The Sound Table

Boring. The venue looks nice but it had a dull atmosphere for New Year’s Eve. No one was really dancing. I gave it one more star because the bartender was very attentive.

You can find Sound Table in Old Fourth Ward across from The Church, right at the intersection of Edgewood Ave and and Boulevard. The building is on the South-​side of the intersection, painted black with a large mural of yellow-​goggle-​wearing kids on the side. Parking is mostly paid-​street or you can use one of the many paid lots but may need to walk a bit.
The Sound Table is across the street from the eclectic Church (bar) which we deferred in favor or food — this was during the week so there were only a couple of tables, mostly of people drinking. We were there early enough that there wasn’t anyone on stage (not sure if they schedule entertainment during the week as it is).
The interior is long and dark with a well-​stocked bar along the back edge — there’s additional seating upstairs. The interior is warm and inviting with great wood finishes and concrete, a bit eclectic-​modernist. There’s a short platform as a stage across from the bar and seating that stretches from the stage out towards the front window — I’d rate the place above casual and almost fine-​dining (not that this is the expectation — I believe Sound Table is more known for the music, attitude and bar than the food).
It took a few minutes for our server to come by, but once things got started the service was quite good. This night’s rotating tap featured the very excellent Creature Comforts Tropicália — if you haven’t tried this local Athens brew, trust me in saying it’s one of the best things to recently peek its head out of Athens. As many of you know, I tend to stay away from anything sour, citrusy or with added fake-​tasting flavors. This delicious American IPA has gorgeous color and an out-​of-​this world fruity-​hoppy aroma. You’ll get all kinds of crazy flavor hints: mango, orange, passion fruit — stuff I typically can’t stand in beer but this all works together to produce something amazing. On draft this night so extra special and probably not pasteurized — make sure you try if if you ever see it on draft!
We were presented with two paper menus — one narrow two-​sided menu with food (which seems to rotate seasonally) and a wider menu with drink specials. We started on some apps then went for entrees:
Smoked Wings — these, in a word: fantastic! Smokey dry-​rubbed wings with a delicious smoked chipotle aioli — I could have eaten several pounds of these and was left wishing we had a double-​order.
Shrimp Chorizo Tacos — Three soft-​corn tortillas with grilled shrimp, chipotle aioli, cilantro slaw and salsa. I liked these the least, but because they were bad, but because the other items we ordered were so good! These could have had a bit more kick, perhaps with a jalapeño coleslaw.
Lamb Burger with Fries — the burger was juicy and the clever Mediterranean toppins — cucumber, tomato, chevre, arugula and tzatziki sauce, perfection.
Brick Chicken with Steamed Broccoli — all I have to say is that whomever is doing the cooking at Sound Table understands fried chicken.
Service was very good once it got started — the food was slow to hit the table but very well worth it in the end. In all I think the food here is very good and worth sampling — this is truly a hidden gem when it comes to Old Fourth Ward. I want to try it on a busy night to see how things work and if I’m lucky, they’ll have more of that Tropicália on tap (wishful thinking!).
(longer review on my food blog)

Note: This review is for the Ramen Freak pop-​up event (5÷11÷15), by Mihoko Obunai, joined by Jey Oh of Craft Izakaya.
I know, I know… for those of you who know my wife and I… we are TOTALLY NOT hipster enough to be some place like this. But «If you make ramen, we will come». Always. We don’t care.
Miso corn with butter ramen– dark looking broth — I think I had this at the Ramenfest held at Makan last fall. It’s pretty good, but not mind-​blowing IMO.
Manila clam red curry, microbasil, ground pork– Aside from the fact that one of the chefs forgot to buy clams… this was probably my favorite one of the night.
Mazeman (cold ramen with a savory sesame (?) based sauce) — Surprisingly good although it’s definitely not the traditional type of ramen people think of– it’s almost like a salad with a lot of noodles.
I know. We don’t belong here. I’m leaving…

Loooove Sound Table. Everything about this place screams cool… the music, food, crowd, ambiance is just awesome. The mussels, tuna takaki, and steak are my go to, but I have never had anything on the menu that wasn’t cooked to perfection. The bass in the music adds to the whole experience.

Definitely a place to go for drinks more than dinner. This place is great if you want to kick it, vibe out to some chill electronic music and have really tasty cocktails!

The drinks were good the food was bad. The ramen tasted like it had lighter fluid in it.

I was disappointed with their ramen. I heard there was a ramen pop-​up (called Ramen Freak on Monday nights), and was hoping for something the same calibre as the now discontinued Gato Arigato, but alas. The broth was not that flavorful, the pork was overcooked, and the serving size was bizarre. There wasn’t even enough broth to cover all the noodles. We had a side of lotus chips that were overcooked. There aren’t many places to get good ramen in Atlanta, but it seems that the trek to Buford Hwy is the only option.

Great drinks. Great wings. Horrible mussels. Decent wait service. Bad bar service. The head bartender had zero customer service. A little attitude. Rolled his eyes a lot. Who does that in the service industry? A homeless man came in and hit on us at the bar. Very uncomfortable. If it wasn’t for the drinks and great whiskey selection, I’d never go back.

Revenge is a dish best served cold, but not Ramen.
Worst Ramen I have ever had. A 25 cent pack of noodles from the supermarket is better.
Seven of us had varying combinations of the flavorless Fried Tori Shio Ramen and well… you read the above statements.
The appetizers were very good. Sadly they were out of the Salmon Avocado but I won’t be returning to find out how good it could be.

My most recent trip to Sound Table was for Vegan Wednesday. The service was terribad, the food was fine, but I would overall recommend against it.
We went for a few reasons. One is that my boyfriend was going to be out of town for Valentine’s Day, so this was our date night. He was also a big fan of Dynamic Dish when it was around and, as a vegetarian, it’s nice to go to places where he can eat everything on the menu every now and then. It looked good to me too, so we made reservations for 7:30.
Apparently Sound Table does take reservations, but they don’t honor them. When we arrived, the hostess was absent, and when she did show up, she told us it would be just a few minutes for some tables to finish up, despite the fact that there were clearly several empty tables. Nearly a half hour later, she had neither seated us nor spoken to us, but had managed to seat 5 tables in front of us (including pushing several tables together for a large group who did not have reservations, from what I overheard). Suffice to say she did not have the disposition for a job involving customer service. I was getting pretty hungry and annoyed, but consoled myself with the prospect of guacamole.
We finally sat at one of the freebie tables around the bar. They had just run out of guacamole (if we had been seated on time, we probably would have gotten the guacamole, which would have made my night), so we got pretty much one of each of the other entrees to share. It was pretty tasty. Our server was a little scattered, but he was fine, and the cocktails were as good as they’ve been on previous visits. In the end, we went to Ammazza to split a pizza because sharing some mashed up lentils and the like are not very filling, in the end.
I am pretty comfortable with the idea of never going there again, and have rescinded my excitement about the concept of Vegan Wednesday.

In a nut shell: Cool ambiance. Very minimalistic décor (we sat at the bar and the chairs were slightly uncomfortable). Don’t expect to be coddled– the staff isn’t that attentive. As for drinks, I ordered the one that begins w/​Mary and it was AWESOME… and fortunately the awesomeness continued on to the cauliflower &Brussels and besides my shrimp and grits being a bit on the cold side, they were still pretty darn good. If I were in the area again and all the bars were slammed and my only choice was here, I’d return. I’ve been to a couple DOPE a** parties here but the restaurant experience… NAH.

I am noticing this place is becoming more popular because of it’s food vs the music. Maybe it is a combination of both. I have been to Sound Table a handful of times. I remember trying the chicken wings and some wine, both of which were good, but I came to dance. On the floor, I notice several groups of people sitting at the bar and in the small dining area enjoying the food, so I take it to be pretty good. Plus they have a recent (today) write up in the AJC about being 1 of the 8 Hottest restaurants in Atlanta right now. I don’t even classify Sound Table as a restaurant rather a music venue that serves food. Whatever.
The music is good. The DJ on Friday and Saturdays are solid. I forget the exact night but one of those is a eclectic vibe of trip hop, 80’s, electronic, funk and rock all wrapped up on one. Good vibes to dance to with friends or by yourself. The floor gets crowded but if you dance wildly enough people will make room for you.
Location
This is a good bar crawl area. You can hit up Sound Table, Church, Mother and more. Edgewood Atlanta is where it’s at y’all.

My husband and I are vegans who live near the Sound Table, but have never gone. When I found out about their Wednesday vegan menu for February I was really excited to finally get to try it out. We rarely go out because getting a great vegan meal can be tough, so it was also our first date night in long time.
We arrived a few minutes after 7 pm, and the restaurant was half empty with plenty of small, two-​person tables open. The hostess wouldn’t seat us because she had a number of reservations for 7 and wanted to wait a few minutes to see if they’d turn up. No big deal, we waited. No one else arrived. At 7:15 she approached and told me that she would seat us, but only if we agreed to order right away and let her flip the table. Shocked, I asked her clarify because I couldn’t believe a hostess would say that to a guest. She repeated that she would only seat us if we agreed to order immediately and give her the table back as quickly as possible.
I’ve never been treated so rudely at any restaurant in my life. We let her know that we’d go somewhere else. We had a vegan pizza at Ammazza a couple blocks away, and don’t plan to ever return to Sound Table. If I wanted to be treated like a second-​class citizen, I’ll go a BBQ place and demand an all-​vegan tasting menu.

Drinks = 5. Amazing
Ambience = 4. Not the best decorated and dining set up is a tad weird.
Food = 5. Smoked wings were very yummy
Music = 2. Very lyric less and electronic like.
Second night in a row. I came for the drinks.

Awful! Paid in advance $ 48 included meal and drink. Sparkling wine so cheap have me an instant headache. Food cold poor quality. Just not fair. Awful.

Monday. Ramen Freak. Go.
From 5 til they run out. Chefs Mihoko Obunai and Hector Santiago teams up with Sound Table to offer the best ramen in the city. I was hungry enough to eat two bowls.
Tori Shio Ramen
Chicken Broth, seared pork belly, smoked corn, pickled ginger, with scallion. The pork belly was so tender and juicy it practically melts in your mouth and the fresh smoky flavor of the corn supplements this dish to perfection.
Veggie Miso Tanmen
Miso mushroom broth, wild mushrooms, sprouts, smoked corn, scallion, and pickled ginger. The mushroom broth is delicious and refreshing. Perfect for any vegetarian or if you crave pork product like I do you can always add PSM bacon to your bowl.
While waiting for your order start with some appetizers such as edamame, sunomono, tako butsu, kimchi, or onigiri.
But it’s not just the food here that stands out. Craft cocktails refresh your pallet and get you in the mood for this izakaya style experience. The two on deck for the night I went were:
The Yakuza
Overholt rye, yuzu, pomegranate, orange bitters
And my favorite
Triad 135
Gin, schezuan pepper, raspberry syrup, soju, lemon
Sound Table also offers an array of sake and Japanese craft beers and Japanese whiskey.
The menu changes weekly and this is a limited time event. Make the most of it while you still can!

I was less than impressed with the speed of service and food quality at this Edgewood joint.
I came on a Saturday night with a large group of about twelve people for a birthday dinner.
The dimly lit restaurant had a hip, modern vibe with a DJ booth by the back wall, directly across from the bar. A prime setup for late night cocktails and dancing. There were only a few tables for dining. We had a long table to accommodate our large party, and there were two or three other smaller tables to seat parties of three or four people.
Our server was extremely sweet — he answered our questions about portions sizes, and offered suggestions based on his favorite dishes. He clued us in on the small portion sizes which was helpful. Many of the plates (aside from the burgers) are tapas sized. Drink orders took a bit long to be delivered to the table, but that was pretty expected given the size of our party.
While waiting for our meals, we experienced one of those awkward «set the mood» moments when the lights went a little bit dimmer, and the room got a little bit darker, and we all paused mid conversation to look around in confusion. Not a big deal, but just a funny little transition.
The girl next to me and I were the first ones to place our orders, yet the last ones to receive our food. And I don’t mean just a minute or two later than everyone else. I’m talking a good ten to twelve minutes later. We didn’t order anything fancy or special — an arugula salad and hangar steak for her, an octopus & kimchi with a side of steamed veggies for me.
When our food finally arrived (and most of the party was wrapping up), I was pretty elated to have a plate in front of me. But my excitement was pretty short-​lived. The octopus was just so-​so. It was tender, but did not have much flavor to it. There was only one tentacle (which our server had warned me), so it was not especially filling. The steamed veggies (green beans) were decent, but a little buttery for my taste.
I thought that the atmosphere and setting were more conducive to a night out for drinks rather than a sit down dinner for a mediocre meal of small portioned, semi-​pricey plates. I would be interested to come back and check out the music, drinks, and dancing at a later hour, but can’t say I’ll be returning for a sit-​down meal any time soon.

This review is based on the venue only.
I have been to The Sounds Table for a surprise birthday party and had some tapas but, honestly, could not tell you what and how they were in great detail.
I love this space for music events. I follow Eargasms and they put on monthly (at least) music events here. The last two I went to were Music from the 80s (how could you pass that up?) and one featuring DJ Scratch. If you are a 90s hip hop fan, you should know that is the DJ from EPMD.
There is a second space with a separate entrance next to the main part of The Sound Table (Space 2, as they call it). It is usually used for special music events/​concerts. The space is small and intimate so if you are going to anything there, get there early. It was the «let’s continue this party» space used for the A3C Hip Hop Block party last year. Side note: if you missed that, you should go cry yourself to sleep. Do NOT miss it for 2014. FREE event with various well-​known DJs playing music all day. Everyone from? uestlove to DJ Premier to Scratch.
The block party got rained out in the last hour and they moved it to Space 2 at the Sound Table for 3 more hours of non-​stop fun. All 90s music nerds eargasmed for sure.
The main Sound Table Space is also pretty small and intimate but makes for some fun dancing and people watching. Great, mixed crowd that gets lively on Friday evenings. The bar has a decent mix of options, including a few stellar wine picks.
See you there!

The Sound Table is a cool little restaurant in Edgewood. They have amazing cocktails and delicious food. My last visit was for NYE and they had a couple of special menu items as well as NYE cocktails. I tried all 3 and they were great. The normal menu changes frequently but luckily my fav, the brussel sprouts, have stayed around for a while. They are some of the best in the city. I also really enjoy their arugula salad. They offer several vegetarian sides but they do not have a veggie «main» like their sister restaurant, Top Flr. This is my only complaint about Sound Table. They should offer more substantial dishes for vegetarians and vegans.
The atmosphere here is usually pretty cool. I have been on nights when there were no open tables and I have been on nights when it felt like we had the place to ourselves. The service has always been on point, too.
Sound Table hosts special events with DJs and other musical delights. I haven’t checked any of these out, but I plan to in the future. I did attend their NYE party and I wasn’t impressed. The place was packed but there was a $ 10 advance purchase price, or a $ 15 cover at the door and it wasn’t really worth it. We were there for about 45 min to toast in the new year and then we moved on in search of more dance worthy music.

I am currently sitting at this place as I write this review. That should automatically give you some insight as to what I’m about to say.
It was $ 10 to get in, which I normally wouldn’t mind. But I was across the street at a bar called ‘church’ and it was free to get in (and that bar was way livelier). But anyway, I asked the bartender (who was very rude by the way, and also wearing an ugly Christmas sweater) if they had fireball. He said they don’t have anything flavored. This means nothing you get will taste good. They have the basic boring drinks. I ended up ordering a vodka pineapple, which I was surprised they even had pineapple juice.
Oh and the music SUCKED. If you want to feel like you’re stuck in a broken elevator with louder than usual music, then this is the place for you. Otherwise, I would stay far away.
Boring drinks+elevator music= get me out of here!!!