Monkey Sun

Food was average at best. You order at a counter and they bring it to your table. The place was dirty and I had to clean off my own table. Odd since I was the only one in the place. The food was barely warm and looked reheated. It definitely was not freshly cooked to order. The people were nice and it seemed family owned. Maybe I caught them on a bad night. I would try again because I love asian food, but this was pretty average at best.

I really struggled to give this place 3 stars when actually it deserved at BEST only 2. But for now I’ll stick with the 3 and hope it was a bad night.
First off, what did they get right? Well the food was the saving grace because it was pretty good. I mean a solid 3 star good, not super wow or anything, but good «quickie» chinese style food. It is set up like a mall style place or a panda express, where you order your entrée and whether you want rice or noodles. I had the orange chicken and generals chicken, fried rice and medium bowl of hot and sour soup. There was not much spice in any of the food, which is OK with me, because «HOT» hides a lot of bad food. Why do you think tobasco sauce was the most abused condiment from my old navy days??? The flavor was OK, not great, I mean I have made better orange chicken in my kitchen and I am all thumbs when it comes to a wok. Everything simply tasted OK, with the exception of the hot and sour soup which I thought was excellent. The fried rice though was very bland and almost had a look that it was some bagged stuff they just threw into the wok. So overall… OK food.
Where they went wrong was professionalism and cleanliness. The staff was very friendly and it is obvious it is a family owned business. But when I walked in the first thing I noticed was old sun bleached items on the badly in need of paint walls. A baby in a bed thing on the floor right next to a prep table, ceiling fans with disgusting greasy pull strings. Now you can get away with that look if you are some interesting little hole in the wall with food that makes angels cry. Not a so so place in strip mall. It looks cheap. And if you are cheap with business look, how do I know you are not cheap with other things (ie the generic fried rice??) Second you can look into the kitchen area and the floors are greasy looking and everything about the area looks haphazard. It gave me the feeling that soon it would be visited by the FBI (Food Borne Illness).
Now the last thing was the staff. SUPER FRIENDLY! But the counter guy was wearing a shirt full of holes. In fact everyone working there was dressed like they just got done pulling a shift at a yard care place. There is NO excuse to be dressed like that in a food establishment. None. Not that you have to wear something fancy, just something that makes you look like you give a hoot about your business.
In summation, I’ll stick with the 3 stars even though I want to change it to two. The food was OK although I was nervous about eating there. Was I sorry I ate there? Heck no. Would I eat there again? Heck no. Even in a small town like Elko NV you have better choices.

This place is more authentic than Panda in the sense that it’s run by actual Chinese people, but the taste is subpar. I do prefer the fat noodle chow mein that they have, but their orange chicken, broccoli beef and shrimp & vegetables left much to be desired. The pork is probably the best entrée (not sure what the whole name is.)
The wings were much better than the combo. I got the sichuan spicy chicken wings and the texture was great – crispy on the outside, juicy and tender on the inside. However, it wasn’t very spicy, rather too sweet. Flavor leaves much to be desired.

We stopped at Monkey Son because that’s what my dad called me until I was 15. Then he just called me «The Animal.» Fortunately, by the time I was 28, I was captivated by the great civilizing force of the world and am still alive to write these words.
The staff is friendly, helpful and courteous. It is take-​out Chinese. It will fill you up. However, Monkey Sun needs more than Feng Shui, money pyramids, lucky cats and a protection shrine. There are at least three other Chines/​Sushi/​Oriental places in Elko. At least one of them a buffet. Very heavy competition.
Clean walls and floors, somebody caring about food quality, starting with the noodles, and no Christmas decorations in June would be a good start.

I think this food is the best in town. 3 or 4 generations of family working in the kitchen to provide authentic cuisine. I love Kung Pao Chicken and they always make it fresh and spicy! And the prices are far superior to our other restaurants. I believe that 3 items is 6.99 and 2 is maybe 4.99

Never disappointed here, they are always busy. Great way to warm the belly.
Not a bunch of seating but great for take out!

Good Chinese Food. Some of the food was bland, while others were really salty, so they have some inconsistency in their seasoning, but the food is good. They’re just like Panda Express except their food is more authentic and less Americanized.

I am a bit shocked that I’m the first person to write a review for Monkey Sun! I was driving through Elko on my way home to Denver and I was hungry. Not wanting to settle for a chain restaurant, I drove around a promising-​looking strip mall (inasmuch as that’s not an oxymoron). Had to decide between Pizza Barn and Monkey Sun, and feeling a need for some chow mein decided to go with Monkey Sun.
It’s a relatively small restaurant, but there’s ample seating. The display menu follows the Panda Express formula — plate with 1 choice of main or side is $X, 2 choices is $Y, and 3 choices is $Z. They had a decent selection of appetizers and individual items as well, and some desserts. Looking at their to-​go menu, they apparently offer regular large plates of typical chinese restaurant staples, like sweet & sour, mu shu, kung pao, and so on.
I ended up ordering a spicy special chicken dish and a kung pao chicken along with my chow mein. It was just fine, but really was not that spicy at all despite the visible presence of chilies. I suppose they’re catering to a crowd that’s not used to real spicy food. I also guess that if I had ordered separate, and not from the Panda-​style steam display at the front, they could have made it spicier.
Regardless, the food was tasty, and the accompanying fortune cookie was free. I’m glad I went here, and it beats the pants off a trip to Arbys or Mc’Ds.