The Funky Monkey Cafe & Gallery

Funky Monkey has been transformed! Good bye coffee shop, hello night life. Excellent food and live music. Finally, some where special to go with friends without TVs, beer nuts and ballgames.

This place is really fantastic such a wonderful surprise and the funky monkey BLT deli ish ious

Great place! Fun Atmosphere! Amazing food… Had the Veggie Panini … Amazing. Coffee… Amazing. Owner was awesome… Great customer service! We randomly found it and fell in love!

Cool little luncheon located in the watch factory plaza, The Funky Monkey can be a tad tricky to find (go around back and it’s almost centered in the courtyard) but I’m glad I took the time to stop in.
The deli board style menu provides a handful of fresh salads, wraps, paninis, and pizzas, in addition to a huge selection of coffee and teas. There’s a patch of craft beers as well as other sparking non alcoholic choices. The restaurant itself is arranged coffee shop style with small communal areas and decorated with works from local artists. An event board also lists numerous communal activities including exhibitions and even an upcoming comedy show.
Long story short the funky monkey isn’t going to blaze new territory for an experienced foodie, but a clean artsy atmosphere mixed with fresh and unique menu items were the obvious choice for someone seeking quality product and a great quick bite!

I had no idea this place existed until a friend told me about it. I tried it out and loved it! My favorite is the feta almond salad. The coffee is really great too. I live about 20 minutes from here and sometimes I hop in the car just to get the coffee. They also have music, comedy, and art shows– it’s small but the acoustics are really good. I have only been for the music, but it was great. The staff and the owner are super nice and have even offered to put something small, like a flavor in my coffee, at no cost when they were taking a longer than expected wait time for the food. That says a lot to me about a business. Even if it’s something small– that’s being really considerate. They also have outdoor seating, so it’s really nice in the summer time to sit out there!
The only downfall is that you must have an order of $ 10 or more to use a credit card. So make sure you have cash on you just in case.

My wife, daughter and myself went here for lunch. We thought it would be a trendy, cool café to grab a quick bite on a Saturday afternoon. The menu is rather limited. We decided on ordering two Funky BLT sandwiches and a fruit smoothie. It was not overly bus. There appeared to be two individuals working, one that took orders and made drinks and the other in the back that made food. The service was very slow. I had to go up and ask for our waters. Then it took over half and hour for two BLT’s to come out. They were supposed to have avocado on them but I didn’t notice it on mine. It was a very basic sandwich, very little bacon, and no lettuce. it was panini pressed between two pieces of potato bread or something like it. I was not impressed, especially for almost 9 dollars each. Also they heated it with the Mayo on the sandwich which gave it a funny consistency. I dont think it was worth the wait or the money. I wont return.

The food is good and the place itself is really nice. I also really like the outdoor seating space. The one negative to it is it’s a bit pricey. Ten dollars is way to much for a BLT! I guess in Cheshire basic foods cost more?

This place hovers between a 3.5 and a 4 star review for me. It’s good, but it’s still missing that extra something.
The paninis are good, especially the ones with jalapeño bacon, but they could use some more ingredient variety on the menu. Coffee is good, nothing artisan or very special. I do like the ambiance, but the place is always empty when I come in for lunch.
Side note, the machine they use to process credit cards is like, ancient! The poor baristas have to type in the card by hand and they don’t accept cards for orders under $ 10.

Love it here.
You can even sit outside.
Favorite menu item is the gorgonzapple salad, with the tahini green goddess dressing.
Went for lunch today, ordered it, and they were out of the dressing and didn’t tell me til it came out. Had it with sesame ginger but not the same. Before leaving they have me a half off the salad for next time when they do have the dressing, without any hesitation or me asking.
Love it here. Have been several times and will return a lot!

I had a wonderful time here. I came for dinner on a Friday night, and there also happened to be an art gallery opening. The interior is cozy, artsy, and fun. I loved the vibe immediately. When I walked in there was a duo playing folk-​style music, and although the place is fairly small, it was at the perfect volume. I’m not even really a fan of that style of music, but the performers were really good and it was just the right sound level to create a pleasant dining experience. Not so loud you had to struggle to have a conversation but loud enough to really add to the ambience.
You order your food at the counter and take it to your seat. Tracey, the owner, was working the counter and was extremely friendly and helpful. I’m not usually the type to get into long conversations with restaurant owners or other patrons, but she was so easy to talk to and so helpful that I found myself chatting with her a few times.
I ordered a half of the gorgonzapple salad and a half of the funk-​o-​potamus panini. One friend ordered the chicken cordon bleu panini with gluten-​free bread and the other ordered the feta almond salad with added chicken. We all thoroughly enjoyed our food. The panini I ordered had a delicious jalapeño bacon and fresh avocado. The gorgonzapple salad was fresh and delicious with a great dressing. We also purchased a very reasonably-​priced bottle of wine.
I visited the restroom and it was very clean and well-​maintained, like the rest of the establishment. The crowd that evening was an older one, probably because of the combination of the artist whose work was being displayed and the type of live music, but I could certainly imagine a younger crowd having a great time here as well.
I will definitely be back to try a few more of those salads –the owner mentioned that you can mix and match to create a custom salad as well, which sounds great.

Thanks to the recommendation from the wonderful ladies of Bliss Bridal nearby, a group of us five ladies lunched there after I tried on a bunch of wedding gowns. I was so glad I asked because I wanted something quick and fresh and I got that at the Funky Monkey.
Considering that it was a Saturday afternoon and there were only two people working, they did a great job making our Panini sandwiches and were relatively quick. I enjoyed my Funk-​o-​Potamus (jalapeño bacon, black forest ham, Swiss cheese, vine ripe tomato, avocado, mayo — see my photo) with carrot cusabi slaw. The fact that you had a choice of slaw, fruit, or chip as a side scored points in my book. The atmosphere was funky and cool and would be a great place to do homework on a Saturday afternoon.

The funky money BLT is delicious. Service was good and atmosphere is welcoming. I like to look around at the jewelry and other items sold there and I really appreciate their willingness to post flyers for local events etc. A little on the expensive side, but overall a great place for good coffee and food!

I love going in there. Love the look and feel of it. I will tell you their food is good (though a little pricey). Their coffee is WEAK and so is their espresso so I stick to tea or bottled water :(

Updated review after many more visits due to my wife loving this place. Service continues to improve with the young staff being more attentive and customer service oriented. Only room for improvement is a stronger cup of coffee, seems to be very weak as if it were from a kcup.

I have been coming to this great café for several years now and I have never been disappointed. The atmosphere is welcoming and the staff is always friendly. The menu options are healthy and tasty with a bunch of options for wraps, salads, and paninis. Plenty of options for coffee, tea and lattes. My favorite is an iced almond roca latte.
The café is very active in the community and features comedy nights, local artists, and local music groups. There is always a variety of customers that can find something to enjoy at this great establishment. Places like this are scarce in much of Connecticut but it is always worth my 25 minute drive.
As some have mentioned before, the beverages can be a little inconsistent. I typically do not order flavored lattes as I don’t like things that are too sweet but 90% of the time the flavored lattes are never that. However, depending on the staff, the drink may be too sweet/​too watery/​not cold enough (since I always order iced drinks). This is not enough to deter me from my journey to this café be it for food or drink or both. The staff is always accommodating and would never have a problem remaking or modifying anything.
I have witnessed some off the best customer service while hanging out in the colorful café. The staff is very attentive, especially the owner, Tracey, who has befriended many of her customers. In my most recent experience (the reason I finally felt the need to write my first Unilocal review) another customer approached me and politely asked if i could move to a different table so she and her family could sit for lunch. I had no problem obliging and I quietly moved my laptop to the small corner table. To my surprise one of the young women working came from behind the busy front counter with an oversized M&M cookie on a plate and thanked me for giving up my seat. Just another of the many reasons I will continue to love this place.

Just got the chance to finally come here for lunch with a friend today! I’ve tried to come in the past but they were closed. I got the funk-​o-​patumus panini. It was delicious. The jalapeño bacon added just the right amount of heat. It cam with chips. I love the brand of chips they have not, they were great too. I also liked the atmosphere, I enjoyed the art all over the walls. We sat inside but it looked like there was a nice area to sit outside too. It wasn’t too expensive either. The normal for lunch around here. I’m taking off one star because my friend didn’t enjoy her salad as much. It said there was kalamata olives and she only got like two in the whole salad. I would definitely come back, maybe next time for one of their art shows!

Pretty nice café. Nice eclectic mix of music and fun atmosphere. They serve beer and wine as well as coffee and some food. I definitely recommend the Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake. There is free wifi which is always great. It always feels nice to support a local business!

We have not been here in a while. We used to stop by after finner have a coffee and share a dessert. Lats few times the coffee tasted old, service inconsistent and the dessert selection was limited. Good news — coffee was fresh, service was good and the desserts choices plentiful — including our favorite lemon cake!
it looks like the menu board was freshened up — looks good.
What we like the most is the artwork exhibits which change regularly. We need to come back more — I hope they add more artwork and move out some of the items and use more wall space for the art. Looking forward to the nice weather and enjoying the outside eating.

I do not understand the bad reviews of this place. I’ve been coming here for a few years, and I would go even more often if it were closer. I’d rather drive 25 minutes for one of their salads than 10 minutes for a subpar Panera salad.
The café is cute, if not a little hipster — perfect for cozying up with a latte on the purple couch or enjoying lunch on the patio in the summer. I’ve also come for the friday night comedy show, which was fun (and a good excuse to try their small but nice selection of beer/​wine). The crowd varies from high schoolers studying to older Cheshire ladies getting together, and the staff is always extremely friendly. There’s a large selection of food & drink with plenty of healthy options.
You can’t go wrong with any of their salads/​paninis/​wraps/​pizzas — I think I’ve tried almost all of them. My favorite is the «basilicious» & «gorgonzapple salad». And the hummus is the best hummus I’ve ever had.
2 small complaints: the coffee drinks aren’t consistent — depends who’s making it how sweet/​strong your latte will be. And they’re closed on sundays :(
So come check out the art on the walls and try something that’s healthy & tasty!

The Funky Monkey has a cool name, cool names for their menu items, and a cool hipster feel. The jalapeño bacon is quite good (It adds a nice flavor to anything!) and I have had their curry chicken soup which I enjoyed more than I thought I would!
They are a bit pricey but it’s fun environment and they are very nice! I have never been exposed to anyone working here who was in a bad mood. Everyone always has a smile.
They have free Wi-​Fi and I’m a bit of a coffee connoisseur (I bought a pump espresso machine to have at my office and one at home) and their coffee drinks are pretty darn good!