Big Rock ain’t your average tavern

By Rocky & Kristine Fields

Big Rock Cafe & Grocery is one interesting place. On the corner of the turnabout at College Way and Hwy 9 in Mount Vernon, sits what looks like your typical little corner grocery and gas station. Until you come inside. Then you begin to realize that you’ve entered something completely different.

Big Rock has been around since the 1920’s. Over the years, this location has been a tavern, a gas station, a tire shop, and a convenience store. Today it is a place where great minds meet to discuss their day and relieve stress.

It says right on their postcard, the one you get with your bill, “If Big Rock Cafe’ & Grocery don’t have it, you don’t need it.” On the menu it clearly states, “If you don’t enjoy your meal with us, maybe you should stop dining in convenience stores.” Not your typical grocery/gas/cafe’/karaoke/tavern at all!

As we sat down to order dinner, we noticed the lights were old milk pails, hanging upside down over the bulbs above our heads. On the wall hangs a set of bullhorns, a deer head with quite a rack and a Jackalope head too. Those fun, old-fashioned photos line the walls. Antique metal signs telling you that if you spit on the bar you’ll get a big fine. I suppose this was from when they used to have a problem with that sorta thing, with spitoons in these kind of places.

I ordered a Mike’s Hard for me, a beer for him and were surprised when they brought our drinks in old fashioned mason jars. Very cool, nice touch. Although a wine cooler doesn’t quite fill the jar, so it felt kind of funny holding a half-full cup. But heck, I got used to it.

Just outside of the grocery and bar seating area, outside the big open garage door, there sits a stage. This is where the magic continues at the Big Rock. Friday and Saturday nights, you can dance to live music provided by local bands from 7:30pm until around 11pm.

On Sundays you’ll find more live music, but during the lunch-dinner hour this time, from 3:30pm ‘til about 6:30pm.

The Big Rock sign hangs above the stage, and the bands play on. As the people get up and dance, and enjoy the music, I began to feel very much at home here. The “Alan Hatley Trio” was playing the Saturday we stopped in, and I have to say, they were really good. The talent is usually local, so if you’ve got a band that needs some exposure, hit the Big Rock up for a date. They are very welcoming.

The owners, two brothers named Casey and Cody, run the place, and they’re great at it. Both of the boys (I can say that because I’m a little older than them) got their business degrees from the University of Washington. Impressive, and it shows.

Big Rock has karaoke too! Shane Maroney hosts a fun show here every other Saturday from 9pm-1:30am, and though he admits to not having the biggest song selection around, he says it’s decent, and the people who come to the show seem to really enjoy themselves. This doesn’t surprise us at all, this place is fun and relaxed. Even though there’s no liquor, just beer and wine, it gets really packed – we were lucky to find a seat!  Shane wanted us to give a shoutout to some of his regular karaoke singers, so here’s to Kim, Jessica, Judy, Randy, KimmieJoe and Adrienne, and to all those that I forgot to write down, “Hey!”

It’s hard to describe exactly what makes it so pleasant to be at Big Rock. Something about feeling right at home, like you’re in your own garage enjoying a live band and food with your friends, is very appealing. I liked the fact that if you didn’t want what they had on tap, you could buy something from the grocery part of Big Rock and they’d put it behind the bar, open the bottles or cans for you for a small corking fee, and voila’! You’re good to go.

The seating in and of itself at Big Rock is something unique. Each table is made from ship bilge hatches, procured from antique shops in New York and shipped over especially for the tavern.  Everything about this place is entertaining in some way, even the signs in the bathrooms stating that if you don’t pay the toll and you get caught crawling under the stalls you’ll be prosecuted.

There’s a huge outdoor smoking area, and an outside seating area too, so you can eat and enjoy the music inside or out.

Rock ordered the bacon cheeseburger with fries and I had the fish with potato salad – pretty darned tasty, and they serve late. They also serve breakfast, and during the oyster run they actually serve beaver! Get your tee shirt that says you ate beaver at the Big Rock Cafe’. I know, but it’s so entertaining this place.

We heard rumors that they’d be serving rooster this year. Imagine what that tee shirt’s gonna say!

Looking for an adventure? We’ve found one! Head out to the Big Rock, either for the live bands, or the karaoke, and tell them that you read about them in the Karaoke & Entertainment Guide, and you’ll get a very warm welcome.