The Monkey Cat

A rare treat it is to experience a lovely night out sans children. I’ll spare you the details; go somewhere else.

Appetizers yummy. Entrees marginal and overpriced. The service is not great and customer service not a top priority. If you go for dinner plan to be there a long time as the service is slow and kitchen even slower. I prefer to go here for some yummy appetizers and not be there as long.

Monkey Cat
Monkey Cat
I Love You
Yes I do
My go-​to establishment in Auburn for upscale dining. Period.
Now, I’m going to make a few folks in North Auburn just twirl:
The Monkey Cat Burger is amazing; especially when paired with the Avalon Cab. The undertones found in black currants and boysenberry jam compliment the burger (I suggest medium-​rare) in a less than subtle manner yet tempered extraordinarily well by the crisp yet textured french fries. (Somewhere in the vicinity of Dark Horse, a Kate Spade clutch falls to the ground and its owner scrambles to retrieve one of the many Xanax’s rolling about the gleaming hardwood flooring of her dressing closet)
Yes, there really is a Monkey Cat Burger and I am living out and proud and unashamed for loving it. And given that it’s about the size of a cat one could put a leash on the damn thing and walk it to the love of its forever home. And the fresh, soft and beautifully formed bun? Basically the D-​Cups of the Gluten Girls.
Additional sunlight on Monkey Cat for being bestowed an honour of highest merit from myself: The Funky Cold Medina Award for Excellence in a Leftover; Non-​Reheated Entrees. Ever have leftovers so good that when you see that clamshell or foil lined bag of goodness just sitting there next to the milk you have to eat it right then because 1.15 min on microwave reheat is too long to wait? Well The Cat has never made it to the microwave. Or the dog.
Ordered the Caesar Salad to start and while I would prefer a bit more risk taking in its creation, it was nonetheless delicious and met expectations for an establishment at this price-​point. A bit more bold — say with a hint of smoked Carolina Hoop cheese — and colour the expectations exceeded.
The House Bread presented well at the table; impressed. Excellent balance between an exterior not too crunch-​specific and interior composition that delivered itself neither too fresh or too gummy. Most places get this wrong these days and you’re left with crumbs all over your lap so you look like Rob Zombie with dandruff and a doughy brick in his distended belly. Living. Bread. Hurl. So… Good job Monkey Bread Cat for serving up the good stuff.
I’ve basically had everything on the menu that once had feet. Some are favoured more than others however none have disappointed. The Florentine is Florwonderful as is the Pork Tenderloin.
My fish friend loves the creepy little bastards and has always enjoyed his meal. All I can offer on this matter is that when it’s time to plate-​up I’d have no idea my friend is trying the frying nemo if blindfolded. No fish funk gets out or around. Advantage; Cat.
Only had one of the desserts just because it’s so hard not to just say to Gabrielle: «That big black one. I want a big black one!». And you won’t do wrong with the layers and layers of the beautiful chocolate cakey moose-​like pie shaped climax to your meal.
Gabrielle it seems has always been caretaker to us for the 90 minute stays and is one of reasons we return. Knows her stuff; what goes well with it and when to serve it. That and she’s such a butter biscuit; a vivacious and lovely young lady who excels at her job. Not to mention being a nice chick so tip a solid homegirl out fool… you don’t need another Starbucks Latte after eating so much Monkey anyway so throw that 5 spot on top of the 25% or-​more-​you-​will-​leave-​her because you should. Recognise.
Great location with a nice mix of hoot-​snoot galleries and tawdry drinking establishments of questionable pedigree. Livens the street up just enough to make white people in Auburn feel like they are being edgy. And down with their MC Monkey Cat Crew ready to blow:
Monkey Cat
Monkey Cat
I Love You
Yes I do
Whoa, whoa, whoa
See that Monkey Cat
Whoa, whoa, whoa
See that Monkey Cat
Whoa, whoa, whoa

I imagine this probably would have been a nice restaurant about 15 years ago. The food tastes fine. But it feels dated. A spinach salad with dried cranberries? Boring. They don’t seem to use a lot of fresh vegetables — the menu felt heavy. I ordered a greek salad with shrimp. The shrimp were tasty but too oily. The cucumbers and tomatoes were not fresh or local. The wine and bread were delicious though. Probably wouldn’t come here again. These days $ 15-​$ 25 entrees usually come with farm to fork ethics and vegetables you can taste (especially with so many farms nearby!), along with creative menus, so this place feels boring and old and not worth my money.

What a sad boring restaurant. Nothing exciting on the menu. But it was our first time and we were hungry so we opted for the happy hour menu. Limited options of beer… Crab cakes were mushy and topped with some sad brown looking leafs. Calamari were boring, undercooked and served with plain cocktail sauce. Chicken skewers were a plain chicken breast cut up in pieces and put on a stick. No dipping sauces were served with it. So disappointing. I would give zero stars if it wouldn’t be for the lovely service. The waitress was very nice and followed up after serving.
Looking around the restaurant it could also use a better cleaning as things were dusty and the ceiling vents haven’t been cleaned of in a while… sorry we won’t be back

It seems great when it’s not busy but when it’s busy we got 3 appetizers that weren’t even cooked all the way and food was great when they first opened and since then it’s been up and down but it has great variety great atmosphere the old General Store was a historical location until they refurbished it

The tomato soup with a blue cheese twist is the best I have ever eaten! I also had the chicken cordon bleau and it was amazing. The décor in the place is cool and has a real nice ambiance.
Service was warm and friendly and it was a great overall experience. We will be back!

Amazing food! Exceptional service! Had a birthday dinner here last night and it was amazing. Filet minion melted in your mouth, cheese cake was probably what heaven tastes like. Loved it!

Great restaurant, food and service! Our waitress was Coreen and she was attentive and friendly. I would have given Monkey Cat a 5 but for the Calamari. I really dislike tentacles and asked if they could serve without them. Chef said no… really??? How hard is it to take them out??? That was my only disappointment.
Very nice décor and ambiance. I had the Petrale Sole and it was delicious as was the mashed potatoes and Asian Chicken Salad. (My wife had a Hamburger and it was great). Cheesecake was also very good, light and tasty and the generous portion of ice cream was an added bonus.
But for the Calamari issue our foursome really enjoyed ourselves (once again) and we’ll definitely be going back.

Loved this place! Friendly staff, amazing food and a great atmosphere. We ordered the specials on the menu so that’s all I can comment on but they were incredible. I fully recommend this place if you are in Auburn. Also, go visit Auburn. It’s rad.

We went here for xmas eve dinner and we really enjoyed it. The food was scrumptious, the service was excellent and we enjoyed the house specialty cocktails we tried. We will return!

We booked a reservation on Open Table at 5:30pm and specifically requested a window seat in advance for the purpose of watching the Christmas parade. To cover our bases we also called and asked if a window seat would be possible and they said as long as we included our request in the details section of our reservation, we would be able to sit by the window.
We arrived 30 min early (just in case) only to be told that others had already booked the window seat, and they were sorry, but «the window seat was most desirable.» The hostess explained that others had reservations at 6pm by the window, so we sat through our entire dinner staring at the open seats, waiting for the «preferred» customers to show up.
We were seated in a corner behind the hostess so we had no view whatsoever.
Moreover, two ladies walked in (with NO reservations) and were seated at a table with a perfect view of the parade.
By 6:30pm the customers never showed up and we had finished our dinner. Overall, the food was marginal especially for the price. We ordered the seafood pasta and the halibut specials. (Halibut overlooked and flavorless, seafood pasta wasn’t fresh, was over-​garnished, and left a lot to be desired)
The waitress was sweet, but this didn’t make up for us having to sit and stair at the empty seats the whole dinner and listen to the ladies talk about their amazing view of the parade. We would have told the manager our concerns but he never greeted us or made any attempt to see how our dinner was. To be honest he seemed quite arrogant, and we felt bad leaving a $ 10 tip on our $ 100 bill, but this was poor management and service

Visiting Auburn for a few days. Friends recommended Monkey Cat.
So, review is based on one visit only.
Had reservations, and were seated promptly.
Service was good, though there was a considerable amount of time between delivering the appetizers and taking the order for dinner. We had a theater date and thought we left enough time to get there. We made it to the theater (just) on time, but we asked for the check when the entrees were served to save time. This was the only down side, and wouldn’t have mattered had we not been on a deadline.
Anyway…
Décor is nice.
Food is good.
Calamari appetizer — fine.
Salads are very good — Greek and wedge. (Excellent blue cheese dressing on the wedge, Greek chock full of olives and feta.)
Seafood pasta very good.
Steak was dee-​lish. Good mashed potatoes.
crab cakes are very good.
Mac and cheese crispy on top — yum.
Prices reasonable.
4 people with two wines, two soft drinks, 3 salads, 3 appetizers, and two entrees. Bill with tip was $ 150. Considering the good quality of the food, not bad at all.
If ever in Auburn again, I would go back. Definitely.

Just came in for a short visit, cocktails. We had great service and yummy drinks. I am a huge Mai Tai fan and the «monkey tai» is delicious!!! Love this place!

Stopped in for lunch and was a little disappointed. The food was actually pretty good but both orders were not quite right. I ordered the Monkey Cat burger medium rare but it came out well done. The nice server offered to have another prepared but I declined. She also upgraded my fries to chili lime fries at no extra charge. My wife ordered the grilled cheese with bacon. She asked to have the bacon on the side. Although she enjoyed the grilled cheese, the bacon never arrived.
A couple of simple things that changed a 5 star review into a 3.

Best place in Auburn for a date night! Great atmosphere, wonderful staff, located next to a massage parlor…(best date night ever although i would suggest the massage first before you stuff your face) …and the food! The food is amazing. It’s hard not to stick with the same tried and true dish when you find something you love, but feel confident in venturing out of your comfort zone here. The steaks, the fish, the seafood pasta special (that they’ve had for years that I’m definately not complaining about because it’s one of my favs)…and the duck.
Highly reccomend to anyone. What a great way to impress on a first date, a special occasion, or any day.
Just wish I had time to check out the happy hour appetizers… one day, I promise.

First time at the Monkey Cat with family. Pleasant ambience but a little warm inside. Halibut and wedge salad with blue cheese was light and delicious! Husband had duck which was on the mild side and so-​so. Varied wine list to pair with your entrée or order a cocktail from the bar. Next time I’m in Auburn I’ll come back!

Great service and nice spot to sit outside weather willing. Food priced well and yummy too. I ordered apple brie crostini, Greek salad, calamari, sole and tiramisu for dessert.

I picked this place at random as we had an event in Auburn earlier in the day. Everyone we talked to said that the Monkey Cat was a great choice. Was it ever!
Crab Cakes, Salmon, Fillet Mignon, Bread were all top drawer. We spent $ 100 on food, drinks and appetizers (+ tax and tip). This was easily better than any restaurant near where we live (with only one exception). We will be happy to drive the 25 or so miles up the next time we are craving a really good dinner.
Great spot!

This restaurant is tucked away on one of the main streets in Auburn in between shops. Having been to Auburn only a few times prior, we easily found it and there was plenty of parking near it.
When we walked in there was an odd vibe at first. The hostess was shocked because we didnt have reservations even though we could see a handful of empty tables and there was no one else in front of us waitig to get one. After a short wait we were seated and then we looked around, wondering why we both felt a strange vibe. This must be a place that locals primarily make up because we were getting checked out by the other customers when we were standing up at the hostess stand. Weird.
The place has a warm ambience to it, but then it made sense… it looked like it was a scene out of an «Our Time» commercial as the crowd was most definitely of the retirement persuasion and the bar area was packed with silver foxes. Now the looks made sense. We are closer to the age of the servers than the other customers :)
Our server was friendly and got us our cocktails pretty fast. Having read the other Unilocal reviews, we tried the wontons (really good and not particularly fishy), calamari (basic), salmon with apricot cream sauce and almonds (delish — I would have that again), the roasted chicken (needed salt), and the tirimisu (worth it). Some pretty decent bread also comes out as an appetizer but oddly no butter.
Service was on point for us. We were checked on but not fussed over, which is typical for a restaurant that is trying to convey more of a fine dining experience. The idea is to conversate, which we appreciated.
Overall a pleasant experience. Entrees seemed a tad pricey for what you get but if I was back in that area I would go again.