Gulfshore Life - Karaoke at Bambusa

​Show tunes, serious ballads and sing-a-long songs are the name of the game at this hip restaurant and bar just blocks away from downtown Naples. With two karaoke nights—Mondays at 7 and Fridays at 8:30—you can find the crowd that best suits your style.

“Tommy T runs our Monday karaoke,” says Mel Biondi, co-owner of Bambusa Bar & Grill. “Tommy has a following of regulars who like his style. Friday night with Papa Tony is more of a mixed crowd with younger people.”
The stage at Bambusa is small with a wired mic, so you can’t move much, but it’s smack in the middle front of the floor plan so everyone inside can see you. Plus, the sound system is terrific, and Papa Tony does a great job at making singers—even rookies—feel at ease.

“The whole place has a comfortable feel to it,” Biondi says. “It’s a good vibe.”
Expect a lot of soulful ballads early in the evening when singers really want to show off their chops. Crowd-pleasers like Billy Joel’s Piano Man and earworms like Under the Bridge by the Red Hot Chili Peppers come a little later after the drinks have been flowing.
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Tip: Come for the singing but stay for the food. Bambusa is the only restaurant in town to offer the Tortellacci, a house-made pasta that looks like a large tortellini stuffed with a blend of spinach and cheese and delicately topped with a tomato cream sauce.
Details: 600 Goodlette-Frank Road, Naples; 239-649-5657; bambusaonline.com