Creek Monkey Tap House

Love this place, beer is life. I wish they had never succeeded at the fried Oreo, though; I’ve had to give away a few pairs of jeans…

I was pretty excited to try Creek Monkey Tap House. I’ve passed the awesome looking historic house on the creek many times and always thought it looked like a good place to try.
Upon entering the restaurant at 11:50 AM on a Saturday I first noticed the overpowering smell of cleaning solutions. Not something I prefer to smell in a place I’m coming to eat. I love the idea of a clean restaurant, but not the smell of chemicals during business hours.
My wife and I sat at a table by the window with a good view of the creek that was extra high due to the large amounts of rain. Upon reading the menus I was a bit shocked at the price of the food. My first thought was the food must be amazing. I was wrong. We both ordered the Cali Burger for $ 14.95 each. When the food arrived it was presented well. It looked tasty. The cheese was not melted and it was cold sitting on top of the cold burger patty… The fries were scalding hot and fresh. I assume the burgers must have sat for a while until the fries were finished cooking. The taste of the burger was burnt char tasting. I like a charged burger, but this was overkill. I think they buy their hamburger patties frozen unfortunately, but who knows. It didn’t help that I asked for medium and it came out well done, and cold… The fries had some seasoning on them that was pretty good.
I was excited to try their house beers. I had 2 of the Rocksteady IPA’s. They were very good. Word of advice, have your beer menu somewhere that everyone can eisly see it. They have it on a chalkboard in an area where 90% of the tables can’t see it. I watched customers get up to see it after asking where the menu was. Plus you can hardly read what was written because it was so sloppy.
The overall feel/​vibe of the establishment is a bit drab and cold. The décor isn’t up to par with the potential the awesome old house it is in. Their bar area has a bit more of a «trendy» feel to it, but the rest of the restaurant is begging for a remodel/​update.
We were very disappointed after spending nearly $ 50 after tip on a low grade lunch (decent beer). For that price I could have gone somewhere I know is legit.
Step it up Creek Monkey! Many things are lacking. Don’t think I’ll be visiting anytime soon.

Not just a tap house, Creek Monkey is also home to an affiliated brewpub, Rock Steady Brewing Co.
They’re in an old wood-​frame home, with the main bar and dining room up a half-​story, accessible by wheelchair lift. The interior is rather plain, painted in a muted blue-​gray and white, with bare wood bar and tables. TVs were showing English football (Manchester United and Newcastle United) during my visit. Unobtrusive background music. Outdoor tables are available alongside the creek, but did not appear to be in use at this time of year. The helpful but busy bartender, doubling as a waiter for the tables, was a self-​described beer geek.
The food menu runs to bar snacks, appetizers, burgers, sandwiches, and salads – no gastropub pretensions here. I had a decent pulled pork sandwich, on a sliced French roll, in a smoky but mild barbecue sauce. My side was a rather bland macaroni and cheese; other side options included regular or sweet potato fries, green salad, coleslaw, onion rings, and fruit salad.
The beer menu consisted of five house beers and about 13 guest taps, from other Northern California breweries. No sampler flight is offered, but the bartender did offer tasters of the house brews. I tried:
— Rude Boy Red. 7% ABV. (This is the one I ended up getting a full tulip of.) Clear root beer color, light head, celery seed nose. The taste is roast caramel malt, with a touch of «pencil shavings.»
— Brett Wit. 5.9%. Slightly cloudy gold, medium head. Tart, but with only a hint of brettanomyces «horseblanket». and a certain «fruit cocktail» note.
— ⁵⁴⁄₄₆. 6.7%. I’m told that the name refers to a 1970s rock song, not, as I first guessed, a ratio of barley to some other fermentable. Clear brass color, medium head. Hoppy nose, and bittering hops dominate the taste.
— Holiday in the Sun. 5%. Slightly cloudy brass, medium head. This one I found a bit unpleasant, with a sour «vomit» nose standing in the way of a rather odd sweet malt and fruit (berry?) taste.
— Straight Edge. 5%. Clear gold, light head. Weak malt nose. Slightly sweet taste, with an antihistamine note, and a bit of minerality in the finish.
And, from the guest taps, I tried:
— Altamont Something New. 9%. Served in a 12-​ounce tulip. Opaque black, heavy head. Coffee nose. Complex flavor: roast malt, coffee, and a surprising burst of something like marzipan; enough ethanol to rise to a flavor element.
Other guest taps noted (I’ll be back!): Fieldworks Amarillo Weisse; North Coast Steller IPA, Old Rasputin on nitrogen, and Le Merle; Hermitage Fruit Crate; Heretic Evil Twin and Evil Cousin; New Glory Heavy Cruiser; Lagunitas Bitteroats; Eight Bridges Happy Salvation and Golden Nektar; Black Diamond Doppelbock; Sierra Nevada Otra Vez.
Parking can be problematic, especially when the nearby county building and courthouse are open.

My husband and I like to grab a pint and some food here on occasion. The staff are always friendly (although there was a tiny problem once where my passport nearly wasn’t accepted as a form of ID which, at the time, was my only form of ID as I’m British), and the food is nice. I’d say the price of some of the food items tends to be a little on the steeper side, but then we tend to split the nachos which are highly recommended!
If you save room for dessert then you need to try the deep friend oreos. Yum!

I would give them 5 stars if they had more vegetarian options. They removed the veggie burger from the menu and have not replaced it. Perhaps a new veggie patty or veggie chili would work. The beers, however, are some of the best in Martinez.

Should you be unfortunate enough to find yourself is this grimy little town, you can take solace in knowing the Creek Monkey is on their game. One: great beer selection. Two: awesome and not too-​pubby food (I enjoyed the crispy chicken wrap and a beer salad side). Three: new flat screens for taking in the sport. Four: reasonable prices. Five: attractive but friendly, down to earth, bar staff. And six: kick ass music playing at reasonable volume. All signs point to a well-​run establishment. Well done my little monkeys. Well… done…

This our 4^th time here! Beer is awesome! The staff is very nice! They always have the house favorites and seasonal beers also!

This place is pretty interesting especially from the outside as it looks like someone’s house! The service here is very friendly upon walking in and taking orders so that’s a plus. They have their own kinds of beer here and I believe other local beers that you should definitely check out and try if you’re a beer drinker.

Great bartender. Food was good as well. Always a nice time with nice people. The servers here are the reason we come. I like the beers brewed on site, but wish they had more ambers to choose from.

I really enjoyed my first visit here. Food was not mind blowing but it was pretty excellent for bar food. Beer list rocks.

This pains me to say that this place is just not that good. The beer is good, but the food is just ok at best. We have eaten here a few times now and every time I hope it’s going to be better. The place is an old house which took me by surprise, but once inside, it’s very modern, and is a good atmosphere for hanging out and drinking. Tonight the potato skins were not cooked all the way through, and not all of them had cheese and bacon. The highlight was the nachos for me but my wife did not like the fact that there was not much cheese on them, to me they were still good bar food. I just wish this place was better; with a great menu or cook this place would be the place to go in Martinez.

The food was OK, the beer was terrific. I only give two stars because of the service. I had my brother coming in to town from Virginia and wanted to sit by the creek so we could watch the wildlife. I called a couple days ahead and reserved a table outside. No mention that the outside area was under construction. We get there and they then tell me they don’t accept reservations. What was the gal on the phone talking about? We had to sit inside and eat mediocre food but I admit the IPA was pretty good. That’s the only reason I gave them two stars.

Looks like a big house from the outside and inside is a well done restaurant/​bar with a cozy but modern feel. Customer service was excellent! 3 – 4 TVs and very friendly staff. Food came out fast and everything was good — although we only ordered a bunch of finger foods, still all delicious! They even brew their own beer. Definitely recommend and will be back!
Food Ordered: Onion rings, Funeral Balls, Mac&Cheese, Sweet Potato Fries, Regular French Fries, Sliders & Quesadilla (ALL good)
Drinks: Pomegranate Cider & their home brewed beer with raspberry (forgot the name)

They have good food but don’t go on your lunch break or if your tight on time. They can get pretty busy and the last waitress I had was pretty disappointing and forgot about us. It has basically no parking so that is a draw back too.

Decent beer, mediocre food. Decent service.
I guess I expected it to be something special. Beer menu was up on blackboards with only name and alcohol content. I would suggest a menu with a description of the beers. French fries were the only vegan option. Nothing to recommend. I have at least 5 brew houses I would rather go to.
A gastro pub it is not.
My suggestion is a little more creativity. Cmon you can do better

Met up with a few of my favorite CCCSO people for food and drinks last night. This was my first visit to Creek Monkey, so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but overall had an enjoyable experience. Expecting a ‘typical’ Friday night bar crowd, I asked that our party be seated in a quiet area and was escorted to their outdoor seating area.
Feeling entitled after my earlier workout, I went full fatty and ordered their mac and cheese with a side of onion rings. Others in my group ordered salads, chicken strips, chicken tacos, and funeral balls (Shredded Potatoes, Cheddar Cheese, Bacon, and Cilantro rolled into six decadent Balls and served with Chipotle Dipping Sauce). Everyone seemed to enjoy their choices. Myself included.
On the night of our visit to CM, they were still serving 21^st Amendment Hell or High Watermelon (usually can’t find after Sept)… but… lucky me… I scored the very last serving. Moved on to the Rocksteady (CMTH) Holiday in the Sun. Not bad, but not 21^st Amendment Hell or High Watermelon.
As I said earlier, overall it was an enjoyable experience.
Caveats to the pleasantry included:
The smell of dog s**t… which was quickly cleaned up by it’s owner, but the offensive smell was already in the air
And…
Seemingly unattended children left to climb the wall separating the outdoor seating area from the drop to the creek below
Neither would prevent me from returning.

Yummy food & pretty surround. Do try the fish & chips (not greasy or fishy, served with authentic vinegar) and the calamari sandwich. Onion rings are also terrific. Wide beer selection rounds out the filling meal.

Pretty big place in downtown Martinez. We heard good things about this place so we decided to check it out. Our server was helpful and knowledgable about the beer selection and service was fast. The food was not the greatest, though. I ordered tacos and was seriously disappointed. My sister ordered Mac and cheese which was decent but pretty bland. Everything else was pretty much the same.
We’ll probably come back here just for the beer, service and ambiance. Good spot for large groups and families.

When you think that certain staff members are the owners, then to find out that they are not, that says a lot about the standards of this establishment.
That’s twice now I thought the beertendars were either the owner or related to, but I was wrong.
Beer selectiion, Friken AWESOME!
Service, need I say more?
Ambience? I gotta say that I always thought, Martinez was dead, why bother.
WRONG! or at least not anymore.
Downtown Martinez is pretty kewl and CT his place has in door and outdoor seating. Best of all, DOG FRIENDLY!
Bottomline, if u r a beer person like me, Creek Monkey is da place to be!
Cheers! If u ever see me there, tap me on my shoulder cuz BEERS are always on me!

I just love this place!
The food is always consistently good, the beer selections are always fantastic, and the service from both the owner and staff, are always extremely welcoming and friendly.
They are also more than welcome to let you sample all their unique beers and they still have the absolute best onion rings around!!!
Definitely one of my favorite spots :)