I was really looking forward to this bar because a friend recommended it and has always had great experiences here. Sadly, ours was awful. The bartender on shift was clearly intoxicated. While he was initially nice, things went downhill fast. He refused to make drinks and shots we ordered because they were "inconvenient" and tried to push whatever was easiest for him instead. I literally had to tell him I didn't want him to make a drink he decided on without asking. To make matters worse, I was charged incorrectly on my tab and had to get another bartender to fix it. She was professional and helpful, but it was painfully obvious she was doing damage control for someone who should not have been serving alcohol. After that, we were treated poorly for the rest of the night. When I ordered drinks for my friends, I was told I had no right to order unless they were on my tab, which is ridiculous. I left feeling disrespected and disappointed. An intoxicated bartender should never be working, and the way we were treated was unacceptable. Definitely not coming back read more

Best bartender Kenny, great drinks, great place. You need to come to this place out. read more

Gem City Grill - Come say what's up to Kenny the best bartender around - Bars Near Me - Monrovia, California

Best Monday Night in Town! (Mark Mondays) Best Thursday Night Karaoke in Town! Love Helen, Kenny, and all the bar tenders here! read more

They won't serve alcohol unless you let them electronically scan your ID. Barman said info is deleted after a day but don't believe it. Too much "Big Brother watching you" going on, so have to start pushing back. Should change this policy to just checking IDs. Not going back until they do. read more

5/5 Stars - Gem City Grill's Vibe is Next-Level, Thanks to Kenny! Gem City Grill isn't just a Monrovia gem--it's a whole mood. The retro-chic decor, killer burgers, and sweet potato fries (seriously, order them) would earn this spot 5 stars alone. But what really sets it apart? Kenny, the security guard who's basically the unofficial mayor of good vibes. read more

Clean bar with fair prices. Love stopping by Thursday nights after work to hear Helen sing Karaoke. She always makes this bar feel like home to me and so many others . read more

Gem City Grill. Me too, i have been coming here for years and years and years, as a former resident that lived in Monrovia for 10 years. It the best dam dive bar in the San Gabriel Valley area. They have gone under new ownership form what i believe. I remember the former owner Bobby. Place has live music and reasonably priced beers and drinks. They serve food here too. I remember the days you had to bring your own food here lol. Nice pool tables and juke boxes. Feels good to visit when i am in town. read more

We went there last Thursday for a drink, not being from the area we asked around to see if it was a cool spot and we were referred here for some drinks. I ordered my my second Tito tonic, and as I was talking to my friend at the bar, I watched the bartender walk all the way to the front end of the bar put ice in my glass. Fill it up with tonic and then go to the middle of the bar grab the Tito's and splash very little into my glass. I did not get the bartender's name however he was African-American young guy, and as he walked up to me, I told him I didn't want the drink... He asked me why if that's what I ordered... And I said yes, but I don't want it because you purposely didn't put any vodka in it and filled it up at tonic. He denied it and proceeded to tell another bartender, an older white woman what was going on his version of of course, and she came over and asked me what happened and I told her what he did.. she asked me if I wanted another drink that she would make it for me and I told her I did not, that I did not want to drink there anymore because I didn't trust the bartender and I felt uncomfortable. I usually don't put reviews up, but if this is happening to me and I was pretty sober at the time then it's probably happening to a lot of you to go drinking there and who knows what else so I'm just letting everyone know my experience and it was not good.! read more

Locals only should just be posted on the door. Haha. I hate to say but I love the vibe you get when you feel like you've walked into the wrong place or a closed establishment. You know that feeling when you open the door and everyone In the place stops and stares at you all the way until you order your first drink and then they can go back to peacefully melting. Thats this place. I love a dive bar and the service is always decent here. I think this place has a lot more potential if whoever owns it wants to create more of an open atmosphere and inviting atmosphere. The owner must want less money ... ‍ You're in old town Monrovia, there's is no excuse why this place can't be number one. I already have new branding that could escalate this place to a top tier bar. I guess they lack the motivation for growth . read more

Mark was fantastic, attentive, and the reason why I'll be coming back. 10/10 service. Please schedule him more.

Our favorite local bar! Great drinks, super nice and friendly bartenders, and dog friendly. read more

Gem City Grill - a dog sitting on a chair - Bars Near Me - Monrovia, California

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Quite possibly the rudest bartender I've ever met in my life. I would not recommend this bar

This place is great. My Wife and I have been here a couple times. Kenny always treats us like family. Great bar. We'll keep coming back.

Horrible service and very rude bar back, yelling at and customers, and harassing potential customers outside. very unprofessional tiny tiny bar read more

I haven't been back to this spot in almost 15 years. When my dad asked me to go for a Sunday Bloody Mary and some football, I tried to think of somewhere else we could go. I am SO GLAD we didn't. This place is drastically different than the dive I'd get my last call cocktail at back in the day. It's much bigger, extremely clean, amazing food and drinks (ice cold beer and the spicy Bloody Mary was top notch) and the staff and owner were soooo pleasant. We can't wait to come back. One of the very few places where your furry friends can join in on the fun. read more

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First time here. Friend mentioned the legendary market grill that closed about 5 years ago is back and located inside this place. They had a weekly special which was the poutine. Since it's the first time here wanted to try everything so went halfsies on everything with friend. Got to try the poutine, Cali dog, and the angry beast. Poutine - first time trying this but seemed to be Canadian origins and basically fried with gravy on top with cheese curds. What's unique are the cheese curds are breaded and fried and the chef mentioned this was intentional to add crunch to it as the fries gets soft due to the gravy. It added a nice texture to it. The star of the show is probably the dark gravy. It had plenty of mushrooms in it so it's not just gravy and had a rustic flavor to it. It's not overly salty or anything. Cali dog - the hot dog is your standard 1/4 all beef hot dog that is like the ones from Costco or sams club food court. It comes on a unique bun but I probably prefer it on Hawaiian bun as it gives it some sweetness. What sets this hotdog apart is the thousand island with chopped pickles and tomatoes. It gave it a nice flavor combination. Angry beast - this I was looking forward too the most. Got it on the bread and was a tad disappointed. It wasn't bad but feel it wasn't packed with the roast beef and the bread was a bit greasy. Service - awesome service! Everyone was a joy to talk to and the chef even came out to talk and make sure everything was good. The moment we sat down we got some complimentary packed Christmas cookies they baked. read more

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GCG new and improved - still a great dive bar.....just cleaner and new food options. Love the spinach dip homemade pita chips, Gem sauce with cheese curds!!! yum Great margie on the rocks hand crafted by Tricia read more

Gem City Grill - Margie on the rocks - Bars Near Me - Monrovia, California

I posted a review, my first ever last week about my terrible experience at what was once one my favorite local hangouts. BEWARE THEY PAY TO HAVE REVIEWS TAKEN DOWN!! THEY ARE A SCAM! Owner response was non apologetic and more say challenging me to prove I ACTUALLY experienced the very detailed mistreatment of my group and many around us. She's terrible at customer service Tricia offered no apologies for the poor experience and the offensive staff she's leaving in charge of the bar. I saw cameras in your bar, and have had bad experiences on more than one occasion now, when I used to be more regular I enjoyed the experience and didn't feel like an inconvenience for wanting to spend money at your bar. I could excuse bad attitude, maybe a bad day. Two weekends in the same month I experienced very similar experiences. Your response was accusatory. You also had the review taken down based on what? It accurately reflects what people can expect at Gem City, ask around. You're too busy to watch the cameras or pay attention to what's going on there so it's probably common knowledge the staff can do whatever they want without consequences. Doesn't make my review less true and I can provide you date and time. But I would really like to see you do the work and take some ownership of the environment you're endorsing. Or don't and let your staff get caught up using on shift, selling on shift and being assaulting as a result, and it will be sad to see but probably deserved at this point. Maybe your poor management skills is better applied in other areas. Bring in Someone who will welcome, protect and manage their staff, reputation, and patrons. I'm guessing you paid to have my review taken down. Well good news it's still free to repost. read more

The music was horrible, and the people started to leave. Ambiance was good until the music started .

Love this place! We have been a few different times and last Saturday had my husband's birthday gathering there and we had a blast. Mag is amazing Trisha was so helpful getting us set up. Drinks are great bar patrons friendly I can't say enough good things about Gem City Grill. read more

What a joke this place is. My husband wanted to go to the usual London. I convinced him to try a new bar. What a mistake. 1- get there, you can't enter through the front door. 2- we go in and sit at the bar for 10 minutes. No one acknowledged us. No one spoke to us. No one offered us service. We left. Guess where we ended up? This place sucks. read more

Got a sneaky preview of Gem City Grill 2.0- "Same Bar Better Smell". While the world slacked off on the plague, new owners (a family) scrubbed this place to the subfloors. And then they scrubbed it again. You can feel the shine. Don't remember if it served food before but wouldn't have eaten anyways. Now- wow! Irish Nachos & cheese curds! Friends raved on about burgers and chicken delights. Tip: Order double of everything made in-house. What should you expect besides "The Thrill Back In Grill"? Blue felt billiards; new bathrooms, bar stools, tables, and comfy chairs. A neighborhood bar, a great hang. Gem City 2.0- Clean & Delicious - Now they make it even harder not to be 21. read more

So bloody glad to have the Market Grill Back! And with a bar that serves some great drinks too. As usual Market Grill kicks it up a notch with true freshly made food. Their poutine... let me just tell you, I WISH they would bottle their wild mushroom bacon gravy just so I can drink it!!!! Same with their green onion sauce!!! Poutine is a simple dish that many mess up, but as always Chef Alex doesn't fail! It was so good I had to get some to go and Im eating it right now at 1am! I am praying they bring their soups back as well as their Bacon chocolate chip cookies! As well as their lemon potato salad! Their pozole which I miss so much, is un-equal, I have tried to find a replacement and I cannot! Gem city bar is a true gem in that they serve great drinks that aren't pretentious hipster bs! read more

So this place is all new and let me tell you. I walked in and thought I was in the wrong place. Remodeled for sure, same location better smell trust me. And now they got a kitchen open all remodeled and clean bathrooms, new tables and great atmosphere. You get your laughs and enjoy the night. read more

Gem City Grill - Bars Near Me - Monrovia, California

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Nice and clean and big. Games, service great Not freezing inside. Def try.................... read more

First time here. Loved the community feeling. Bartenders were nice, service fast and the drinks CHEAP!!

It's a nice cozy place. And the bartender is pretty chill. But folks, I regret to inform you that the Market Grill stand area in the back is now closed as of April. So much for the long-awaited comeback :( Bartender says the chef (big bald guy with beard) sold his recipes to Gelsingers in Montrose (the deli on Montrose & Honolulu). Sooo I guess I'll have to make it a point to go out there for the Angry Beast??? Anyway that was the whole reason I came in here, so I can't comment on the drinks, pool tables, food served at the bar, etc. And like I said the bartender was cool about me asking about MG, but needless to say I AM BUMMED. read more

I read once the best burgers and pub food can often be found at local dive bars. This newly remodeled local bar (not so much a dive any longer) we all know here in downtown Monrovia just nailed down one of the best burgers I've tasted.. bonus points for cheese curds (think little chunks of cheese breaded and deepfried) as a side option.. The staff is always friendly and attentive "Hey Pauly"!. The place is very clean and a great place to chat with us locals. Parking is easy except Friday nights can be a challenge due to the always epic street fair. Full bar with experienced mixologists. They can draw an awesome 805 draft too! Cheers ! read more

Gem City Grill - Double Cheeseburger with bacon and avocado. Side of cheese curds and an draft 805 - Bars Near Me - Monrovia, California

I've been to a lot of bars, but this is the first time I get charged $2 per drink for ice! SMH. Last time coming here.

the bartender kenny was being super disrespectful to my friends for no reason, and the whole time the vibe he put out was very negative, and we don't like a negative environment read more

This place is a dump! Dirty, smelly and awful!! I walked in and saw the nastiness of it and left! And also unsafe, on Friday there was a shooting and 2 people died... :( Time to shut it down!!! read more

This such a cool bar so close to Home. I love playing Pool so definitely place to go to and of course Pauly the best bartender there. She always greets w/ a friendly smile and very polite. Absolutely great service. read more

Amazing place!! Amazing service!! Amazing food!! What else can I say?! Pauly is the best bartender around, she always greets you with a smile and wants to make your experience there as awesome as possible! She also makes the BEST emerald chiladas!!! Go on in and try one!! read more

Not a fan of coming here during night time due to the type of crowd it tends to attract but I always enjoyed chilling here during my breaks at day time. Very friendly bartenders and the only place in town where you can grab those delicious canned Long Drinks. They even have pool tables for only a dollar per game; great way to kill time if you work on Myrtle. read more

Love this bar!! I have been in several times since the opening and since Market Grill took over the kitchen. The bartender, Pauly, is awesome! She is funny and attentive. And, Tracy and Alex are cooking up some great grub! I LOVE the Chicken California sandwich and am so happy that I can go to a local bar and get fantastic food, fantastic (and inexpensive!) drinks, and be surrounded by such wonderful people. This is my new go-to place! Psst...the place is clean and the bathrooms are spectacular! read more

Good bar food, nice music, friendly patrons... the bartender was helpful and pleasant... good place to hang out Saturday's night

Good service, good food and ambiance, 4 stars because they took Rock and Roll McDonalds off the jukebox

Gem City is my favorite bar!! Super friendly service and fun atmosphere! Also, Market Grill's food during the day is out of this world!! Could not love this place more read more

This bar has always been a "gem" and now with new owners and upgraded everything it's the perfect local dive bar. The addition of the menu is brilliant, such good food. The absolute best burger in Monrovia, without a doubt there is no competition from any of the other restaurants. Have always loved this place and always will. read more

Monrovia's dive bar that's not actually divey! Safe, clean, great bartenders (We love you Paulie and Mag!) The kind of place a single female can come and not feel sketchy. Animal friendly (they actually like you more if you bring your dog!) The owners are local Monrovians so come support local business! Long Live Gem City! read more