A style of entertainment popular in Japan that also has a proven track record in the United States is coming to K Street by October: karaoke – but not the karaoke you’d expect at most bars.

Oishii Sushi Bar and Grill, located at 1000 K St., will be a sushi restaurant with 15 private karaoke rooms.

The rooms range in size, with small rooms able to hold six or eight people and larger rooms holding as many as 40.

“It’s a family and friends concept,” owner Joe Zheng said. “They can go and reserve a private room and do karaoke for a birthday or a friends’ get-together type thing.”

Located above the Cosmopolitan Cabaret, Oishii can be accessed via an elevator from K Street. Upon entering, people see the dining room of the restaurant, with tables along the K Street wall, where the Crest Theatre can be seen through the windows.

Private karaoke rooms line the left wall, and a hallway toward the back branches off to more private rooms.

Sushi rolls at lunchtime will range from $7 - $11, and dinner prices will be about a dollar more. Smaller rolls in the $4 - $5 range will also be offered, and cooked items such as teriyaki dishes and a mongolian barbecue are available.

“In this economy, that’s the kind of thing people need,” Zheng said. “We did a price comparison, and we’re charging about what the fast-food takeout is, but we’re providing the quality of high-end stuff that’s twice the cost.”

This will be the third restaurant/karaoke room setup for Zheng, who said he has one in San Francisco and another in New York.

Karaoke will be available from the afternoon until late night, possibly as late as 3 a.m. on weekends, he said. During lunchtime, people can reserve the rooms for free for private dining or office meetings, and the flatscreen TVs can be hooked up to computers for presentations.

Once the karaoke starts around 3 or 4 p.m., room rentals will start at about $25 or $35 per hour.

Lisa Martinez, spokeswoman for the Downtown Sacramento Partnership, said she thinks the restaurant will give downtown workers another option for lunch as well as good entertainment in the evening.

“We are really excited to hear that we have a new business coming to K Street,” she said. “I think their business will complement some of the successful businesses that are already flourishing in that area.”

She added that it’s good to see family fun enter the mix.

“It’s exciting to hear that they are looking to bring a range of audiences from adults to families, and that there will be more family entertainment on K Street,” she said.

Oishii Sushi Bar and Grill will open for lunch at 11 a.m. and stop serving around 3:30 p.m. Dinner service will start around 5 p.m. and continue through 11 p.m. on weekdays, but likely continue until 3 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

People renting the karaoke rooms can have food served in them, and bottle service from the full bar will be available.

“The best part about our bottle service is you don’t have to finish it,” Zheng said. “We can store it for you, so if you want to come back later because you didn’t want to drink it all, we will have it for you.”

You might not have time to check the site every day, but you can still keep up with our coverage with our weekly newsletter. The “News Digest” goes out every Tuesday morning and highlights our best stories, photos and videos from the week prior. Sign me up.