Rimrock Steakhouse

Straight up ICK. Went in for breakfast, the place smells. Bad. The server yelled at us for grabbing menus at the «please seat yourself» sign. We were the only people in there and it took forever for the cook to actually start cooking our food. I have no idea what he was doing instead but he sure wasn’t at the grill. I hope he washed his hands first.
My steak was as tough as shoe leather, my eggs had burned some from sticking to the grill and the yolks were not to order.
So I tried going back for drinks another time, figuring they couldn’t screw that up… Guess what? This is, as far as I know, the only place in Seattle that lets people smoke indoors these days.

Not for the timid.
If you trend toward new age urban commando, hipster, or some kind of slumming indie scenester. This place will probably get those Urban Outfitters panties into a right uncomfy little bunch. Probably best just to pass it up altogether.
But if you carry a touch of the gamblers spirit, and can keep your ego in check, The Rimrock is a real treat. A genuine slice of Americana. the working class dive. In other words. It Rocks. Unfortunately gems like The Rimrock are swiftly disappearing. Try it while you can if your game.
Breakfasts are amazing. The food is incredible, the service fantastic. Try the Chicken fried Steak. you will thank me later.

Rimrock was a blast: good food, great music (Davonos!), strong drinks, sweet staff, wonderful, relaxed bar scene — and a pretty darn entertaining musician. My only issue is that next time I’ll bring my own steak knives!
It’s no surprise that the only folks who didn’t like this place thought they were going to Metropolitan Grill. It’s a dive people!

Holy crap do they pour a strong drink. Im in love !!!

The prime rib is ALMOST as good as Daniels Broiler and it’s ¹⁄₁₀ the cost for a family dinner. It has limited hours for kids in the dinning room, so that sucks. They make up for it though by having a magician, who’s actually really good, come around and give a show to the patrons. I like this place a lot. The wife and my two kids split the 12oz. meal and it’s like $ 20 plus they have a full bar.

The Rimrock and «Stirrup Lounge» is an acquired taste and not for the faint of heart. In this 70s Western/​Cowboy bar you can get unusual smells and sights — not just from the place but from the patrons as well. The drinks are stiff. Specialty liquors are priced average, but the wells are dirt cheap. I love that they have a commitment to musicians and book bands 4 – 5 nights a week (be aware, it does get loud).
Expect anything to happen. On an uneventful night my friends and I enjoy throwing back a few and having jukebox wars (online machine — that can pull just about any song off the internet) and getting our groove on underneath the disco ball/​wagon wheel. Or I do enjoy listening to a story from one of the regulars.
On an eventful night — well, you’ll have to see for yourself. Avoid full moons.

What can i say? Food is good. Steaks and prime rib are all very good at a genuinely surprising low price. 10 – 12 oz Filet under $ 30. It’d be $ 60+ downtown. First went here just under a year ago and it quickly grew into a habit, and anyone I’ve taken there agrees.
I’ve never been disappointed with the food — and I’m almost always into the Filet or the T-​bone. The Rimrock is straight out of the 50’s or 60’s, and up until 2 or 3 years ago was one of the «hold-​out’ places that still let their customers smoke in the bar. No smoking anymore though, and I love this place because it makes going out for a great steak once a week a lot more affordable.
They pour you a good honest drink, and there’s usually good live music going after 9 with no cover. Cliff the Magician is another good reason to go there on Wednesdays. I razzed a waiter at El Gaucho one time that i could get a steak as good as Gaucho’s at less than half their price. Next time i saw the waiter he told me I was absolutely correct. He’d checked it out. Pretty good recommendation.
Worth a shot for sure — and you’ll likely want to head back once in a while. Kind of place you’ll probably like more all the time

Bartender checking boyfriend’s ID, then my ID, looks at me and says, «wow, you’re old!»
Really? thanks for making me feel welcome. You may have cheap stiff drinks but I won’t be rushing back here anytime soon.
I don’t care if it was a backhanded compliment… it wasn’t nice.
FAIL.

I’m picky about the places I’ll go back to after a first visit. I WILL be going back to The Rimrock, especially to catch some more live music. Live music nights (Tues-​Sat) are a true experience. Feels like a little South-​side blues club or underground rock venue. First, while I won’t disagree with those who use the word «dive» to describe Rimrock, this place would be in the very top-​tier of dive bars. 5-​star dive bar… definitely (even though I only gave it four overall).
Atmosphere: Quirky but comfortable. Nice leather booths (a bit worn with age but still nice), laid-​back chatty bartender, some regulars downing drinks and playing pull tabs and enthusiastic movers and shakers making use of the little dance floor. Clean and cozy… not much space between tables and chairs.
Food & Service: Almost gave Rimrock 5-​stars due to these. All five of us ordered steaks and every one came out perfectly cooked to order. Good cuts too. They also have sandwiches and pub food on the menu… can’t comment on those but the steaks are great. June, our server, never missed a beat, kept the drinks and water flowing steadily, checked on us regularly, cleared the table quickly… she’s a real pro. The food and drinks (generous pours) were more than reasonably priced, bordering on cheap. Kitchen seems to shut down around 9pm, about the same time the music starts on weekends. Get there before 9 if you want to have dinner.
Music: They have regular acts weeknights and rotate in some really good bands (including blues, my favorite) Fri/​Sat nights. We went on a Friday and saw Mary McPage who put on a great show. The volume level was perfect… loud enough to make you feel it and fill the space but not deafening.

I go in the mornings for breakfast when my boyfriend gets off his gave shift.
I love this place.
It reminds me of my father.
A bunch of «no bullshit» old men sitting around talking while old movies from the 70s play on the TV screens, while I enjoy a hearty yet inexpensive breakfast of steak eggs hash browns and toast (which is cooked to perfection).
I feel very comfy and at home here.
The older man who bar tends in the morning is awesome.
I have a lot of respect for him.
He also seems like a «no bullshit» kinda guy.
He serves you, hes polite, but a sternness about him that says «don’t be a dick to me, and I wont be a dick to you»
The only thing I am bummed about is apparently they VERY RECENTLY changed when they serve food.
No breakfast mon — fri till 11am
Weekends they still serve breakfast in the mornings though.

I’ve been to the Rimrock lounge twice, the first time on a Wednesday evening to see the Davanos play, and the second time on a Wednesday to see the Davanos play. I’ll probably go again, probably on a Wednesday to see the Davanos play.
The Rimrock offers pretty standard fare one might find in a dive bar: fries, tots, onion rings, chicken strips, etc. On my first outing I ordered a salad: very basic, iceberg lettuce-​based item, but fresh. I also ordered the fries: tasty, cheap, and plentiful enough to share. I ordered two gin and tonics: I appreciated the generous pour in my first drink, but the second I couldn’t consume because I think the tonic was an afterthought. If I had a problem with alcohol, I think I would be a regular here.
Looking forward to a repeat salad-​and-​fries meal on my second trip to the Rimrock, I was disappointed to find out the kitchen had closed at 9pm, prior to my arrival. My gin and tonic, however, did not disappoint.
The dance floor, for those who use it, is quite small, but since only one to four couples seemed interested in getting their grooves on at any one time, the space was ample.
Our server – the same person for both outings – was friendly, attentive, and competent, a combination sometimes difficult to find at other places unless paying an arm and a leg for food and fanfare.
My only real negative experiences on each occasion involved a couple patrons, whose behavior led me to believe they fully took advantage of cheap booze prices.
I recommend the Rimrock, at least on a Wednesday night, for those who enjoy listening to a good classic rock cover band. There is no charge to get in, and the drink specials and grub prices are very good. Just be sure to arrive early if you want food, travel with a friendly posse, and don’t let drunken barjerks bother you like they do me.
Did I mention the Davanos play on Wednesdays?

What do you get when you combine your favorite old-​school diner, your neighborhood locals-​only dive bar, and pull tabs? Well, you get something that you Unilocalers are probably not attracted to. But you also get Rimrock, a Lake City unknown institution.
They have a diner menu with a penchant for steak and tater tots. The service is really good. The booths are comfortable. I understand the drinks are stiff too.
They also have a drawing for $ 300 cash on Saturdays at 4 pm. All the local Lake City-​ites come out of the woodwork for this event.

This place is just freakin’ weird. I LOVE the fact that there are places that are able to keep their vibe throughout the days, but this place has done it in a weird way. This is like the place that time forgot. I’d imagine the crowd and staff here were all cool and hip maybe in the 80’s and it seems like it would have been a really cool place to check out. Unfortunately, I think all of those people haven’t left. Even to get with the times. It’s just surreal. Everything is pretty well worn. Some might say comfortably so, but I dunno…
On the plus-​side, this is def a place to get away from hipsters and scenesters, if you like, as well as a whole lot of other people!

What a pleasure to go to a place that isn’t aimed at the chique set. I ordered the big prime rib and ended up having it for lunch and supper the next day too. And it was cooked to perfection. Yes, this is a dive and, for sure, if you don’t dig dives, so to speak, you’re not gonna love the Rimrock. But thank goodness there’s still a bit of real America surviving into this overly gourmet-​ized era! Regarding aromas and cleanliness — although I am a non-​smoker I did not smell any remnants of the old smokier days. And it was just as clean as any suave litle café down near Pike Place.

I am told that we had a REALLY good time here.

So, I’ve lived in Lake City for about a year now and I hadn’t tried this place out. If you’ve ever driven down Lake City Way and have seen the place, you’d probably understand. On the outside, the Rimrock looks like a dirty run down place with no windows. On the inside however, some people would probably say the place is lived in, I’d say it’s worn down but that’s all part of the charm, right? The lounge area looks like a dank dungeon with extra dank. I could still smell the smoke that I’m sure permeated every square inch of the place prior to the smoking ban. There is a small stage in the lounge where live music is played pretty much every night by a cover band of some kind. On Wednesday evenings at 7pm they have a table magician that’ll go around and do magic tricks in the lounge.
If you’re in to dive bars you’d probably love the Rimrock. Personally, I don’t dig on dives that much.