.
Fuxing North Rd 344, 新韓館 - 韓式料理, is filed under KTV with 810-plus reviews and 4.1 stars, but is really a Korean restaurant with singing attached, right for an eat-then-sing party.
If you have ever flipped through a Cashbox songbook hunting for Japanese, this section is for you.
Type three: old-school karaoke, one to three people
Jinzhou St 50 B1, 浪漫屋視聽歌唱城, 4.1 stars, over 370 reviews. Lane 19 of Shuangcheng St 18, 千曲卡拉OK, 4 stars, over 150 reviews. Lane 121 of Sec. 1 of Zhongshan North Rd 8-1, 心晴歡唱俱樂部, 4.2 stars, sixty-odd reviews; the four questions to ask before going are in the Xinqing Singing Club guide.
Lane 119 of Linsen North Rd 63 B1 also has 皇后-志明歌友聯歡會卡拉OK複合式餐飲, 4 stars, 159 reviews, a long name for a singing-club scene.
These bill by drink minimum, one person can go, sing two songs and leave, nobody minds. The catch is equally plain: the mic rotates, so anyone wanting ten songs in a row should skip it.
One table, three questions
| Who you are | Which type | When |
|---|---|---|
| Six or more, food and a room | Mandarin chain | Weekday afternoons loosest; book ahead after eight Fri-Sat |
| Two to four, Japanese-Korean | Elysion or Donz | Book weekends; call Donz first |
| One to three, pass the mic | Jinzhou St or Shuangcheng St | Crowd arrives after ten |
Getting out
Last MRT around midnight. Taxis are easy late on Songjiang Rd and Linsen North Rd.
Anyone who drank leaves the car and calls a designated driver. To keep going after singing, Jotong advanced maps the Linsen North Rd route; for citywide room prices, see the Taipei KTV price guide.