Cheeky Monkey

Rest in peace, Cheeky Monkey. We hardly knew you, but we wish we knew you even a little less than that.

Excellent food, solids service, and outstanding baked goods. So sad they are closing.

We came in on a Saturday night. Food took 45 mins and our server Angie was unapologetic. My husband ordered the pot roast and I ordered the cheeseburger with Brie, it was very underwhelming for a $ 12 burger. When we asked where our food was and asked for the check she was short with us. We will not be back, it’s too bad since their lunch was so good! Skip it and head over the Hidden Gnome!

First off, this is a review for their brunch. Haven’t had dinner there yet.
Okay, their food is great. My wife and I have been there several times for Sunday brunch, and the food is always fantastic. They have a rotating «hash of the day», which last week was a Southwestern style hash, and this week was an incredible mix of potatoes, smoked sausage, peppers, onasparagus and greens. They also have a Salmon benedict, which is all kinds of awesome. Beer on tap, which is great when you’re coming back from Sunday morning choir and need to chill.
The first couple times we went, service was good. But the last few times, it’s been insanely awful. Just in the last two weeks we’ve dealt with a server who didn’t get to our table for beverages until we’d been seated for 20 minutes, then after she took our order, forgot to put it in front of the cooks, so we waited another 45 minutes till we could eat. Today, we went with my sisters, and nobody even noticed us for 20 minutes, and that only because we flagged down a waitress and said «is there anyone assigned to our section?». It was busy, but not crazy busy. And we should have our coffees earlier than 20 minutes after we sit down.
Credit goes to the waitress who responded to the complaint of no service. She took over what was one of her co-​workers’ tables, took an order for four with some customization, and really kept an eye on us.
Okay, we finally got our food. As I said, my hash was delicious, even though there were bits of aluminum foil floating around in it. My sister’s benedict was cold, and the English Muffins were basically hard-​tack. This was the only time I’ve ever experienced less-​than-​awesome food.
I do not like folks who give one-​star reviews after one bad service experience, though I understand all too well how frustrating that is. So this is not a one-​star review. The food is genuinely good (but ask for your meal aluminum foil-​free). But either they’re having problems with staffing levels, or hiring crappy wait staff. I suspect the latter.
Today I asked for a look at their dinner menu. Really looks like good stuff. They’re close, and the food is good, so I’ll give them a chance with their dinner menu. But I don’t think I’ll be going back for brunch any time soon. The Red Cow, up the road, has decent brunch, and the service is always great.
Cheeky Monkey: get a grip on your wait staff. This could’ve been at least a 4-​star review if we’d been waited on well.

Service was well, not good. Lucky we got one drink. Was hoping this would be a good spot but the food was average, felt like a bad I hop. I’ve had much better around the area. This place is trying to compete but the lack of experience and talent in the kitchen and on the floor really shows.

Despite previous good reviews and pleasant breakfasts I’ve eaten here, apparently the service takes a dive bomb after noon. Wandered in around 2 pm for a late lunch and got blatantly ignored by the staff, to the point where, after 15 minutes, we walked out. While the restaurant was busy, I’m talking completely ignored– none of the waitstaff even looked at us, and the counter staff didn’t even glance at us. Waited for about 15 minutes and left.

Cheeky Monkey used to be one of our favorite spots. We arrived tonight eager for dinner. We were seated promptly and brought water… after that nothing. We waited over 15 minutes with wait staff coming and going in the dining area without so much of «I’ll be right with you». My husband went up to the host stand and asked to see the manager. The host said he would send him right over. We waited and waited. No manager and still no wait staff so we finally got up and left. We would love cheeky monkey to rise to the quality they once had but until we see reviews of great service and food we won’t be back.

From the reviews I’m guessing this is more of a breakfast place, so lucky me that I came here for breakfast. Girlfriend got a ham & brie sandwich, I got the classic eggs benedict. Solid food, including flavorful potatoes (though a few were very slightly undercooked — a common problem with cubed potatoes). And the coffee was good as well. No one was particularly fussing over us, but we weren’t in a hurry so that worked for me.

The food is good, and the staff is nice, but service is slllllloooooooow. If you need to be somewhere, don’t even attempt this. Three of us came to have dinner before a show just a couple blocks away, and had 90 minutes to spare when we were seated, but by the end, and after several requests to please bring the food, please bring the bill, please come back for payment, we ended up having to run to make the show on time. 90 minutes is NOT an unreasonable amount of time to expect to order, receive, eat and pay for dinner.

The monkey appears to be slipping out of his tree. I’ve loved this place… it’s only 2 blocks from my house… but of late quality seems to be slipping. Case in point: last night my sweetie and I decided to eat out so we headed over to the Monkey. She ordered a chicken pot pie (her usual) and I ordered shepherd’s pie (my usual). While we were waiting, I noticed that my water glass was chipped at the top. Not Good. That got replaced.
Then my wife’s pot pie showed up. The filling, instead of being big chunks of chicken and veggies was a watery soup with small bits of chicken and veggies floating in it. Epic Fail. After trying to flag down our server, The Dot went up to the front counter to let them know. They offered to «fix» it. Fix it? What? They were going to dump it out and thicken it? They ended up replacing it with a shepherd’s pie.
The service has gone way down. Water glasses unfilled. No one coming by to check on us. AGES waiting for the bill to arrive.
Please, Cheeky… fix things up! I want to love you again.

I went here for a small dinner recently and was definitely impressed. The food was really good, a vegetable soup and a super yummy side salad with berries and vinaigrette. The service was also really good, she was quick to replace my soup when it came out lukewarm. The décor is cute and modern. I only knocked down a star because it wasn’t super comfy or warm, I like a more cozy atmosphere. That is a pretty small thing in the grand scheme though, I will likely be back!

Came in to order food to go. Staff were super friendly, explained the hot and cold sandwiches, and sides.etc.
Made sure to offer me something to drink right away while I wait. Atmosphere is nice and quiet, looks clean, music is perfect volume. Definitely a nice spot to grab a bite to eat or a beer!

I was a little worried about the one star reviews below, but went anyway for an early birthday dinner with my family. The place was pretty much empty, even when we left at 5:30 or so. We were seated right away.
I ordered a steak with chimichurri, which was very good. It had plenty of flavor, wasn’t over-​seasoned, and the chimichurri, which I’d never had before, enhanced the flavor. The waiter was attentive and the prices are reasonable.
The food took an inordinate amount of time to arrive. Also, my four year old triplet nephews’ mac & cheese was apparently flavorless, so they weren’t too happy about that. Maybe there needs to be more seasoning in the sauce? Something they may wish to consider if they ever read this review.
Overall, I was happy with my experience and would return.

I give this place a solid meh. The sandwiches and burgers are mediocre. Not terrible, not great, mostly utterly forgettable. The prices are reasonable. The service isn’t slow, but also isn’t terribly fast. We went on a Tuesday evening, and the place was maybe half full, and not too noisy. Usually I love neighborhood sandwich joints, because they have lots of character and unique offerings. This one just didn’t. If you’re in the area and looking for a bite to eat, go here. It won’t disappoint. If you’re looking for a memorable meal with that something special, try somewhere else.

I’m a big fan of this place. I’ve only been maybe 3 times but enjoyed it each time. My latest visit was my first being seated and served by a waitress. All my other visits had been order off the chalk board and take a seat.
Our waitress was great. I know I’d have a tough time being a waiter. Trying to keep all the requests straight from the different tables, filling drinks when appropriate, asking guests if they need anything all without being tardy or overbearing. A skill for sure! I wish I remembered the name of our waitress but I don’t.
I ordered Eggs Benedict with lox but was informed soon after no lox left for the day, we apologize, and will give you a 10% discount because of it. No problem, I’ll take regular which was OUTSTANDING. I don’t know where they get those thick chewy english muffins but oh man were they perfect. Ham was outstanding, a little skimpy on the hollandaise but I’m glad because some places drown the plate in it. The accompanying bowl of fruit was also fresh and delicious.
Dad ordered some kind of carrot ginger soup. Biggest bowl of soup I’ve seen. As big as a plate. Not my thing but he liked it. My daughter got a nutella sandwich I believe which she liked well enough.
Great place, I’ll be back! As soon as I figure out how to post a photo, I’ll add one to this review…

Adorable little spot right on Cathedral Hill in St. Paul. Went in for brunch to celebrate Julia G.‘s birthday solely for the $ 3 mimosas. We had a large group and they were very accommodating. Due to our large group we were unable to sit on the back patio which looked beautiful but the inside was creatively decorated to fit their British theme. Nobody had ever been their before so I took a risk making reservations there for her birthday. It turned out to be a big success, everyone had a great time.
The menu was great for brunch. They had delicious options for both breakfast and lunch.

This is the go to place for my husband and I for lunch dates. The food is the best. The toughest part is trying to decide what to order.
When the place is full, which it usually is, the noise can be a bit too much.

I’ll preface my review with this: I take no joy in writing one-​star reviews. It’s not a fun hobby. After my dinner here I went to the restaurant’s website and submitted a «contact» message. I said that I’d had a bad experience and would prefer to talk to a manager rather than post a bad review. But nobody replied, and I waited several days. I tried…
Two friends and I went here on a recent Sunday evening. We arrived at 7:00 PM and the small dining room was half empty. Even so, service was agonizingly slow. It was a 20-​minute wait for our beverages.
For starters we ordered the fondue appetizer. It’s listed as beer cheese with pretzels for dipping. The large soft pretzels were good, but the fondue had no substance or texture at all. It was pure liquid, like cheese flavored hot broth, and it was pretty dreadful.
Two of us ordered the meat loaf and one ordered pot roast. The meat loaf is supposed to be accompanied by «spring peas» and carrots, along with potatoes, and the pot roast, «spring vegetables.» Both entrees were served with brown gravy and 6 or 7 roasted potato wedges. Vegetables were nowhere in sight. The meat loaf was tasty but the potatoes were unappealing sitting in the gravy. My friend reported that the pot roast was good.
I brought to the server’s attention the vegetable deficit. I told her that peas are on the menu as well as a second veggie. (I didn’t recall that it was carrots and looked it up online later.) After much back and forth between her and the kitchen, she brought out a cup of peas for the meat loaf diners to share. No carrots or any other offering, and nothing at all for the pot roast eater.
The server told us that the chef was new and is still learning the menu. Well, that’s a lame excuse. All she had to do was open a menu and see what was missing from our meals. This was a grim dining experience.

**Update, the owner who replied to my review never responded back**
I’m saddened to write this, but this rating applies to the service. Was here a year ago before stopping in again today and loved it, NOT TODAY. For starters, when I walked in I asked if I should seat myself, and a very tempermental (knockoff Tayor Swift with Miranda Sings lipstick method) waitress exclaimed «GIVE ME 2 MINUTES I’M DOING STUFF!» (after already waiting about 5) So I sat myself, only me and another family were there! Waited another 10, only for a family that just walked in to be serviced, so I left. No sense in giving my business or anymore time to a business so rude. Cheeky Monkey– get your stuff together.

Great patio in back. Smallish menu but high quality ingredients, fair trade and gluten-​free options at reasonable prices.

This is a solid, reliable place with good food at reasonable prices. I’ve been here a number of times for brunch, lunch and dinner.
Service is always friendly. The food is good. Nothing is earth-​shattering about it but it is tasty and well-​prepared. I do really like the combinations of flavors that they put together. I think the prices are very reasonable for the quality of food you get. You have nice choices for side dishes too.
The patio is really nice in the summer, that’s one of the big draws I think. It feels like a little oasis away from the city. It’s the perfect spot to catch up with a friend with dinner and a glass of wine.
One of the reasons I like this place is that it is a good restaurant to recommend to someone or meet a friend if you aren’t sure what kind of food they like or how «foodie» they are. There is something for everyone on the menu.

I met with my mentee here for brunch from her suggestion. My first time here so was excited to try their brunch.
Rustic style décor with a hipster feel when you walk in and when you interact with the staff.
We met a bit earlier on Sunday so it was not super busy yet when I got there. My brunch date was running late but was sats own right away and my server quickly came over to take my drink order. When our for brunch you have to take advantage of cocktails. Cheeky Monkey has $ 3 mimosas which is a great deal! Orange juice was refreshing but didn’t really taste or get a lot of champagne but not going to complain too much due to the price.
My server asked if I wanted to have some of the bread of the day while I was waiting and of course I said yes! So happy I did, the flavor of the day was banana walnut and it was delish! I had two slices right away.
I ended up ordering The Forager omelette with egg whites. It comes with mushrooms, Brie and rocket (which I had to google to figure out what it was but it is a veggie basically from the cabbage family) with a side of fruit. The omelette was huge and delish for sure. The Brie was not overpowering at all and complemented the veggies just right. The fruit was very fresh and went well with my meal. I could not finish the whole thing but I sure did try!
I always forget about all the amazing spots off of Selby Ave, I would for sure come back again to the Cheeky Monkey and need to bring the hubster here for
brunch soon!
Before I forget, go early or be ready for a wait. It was empty when I got there at 10:30 but it was packed with a wait by the time we left close to noon. They do not take reservations for groups less than 6.

Let me preface this review with I love the concept, idea and the menu. I’ve had this place in my bookmarks to try for a while (all be it for brunch, not dinner like was the case last night).
The highlights of the place are the atmosphere and service. I had a great server, was seated promptly (strange it was dinner time and maybe a handful of tables), and told thank you by the staff as I departed.
The low lights though, vastly outnumber those highlights.
I ordered the grilled chicken sandwich with a side salad (arugula, berries, and some hazlenuts), my girlfriend ordered a ham and brie with chips and a side slaw. The salad was so-​so. I mean, it tasted decent, was a bit over peppered, but wasn’t overly bad. Absolutely tiny though, even by the «small» standards. My sandwich… oh my sandwich. The good? Their ciabatta bread. Other than that, next to tasteless. Here’s the description of what I should have had (you’ll have to just trust me on the chicken part being included in the chicken sandwich):
«roasted red pepper, bleu cheese crumbles, bacon, rocket, bleu cheese dressing, ciabatta roll, pressed warm»
The only thing, and I mean the only thing I could taste was the red peppers. The chicken was flavorless, I couldn’t taste any hint of bleu cheese — which was one of the reasons I ordered it, as a fan of bc — and the bacon, yes bacon even, had nothing. I digress the bread was amazing though.
Proportion wise, it’s maybe 5 inches of sandwich. Which, for the price I find a joke. I get it, better ingredients and all this, but, don’t jip the customer on an actual sandwich for the gross money we’re paying for it (especially considering the lack of ingredients used).
Onto my girlfriends sandwich, ham and brie (keep this brie part in mind). Again, fro the menu:
«smoked ham, creamy brie, apricot mustard, ciabatta roll, pressed warm»
She got a ham sandwich. Notice I didn’t say anything about brie or mustard? There wasn’t anything, at all. It was JUST ham. We took it apart, ran it through a mass spectrometer to verify everything — we got a ham sandwich. However, the ham was good and flavorful, with a strange hint of horseradish sauce that would have been odd if we did get the sweetness from the apricot mustard. Her side item, the house potat chips were pretty damn good though.
Lastly, the slaw. I’ve kind of been on a slaw binge lately, and this was about a ³⁄₁₀ on my slaw-​o-​meter. Good ingredients with some solid cabbage, carrots and lettuce… but — like my sammy — utterly tasteless. Its next to dry, so I’m wondering if a little more of whatever kind of dressing is needed?
In the end, I wasn’t impressed with Cheeky. I really wanted to be. But just utterly disappointed. I might, after I run through the rest of my bookmarks, give them another shot, but, it’ll certainly be for brunch because wasting $ 35 on that food again isn’t an option. Next time I crave a ciabatta sandwich, we’ll head to Davannis’ and get our money’s worth.

Yes, very cheeky indeed!
I took my sister and niece out to the Cheeky Monkey late on a Thursday evening. The dining area had the perfect «glow» — dark enough to feel intimate, and enough ambient lighting to see and feel comfortable (candles and an adorable fireplace.) It felt like I stepped into an eclectic section of a European boutique. I loved the plaid, the tufted leather seating as well as the couch in front of the fireplace and wall of ‘neighborhoods.‘
I ordered the Ham & Brie sandwich with homemade chips, my sister ordered the Cubano, and my niece? She is so picky, and had never heard of Nutella. As soon as our waiter placed it in front of her, she demolished that nutella banana sandwich with the determination of a ravenous bear. With chocolate spread across her face and fingers, not to mention her hair and her dress, I think we just discovered the best place in St. Paul to take a 5 year old. She wouldn’t even share a bite — I mean — come on.
Our server was cheeky as well, cracking jokes with my niece and ‘playing’ with us as we ordered. He brought back our left-​overs in Chinese take-​out boxes and wished us a kind farewell. Needless to say, we had a wonderfully playful evening, and are already planning our next trip back.
But next time, I’m gettin’ that Nutella sammie.

I think I’ve written poems in my diary about this place. Graceful haiku’s such as;
Cheeky Monkey love
In the form of food and booze
Makes my belly smile
Or.
Thank God for Febreeze
And lock on the bathroom door
Booze for breakfast; bad.
Too much information?
I’m updating my review because I finally made it here for brunch and it’s an entirely different experience.
We sat inside as the patio was crowded, with mini snow mountains and temps of only 30 degrees. We were sat against the long wall by the fireplace which was perfect for me. Our two seater table tilted to the left from the uneven floor which I get a kick out of because it reminds me of my house. It’s charming if you like old buildings.
Our waitress popped up in no time and we jumped on ordering some mimosas and a cup of coffee. Our mimosas were only $ 1.50 a piece which is a bargain when you consider a cup of coffee is a little over $ 2. The mimosa was sweet but good. I only ordered one but only because I may have already had a hangover.
My mum in law ordered the Brioche French toast with mascarpone butter and seasonal fruit compote. The compote was blueberries and raspberries from what I could taste out of it. It was very good and not too sweet. The french toast was good and mum in-​law liked it.
I ordered the Bacon and Fried Egg Sammie (I like ordering these because of the name. Mushy, I know.) It was bacon and two over easy eggs with a spicy mayo and arugula on English muffin toast. I didn’t order any sides but I really didn’t have to. It was the perfect amount of food to cure a hunger pang and not overstuff you. As for the flavor, it was about a 3. Everything was cooked well but nothing stood out. I liked the pepperiness of the arugula and the spicy mayo was a nice touch, but in the end it just tasted like an egg sandwich and I was left unimpressed.
Until I put some of the fruit compote on it, that is. The sweet mixed with the spice from the mayo took the sandwich to a new level and I enjoyed every last bite of it. In the future, there will be fruit compote on the side.
We were very happy when we left here yesterday and as always, look forward to coming back. This is a very nice mom-​daughter or friends brunch place, but if you’re expecting somewhere that would entertain a manly mans man, this is probably not the place. I would never take Sam here.
That’s okay. I’m claiming this one as my own go-​to. I love this place.

After making the pilgrimage from Madison to the Twin Cities, my daughter and I were in serious need of nourishment and decided to throw ourselves to the mercy of Unilocal.We noticed the generally solid rating for Cheeky Monkey and cast our lot. Here is our story.
We visited during Super Bowl Sunday and the place was D-​E-​A-​D dead. There were four patrons and eight employees. Due the extremely favorable staff to patron ratio, we enjoyed exceptionally attentive service. Almost too attentive at times, as we had to shoo away our server a couple of times as we perused the menu. During our meal, my coffee cup was never less than half-​empty and our server promptly returned with an aioli when I asked for a sauce for my side order. A solid four-​star performance that helped us forget the morgue-​like vibe the place was giving off.
As for the food, the grilled chicken sandwich ($ 10.50) ordered by my daughter was better than expected. The star of the sandwich was the tangy bleu cheese dressing that helped compensate for the overly crusty ciabatta roll. The chicken breast meat was generously portioned and well seasoned. I enjoyed the use of rocket as a green that helped cut the richness of the dressing and bacon. I would not hesitate to order this well-​balanced sandwich again.
The out of balance Cubano sandwich ($ 10.50) was less successful. There was too little of the earthy, cumin-​roasted pork to balance out the over-​smoked ham that dominated each bite. The sandwich also needed more condiments (mayo, mustard, pickles) to balance out the extremely dry ciabatta roll. For the price, it was a huge disappointment.
The side orders were also a mixed bag. The roasted cauliflower ($ 4) with curry, chili flake, and cilantro brought a soothing warmth to the meal. I was extremely disappointed with under seasoned griddle sweet potatoes ($ 4), which spent too little time on the griddle and lacked the caramelization that normally brings out their deep, natural sweetness.
Other thoughts and ramblings:
* Free wi-​fi
* Strong coffee
* Plenty of available street parking
* Creative options on the sandwich menu — a great of thought went into designing the combinations of flavor profiles
* Expensive for the quantity of food provided — a sandwich and a small side was $ 12.50