Sat out side and had a cilantro, lime & chicken crisper. Overall had a pretty good taste. We also ordered the fresh salsa - way too much garlic in it for me - and the queso dip. I did not go inside so I can't comment on what the inside is like. This is a great place to sit outside and enjoy a cocktail and the weather. read more

Definitely a solid place to go for some Mexican style pub food and a brew during the summer. This place is nice and intimate for venues as well, but when it's freezing, the inside can get pretty noisy and packed pretty quickly, so beware. They've also started Sunday night trivia which has become a big hit. Definitely worth checking out! read more

Cowboy Monkey - Chicken crisp - Bars Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

I don't have a lot of time for this review, so I'll give you the highlights. This place started serving brunch a few months ago. My table had a variety of dishes that we all shared. The quality was impeccable. Every dish was as good as I could imagine it. We had several omelettes and also had pancakes. The food has a Mexican flair, but it's eclectic and modern. The bartender, Elijah, makes the best Bloody Mary I have ever had and that is by a longshot. It's stellar. He garnished it with a taquito and the rim had Tajin on it. Ask him about it. I have been for brunch a few times now and it's just excellent. Covid is causing the place to constantly make changes to keep up with the guidelines. They've done a great job. Do it. Go there. It the moment, they are earning every star I gave them. read more

This place is terrible. Patrons are super ghetto, music is extremly loud, and food is terrible. I would avoid it altogether unless you are really into the ghetto scene. I don't know how this place still exists, it should be renamed to Ghetto Monkey. read more

Elijah made the BEST drinks I've ever had!!! Will be back. Loved it! Very fun bartender and he was very receptive of our preferences. Great experience! read more

We went here Sunday April 18th to have their brunch. It was very busy and chaotic. Trying to get seated a server took our name and said there would be a short wait. Another server wasn't aware of the "list" and began seating people. After we were given a seat it took 20 min before we had to flag someone down to take our order. 30 min later we flagged down the same server who had forgotten about our chips and salsa order.. she brought that out roughly 45min into our visit. Our meals came out about 1hr 10min into our visit. Our vegetarian burrito without peppers came out with meat. They took it back and made a new vegetarian burrito but it came Out with peppers about 1hr 20min into our visit. We were never asked if we wanted any drink orders or even refills on the water we we were served. The food was warm and good flavor when it finally did get to the table. The slightly expensive brunch entrees (2 cheese omelette& 1 steak burrito, 1 vegetarian burrito) is served without any side.. no toast, no fruit, no potatoes, rice, nothing. The atmosphere has a cool vibe and the people were friendly, however, They need direction on organization and assistance with staffing. read more

Ooooohhhhhh...I am SO on the fence with the star rating for this place. Definitely an amazing patio situation happening. I mean, seriously...sipping on a beer at a table under the shade of a large tree is my happy place. In addition, the beer options were solid - not only was Left Hand Milk Stout on tap, but they also had Left Hand Good JuJu in the bottle and make a decent Grey Goose martini. The service also was quite friendly, attentive and spot on. The weak bit is their food. We started with an order of nachos which was basically a pile of chips with a drizzle of melted cheese product and guacamole and non-strained pico-type-mix that caused a sogginess to happen with the nekkid chip situation. With that first foray into the food situation, we opted for dinner options elsewhere. As a pre-dinner (or even post dinner) establishment - solid. As the dinner establishment - not so much. So with the minus and plus of star rating based on experience, going with 3 stars. If based on patio and beverages alone...well, would definitely rank higher. read more

We had a large group of 7 and the server took really good care of us! The food was delicious. I had the steak crisp it's more than enough for one person! Raspberry margaritas were great! Chicken nachos were wonderful. Black bean flautas are vegetarian and good. $3 happy hour margaritas! Eat HERE! read more

Good combo of patio seating, draft beer and pulled pork tacos with live jazz music on the side. Heated patio area was much appreciated this time of the year. read more

Cowboy Monkey is a fairly nice bar in downtown Champaign. In the winter it kind of sucks because the indoor seating is fairly limited. During the summer, dare I say, it has the best outdoor seating in Champaign. Lots of seating and great atmosphere. The only other problem is that if you are going to go there for dinner your food options are pretty limited to some tacos or a sandwich. And thats only in the summer. The kitchen is closed in the winter months. Some good bands tend to play here as well, and they have specialty nights a few times a week. Misses the 5th star for lack of indoor seating and no real food selection for a place you would imagine would have a great full kitchen. read more

Entire experience was amazing. Manager Elijah was the only one working, had an employee call off, but still made every customer feel well taken care of and wanting for nothing. He was attentive and energetic, food was delicious and drinks were killer! Must visit for Champaign! read more

Good Margs but they're advertising is misleading, happy hour is only Monday - Thursday and don't let any advertisements tell you otherwise

General manager and staff were amazing. The drinks were good and the overall vibes were super fun!

The drinks were immaculate and the staff was super friendly actually. I will definitely returning as soon as possible.

I drove 6 hours from Michigan to visit Champaign and stopped by Cowboy Monkey for margaritas. Elijah made us custom apple pie shots and convinced us to come back for after dinner drinks! Custom drinks for four of us, great place to end the night!! Would highly recommend! read more

This is not the same bar as it used to be. The renovation is awesome and the staff is even better. Elijah is probably the best bar tender in Champaign. I've for sure found my new go to bar. read more

Very cool place! The atmosphere is very fun and everyone is great! Elijah is very nice and makes some great drinks!

Stopped bye for a late night cocktail and was treated to a fantastic Blueberry Infused Mezcal Martini!!! This was my first time back since the renovations and I couldn't have been more pleased. With Elijah's cocktails and Ashley's leadership this place has nowhere to go but up! Definitely will be returning to try more new things soon :) read more

We left after the bar tender insulted my friend. I can see having a bad night, but do not take it out on your customers. To top off our bad experience, this place steals your money. We asked for our check after dealing with the offensive bar tender, and wrote NO TIP on the tip line. Later my cleared bank statement says the jerk gave himself a $5 tip! That is not ok! read more

meh. if you are into hanging out with as many frat brothers as can be squeezed into a half block, this place is totally your jam. i'm not. it's crowded. the service sucks. the drinks are watery. the food is just.... well, shitty bar food. and it's loud. and did i mention crowded? i am sure it appeals to a lot of people.... who go to college, wish they were in college, or wish they were boning someone of college age.... but man, i'm a realist. that ship has sailed. i was so hoping it would be a nice outdoor venue for people who didn't want to hit the campus scene. it's not though. it used to be. now i avoid it like that plague. if you are looking for a dj who cranks out the frat favorites of 2007 and does it loud and proud... you will love this bar. if you are looking for a chill place to hang out with your friends and have a couple decent beers, there are other options. read more

I've gone to Cowboy Monkey for various events (Bands, Comedy, Large Groups) over the years. It does an okay job as a venue, although the area in front of the stage is rather small. The large outdoor seating area is another big draw to this place. The service is pretty bad. The wait staff seems perpetually busy and rarely checks on your table. On one occasion I left after not getting any service (even a "hello") after 15 minutes. If you do get service, the food is nothing special. More recently I was served by a very rude bartender who kicked me out after accidentally spilling a candle. I was waiting quite awhile to pay my check, so leaving was no problem. There are many other places around Cowboy Monkey which I would recommend. read more

One star for the awesome outdoor seating and one star for the Guitar Hero nights. I stopped going here last week because *I finally had to accept that when you pay with a debit card, the waitress just gives herself whatever tip she wants, regardless of what you actually wrote on the receipt. * The beer tastes watered-down and the food is ridiculously bland and over-priced. read more

I used to think it was a One-star. At first, I loved the outdoor seating (still do), the decent beers and the average but very cheap food... I HATED that as a gay couple we felt really weird with all the drunk 30-40 somethings disapproving and some strange looks from staff... however things seem to have changed in that regard and we haven't had any adverse experiences in the last 6 months. Yeay. read more

Well, as I mentioned in past posts, I am from the East Coast and Salsa is huge over there, but unfortunately Cowboy Monkey is just A-OK. It doesn't compare at all to what I am used to, but if you have never been to a really cool place then I guess Cowboy Monkey will do. I saw a lot of older people and not many young people, which is the opposite in the East Coast. Unless I find something more lively, this will have to do for now. Also, let me point out that the DJ kind of sucks. He plays old stuff that is not even popular anymore, but it looks like noone has a clue. Anyways, have fun in your own way. I will. read more

my first time here. the environment is very welcoming and vibey. it's a cool place to hang out. the service was great, our server was friendly and our food came out quickly. the tacos were a little spicier than i thought they would be and the shells broke apart very easily. other than that, they were great. i do recommend their churros sticks. read more

I am rating the food aspect of Cowboy Monkey 5 stars, because you would be hard-pressed to find a better plate of nachos anywhere. For the Cowboy Nachos alone, which are a bed of chips topped with tomatoes, guacamole, white cheese sauce, jalapeno peppers, and cilantro chicken (optional), I would swim across the ocean to let this savory swell of heaven crash against my taste buds! The food here is excellent. Though it is on the pricey side, when the patio and kitchen are open during the warm months, it is worth celebrating. Sadly, Cowboy Monkey does not serve their tasty Tex-Mex fare during winter or early spring. They open just in time for EbertFest at the end of April. If you like Americanized Mexican food, do yourself a favor and check this place out. read more

Decent music spot and great in nice weather to sit outside and have a beer. But do not go there hungry, service trying to get something to eat is atrocious. Haven't gone back in a year, too many other places with better service. read more

In response to Tim's review of Sunday Night Trivia: The reason that questions are assigned a numerical value (which Dave states at the beginning of the night) is to prevent ties. A winner is awarded each round so it would be highly impractical to have multiple teams with the same score after every round. The probability that several teams wind up tying for the grand prize would also be increased exponentially if each question were worth only one point. As for the rest of your comments, you need to lighten up there Francis. It's bar trivia, not representative government. Who cares if some of the categories are "unfair" to those without knowledge of the specific subject matter. That's kind of the point, genius. read more

Great during the spring/summer/early fall because of outdoor seating! Also during this time the food is great! Trivia is fun on Sunday's with Dave. I don't frequent during the winter because the inside is pretty dark and decently small. I hope they expand their inside into where Carrie's used to be and do food year round! read more

Food is always consistent and tastes well. Beware things can be a bit spicy. The waitresses on the other hand are not good. They tend to have a difficult time bringing drinks in a timely matter and are just not that smart when it comes to their job. On a positive note their manager is very friendly and the bus boy takes pride in keeping the place clean! Patio atmosphere is nice but music tends to be a bit too loud. read more

Having enjoyed coming here for drinks a couple of times, I figured I would try their food and wish I had not. The guacamole was a crime to avocados everywhere, and the rest of the food was subpar at best. Come here for drinks, do not stay for the food. read more

The best part of our visit was the jazz band outside and the service which was excellent! They have a huge drink menu. My margarita tasted like orange juice...no hint of a margarita:(. The nachos were just average mostly goopy. I will go back for the music but will only order a glass of wine as they need to work on shortening their list and doing something inside the kitchen/bar outstanding:) read more

First time there.... Very small place. Bartender was SUPER RUDE. Not kidding. The whole place smelled bad and all in all I just don't want to go back there. read more

It's loud, small, and cramped on the inside. You're pestered by the waitresses for sitting outside. I've never paid such a high cover price in any campus town. Their drink specials are reasonable, but still higher than almost all downtown Champaign bars. They overcharged my TWICE now. The first time I spent $6 and it showed up on my account as $18. I was dragged to the bar for a second time, only to be overcharged again. I called but they never answer, so I went in and I couldn't ever seem to find help. I've never had so much trouble with a bar. Compared to all the great bars in the downtown area, this place has a sort of snooty attitude among its staff that really just makes it inferior. I didn't have a Yelp account before going here. I'm just trying to do a little good in the world. read more

A friend of mine was promoting a show here last night, necessitating a road trip down. Out of all the places we got during the grand "Annoyingly Large College Town" tour I liked the Cowboy Monkey the best. I won't comment on the music of the groups except to say that one of them made me want to literally tear my eyeballs out. Just really fucking atrocious and embarrassing. However I give the place credit for booking kind of weird stuff considering the glossy feeling/look of the place. I'm pretty glad I don't know the one guy's name because come on, I know I like bad music but you don't just play other people's records, occasionally sing and occasionally add a guitar line. You lose, buddy. $2 PBR bottles all night long. Attentive and nice barkeeps. Mix of 40somethings and college kids. Decent sound. Class organization all around. read more

This place has great bands and an awesome outdoor area. They also have Guitar Hero on Tuesday nights in the summer!!!! It is like doing karaoke, but you play Guitar Hero instead on a huge projection screen. During the winter, it can get a bit crowded inside. read more

Great patio. Odd bathroom set up. A nice little cocktail menu for a slightly more upscale dancy bar. Would go again...mostly for convenience. :) read more

I have to admit, the name alone got my attention, but it's the outdoor patio that makes CM truly outstanding. It's the perfect place to spend a warm evening (as well as, I assume, many other times of day). A tad crowded on the weekends, even when school is not in session, but service at the outdoor tables is spot-on. I can't wait to go back! read more

Outdoor seating is awesome!! Great location. Food is yummy. Can be spicy. My friends love the bean dip. Servers can be on the slow side. However, Emily is an excellent server. read more

probably some of the best tacos i've had in the CU area. atmosphere and ambience is super cute. the margaritas are my favorite!