Monkey Bar
New York
I korthet
Recensioner
Everyone has heard of the Monkey Bar.... It's part of NYC restaurant lore. But I didn't want to have any pre-conceived notions or expectations when I was invited to a Sunday lunch... Wanted to judge this on its merits. And it did pretty well... Upon entering, one can tell this space has hosted some epic meals of power and celebrity.... The food was good .... Not great, but good enough to make one feel that this isn't a total tourist trap. The Truffle Monkey Bread was as you would expect... Soft, warm, melts in your mouth with that truffle aroma.... But it wasn't $34 worthy. The burger was also good.... Not great.... That's the thing here... You're coming to experience the Monkey Bar. And these days that means paying a premium to visit a museum of sorts. Service was very good, polite and our server even gifted a slice of their baked-on-premises carrot cake when we couldn't make up our mind on which dessert we were going to choose. Would we come back? It's a dark, "Bogart & Bacall" cocktail lounge vibe.... Maybe not, but we also didn't regret finally experiencing it for the 1st time.
We went on a Friday afternoon around 3:45pm without a reservation and didn’t need to wait long as two people but waited a bit for a table even though there definitely would have been bar seating sooner. For two people, we got a bourbon old fashioned, Wagyu burger, prime rib French dip, and truffle Mac and cheese. The burger does not come with fries but mixed Google reviews of fries influenced us to get the truffle Mac and cheese instead. All the food was good. One person liked the French dip more while the other liked the burger more. Service was fine. Our waiter immediately asked us if we have any dietary restrictions. The restaurant with low ceilings still has somewhat of a moody vibe.
This place is definitely worth the hype. It was so hard to get a reservation. We ended up with a 10:30pm table so it basically became our second dinner. I just wish I had been hungrier. The truffle bread was incredible. It had a slight sweetness that paired perfectly with the butter. The steak tartare was another favorite. The bread was super crispy and complemented the tartare so well. The spicy shrimp pasta was also delicious with just the right amount of kick. The burger and fries were good but nothing standing out. I’m usually not a huge mac and cheese person but this one completely changed my mind. It had such a rich, strong truffle flavor that made it so addictive. For dessert the chocolate tart was great as expected but the strawberry vacherin was really good. I’m usually a chocolate dessert person but this was honestly one of my favorites. It had a crisp meringue shell with whipped cream, strawberry icecream inside, and marinated strawberries outside. so light, refreshing, and the perfect way to end the meal. We weren’t huge fans of the drinks but everything else was excellent!
I am glad I checked this place off my bucket list, but there will be a lot of buts in my review. The atmosphere screams old New York and the bar area is way more fun than the dining room in my opinion. The service was top notch, but it took a very long time for our entrees to come out. I understand it was Father’s Day, but it was too long. The Monkey Bread was great, but definitely not worth the price (I am glad I tried it though). Next the French Dip, it was good, but I can think of at least 2 restaurants that have a better french dip. The double cheeseburger was great (perhaps the star), but for the price at least throw in some chips. The Mac n Cheese was very cheesy, I loved the pasta they used and top was crispy. Now our server, she was great and apologized for the slow service and even bought use complimentary ice cream. She deserves 5 stars. This place is worth trying, just expect to drop a lot of dough.
Great food and ambiance. Would say similar vibes to polo bar but although polo bar has a meaningfully better, sharper martini but monkey bar has a better French dip and burger… so it’s a toss up which one is ultimately better. We got the rigatoni, French dip, burger and rib eye… French dip was hands down the best thing and I would go back just for that
