The Shout! House — Restaurant in San Diego

Disclaimer:

I had a great time at this place with my mother and sister. However, I feel that I should share my experience, from which you should all gain some insight/helpful tips.

This was my second time ever to the city of San Diego. On the first visit I walked past the Shout House with the intentions of going in, but the line was ridiculously long. Therefore, before the next visit I was proactive and made reservations - there is no cover on Wednesdays, FYI.

The staff was very friendly, they escorted us to our table on the front row near the stage, drinks and food were good and arrived relatively quickly after we ordered. They have different food/drink specials throughout the week, which is also a perk if you're there on any of those particular days.

I was the 3rd person of the night to submit a request, which was a simple "Happy Birthday" to my sister, attached with a tip of $5.

Hours later, and after we made 2 more song requests w/ tips, I had yet to hear our requests. And all of a sudden the experience turned into a concert of songs that cost $20 to hear.

After having to witness other people's requests being honored, including several "Happy Birthdays" to OTHER customers, my family and I became annoyed. My sister called out one of the pianists out for not wishing her a happy birthday, which earned her a serenade by and a seat right next to the pianist on stage, which was redeeming, but still upsetting when you consider that we had to be stereotypical and make a scene just to get some acknowledgement, despite being paying customers just like everyone else. However, this kindness by the pianists let me know that they were not spitefully ignoring our song requests because we were Black - and we were definitely the only Black customers on this particular night. AND I want to believe that we were amidst good, kind people. AND I'm pretty sure they knew how to play the songs we requested, which only leaves one explanation - we didn't give a great enough tip. Because $5 is not enough to please the jukeboxes.

Therefore, given my experience, if you consider going to this place, here are some tips (no pun intended) that will surely guarantee you a great time:

1.) Tip at least $20 - one of the pianists will surely play the song that you request, unless they don't think the song is cool enough, or unless they don't like the way you look, or unless they don’t know the song, or unless the song is a duplicate which apparently all cancel each other out and they pocket your money and don’t play the song at all.

2.) If you want to request a birthday shout out, do not request the song "Happy Birthday" - instead, think of an actual song as a request, and list the occasion as "Birthday", so that it seems you are requesting a song as a birthday gift for that special person. You may have a higher chance of having your birthday request honored if you do this, and you probably won't feel cheated out of your money.

3.) Make reservations!

4.) Enjoy the drinks, or and the food and music because you will need SOMETHING to do in case you NEVER hear any of the songs...

What is up with the $100 hold on our debit card for 7 days that no one told us about. If I hadn't called Shout Out, I wouldn't know why it was there. It appeared as debit on our account not as pending. When I called, a kind employee explained that management changed the rules and everyone gets a hold on their credit/ debit card. Saying too many people have skipped out without paying. I would want to stop that if I was the owner. But can they legally do that without notification? While I was at the bar getting our drinks, since our waiter opted not to wait on us since we weren't ready to order the moment he arrived at our reserved table, the waiter and took our dinner order. My fiance gave the debit card. She said he spoke something but no chance she could hear him because of the decibel level. She thought he asked if she wanted to leave the tab open. So we paid the tab at the end of the night and left only to find the surprise debit in the account the next day. When I asked to speak to the manager when I called, he conveniently doesn't take calls. You can only email him. I still wonder if that is legal as hotels have to get your permission before placing a hold? The food was their normal. Average American grub. Mixed drinks are better if you get them at the bar yourself. The pianists were pretty raunchy. 2 guys, one girl. If you want somewhat clean dueling pianos, that is not the place. We've been there multiple times. This was the least favorable experience so far. This is not the place to take a first date you are trying to impress with chivalry. Nor a place to take your future in laws if they are conservative minded and you're trying to convey your morality. It is a place to go party with a group of like-minded people, sing along and cut up to...

Went here for the second time last night and had an even better time than my first visit!! This place is so much fun. My friends and I didn’t get a table/seat due to how crowded it was, but standing up was arguably better since we could dance.

The musicians here are SO talented and know so many different songs and genres. They are experts at keeping the crowd engaged and the energy level remains high throughout the entire night.

The building can get extremely busy which can make it hard to find a good view of the pianos or to order food, but if you’re looking to just drink a bit, enjoy the music, sing/dance along and have a great time, The Shout House is the place for you!!

I didn’t order food this time around but I remember it being decent last time I was here. The prices are a bit high but overall not too different from other places in Gaslamp.

The only real drawback of this place is the parking situation, so plan to Uber or take public transport if you can. There are nearby parking garages but they can get very busy and expensive. Don’t even try to street park, it’s not worth it. However this paragraph isn’t a criticism of The Shout House since it applies to literally everywhere in Gaslamp. Just a tip!!

If you’re looking for a fun night out, come to The Shout House! You won’t regret it, and don’t be afraid to get...