Jade Monkey Cocktail Lounge

The cocktails here are strong, mixed really well, and are reasonably priced ($ 6 – 8). The trifecta of drinking, really. The ambiance gets interesting around 10−11pm. Before then, it’s just your chill, laid-​back neighborhood bar. After 10, it turns into da club (loud, thumping club bangers and all). Get ready to see middle-​aged couples spanking each other and taking photos of their date’s derrière. I could think of worse places to spend a Saturday night.

Great bar with good and eclectic jukebox. A 60’s look with contemporary veers offerings.

Stopped in last night. Moved close by recently. Some of the poor reviews on here held me back from trying the place. It was fun place to go patrons were friendly and the bar tender Steph made everyone fell welcome and great service. I will go back.

This is a bar with some character, but not too much character. It’s not a wow-​za up in your maw sort of place, but it has a good vibe about it. The drinkers are properly made and the cocktail list includes ass the classics and home establishment custom jobs as well. The Jade Monkey is a very likable joint.

I’ve been here a few times, just went on Friday and had a blast! The mojitos are the best, although could be a bit bigger… but still so good & refreshing. The music was all over the place this time, but all things I loved! Bowie, Cash, etc… the back has a few booths for larger parties.

I went here with my husband a few years ago. It was fairly busy and we were waiting a long time to even place a drink order. It seemed to be because they were busy but apparently not. It became clear they were purposefully ignoring us and did not want to serve us. They would literally help people on either side of us ignoring us when we tried to order. We were being polite but making our desire to order clear. Not sure what was going on there but it was enough to make us leave and never consider going back.

Awesome place on Cottage Grove road. By far the coolest bar in that area. Sometimes the service is a little slow and frozen pizza ts the only food option. But really, its for people who want a really unique experience.

Fun, nifty bar with a unique drink menu and retro décor. They no longer have a pool table (I read somewhere that they did), but have foosball, shuffle board, and darts.
Cozy place, great on a cold winter night. Outside looks like it will be a cool summer hangout. Cash only.

The Jade Monkey is a great place to go if you want a fun, kitchy environment and a fancy drink. They have a nice outdoor patio, too, so it is great in the summer. However, there seem to be an inordinate number of smokers who use the patio to smoke, so if you don’t like smoke, like me, it can ruin the ambiance.
The drinks are reasonably priced, but not cheap.
The wait staff is efficient, but curt.
The drinks are dangerous. Make sure you have a DD.

I think they serve something other than mojitos, but I’m not totally sure since that is all I drink (in fact, they have a huge menu that I completely ignore). The mojitos are delicious, refreshing, and way smaller than I wish they were.
Another plus is that they put up with the Vintage Cycles Dane County crew hanging out there every week when it is nice out, even when some of us aren’t drinking.
They also have frozen pizzas for when you drink until you get to that point where frozen pizza sounds like the greatest thing on the planet.
The service is decent, the place has a great atmosphere, and on most nights the crowd is pretty friendly. Overall it is a great place to spend an evening!

This place has been so hit-​or-​miss lately that I am done with it. Recently, I was served the worst Bloody I have ever had (they use a mix that contains high fructose corn syrup and MSG… and this is a cocktail place?!), got into a heated discussion with a male patron only to have the bartender chime in and start yelling at me. Recently, have been repeatedly been surprised with imagery of women being abused on the television at the end of the bar. They really should stick to kung fu movies and old sci-​fi…
Over it.

Great Monona-​area bar. Good drinks at a fair price. Friendly bartenders and a fun crowd of 20 – 60 year olds from all walks of life.
The mojito menu is fun.

Mojitos rock. Fun music. Interesting crowd. And the bathrooms have chalkboards.

The Jade Monkey! As a native to the small town of Monona, I have to say, you filled a void that the community was most sincerely lacking! Sure, Monona has its dive bars, supper clubs, and even a bar and grill, but nowhere if a beer and burger is not your thing, until you sprang ilnto existence. Sure, this was some time ago now, but you remain the only spot in Monona to quench this particular variety of thirst.
The mojitos here are hand muddled with cane sugar. They have a variety of martinis and unique beverages (adult kiddie cocktail anyone?). Sure, you can go downtown and find similar items, but it’s Monona! The prices are great and Sundays offer a spectacular long island deal. Seriously, they are delicious and strong, a great bang for your buck ratio.
If the music seems too loud for your taste, they have a patio available when in season. Music is also substantially quieter during the earlier hours of the evening, plan accordingly. As for those who say that the clientele here are weird or creepy, isn’t that almost every bar? (Plus, anyone remember what this local bar used to be?! YIKES, enormous improvement!)
The booths here are hand-​crafted. There are a couple of lovely fish tanks. Shuffleboard. Darts. Board games. Pool. Okay, the bartenders can be a little on the uppity side, but take the time to get to know them and they will give you due respect. This is a bit of a local bar, but as long as you remember to tip you will be more than welcome as an honorary member! Cheers!

I live nearby, and that is pretty much the only reason I would ever go back in this place again. But, even then, I would be hard-​pressed to go back. The website for Jade Monkey and the actual Jade Monkey couldn’t be more different. They claim to be an «Asian Infused Retro Lounge»…hmmm…I don’t know about that. I guess if you compare the space to an old dive in China town I could see the Asian influence. I found the bartender to be pretty unfriendly and the crowd to be slightly depressing. I would not go out of my way to go to Jade Monkey.

Decent Madison Bar.
Cheap drink specials. $ 2 tall PBR’s
Friendly bar tenders, clean facility.
More of a hipster crowd than obnoxious college d-​bags.
If you’re looking for gals, look elsewhere. Always a sausage factory. However, what bar isn’t???

This is a great place but not for full conversation unless you’re able to grab the tables in the back (behind the pool tables) or outside. I met one of the owners, and he was very interactive and nice. They have a great «beer safari» — it’s a great way to try out beers from around the world. I tried one of the martinis and my friends all had different drinks as well. Everyone liked what they ordered. The big screen is also great touch for those who are trying to avoid conversation. We saw the end of Clash of the Titans. Be aware that the parking lot is tiny.

Favorite BAR in town. I won’t whine about crowds, or the food quality, because it is just that– a BAR, in the most wonderful sense of the word. Cool décor, wide varity of guests and staff that is beyond compare make the Monkey a winner.
Looking forward to 2^nd location Atomic Koi (going tonight) — hopefully the neighborhood won’t dilute the fun too much.

«A slice of downtown on the Eastside» is how the Jade Monkey has been described to me. Not that I disagree, the atmosphere at the Jade Monkey is generally hip and sophisticated. However, the patrons tend to lean to the artier, slightly older crowd.
Personally, being a semi-​employed creative type, I appreciate the cheap drinks ($ 2 PBR tall boys!), but the mojitos and other various and sundry drinks are pretty good. Plus, they also have a decent (but not extensive) selection of Scotch.
I’ve never had a bad time here. In fact, if I’m looking to strike up a conversation with a random character, this is my first choice when it comes to the bar scene. (Being a few blocks from my front doorstep doesn’t hurt either). If they’d only stop randomly playing Journey…
(Also, they generally have pretty decent DJ’s on Sunday night)

I recently visited the Jade Monkey with a group of six on a Saturday afternoon. We had prompt service and enjoyed some shuffle puck.
They have some nice outdoor seating which looks like it will be hit during the summer. And they have open wifi (or someone does close by, yet it works fine within)
My only recommendation is that they adjust some of their lights, since some of them point right at their TVs (which makes them almost impossible to see).