Sound Check Bar & Grill

I came for the live music (full schedule 5 – 6 nights a week) and was impressed. The place was nearly full on Sat. Staff was very professional. Service at the bar was fast and pleasant. Pricing reasonable in all respects (food, drinks, cover for select bands). Menu is broad. Other patrons were having a great time. Fun place. Highly recommend!

Fun place to see bands. I don’t know about the food though.

Service has always been pretty good. Theres a nice gal server always wears a stocking cap.
Ok, so being a vegetarian/​vegan, there are not alot of choices for food. They have the standard fried unhealthy fare, like french fries tater tots.
However!
They were VERY VERY kind enough to make me a very basic Portabella burger. It consisted of bun, (wish they had gluten free bread) portabella, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles. Had to ask for mayo. They have a happy hour so all burgers are $ 6. I sadly would not pay a normal price of $ 12 for this basic mushroom burger unless it was made a bit more interesting. But still very grateful they made me that burger as I was starving!
… I hope they can come up with a few healthy vegan veggie plates, or a special loaded veggie salad, something healthy and substantial for a meal… I don’t know, but I love listening to the open jams, but have a hard time only eating fried bar food.
But on the meat side, my bf likes all the burgers he has gotten there, so he’s always happy!
Thanks, love that lynnwood now has a music venue.

Like the live entertainment aspect; but the service is atrocious; still cant get a drink (or food) when live music is playing. People go to the other place across the car park, which is also busy; eat, drink, then go listen to music, only to return to the Pub after the show. I personally would like if all 3 establishments in that vicinity were bustling, as i rather enjoy the variety. The third place, has a brilliant but underused outside area, but the terrible service and food will be its undoing, but i digress. Also, the food on concert nights is dreadful, and nearly impossible to get (maybe my expectations are too lofty, they should consider utilizing some specials to relieve the pressure off the staff and reduce customer dissatisfaction in order to stay open, as i rather enjoy a live music venue within walking distance.

I like this place. We went on a slower night before their live entertainment started but it was our first time so we were asking the bartender a bunch of questions and she was super informative. We cannot wait to check out a burlesque show here!

Live music on most days, drinks are good, prices well i seen better at other places. i will be looking forward to stopping back in the near future.

OK, Friday night, my buddy and I are thinking about going someplace in Lynnwood for cocktails and a bite to eat. I have read up on this place and understand that it has been hit with hard times so I figure let’s check this place out… even if the food is just «alright», I figure that the area needs a good place to see live music.
So we arrive around 6:30… and upon entering we see this sign saying 7.00 cover. I’m thinking WTF? Three people at the door waiting to take my money and I ask is there really a cover? We came for food and drinks… and a cover? One of them says yes there is a cover but if you can leave by 8 I guess you can come in. And we were there for happy hour… I wasn’t really sure how to process that but we did come in. Unfortunately, they had no info on the band either. Not very helpful.
The drinks were good and the food was ok for bar food, and the palce was clean, but I would think that for a business that is struggling they’d be more accommodating and actually do more to get people in the door to spend money on drinks and food.
I will start following the place and hope a band I’m interested in will be booked, give them another shot and see where it goes from there.
PS, we were there during the bands sound check (if that is a problem for you bummer) and it seemed to have a pretty good sound system.

I will start my review by saying I had vowed to never to patronize this business. Originally, the business owners started Sound Check knowing they would only be able to sustain the business for a year, and then went to Gofundme to stay in business. I’m so against this idea, it bothers me so much. It’s not enough that your patrons pay for sub par overpriced food (more on that later) and drinks that you have to beg them for more money just to keep your business afloat?
So, a band I really enjoy was playing there so I reluctantly went. We arrived early so we could eat dinner. The food was horribly bland. I ordered a french dip sandwich. The au ju was so watery it didn’t even color the bread when dipped and had absolutely no flavor. I mean seriously guys… there is this break through in cooking. It’s called seasoning. I just drank beer so I can’t comment on the mixed drinks, but I can comment how fun it was waiting for over 30 minutes for a refill. I am giving the place two stars because they do something very cool and have one of the local music schools host a night in which their students get to play on stage… for most of these guys it’s there first gig.

Looks as Lynnwood is back as the city that rock’s from the 80’s. Saw Whiskey River (
) last night, Great service the sound in the place was loud and great. Looking forward to checking out other shows there.

Oh how we want to love this place. Great location 2 miles from our house. Live Music, huge dance floor… extremely poor service and business practices. I have been here at least 4 times, I keep thinking it will get better… One night, busy, Spasmatics playing. Server took our food order, after about 35 minutes my BF got his hamburger and I was asked «what did you order again». I finally got my hamburger and got regular fries instead of the sweet potato fries I ordered. Went in on a slow night– about 20 people at about 10:45 pm live music, paid cover, sat down at an open table and WAITED. No wait staff visible, After about 10 minutes we saw a female server in the kitchen area, hanging out. She came out and started wiping off tables. After another 5 minutes or one of approached her and she came over to take our order. It was then we were told the kitchen was closed and we could not order food. NO FOOD available, nothing. The manager of this business needs to be MORE present, and more creative. Popcorn, charcuterie plate, or keep the fryer going till close. Arent they in the business to make money? We had one drink and left. On other visits, staff hanging out in doorway to kitchen area, not bussing or taking drink orders. we were told by one staff member everyone was at another bar across the parking lot!
I have tickets to tomorrows Helle’s Belles Show… Love the Belles! I anticipate it will be a total
fart in a frying pan. Already talked to my besties. Anticipate we may never get a drink… So will go in, check it out and if as anticipated cross the parking lot to drink and then return when the Belles play… I keep hoping it will get better. Hopefully they surprise me tomorrow!

When my boyfriend and I moved into town in May, we kept talking about how we wanted to try this place.
We finally did, and… well… it definitely needs some tuning.
We walked in at approximately 520pm on a Saturday night, thinking it would be busy. Wrong. There were dozens of tables and maybe 10 patrons TOTAL. We seated ourselves (even though there wasn’t any indication stating we could or could not) and waited a few minutes before being acknowledged by a rather snarky waiter «Johnny» who took our order for drinks and 3 appetizers (cheese curds and jalapeño bottlecaps with sriracha aioli, chicken tenders with ranch and bbq dipping sauces, and chili cheese fries).
As we waited, we watched another 3 or 4 separate parties come in and either seat themselves OR be seated. We also noticed these folks get either drinks or food before we even received our drinks! It was a solid 10 minutes befor we were served our drinks (nothing more than a Coke and a Sprite) and another 35 – 40 minutes before we had our food set on our table.
My boyfriend looked at his chicken tenders and noticed that instead of the BBQ sauce he had requested, he was given some sort of honey mustard (he cannot stand mustard). The chicken strips tasted like they came out of Fred Meyer’s deli case, which is rather disappointing. I mean, other than the fact that they were delightfully crisp, where was the flavor?
The chili cheese fries, while the concept was nice, had practically saltiness to them, instead leaving almost a sweet aftertaste on the tongue. It was almost as if the cheese was from a can, the bacon was fake, the chili was some off brand, and the green onions were only there for color.
And the curds? Why was there a beer/​tempura batter on the curds??? Gah! And pairing a sriracha aioli with jalapenos??? What were they thinking? I know this is going to sound repetitive, but WHERE IS THE FLAVOR??? Cheese should have flavor, not be a glob of fat deep-​fried in fat.
We will NOT be visiting this establishment again, nor would we recommend it to anyone we know.

Met with a group of girlfriends at sound check on a thurs night.
Service– great service all around. We had our regular server plus another server coming to check on us.
Band– fun cover band of 50’s music. No cover charge
Food & drink– good prices. I had the veggie black bean burger and fries. It was ok. Typical bar food.
It was a fun atmosphere with a variety of ages. Everyone was casual and having a good time.
I would like to check out another band on a weekend night.

First time here. Not impressed. Took 20 minutes to get asked if we wanted another drink. After 30 minutes waitress comes back and says the printer doesn’t work in the kitchen. Thats why my buddy’s burger hasn’t came yet. Offers to give him 25 percent off his burger. Ehh.

My other reviews disappeared, weird? Were about other menu items we enjoyed. Sad cause this place is a diamond in the rough. The food is excellent! Coming from a hobby cook and pretty snobby about going out and paying for food I don’t like. Its a small menu, but perfected. As said the Reuben is delish, the shrimp porboy which seams like prawns are awesome, not your nasty frozen battered crap instead Cajun seasoned, grilled, six of them. If you want something non processed, unfrozen at a decent price you need to try them before they go… as Iam a some what regular, they need support, I went in there and sadly heard they were cutting down hours.
Waffle Fry’s are great, sweet potatoes fries, on special their meatball sub is the best I’ve had out. I had another sandwich-​had spinach in it. It was good but hard to eat/​messy.
Please try their food so I don’t lose a yummy addiction to go too. For bar food, its actually better than a ton of restaurants.
Every single time there, service was excellent, daytime there, the bartender was the best, she made my friends and I the best margarita I’ve ever had out. I hope they keep her on! Reading the bad reviews is irritating. So many people are ignorant, some give reviews about food they didn’t even try? Wth? No one is perfect. Give a review after going more than once.

Wow! Came in early evening for a snack and drink. Had a special — pomegranate mai tai… So delicious!
I asked if they have a basket of plain fries as I didn’t see any on the menu. The waitperson asked what kind of fries I wanted, and named off 5 different kinds!
Spoke with the owner for a few minutes and he’s a great guy. This is his first restaurant — keep up the great work! These guys host a variety of bands — and an upcoming charity event for Lynnwood high school.
Way to go!

We live just down the road so decided to try it! We had read some of the past reviews but wanted to see for ourselves!
We took the kids & got there around 7pm on a Friday night. There was a band slated to play that night but it was after we left so it was fine.
They aren’t super kid friendly (no kids menu & no kid friend cups/​drinks etc) but they have high chairs so that’s nice. We almost didn’t go in since we had the kids & were afraid it was actually a bar & wouldn’t allow the kids.
My husband ordered an IPA & I ordered a greyhound. The greyhound was excellent even tho I only got it with the well vodka.
My hubby ordered the B.L.T.A. burger. I ordered the Hawaiian burger. We ordered a big kid Mac & Cheese for our girls (minus the spinach).
It was all delicious! I have to say I preferred my burger over my husbands! It had great flavor & a kick to it! I had it with the sweet potato fries, which were also yummy. All in all it was excellent elevated pub fare! I was pleasantly surprised!
As far as the service goes: it was prompt & the server was polite. I did feel like he had a wee bit of an attitude but I like to give people the benefit of the doubt. I know when servers are expecting a large crowd they can get overwhelmed & maybe that’s what happened.
HOWEVER, I do want to give a special S/​O to JOSH! He wasn’t our server but he was certainly the most friendly person in the joint! He brought us our food & asked if we needed anything, my hubby like tarter sauce with his fries so he said he’d get us some. We waited a bit for it & he came back to check to make sure we had it. When we said we didn’t he walked back to the kitchen to get it for us & brought it out right away. With a smile. I can’t tell you how important smiles are to me! I have 2 small children & I know what a pain we can all be! When I take the time to smile at you & try to chat you up (hoping you’ll hate us a little less!) & give you a significant tip, the least you can do is relax, smile & try to act like it’s not such a huge burden that we were stuck in your section! Sorry that little rant was for our actual server. NOT JOSH. =)
I really don’t feel like we ask for a lot or are over demanding but if you aren’t used to small kids it can be nerve racking serving them! I totally get it! I’m just sayin a smile goes a long way with me is all…
In conclusion, we will definitely be back! Probably on a night there wouldn’t be live music though! The place is really cool & they have good food & booze so that’s good enough for us!

My husband called 2 days ago to ask if we needed tickets or reservations for tonight and he was told no. We got here plenty early tonight and there were several tables open but every place we attempted to try and sit we were told they have more people coming.
I’m 8 months pregnant. I just wanted to sit. I will never set foot in this establishment again 1. Because customers don’t get the correct info when they call about events and 2. Not one staff member or patron assisted in finding a very pregnant woman somewhere to sit. DISGRACEFUL

EDIT: Removing my 5 star review… I was fooled after all… :(
We’ve tried to come back here multiple times but the cover starts too early, ends too late & is WAY TO MUCH. We tried to come the other day with a group of 10 — the cover was $ 15 and it was after midnight. People leaving the bar told us the show had 5 minutes left & to not pay.
When I have been back during the day, the service has gone way down & so has food quality.:(
Still happy to have this place in Lynnwood but not sure if they got cocky or too big or what…
— — — — –
Alright — I am a FAN!
I’ve been here a few times before writing this review because I keep waiting to find «the catch.» This place gets PACKED with some awesome live music on the weekends. There is a pool table & a few dart machines. The layout is swapped from the old Celtic Bayou (stage where their old game section was).
$ 5 cover starts REALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLY early. Starts at 7ish but music doesn’t start till 10ish. However, usually standing room only by 9. The crowd is a little older but the 20-​somethings kinda flow in a little later in the night.
Food is pretty good. Standard burgers, sandwiches, etc. Boyfriend is a competitive BBQ cook and he was pretty happy with his French dip — esp. the house smoked cheese. As a vegetarian, I was really happy with the stuffed portabella caps + some of the best coleslaw I’ve ever had. They also have a veggie burger, veggie pasta and salads. Food prices were pretty solid ($ 8-​$ 11 if I recall). Also looks like they offer breakfast over the weekends. Will have to try their benedict.
Drinks are stiff. Beer selection is OK.
They recently offered a Groupon & also a deal in one of the Lynnwood flyers.
SO thrilled this place is in Lynnwood.

I was so excited when I saw Sound Check opening. I couldn’t wait to try it.
So hubs and I were trying to figure out what to eat last night and I remembered SOUND CHECK IS OPEN!!!
We arrive at about 5:50, are greeted when we walk in and are told to sit anywhere. We choose a table in the middle. Check the menu. Everything looks so good! We were both pretty hungry though. The one thing I found disappointing was there wasn’t much of a drink menu, just a small stand menu with about 4 happy hour special drinks noted. Within about 5 minutes we had decided on drinks, appetizers, and entrees.
There were three servers just standing around to the right of the bar, chatting next to a wall. Once we saw one of them go over to a couple tables that had people eating to see if they needed refills or whatnot. That was the only time we saw a server actually doing their job,
Finally, at 6:12 we left. We were hungry and in 22 minutes we should have at the very least put in our order, if not had our drinks and appetizers. I’m so disappointed. I was really looking forward to the Sound Check being good, I liked the concept so much.

We heard about this bar opening in the old Hooters location and thought it was worth checking out. We looked them up here on Unilocal and also the internet to see what we could find out. We live in the Ravenna area but are always on the hunt for good grub and live music. Lynnwood isn’t that far. My husband is a contractor and was curious to see how the bar came together. We had been there when it was Hooters so he wanted to see the changes. The photos on Facebook made it look like an entirely new place.
Now, I must say this. I’m an engineer and my husband is in construction, like I mentioned. We both pay very close attention to details. It seems that some of the other reviews on here are posted by FRIENDS of the bar owners. Their names are visible all over social media. We understand the interest in supporting your friends but its against the rules and not cool for those that are seeking to hear about an honest experience. Not a tainted version of an «experience». Is the owner up to this? Who knows. But, it doesn’t show well for us. Although the fake reviews were a flag for us, we still thought it was worth a shot. We can come to our own conclusion. So, we went to Sound Check last night.
The place was busy. There was a cover band playing and we thought they were pretty good. Didn’t know them from before, but would hear them again. We had a drink (or two). I will say the cocktail I had was good. His beer was what you would expect. The food was pretty typical, but fine. Will we return? Not sure.
If you want live music and to avoid the obnoxious downtown Seattle scene. Go check it out. If you eat, you’ll be full. If you’re thirsty, you’ll find something to drink. It’ll be your opinion after that. Obviously you cant put too much into what you’ll read here.
EXCEPT for this one.
Now we see how much REAL reviews can help everyone make an educated decision on whether or not to give a new place a shot. I guess we have reviews to catch up on and we promise to always be HONEST.
Happy pub hunting.