I don't like this place. Before you even walk in the joint, you will notice that the outside facade has fake cardboard brick. CARDBOARD BRICK, ahh come on this is NYC, not the Jersey Shore. And then there is this huge M (I guess for monkey) on top of the awning, with what looks like a piece of poop dropping off its side. This is before you even walk in the place. The drinks are somewhat cheap, but the staff and bouncers are meatheadish. The place could have so much potential, especially with the outdoor seating. 12-06-08 ***Edit*** It looks like they changed the fake fucking brick out front to a very tasteful slate stone. Wow, a month after posting my first critique for Monkey Room, they actually listened to my comments. Go yelp. read more

And my search to find a neighborhood bar continues. I came into The Monkey Room around six on a Friday night. The place was dead, which was disconcerting. Even a great bar can have down nights, so I can forgive that. What I can't forgive as easily is the service. The bartender was the most surly and unfriendly I've ever had in my short but prolific drinking career. He did his best to let you know that you were unwelcome and a bother. This is a shame, since the decor isn't bad and the drinks aren't too expensive (the beer's a bit pricey). I'll probably give it another try sometime, but first I'll poke my head in and see if there's a different bartender. read more

I wish there were negative stars to leave... Awful, awful, awful. I went here maybe 4 years ago and it was a decent little place... coffee / beer joint during the day, full bar at night. Comfy couches around. Now? No more couches or coffee. Rude bartenders only catering to the obvious regulars (all but saying "we don't want you here"). Worst of all, it turns into an obnoxiously loud club wannabe when it's late enough. Go elsewhere and enjoy a bar where you actually feel good giving the bartender your money. read more

Um. You would think that this place is poppin just by hearing the name. But honestly, the vibe was boring, and they didn't really have diversity in their drinks. So I ordered a Blue Moon for $5, which is not bad at all, but I normally order cocktails. I don't know what was it about this place, but I just wasn't really feeling it. I just sat at the bar and didn't even bother to dance. I didn't hate this place, but I doubt I'll be coming here again. read more

My favorite bar in NYC! Lucy is my favorite bartender in the city, she's really welcoming and lovely, and makes excellent drinks! I always love the music playing here too, and Monday's has Free Hookah! Happy Hour here is pretty unbelievable. I've never eaten here but I would like to try the food next time.The patio is gorgeous and coZy! this place is such a hidden gem in the neighborhood! I love Monkey Room! read more

Bartenders very attentive. Coconut margaritas are my favorite and they do them great! Nice to come here any day of the week. Weekends can be extremely packed so get here by 11pm to claim your spot! Good place for a variety of music reggaeton, hip hop, Bachata, merengue and salsa as well as pop music during the week. read more

It's an okay spot to go chill, and have a few beers/drinks. I usually never come here because they have hookah (hate that stuff), but the staff makes it an inviting place to stay to enjoy their service. Overall, I would say that monkey room is a place to come chill and watch any available sports game. read more

We will be re-open TODAY WITH OUR exceptional Mega HappY Hour from 3pm to 7pm (everyday) that you can't missed it. New Garage and kitchen... Just pass by read more

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I been a fan of this place for years! I go elsewhere and I'm never as happy as when I come here. The food is great, the waiter is amaZing and always caters to my friends and I. Best hookahs in town and dj after 10pm is freaking amazing. This place doesn't get any better. Forever a fan! read more

Man... this place is great. Decided to try it out for the first time, several weeks ago and I've been multiple times since. The food is great. It's so well priced. The bartender is amazing. I've been recommending this place to everyone lately!! read more

First time going and I had no idea what was going on. You can tell a lot of the people were regulars and it had a relaxed vibe on a Friday night. The drinks were good I just didn't get what I ordered. When I got there we sat ourselves and no one came to us to greet us and it wasn't that busy. I eventually went to the bar and asked for a menu and how can I get a hookah. Once we got everything we noticed the terrible selection in music. It was so terrible that it was amusing and made for conversation but I wouldn't see myself making plans there again. I give it three stars because I understand that things aren't always perfect and I do think it was a beautiful establishment I would just get a better DJ and work on the customer service ! read more

I was barely greeted by hostess, aka owner/bartenders wife? She was so rude, mis read the dates on my license which was only embarrassing for her. The shock top I ordered was some bottom of the barrel light beer. And the onion rings came with marinara sauce. Sad, this neighborhood could use a good bar. Wasted potential. read more

Hands down the most laid-back joint in upper Manhattan. Low-key, no attitude and a truly amazing staff. Stiff drinks at a low price and great food. Oh and PLS check out the newly renovated patio out back! Love this spot!!! read more

Monkey Room - Truth. - Latin American Near Me - New York, New York

This place is just about the only bar in "Hudson Heights", which makes me sad...It's small, and pretty noisy. However, they did just get some new tables, so it's a bit more comfy. Since I live up the block, I will undoubtedly be back, though. UPDATE: The Monkey Bar owners evidently got my review ~giggle~ 'cause they have renovated. Thier new tables and TVs upped my review one-star. read more

I read the 3 previous reviews and noticed that they are all from over a year ago. A lot can change in that span of time. This bar has a mix of everything. The decor was great - a fire escape hanging on the wall, tapestry on the ceiling, 3 TVs showing sports behind the bar, cool high tables, a DJ table and a great outside patio in the back. The crowd was a fantastic mix of ethnicities and races. I like that in a bar because otherwise places take on a 'forced identity.' The drinks were reasonable (well, beers were $5). There aren't a lot of drinking options up this part of the world so many different people are going to flock to it. I was only there once, but I'm definitely going back. read more

This place is pretty chill if you're looking for a place to grab a beer and some food with your friends. I came here for happy hour my drink was strong which was a plus I guess. The food was oh so delicious and I enjoyed the back room that had heating cause loord it was cold! read more

Monkey Room - Latin American Near Me - New York, New York

I love the monkey room!!!! I always have an amazing time when I'm there. The staff are sweet and attentive. The outdoor patio makes you feel like you're on vacation. Oh and the food is so delicious!!!! Not your typical bar. I always recommend this bar to all my friends. read more

Monkey Room - I loved my chicken club sandwich!!!! - Latin American Near Me - New York, New York

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Yucatan Fries on point. All the food I've had here has always been A+. Drinks are always good no issues. Fast service when dining in and fast service at the bar. Great pricing on all menu items. read more

Monkey Room - Latin American Near Me - New York, New York

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Did not find this place to be anything special. Chicken wings are pretty good, sweet potato fries were ok, and nothing special to say about their drinks. If you like hookah, this place may appeal to you more. Didn't enjoy the general atmosphere. I also would like to say that my review may be partially influenced by the other patrons. My friend and I were there to chat over drinks and eat some bar food and a man came up to us and would NOT leave us alone even when we made it clear we had no interest in speaking with him. read more

Buffalo wings were horrible...no buffalo sauce....smh... onion rings tasted like cheap as well.......

I've been to a number of bar/ lounges in the Heights.  I've even been to Monkey Room a number of times. But this time Kristen made this birthday experience for my friend beyond incredible. She overheard us cheering to my friend's birthday and returned with shots for us, the DJ acknowledged the birthday girl, she went out of her way to secure a table in a better area of the lounge. To boot, the coconut margaritas were amazing and overall service was second to none. Because of this experience, Monkey Room is one of the best lounges/bars in the Heights. read more

I visit this place on a Monday night after a long day at work and it was actually real nice very low key nice music nice bartender and the price was even better. Oh and they had free hookah on Monday so that was a plus. I will recomend this place to my friends and I will be visiting this place again and on a weekend! read more

So much fun. Coconut margaritas are delicious and hookah was great. Our server/bartender Kristen was absolutely amazing and on top of things. I downloaded this app just to leave a review about how amazing she was. If you want a good night out with great service and Spanish music, this is the spot! read more

Be very careful with this location. This place was my go to spot with friends. Great Happy Hour, a good bang for your buck. Recently these people have been up to some silly and sad antics. They're pouring cheap liquor into top shelf bottles and serving it as top shelf liquor. The Hennessy VSOP is not VSOP, even the Jack Daniels isn't Jack! If you're going to this location just order a bottled beer and a patron shot...that's if it is patron smh. With such an upcoming neighborhood and tons of local bars I don't seem to comprehend why this is being done. Wish them the best of luck. read more

OVERCHARGED my Credit Card and gave me FAKE DRINKS. OVERCHARGED: I was there on Sunday and my total with the tip added was $49 my credit card got charge $54 and my friends credit card was also overcharged. FAKE DRINKS: I order Patron shots but I was given poor quality tequila; yet i was still charged for premium tequila/Patron. read more

I stopped by to chilax at the bar with a frozen margarita and yuca fries. It was the worst drink ever. I don't know what it was but certainly not a mango drink, as there was more of a super acidic lime drink with chemicals. The yuca was fried in old oil where seafood or something was fried before. They were soggy and left a horrible after taste. I will just pay my hard earned $20 and leave never to return. After I posted my review, I received two messages from "Luz L" " "The Yuca fries and drinks are the best. Your personality and presence left a bad taste. She also said " You have problems lady, you seem to be a sad old lady." Let's guess who Luz L. is. Apparently, they can't handle criticism to their cocktails and drinks and feel free to send insults to one's personality, mood and age easily. I'm not surprised. The human quality matches the food and drinks quality. If you have to go there, just stay away from the bar and go with the bottled beer. read more

I came here once with that girl the streets call, "La India." I wasn't looking to be wow'd or anything, but this place disappointed more than not. We hit the spot around 11pm on a Saturday night in the late summer. I order a trusty long island iced tea. I notice the bartender is kinda cute. and fit. La India asks me what she should get as she's not used to ordering mixed drinks. She said she wanted something sweet, not too strong, so I suggested sex on the beach. She replies, "the beach?" and looks confused. I explain it's the name of the drink. Anyway, I don't think she was following me on that one (maybe too often i'm sarcastic?) So she shares her dilemma with the bartender. The bartender seemed sweet, and very wanting-to-be-helpful, but I'm really not sure she knew what she was doing back there. She didn't really give a definitive answer of what she would make, but came up with something that fairly pleased La India. As far as my long island, over the years it has become very clear to me that some people can make a good one, and some people may just be working on a chemistry experiment to see how close they can come to making alcohol taste like turpentine. This cute, fit bartender would fall into that latter category. Monkey Room has a private deck out back with tables, chairs and umbrellas. Cool. Perfect spot for us to lounge, and people can smoke comfortably if they wish. The only problem is, they close the deck at midnight. And they start giving warnings of this at 11:30. We asked why they close it and they said their neighboring business (a restaurant I think) has periodically complained about the noise in the past. Seriously? After midnight? There were 3 or 4 groups out there this night and all holding their convos at a respectable level. That's too bad, because we would have stayed longer could we have stayed out there - but when we re-entered the bar upon the deck closing, it was packed a**hole to bellybutton in that piece, and it's not even that big of a place anyway. We were ready to get out of there at that point. There was nothing worth staying one minute longer. read more

For all the reasons that Elizabeth does not presently like the Monkey Room, I keep going back. To me, it's a quiet neighborhood bar to hang out in. I've tended to be there in the late afternoon into the early evening, and it serves that purpose well. Hungry? The bar is happy to order take-out from next door for you. Look for me under the umbrellas in the cozy back patio! read more

Hmmm I had a okay time at this place but it may have greatly been in part to who I was with (seriously I could be in the Sahara Desert and still have a good time). The music wasn't too bad and they had good beer specials that night but when my JD fogged eyes started to clear, I saw sloppy looking girls spilling drinks and the guys ehhh whatever. The place was really crowded (annoying), small, and narrow but if I randomly want to go have drinks somewhere close with friends its alright. I originally had two stars, but there's something about seeing people from the neighborhood who thought they were the shyt in Junior High and High School looking like a sacks of garbage that I secretly enjoyed. read more

I had no idea what to expect when I went to the Monkey Room for the first time, as bars in Washington Heights tend to suffer from an "identity crisis" of sorts: which crowd should they cater to? --The Dominicans who've been there forever, the recent college grads who love WaHi for its affordable apartments, etc. The answer, I found, was everybody! My bf and I popped in to watch the end of an NFL playoff game, and they did have the game on, though be warned--they do not have any special sports packages, so the games that are broadcast in your living rooms are the only ones they play here. The bar was a nice mix of people, and there were a handful of regulars who, upon arrival, asked the bartender for snacks, which are hidden in a case behind the bar. Turns out, if you ask, they'll give you a cup of whatever you want--popcorn, Doritos, etc. We definitely jumped on that as soon as we saw others doing it. The best part? Their happy hour prices are CRAZY. Beers were 2 for $5. There's a $20 minimum for credit cards, so we wound up staying a lot longer than we wanted (and drinking A LOT more than we planned) just to hit the credit card minimum. I believe happy hour is until 8, If you're on the 187 strip and need a place to drink, Monkey Room is great. I will definitely be back to check out the garden in the summer. read more

A good bar in the nice part of the Heights. They have Hookah here which is a plus and sometimes live music.

Great spot in the neighborhood and the BEST happy hour in terms of prices. We love their back garden area during summer time, perfect for wanting an outdoor escape! read more

Came here with a few cousins and friends on Monday night and had a blast. There was free hookah and the bartender was lovely. She was beautiful and had an awesome personality. Prepared one of the best drinks ever. We drank "Dominican Shots" and another wonderful drink. Great ambiance. Music was loud enough to enjoy yet low enough to carry on a conversation among us. Will definitely be returning here. read more

A small bar with a fun atmosphere. They do not serve food but enjoyable for drinks. They also have hookah. Very friendly bar staff. Music is a little loud in the evening if you are trying to chat. Watched some World Cup matches here with a very good atmosphere read more

Monkey room is the only dve bar you can find in the Inwood section of Manhattan. It looks old and busted and gives you that feeling of being inside of Continental in St. Marks. They have a live Dj playing music which is cool. They also have this hot Dominican bartender who is very nice to look at. Overall is a good crowd with cheap drinks. Opened up a tab and drunk nothing but Gin and Tonic. Two jager bombs ad an Irish carbomb and blacked out by the end of the night. Good times. From what my boys told me, I stormed out screaming my x gf name. I guess thats what this bar will do to ya. You find all types of people in this bar which is cool. Not a bad place for a chill crowd and cheap drinks if you want to head to downtown or midtown. read more

We had A very good server and the music was good but they closed way before their closing hours ! Not a fan of places who claim they are open till 4 but close at 3 I am as still a paying customer read more

As someone who prefers a relatively quiet, chill dive bar to something more trendy or wild, I found myself enjoying this place (despite some of the reviews I read) as I walked in the front door. The music playing wasn't too loud, there were a few people at the bar, and I was greeted by a fair selection of handles (maybe 8), plenty from which to pick a decent draft (Goose Island Summertime). We sat out on the back patio, which was really quite nice on a clear Saturday night in late June. The decor was pleasant back there, with some nice low-key lighting. But, about half an hour after arriving, we were notified that the patio would be closing (about 11pm) and were siphoned back into the bar. (Understandable, since there are people who live just above the bar, who may or may not like going to sleep before closing time...) By this time, the music had kicked up about 3 notches, the place was crowded with people, and I couldn't hear myself think. I see what some people were saying about it being too loud and club-like. I was glad I had already finished my beer--we left, seeking a place more amenable to conversation. All in all, though, as a neighborhood bar trying to cater to different crowds at different points in the night, I think it's fine. Not great, but probably worth going back, just not too late on a Saturday. read more

Great place to eat with my family my son loves they food Beautiful scenery nice friendly polite Staff

They unveiled their brand new kitchen today, and the food was outstanding! The Yucca Fries were crisp and delicious! My burger was cooked to perfection! I'd recommend everyone to come in and give their menu a taste! read more

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the awesome drink specials that go on until 9pm! (currently anyway) This is definitely the best bar in this area, even if it is a little small and crowded at times. The service is friendly and when I asked to sample beer, not only were they not bitter about it, they gave me more than a little! My friend and I went there recently and gave us free pretzels! Free! Now free always makes things taste better, but nothing tastes better than free combined with affordable beer! I'm more than a little happy I found this place. read more