Positive: Good music and "dive-ness" and the fact that they have vegan food is awesome. I appreciate that the place offers a venue for local bands. Negatives: Mostly with the staff tbh. Both bartenders working were pretty clearly alcoholics (I was sitting behind one on his dinner break where "dinner" consisted of a beer, a white claw, a shot and a bag of chips). There was also a dog that I think belonged to either the bartenders or the bar itself and one of the bartenders yelled at a customer or trying to pet the dog even though it was sitting inside the bar on a booth with no clear indication not to. Bartenders also seemed to be offering free shots just so they had a chance to do them with customers? Idk I know that alcoholism is common in the profession, but it felt not great for it to be so obvious and unaddressed. Also, "guest passes" for bands only counted for the set of the particular band and not every band on the bill which felt a bit stingy. read more

I was at the venue again for a fun Pride Bands event, I wasn't here for a while, but I was extremely happy to see the Coolest bartender working on a Monday. Cool vibes and an awesome personality she made this Monday more special. Great sounds coming from the bands and now that I mentioned the sounds. Gold Bar Sounds has the most chilled and amazing sound guy. One of the best around. I was able to do my performance piece, and I was so thrilled how well everything worked out. I seriously need to tell everyone that I know to do more shows there. Thanks to All the staff who made this night just plain Ole Rock! read more

The bar itself is very cool, and the live music venue aspect is great. The venue and bar are separated by a sound proofed door thus, you have to enter the venue room to hear the music. The hotdog I had was yummy, but my coke was completely watered down, yuck. Service was terrible, the older bartender there has a very "I hate life and myself" attitude, and told my friend who has a gluten-allergy when she asked a question about their menu "eat at home, I don't know". Yikes. Cool place to see a show, and get an overpriced hotdog with bartender attitude on the side. read more

Gold Sounds - Watered down coke, and scraps of my hotdog. - Music Venues Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

They have many vegan options and good music! Coolest dive bar in the neighbourhood. Prices are quiet affordable! read more

See all

Absolutely abysmal service and drinks. Bartenders are rude af. Avoid this place like your life depends on it.

Great dive bar and Danielle's the best damn bartender in town. Go here and rage and drink.

Came here tonight to show support for my good friend, Omar and his band called The Phoenix Within. The venue was definitely farther commute for me but luckily the rest of the band (John, Nick, and James) gave me a lift to the venue and back home. I am so grateful. I bumped into two of the members from Societal Collapse (Bagner and Ronnie). What a small world that my friend Bagner was tonight's sound engineer. Sadly, tonight the venue wasn't serving any food because the chef was sick. Good thing, there was a deli down the block where Ronnie and I went to get Grilled Cheese Sandwiches. Ticker Tape was first then my boys from The Phoenix Within and lastly Vinnie Caruana celebrating his birthday with all of his friends and fans! Amazing performances from everyone on the bill tonight. OMG, there was no cell service at this venue except for when you are standing in front of the stage towards the right-hand corner. Thank god, I was able to go Instagram Live during The Phoenix Within's set. read more

See all

What a fun dive bar! Came here to see some friends perform in the back room and it didn't disappoint as far as fun punk bars go. Get some High Lifes, a whiskey shot, and maybe some tater tots at this vegan bar all while listening to some rad grindcore over the speakers! The bartenders were really friendly and attentive. The taps were out of the beers I wanted, but it's hard to beat $5 High Lifes! Seems like a fun place to play a show or a good bar hang with some buds. read more

Bartenders here will make you feel not at home. Good venue though. Dirty service. Charles Darwin Food.

Abusive and threatening staff. As a young woman I did not feel safe when the very tall mid 30s ticket staff got in my friends face spitting and called her a "c*nt" over ticketing issues. Dude was 6'+ screaming in the faces of two women under 5'2" and physically intimidating the both of us. Obviously the owner loves to heckle and curse out negative reviewers, which in and of itself validates how poorly run this place is. Update and response: There was never any demand to get into the show for free, we did ask if there was a ticket list because whatever app the bar uses wasn't working. We did try to show an email from the app as proof of purchase. Also, no money was thrown in your doorman's face... it was dropped on the floor as we were trying to get bills together to get in on time to see a friends set so we could pay cash and your doorman then went psycho, screaming that money was thrown in his face. It was a bizarre and unsettling exchange and the door guy had a rude and aggressive attitude from the moment we interacted with him. Really disturbing encounter overall and after reading the other reviews it's obvious the doorman has been the source of several other aggressive incidents. read more

I have been to this bar before a few times and it's been great...there's a bartender here I haven't seen before but he will take a million years to get to get you a drink...will smoke outside and come back in until the bar back dude has to call him back in (respect to that dude he's doing his job) but this bartender with the beard and long hair/ tattoos, the worst...good looks fade...DUMB IS FOREVER a la Judge Judy...if you don't care ..quit maybe ? read more

Sweet Beelzebub!!! I saw Negative Approach at Gold Sounds and it blew my mind! When my friend's regular bartender, Kenny mentioned the show coming up, I was in doubt. Like you mean like a cover band!?! Not "THE" Negative Approach. I quickly bought a ticket online when the facts were confirmed. Negative Approach are the hardcore punk pioneers from Detroit! And they do not disappoint. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHZI4XJLMKg When the day arrived the place was at capacity and completely sold out. The word was officially out. This venue is tiny. Probably one of the smallest venues out there. The show was a sardine can of rock!!! The openers were nothing to scoff at with awesome Arabic vocals local punk band "Haram" along with "Absolute Power" and "Drunken Rampage". https://haramharam.bandcamp.com/ https://youthattack.bandcamp.com/album/absolute-power https://drunkenrampage.bandcamp.com/ I'm definitely putting this fun night in the memory bank. Whoever is booking shows here is killing it!! I have also seen Boston dark, punk band "Sadist". And almost saw loud and fun local punk band "Mommy". https://runstatetapes.bandcamp.com/album/sadist-blood-song https://mommynyc.bandcamp.com/ The drinks are probably a buck more than I want to pay but many bucks less than going into the city for shows. The nights to go are definitely show nights. I popped in on a random no show day and it was dead and kinda bizarre but not in the fun way. They do take cards. There's only 2 bathrooms. There will be a bathroom line during shows. And you normally pay at the second door but if it's something you really want to see, buy ahead. I've said it before and I'll say it again, " Support Live Music!" Honorable Mention: Also saw the rad Japanese band "Slowmotions"! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSVPgkjbrVU read more

See all

Though I had heard about the place for about a year now, the first time that I would attend would be to see my friends in the band Command Z who had booked a show. Since it would be a first time visit, I gladly joined the guys for the ride to the gig. The space falls into the dive bar category but that is fine by me since they are the ones I go to more than don't and in the bar space is a pool table should you want to play a couple of games. In the back is the event space which is a small-ish stage with a decent backline of amps and drums. As usual bands should bring their own amp heads and drummers the cymbals, pedals and snare. Probably safe to bring a high hat clutch as well. The bands gig was last minute so not a lot of our friends came out but the few that were assembled had a good time. I can say that the space is on the loud side so if you usually sport a pair of earplugs you will need them in Gold Sounds. Overall I felt the sound was good. Nice work by the sound guy. I only spent a little time at the bar to have a couple of beers between the sets and before we left and its standard priced stuff in terms of beers and spirits. I remembered it being cash only but don't recall if this is common or because of card machine issues that night. There is not a free WiFi signal though so prepare to go through your available data in here. Overall this is a decent enough place to set up a gig if you are band in need of some stage experience. I noticed a $10 entrance fee to the live show room but that is likely based on the band. Each group would get a percentage of this. read more

I'm kind of amazed that the reviews for this place have been so low. Maybe my experience is a bit different because of how nice the bartenders were and how well I got on with everybody I met there. Maybe another reason is the sick music set I saw that night. Maybe another reason is because the food was fucking choice. The one thing that sort of sucks is how comically small shots are. I'm no regular drinker but four shots deep and I felt literally nothing. At another venue, I went four shots deep and stumbled my way home in the rain. That's what I want out of shots. But I guess all in all that's a pretty minor concern right? I'm just not going to be buying more shots there. Might pregame next time. I still like the place, don't get me wrong, I had a lot of fun there! read more

Let me set the scene for you guys, It's Friday, January 14 2022 and it's 6pm. My girlfriend and I stop here to grab a quick bite and a beer. I ordered a Stella on draft with a shot of Espolon and my friend ordered a bourbon neat. When my beer comes it's completely flat, has no head on it whatsoever. I'm like fine let me not complain and proceed to take my shot. As an avid tequila drinker I specifically asked for Espolon bc that's what I drink. After I take the shot I realize that this is 1000% NOT Espolon!! But it's cold outside and we're starving so we decide to order some food and make the best of it. I ordered the animal tater tots and she orders the beyond burger. Fast forward to the food coming and it's literally drenched in sauce and on top of it the cheese wasn't even melted. She asked for her burger not to have any sauce on it and again the bun was drenched in some type of thousand Islands knock off dressing. About 10 minutes later we asked for the check so that we could leave this dreaded place. The bartender refused to give us an itemized check and insisted to take our credit card without knowing what we were being charged for. When my friend told him that she needs the itemized receipt for expense purposes he insisted and I quote "bars don't do that".. at which my friend told him that it's impossible and unheard of not getting an itemized bill. Again.. not trying to be difficult, we paid the $60 tab and left a tip regardless of the rude and terrible service. As we were walking out the door, Someone at the bar said to us " Hope you enjoyed yourself and had a good time" To which I replied "NO your bar sucks".The same person sitting there replies "FUCK YOU" I'm the owner and gets up out of his bar stool. As a female it's very rare that I have a man curse at me and basically tried to intimidate me with his male masculinity. But he had the wrong one because I am born and raised in Brooklyn and I do not take that type of shit from nobody!! Then as I'm listening to this guy berate me for my opinion, here comes some tall 7 ft guy in between us, for what reason I don't know. he was very adversarial and standoffish. At this point I realize that we were fighting a lost cause and we needed to leave. Point blank I've had my share of shitty experiences at bars but this is by FAR THE WORST and most disrespectful establishment I've ever been too. Absolutely disgusting behavior towards females and completely oblivious to customer service. I also plan on filing a complaint with the Better Business Bureau and SLA in regards to diluting their spirits and misrepresentation. To the owner since I know you're going to see this and reply back: your behavior is atrocious and you should be ashamed of yourself and this sham of a business you claim to be a bar. I've never seen a business or a B soul aggressive and careless towards paying customers. read more

I would have given this place two stars, but then I saw how the owner replies to all the negative reviews... wow. Are you trying to stop people from coming to your bar? The bartender was fucking awful. She was rude to me and all my friends, judged them for the drinks they ordered, gave us sass, and tried to give me $3 back for a $7 drink when I gave her a $20. Also, I don't know who hired him, but the promoter taking tickets for the concert was also awful. So rude. I won't be going back to Gold Sounds. *Look at the response the owner gave me before you choose to spend any of your money at this shit hole. read more

Really like this place! Really chill vibe, the vegan hotdogs were surprisingly good (I'm not a vegan and generally am grossed out by synthetic meat), drinks were reasonably priced, some of the bands were good some weren't, but cover wasn't too bad and each band was only up for about an hour. Check it out! read more

Pre-pandemic, post-pandemic, you have my heart. Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday!!! Every day every hour read more

Gold Sounds - Tequila shots, tecate to come - Music Venues Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Gold Sounds is a bar and music venue that seems to have put minimal effort into being either of those things. The bar is in the front and has little character to it. The decor is "punk" as if the decorators' idea of punk came from just reading a book about the LES in the late '70s. If there's an upside, it's that the space is considerably cleaner than the typical REAL punk bar. The back room, where bands play, is small and oddly shaped (shallow and wide), and the sound is muddy. It is odd to me that if the owners really wanted to open a music venue, they chose a space that's so poorly suited for a live music experience. I play in bands locally myself, and I can tell you that Gold Sounds is not considered one of the more desirable places to play for a local NYC band. However, their bookings have improved somewhat over the last couple years, for reasons I cannot speak to personally. read more

I asked for quarters for a pool table, the bartender gave me a dirty look and walked away. It was the first and last time ill go there. Quite shameful read more

We came in to see a friend perform in the venue part of the space and we will only return for Danielle.

I am a musician who played an acoustic set @ Gold Sounds yesterday evening and give the bar/staff very high marks. The sound engineer, Mike, was very professional, the other bands put on an interesting performance, too, and I'd like to take the time to also shout out James (I believe) who runs the ticketing, Lyle--excellent bartender, and the other staff. It's a fantastic bar, wonderful lighting/ambience, and kind people. I'd recommend it to other musicians and patrons. I feel like every single time I go to Gold Sounds I meet new, interesting, genuine people. It is truly a bar the merges cliques from various walks of life--perhaps it's the pool table/live music combination. Whether you live in Bushwick or another part of NYC/Tri-State area, check out this unique bar for live music and excellent company! read more

The staff here are unfriendly and abrasive, which I can forgive, it's a small dive bar. What prompted me to leave this review are the absolutely deplorable bathrooms, worst I have seen in any establishment. I came here for a show and after having drinks found their condition to be unusable. From the hallway you can smell the urine, but even worse; was the puddle of piss in the middle of the floor, yes; a puddle. There were pee stained footprints going to and from, and this persisted for HOURS. Nobody came to check in, if there had been a mop nearby, I would have cleaned it myself. Pay money for drinks, but can't relieve yourself? No thanks! **Edit** I forgot to mention THE BATHROOMS HAD NO SOAP. I have worked in establishments where I was in charge of keeping lavatories clean, I would have been fired for the condition these were in and length of time read more

The best bar in Brooklyn. Staff of excellent, prices are better than most. I am a frequent bar fly, and have never had a bad time. Don't believe the negative reviews, Gold Sounds is the place to be, but if you are a rude person you're going to have a bad time. Thank you for all the amazing times! read more

See all

This is the best dive bar I stumbled on in a long time. They have a punk vibe but you dont have to be punk... you just have to smile. Bartender was super cool... of course playing one of the classics on TV. Pool table + And they have a back room for live music. I will def stroll back in when I'm in the neighborhood. read more

This placed refused to give me table service, but proceeded to give others. Was told I have to pay immediately, before I even receive my food, but all the other customers weren't required to do so, making me feel like they felt I was going to take the food and run away with it without paying!! I had always been respectful to all the workers until I encountered this guy the last visit. I was the only black customer there which felt very racist and prejudice. I don't recommend ANYONE To go here. They will discriminate against you. read more

The kitchen menu is awesome, and for delivery I recommend the chicken nugs and fries, with sides of BBQ and ranch. The chicken sandwich and wings are also great. The delivery is on-time every time and the food is still hot. Will order again and again. read more

Low-key hangout with great music and no pretension. It's a great spot to grab a drink and quiet enough that you can have great conversation.

Gold sounds is an awesome bar in Bushwick, with a pool table and a live music venue in the back. The bands playing are diverse, but usually are indie, rock, pop, punk vibes. You have to pay a fee for the show which is often $10. It is a great location for musicians and artists that want to unwind, play a game of pool and listen to good music. The setting is very intimate and warm, with great and friendly bartenders, and stays open very late - as would be expected for its usual crowd. read more

My friend and I were visiting from out of town and basically spent our entire weekend here. This place is absolutely remarkable, unlike any other bar! Bartenders were busy on the weekend but the music was great and the crowd was very eclectic. I truly enjoyed my time and when the crowd subsided the bartenders were very conversational. This is truly a gem in Bushwick and the icing on the cake was I ordered the most delicious Chicken sandwich after all my late night drinking and the chef was absolutely right when he said: "I have the best chicken sandwich in town...." ---love GS read more

Ok my first time out in Brooklyn so I'm not gonna completely slam it. I had a great time but that was more due to my company than the venue. Here we go. The good: Nice size area in back for performances Clientele was pretty friendly Drinks were affordable The meh: Ok maybe it's not the place to go for a mixed drink. I'm not a beer drinker. They didn't have a large selection of liquor and what they did have they were not very generous with. My drinks looked and tasted more like fruit punch than the vodka/cranberry/OJ they were supposed To be. After 6 of them, I should not have been as coherent as I was. I had dinner earlier at a restaurant and the one drink I had there gave me more of a buzz than the 6 that I had at Gold Sounds. The bathrooms. Listen. I'm from Chicago. I've seen some pretty nasty bathrooms before. They had 2, one of which was out of order. The one remaining had no TP less than halfway through the show. The mirror is covered up by band stickers...if you aren't adverse to doing what you gotta do in primitive spaces than you'll be ok but if you are the least bit prissy, girls, maybe you should bring your own tp just in case. So I may or may not be back just based on the fact that I was only there for a specific show but if you like beer and don't mind peeing at your own risk, you'll probably really enjoy it. read more

A hostile attitude from the bartender. Hip hop DJ out front with a photo booth and pool table. In the back a solo guitarist reminiscent of SUM 41 playing for 3 people. Typical Saturday night? We popped a balloon and everyone got very upset, get an over served drunken patron was almost puking on the seat next to us. Hmmmmmm... read more

This is a very low key bar in a city filled with crazy, hipster bars. I liked divey bars, but it wasn't very nice on the inside and I waited for 5 minutes without any acknowledgement from the bartender and we left. read more

Why does the staff have to be so mean? I went to Gold Sounds bar to support my friends perform on the stage and the staff is so unfortunate to be around. The bouncer/ticket master was super rude to me and my friends for asking genuine questions. When my sister didn't have a ticket on file and asked about purchasing one, the bouncer was not helpful. When I asked about where the bathroom was, an employee scoffed and pointed in the general direction of "that way," like obviously the bathroom is THAT way. Some of us are here to see bands we love that YOU booked. Please treat us respectfully. I don't feel persuaded to come back, which is sad because I live in this neighborhood. PS: one bartender was nice on the Friday night I was there. Shout out to you. You are the reason I added a second star. read more

A staple dive bar with music venue in the back. The crowd is usually mixed, and events change nightly. Some shows bring a much younger crowd, which on occasion, can feel like a daycare for the entitled but luckily the shows are short and vibes change. More importantly there's a pool table, some cool locals, and a gang of lively nightlife veteran bartenders that always take care of you. read more

I've never been talked down to or looked at with such venom in my entire life.. and I still have no idea what I did. I played pool by the rules, tipped the bartender 100% kept my hands to myself, grudgingly bet money, and had a fantastic time overall. Then a woman came out of nowhere and singled me out as a shitty person who doesn't belong. To say I'm shocked is an understatement. Sorry, but I'm sticking with Josie's in East Village or Talon from now... where people actually are friendly. read more

Played a Tuesday show here with the band. The sound system is okay. Nothing to write home about, but it seems like they know what they're doing. Granted, we played to the other bands, and that was it. Tuesday show in Brooklyn for a band from Queens, here. The stage is pretty nice, though small. I would play here again, but probably on a weekend. read more

This bar/venue doesn't even deserve the 3 stars they have. The employees do not know what the hell they are doing at this place. I'm 24 and the guy that checked my Id sharpied a large X on my hand after he checked my id, which I shouldn't even have because I'm not underaged? Or he just doesn't know how to calculate if people are of age, I'm surprised the minors weren't out drinking at this bar. But the whole reason I came to write this review was because of the bartender and apparently the owner, Courtney I believe was her name. It took like 20/30 minutes for me just to get water and she seemed annoyed that I even asked because she was ready to go for a cigarette break. And then at one point she walked away from the bar and sat in a booth and talked with someone for about 10 minutes meanwhile she has CUSTOMERS waiting to get drinks!!!!!! There was an incident where there was a beer bottle placed on the pool table and my friend and his girlfriend wanted to play pool so as he was going to pick it up and move it out the way she came up to him and told him not to "fucking" put a bottle on the pool table or she will throw it against the "fucking wall" .... him and his girlfriend both said it wasn't even theirs and she proceeded to be rude to them. And then later on someone else put a bottle on the table and it got knocked over so I went to pick it up and she comes up to me and starts to be rude saying things like "are you the dummy who put the bottle on the table after I said no bottles on the table" And all I fucking did was pick it up, it wasn't even MY BEER. So of course with this poor service and the way she spoke to ALL of us when my friend went to close his tab he didn't leave a tip, because a tip should be based on your service and good personality which she lacked in both, when she saw that they didn't leave a tip she rolled up the receipt and walked over to my friends as they were talking to us and said "don't be a dick" and THREW THE ROLLED UP RECEIPT IN MY FRIENDS FACE. Are you fucking kidding me? What kind of service is this? And if she actually is the owner of the bar, good luck to all the customers and employees because I have never met anyone that not worthy of even one dollar for a tip. She needs to change her attitude, absolutely absurd she is still in business because on top of the rude outbursts the place was also dirty. I don't usually even go out of my way to even do this, when I get bad service I just don't go back to the place to give them my business but if you are disrespectful to my friends which are one of the kindest people I know, then you don't deserve my respect. read more

This place is horrible. My brother has a show here that was suppose to start at 9pm. It's currently after 10 & the other band is still playing. My brother paid go a certain time & he didn't get to start his show until 10:35. This is unacceptable. The bartender & bouncer was very nice. That's about it. If u want to do a performance here just avoid all the head ache read more

I've been to different bars all over New York City. This is the first time I've ever been at a NYC bar with a $15?minimum for using a card. The bartender then told me he'd keep it open so I could get more drinks and when I told him I only wanted one, just a silent stare and then an "oh". The drink I had was $7 which meant even if I got one more it still wasn't enough. Thank god I had a $20 left on me. Half of the drinks are served in dingy glasses, while the other half are served in plastic cups. Classy. Music venue had no place to put a bag or a jacket, no high top chairs or a table or anything, just a giant broken picnic table. Candles, instead of being in candle holders, are placed in dirty rock glasses. Not sure if the decor feel they were heading for was supposed to be "edgy" but it just (as well as the rest of the experience... card minimums??? Really?) comes off as tacky. read more