Monkey Bar and Restaurant

Number 1, NOT a bar for visitors/​travelers as they don’t take plastic and their atm charges $ 3.25. There is no sign or advance warning that they are cash-​only. I suspect that travelers such as me would keep walking. I didn’t get a good vibe from this place, but i didn’t have any food. I would need to return for a second visit to validate my opinion, but for now, I wouldn’t even give it one star… but I have no choice. As I type this, a baby roach just walked across the bar. And now that same roach is back just hanging out. On well, roaches outlived dinosaurs. Getting out ASAP. Damn roach must be a pet… just won’t go away.

How is this place still open? My gf paid $ 8 for a weak well-​vodka soda. She had to run out of the bathrooms because it was so scary. It smelled weird in there. The one bartender was pretty interesting, though. STAY AWAY

Overpriced ($ 8 for a 3.5%ABV Victory stout), limited beer list, dirty (disgusting bathrooms on a slow night; pervasive smell of fryer oil), and cash only (though generously offering a $ 3.25 surcharge ATM). I will never make the mistake of wandering in here again.

Are you kidding me? 8 $ beers and the same 10 songs on repeat for a Wednesday night. Never coming here again.

Empty bar on a friday at 10:30pm should have set off red flags, but i was so happy to be able to sit somewhere (as every other bar had been packed) that I overlooked this, what a mistake.
The best part of the bar was the bartender. he was a nice enough guy explaining the beers to us.
Thats it, that’s the only positive thing i could say about Monkeybar.
Ordered 2 beers… $ 18, ridiculous… gave my card he says they dont accept it but there is an ATM in the back… (thankfully I had cash), because by reading theses reviews there is a $ 3 fee. Its 2015, almost 2016, and you are cash only? Two reasons for this you are making people pay for using an ATM, or you are cheating the IRS.
Looked around the place, looked dirty, there was a big re plastered spot on the ceiling, menu on the chalkboard mostly consisting of fried things. Moz sticks $ 9.95??? Looking around at the other 2 people in the bar each came alone, one was his first time in Philadelphia. Realized I was in a TOURIST TRAP, how dumb of me.
Friend says her beer tastes off. Never Again monkey Bar… please please do yourself a favor and stay away go a block down down and get something better, that is appropriately priced.

Pretty much an overpriced tourist trap. Spent $ 50 on two beers and some obviously frozen foodservice appetizers.
The ‘cash only’ restriction was just another annoyance. The ATM inside also rips you off.
We were the only people there, and we had to keep asking the bartender to help us. He acted like we were interrupting him by being there.
Overall, just kind of a depressing place.
Architecturally-​speaking, the building is historic and cool, but just pop in and take a peek (check out the monkey wallpaper), and then go eat and drink somewhere else.

They are a little overpriced and the ATM def gauged that further being over $ 3, but the bartender was nice & extremely knowledgeable in his craft and the drinks mixed were strong. Get the Fireball (Yes, Fireball.) margarita!
Spent a couple bucks short of $ 50 including tips for 4 mixed drinks and a beer. All were atleast 12 ounces and served cold.
This isn’t the most budget friendly spot, but, it is fine to stop through if in the area.

I wouldn’t recommend this place. Waiter was rude and didn’t seem interested we were there. Almost felt like we were bothering him. Just had drinks and they were nothing to brag about — the grape ape and the margarita. Overpriced.

Looked like an interesting place so I stopped in to get some food. Started off bad when I asked what type of soda he had and he didn’t know and said he pushes a button and it comes out. When I did get my drink the glass had lip marks on it. When I got I got my food the burger was burnt and had no flavor. I will never return.

I love this little place. It is a hidden gem in Olde City. Usually when I go, there aren’t many people in the place, so you don’t have to deal with loud tourists, it usually locals who know it’s a cool place to grad a draft and hang out until your friends are ready to meet up at the trendy spot around the corner.
I can’t tell you much about the food, so let’s focus on the plus side — the staff are friendly and the drinks are stiff. Good enough for me!

My Unilocal account is happy– I use this site as a celebration of eating out and the joy that I associate with it. With that said I had an absolutely terrible experience at Monkey Bar… I am not optimistic about its future and hope the manager is ultimately held accountable for the inevitable food born illness this place breeds.
I arrived late Friday night with a large group after an event down town… as a visitor in the area I actually recall thinking. «What a cool looking place!»
As soon as our group arrived the manager was at our table asking for drink orders. a few of us ordered… most didn’t. He returned with the drinks and said «cash only» then proceeded to demand the attention of other members of the group and yell– «hey everyone if you’re going to stay here everyone needs to order drinks.»
Unfortunately through it all my group opted to stay. Now I’m all for paying $ 8 for a draft beer from a greasy bar glass that almost certainty came out of a tap system that hasn’t been cleaned since this dude’s grandfather bought the place… unfortunately, I grew tired and thirsty and had to ask for water. When I went to the bar and asked for water the guy didn’t even look at me. Instead, he pointed to a pitcher at the other end of the bar that stood next to a half drank glass of water. When I asked «what about a glass» he simply said «there’s a glass right there.»
Shame on you, Monkey man. Shame on you.
I look forward to revisiting when this place gets steamrolled and bought by someone who takes pride in his /​her establishment.
For the record, Philly is an amazing place and I love it.

There are much better places to go. This place is divey and dirty. The wine glasses are dirty. The bathrooms have never been cleaned. It’s really a sad place. The service was good but my god wash the glasses you are serving. And try a spritz of Lysol every now and again. Dirty glasses, dirty bar, gross music.

Only here for beers but pretty funny place. Windows haven’t been washed since Washington crossed the Delaware! That said, the beer menu while small is pretty good.

Stopped here for a beer… Two draft beers (Rogue Dead Guy) cost $ 18.00!!! Served in dirty pint glasses as well! The bartender was nowhere to be found after serving the beer as well! Save yourself the money — head to the Irish Pol right up the street & get six good drafts for the price you’re going to pay for two here!

Seriously — it’s really not ok to not take credit cards in the 21^st century. Food was just ok, and criminally overpriced. We only stopped because we were showing an out-​of-​town friend some of the Old City sights. Will not visit again — feeling silly for going in the first place.

Delivery
Jerk chicken sandwich was two chicken fingers, a slice of American, a dab of «jerk sauce» and a piece of lettuce ($ 9.95 from menu online, not including delivery). Not worth it at all.

Horrible Old City tourist trap. My wife and I both got $ 12 burgers that tasted like they were made with cheap buns and frozen patties from the grocery store. My friend got a beer that he through was supposed to cost $ 6.75, according to the menu, which is already pretty expensive. Turns out the stuff on the menu was an «outdated bottle list», and he got the draft version that costs $ 9 (this beer was nothing special — golden monkey or something). It’s also cash-​only, and the waiter assumed all the cash we left over and above payment was his tip (most waiters will ask if you need change. This guy didn’t).
Don’t know how places like this stay in business. Stay away!

We ended up here with another couple after a movie because we wanted someplace to chat that wasn’t too loud or crowded. We made a poor choice.
Monkey Bar is a dive bar, ok, I get that. But even dive bars can serve good drinks, right? I ordered a Miami Margarita and it was clearly just the Jose Cuervo mix. My friend ordered a Whiskey Lemonade that she said also tasted like it was premixed. The others ordered beer which was fine.
I, stupidly, had not eaten enough for dinner and ordered a cheese and onion (only vegetable they had– don’t judge) quesadilla because those are pretty simple and difficult to mess up, right? Nope. This was hands down the worst quesadilla I have ever had. It was COVERED in oil. Like, dripping from inside and covered on the outside. Oil, oil everywhere, dripping onto my clothes. Plus it was just gross tasting. Again, not expecting much and this STILL disappointed.
I will never go here again and I doubt anyone else I was with will either since the drinks, the atmosphere and the food were all terrible. I would have given it one star but it was slightly better than the worst place I have ever been to.

Went here one night just for drinks. I ordered their version of a bloody mary, the bartender came back saying they were out of the mix. Then I ordered a chocolate martini. The bartender confessed he didn’t know how to even make one, took him about 5 minutes to make since he had to look it up. It was drinkable, but not worth $ 10. The experience was okay until I ventured down into the bathroom. It literally looked like it hadn’t been cleaned in months, and there was a dead cockroach belly up on the floor.
This place isn’t going to last very long.

Monkey bar is a corner bar — not much more. The food offerings are average, not much really to review here. The beer list is not particularly note-​worthy, especially in a city that has so many better options. The crowd and the bartenders were nothing to write home about — although we did end up meeting an interesting solo-​traveler from Melbourne who chatted us up for a few hours of libation-​driven conversation.
Bottom Line: Its absolutely perfectly fine for a drink — not much more.