So I am rating this for the time we spent here for Phoenix Tequila Fest. It's a great venue with ample outdoor area. They have a sand volleyball court, but it was not set up for the fest. Had a fire pit going which was extra nice this time of year and it happened to be a rain on/off day. We didn't try any of the food as we had eaten a big lunch before going, but the group we were with had indulged in some pretty awesome looking fare. Man!!! The nachos were piled high and loaded with all sorts of nacho type toppings!!! We definitely will need to return for drinks and food sometime soon. Anyway, we met one of the employees, Mike I believe, and he inquired how we enjoying the fest. Well, we did tell him all-in-all the tequila venders/reps were giving great samples, one was even giving whole 1 oz shot! But one vender was not even pouring 1/2 oz shots (which is what they were suppose to) as they had only 1 bottle of a certain tequila and as she said it had to last the 4 hours the fest was running. That's bogus! I mean then don't even bring that tequila. Mike said he was going to take a stroll around and check on the venders because everyone is to be giving at least 1/2 shots. We really appreciated that. So high 5 goes out to Mike. And we will be back just to check out their food offerings and beers! read more

The Monastery - Our favorite tequila of the fest. - Bars Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

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I love this venue. The place is awesome and the staff is always amazing. Bands are great and you are always guaranteed a fun time. My go to place if we are headed out to have a drink read more

Come here for the atmosphere and fun events, not necessarily the service or food. Standard quality bar food like burgers and tots, nothing special but also not bad. Love hanging out in the yard though. Plenty of space for a big group to play yard games. read more

The service here sucks! All the servers will look at you but ignore you when you ask to order....I love coming to this place but the service ruins it. Also why is the menu so little Covid is over and ur loosing money. read more

Excellent restaurant. Large outdoor space to play sand volleyball, sit and talk. Love band while we were there hanging out on a Sunday afternoon. Bartender was pleasant, and attentive. We had the pretzel, and chips and salsa, both were excellent. Then we decided on a pizza. It was very good as well. There is a grill area to cook your own steak. There are heat lamps and a bar top gas heating element. Very nice for a cool evening. They are a dog friendly establishment. read more

Love this bar! The drinks are reasonably priced and the taco Tuesday's are great! Such a great place to go to with friends for volleyball or just to hang out. read more

Starving dogs would lift their nose at the food. Somehow they can ruin a burger. How you ask? I don't know either. Yet, somewhere between add meat to fire, something went very , very awry. Overpriced beers. Shitty, shitty , shitty , shitty food. Did I mention it's shitty? Ok, the frys are good. Once. read more

VERY unimpressed. Had to go big the kitchen for my wings cuz after 35 minutes...... kickstands up in 15. Finally got them to address my order an my two orders of wings came as ( order 1 - 6 wings )...... ( order 2 - 5 wings ). For $9 an order I think I should get more than 5-6 moderate sized wings. Brought it to their attention and they blew me off w some bs explanation that their wings are 2x the size ( THEY ARE NOT ). Save you $$ and go elsewhere read more

The Monastery - Bars Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

I am a reasonable customer. I have worked in the service industry and understand that sometimes complications occur that are out of the server's control, but to outright ignore me? Seriously? I haven't left anything less than a 20% tip in 12 years. SO disappointed in The Monastery and it's staff. The beer was cold and the wings were decent, hence the three rating. read more

We showed up for a friends 40th birthday party and were not allowed in because my nephew (who is mixed race) was not my birth child??? My husband, daughter, and nephew were left at the entry waiting as I was questioned what his relation was to me! I informed the Latino gentleman at the door that I was his guardian and he lived with me full time, as this took place he allowed families in with children in without questions right in front of us! We were turned away but my husband was allowed in to tell the birthday host about the restriction and a party of over 20 guests promptly left with us to bring the celebration elsewhere - their loss. Unacceptable treatment that we will never forget and never go back. read more

Absolutely the best bartenders and staff in the valley. Great live music many nights/days.

Just moved to the area and we're checking out all the local spot. Fun atmosphere with the sand volleyball court, very casual outdoor seating. Burger was great - nice selection of beers on tap. Dog friendly which is also fun - we met Phoebe, an adorable boxer that hung out with us watching us eat! With mostly outdoor seating, I just wish they wouldn't allow smoking. It really ruins a meal when you're trying to eat. Aside from that, great place and we'll be back. read more

We like to try new places so we bought an entertainment book and they would not accept the coupon. We drove out of our way so we decided to place our order anyways. The server never came back to take our order... even though the restaurant was completely empty except for one table outside. Before trying this place I would suggest you read the menu first and the prices read more

Fun place to hang out! Nachos were okay...could have been a little more stocked for the price but great atmosphere! It was really busy but we didn't have to wait too long for our drinks and refills. Will be back! read more

This place is by far the most ambitious bar idea I have seen in... well, forever. Somehow they can pull it off! I first went to the location out in the west valley and I was blown away. Then when I moved to Gilbert, I was saddened because I couldn't see myself driving all the way to Glendale to frequent my favorite hangout! But then (dramatic sounds)... I was invited to play volleyball at the Monastery (YES! they have an east valley location!) Anyway, enough of the over dramatics. This place is cool. Mostly outdoors with firepits, grills, pool, sand volleyball courts, ping pong tables, and horseshoe pits. Would I lie? Check it out! There is NOTHING like grilling burgers on a humongous community grill when you are two sheets. Everyone is joking and hurling the garlic powder across the fire at each other while listening to a pretty decent cover band. I honestly can't tell you how good the prices were on beer, but the food isn't bad. I think it was like $8.00 for a slab of hamburger meat. Good Freakin' Times! read more

We went there on a Friday night. I think it was a slower than usual because it was colder out. The outdoor area is large and it includes volleyball courts, DJ, BBQ area, lawn games, ping pong tables, and a bar. The indoor is a bar/restaurant with a great of local beer selections. There was a volleyball tournament going on when I was there, so we didn't get a chance to play. The DJ played a lot of music that would be played at a wedding. Tons of people got down! Food-wise, you can order raw meat to cook your own burgers on the outside grill. They have seasoning and etc you can tweak yourself. I thought it was kind of a neat idea. They also have popcorn inside. I only had the fries but they were pretty good! The vibe is chill and I would definitely go again. read more

The Monastery - Bars Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

I don't get it. What's the point of going OUT TO EAT if you have to cook your own food? I thought $5 was pricey for a bun, slice of cheese and unseasoned beef patty you have to cook yourself. For just a few more dollars, I could get a delicious cooked burger from Four Peaks with beer-battered fries. The crowd is older here. The patrons could have been my parents' age, if not my grandparents. I went for a friend's birthday. I adore my friend, but not her restaurant choice. read more

Dirty, bad and lack of service. Impressive, original idea but no bones to back it up.

The Monastery could be an amazing hangout in Northeast Mesa...but it's just not that great. It's such a unique outdoor venue, but the service is so poor I always wonder why we return. Pros: -They allow kids. -It's a very cool outdoor space with volleyball, horseshoes, ping pong, and fire pits. -Live music on the weekends. -You can bring the dog. Cons- -They allow kids. Yes, I know I listed that as a "pro." -Food is pretty average and healthy options are nonexistent, but I'm happy to see a full service menu. -Service is ABYSMAL!!! Let me illustrate our most recent experience: Incident #1 As we were waiting at the bar for our drinks, a waitress walked by and spilled most of a beer on my sister. She did say "sorry" as she continued to walk by. A minute or two later she came back and apologized to ME, as my sister stood behind me emptying liquid from her shoe. Accidents happen, but we both thought this was at least worth a free drink. Incident #2 (different server) Sister: This seems like a fun place to see live music. What types of bands play here? Server: I don't know Sister: When do you usually have bands? Server: I don't know Future Husband: What beers do you have on draft? Server: I don't know. Incident #3 It's been quite a while since we last saw our server, but when he finally comes back I order "chicken strips with a side of ranch and barbeque sauce." 45 minutes later the food comes out drenched in barbeque sauce. Me: Hey, I think I have the wrong order. Server: No, you ordered chicken strips with barbeque sauce. Me: No, I ordered chicken strips with a side of barbeque sauce. Can I just get regular chicken strips? Server: This is what you ordered. You didn't say "side of barbeque sauce." He continues to argue and finally agrees to fix the order. Server: You need to understand that the chicken strips are going to come out exactly the same way. I just want to make sure we're on the same wavelength. Me: Obviously we're not on the same wavelength. Will they be covered in sauce? This whole thing was ridiculous. I'm pretty sure that Serving 101 is don't continue to argue with the customer. Incident #4 (at the table next to us) Server puts down glass of white wine. Woman: I ordered pinot noir. Server: This is pinot noir. Woman: No, I ordered red wine. Server: Are you sure? Obviously our night was a fairly extreme case of bad service, but this isn't too far from the norm. We've been coming here for years and it's always been this way. read more

Yea, this was NOT a great experience. A group of us went yesterday around 11:30 and apparently they had just opened. The tables and chairs were all wet from the recent wash down on the patio so after drying things off, we finally sat down. About 10 minutes later, a server stopped by (we were the only group there by the way) and asked if we would like drinks. Yep... most of us ordered beer from the tap. 10 minutes later, we get our drinks. It was a half hour later, I went searching and asked him to come back and take an order for food. We all placed order for appetizers. Half hour more passes..... nothing.... we ask for the appetizers and got some Ore Ida Tater Tots and tacos that Taco Bell could have beat. Needless to say - I'm not going back and unless the management figures it out, I'm very sure many others feel the same. read more

Let's be honest here guys. You get what you pay for. If you can order a 6 dollar burger and 2 dollar beers while having a fun environment on the airport there's nothing to complain about. If you want some one styling over your shoulder waiting for you to order or ask a question pay for that at Ruth's Chris like a real adult. If you want a reliably entertaining environment with real people where you can feel like a regular come here. I've never been disappointed by the monastery. All of the owners I've met are awesome. The staff is great and you can play horseshoe, corn hole, and volleyball. They have a wide variety of beer on tap and great food. The fries are incredible. If you have to get out of your chair from time to time to ask for something remember you're at a dive bar type environment with upgraded atmosphere and food. Enjoy! read more

First time and last time visiting. We were attending a going away party and not sure if the service is always horrible or if the waitress just didn't know how multi task. When I asked to place an order, I first asked a gentleman who seemed confused as to what I was asking then said he would get the original person assigned to to table. Finally a lady came over to check on others at out able, when I asked to order something she seemed annoyed and informed me she'd take the order but was leaving. I found that quite rude considering she had just asked the others in the party if they needed anything. I kept it simple and got the mozzarella sticks, didn't even bother to get a drink since she was so in a hurry. When the food arrived, smiled pretty simple nothing that's a must try. About 45 minutes later the waitress came back to check on everyone, when I asked her about her leaving she just replied " I was trying". Seems to me she was just "trying" not to serve me... whatever. I paid the bill and left it at that. Maybe it was just an off day for this place, but I have no plans to revisit. read more

Visited for the first time Sunday afternoon to attend their "Chili Cookoff". It was only $2 each to participate and try 20 different recipies. Great outdoor space with volleyball, bags, and other games, live music, grill your own food, plus the chili we voted for won the contest! I think this might end up being a regular hangout even though it is 30-min from Scottsdale. read more

I met "the best thing that's ever happened to me" (inside joke) here. Luckily, our friends frequent this place often when it's a little warmer out. We go for the beer and volleyball, but the boy and I are a bit of competitors at the ping pong tables. It's always so much fun. Even when we compete against teams of people that we don't know..(and we win!) Our dog comes with us occasionally, and someone even brings a duck from time to time. There is live music for most of the summer, but once it get's too hot, they stop coming out :( You do not need to have your own volley ball, they will loan you once, as well as horshoes or bags, in exchange for your keys. They have good pitcher specials, I think 6 or 7 dollars. A few servers will make their way around the grounds and bring your beer out for you. You can rinse the sand off of you before heading home. Keep in mind this place closes at 11 and I personally think they have fun kicking people out. They serve food here as well. You can order off of the menu, or you can buy burgers to cook yourself. They have all the fixing set up inside. I have made my own burger once, and have had taco's once, but really, I don't go there for the food, so don't get too excited about that part. read more

This is one of my favorite places to visit and it just keeps getting better!! Thursday night and the band was on fire! Megan suggested the sliders which were fantastic and the service was top notch. I'll be back again and again!! read more

It was a packed house for Halloween and they were on top of their game. The servers were out all night. The band was fun. They were all dressed up as Doctors or Nurses. Even the band was dressed up as Hospital Staff. Veronica was our outside server and she was really wonderful. We never had to wait and she was really fun and friendly! They have volleyball, horseshoes, a fire pit, an outside live band, fun friendly staff. We are come back every time we want a night out. So much fun, thank you for one of the best nights ever! read more

This place is too much fun! I met up with some friends of mine one Saturday night. The place was hoppin' but it wasn't so busy that we couldn't have fun and be social. There was a neat seating area by the front that was perfect for our group. Now, I'm not a huge beer drinker. In fact, I rarely drink beer but something told me to enjoy a Blue Moon on this particular night and wow...if my beer ALWAYS tasted that awesome, I'm pretty sure I would drink it a lot more. The Blue Moon from the tap was just delicious. I was very impressed. The bar is really unlike anything I've ever seen. Not only do they have cornhole-ing but they also have volleyball courts, ping pong tables and beer pong happening. They had a live band that was super fun and there are so many places to sit! Kids can come here on weekend nights with their families and enjoy the games out in the huge grass area. There are also nice gazebos that groups can claim for their evening out. I didn't get to try much of the food but I can say that their fries and buffalo mozzarella sticks are really great if you're just digging some quick bar food! This place is by Falcon Field pretty close to the 202 so if you're out there, check it out! read more

I hate to say this because I like the place, but... service has really gone downhill. It might have something to do with the new app, so nobody wants to go out and check on you, it took 45 minutes to get chicken wings and tater tots and that was walking up and getting it ourselves. Does the manager, owner ever come in and look around and talk to people? I doubt it. The place has great potential but until the server's realize that if they walk around and talk to you ....their tips will increase, weird huh? Hope this helps.... Oh and one more thing ditch Carvin ..... please?? read more

I hosted a snow party today for dogs. The Monastary was more than accomadating. They provided great service. This place is dog friendly with good food and a nice place to hang out. Special thanks to Tiffany and Cliff for going out of their way to help us have a great time! read more

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Horrible service and management. We reserved an area for 25 people for a night out with friends. We get there to find that they gave us space for about 12 people, crammed between two kid's birthday parties. They refused to move us and didn't refund us the money we had to pay to reserve one of the ramadas. Don't even get me started on why there were having an 8 yr olds party at a bar at 9 pm. I mean...WTF. Anyways, the waitress would disappear for 30 minutes at a time, forgot to place some of our food orders, so we were still waiting for them over an hour later. Our drinks would take at least 20 minutes to arrive, along with a list if who was at fault this time for the wait, and guess what... It was never her fault. When the food would finally come it was warm to cold, so it wasn't even edible. It was supposed to be a fun night with friends, but instead we had to deal with the shitty situation which ruined the evening. They lost a bunch of customers, but the way they treated us they probably don't even care. read more

This is a great place to go and relax in an environment that feels like being in the backyard with friends. The staff are all courteous and friendly, it's just comfortable to be there. Mikey the manager comes around to visit and makes certain that you have a great experience and your service was exceptional! Kudos to the awesome people who work there and the fun spot you have established for people in Mesa to go and kick back! read more

Pretty neat and unique venue, definitely want to go again. Although this is a burger joint, I had the Authentic Tacos.... They were unbelievably delicious, I was so surprised. I imagine their burgers are delicious too since that is their specialty. It's cool to see people playing volleyball and the live music was good. I understand people's complaints regarding the seating (yes, very random, yes very squished together). I also understand the complaints regarding service, it wasn't the quickest I've experienced. Our server was apologetic stating they weren't expecting to be so busy and she was all in all efficient. The Monastery kinda reminds me of a large version, hole in the wall venue. I would definitely go there again. read more

I'm pretty sure the woman who approached me addressing herself as the "manager" was drunk. So I guess I'll chalk that up to be the reason why she was so rude. read more

We are new to arizona from Seattle area and came to the monetary for their amazing beer selection and Bubba's bartender extronenaire. He made our night. Come our to meet Bubba and have a great night. read more

Nick F was absolutely amazing... he made sure my drinks never became empty. I've been here for many events prior and this bartender was superior to any bartenders I've met before. read more

Caveat: I don't drink or smoke. I've been to the Monastery about 3 times now. It's a fun place but really only makes sense to go about this time of year (Feb-May). Most of it being outside, other times might be completely unbearable. We only go with a large group of friends-enough to field two volleyball teams. There are 2 full size volleyball courts there as well as horse shoes and some other field games. Physically the place is open and nice for an extremely casual hang out (wear your t-shirt and flip flops). They have live music occaisionally which is great (but can be loud if you're trying to have a conversation...even at the furthest volleyball court). Food -- meh, nothing to write home about. You cook your own, so be prepared for that. It's part of the experience. It's your basic burger, a small piece of steak, or some chicken. Again, nothing special here. If you are coming for the food, you're at the wrong place. We always have a good time there with friends. The crowd starts to get a little smokey/rowdy as the night progresses. If you aren't bothered by that, then no sweat. Bring your ID. They are kind of jerks about this even though you don't drink (and they allow kids as well...odd policies conflicting). It's quite lame, but I suppose I understand. They just aren't considerate about it...perhaps the 19 year old manager-of-the-evening could be more polite. read more

The Monastery is definitely somewhere you go for the atmosphere, not really the food. They offer a "grill-your-own" ore pre-cooked menu with options ranging from hot dogs and hamburgers to pasta. The service is extremely slow and can be confusing if you have a large group. Sometimes it is quicker if you order at the bar, but can also be delayed depending on what the small kitchen offers. This las time, I ordered a grill-your-own bratwurst and onion rings. The onion rings came out about 15 minutes after I was giving my brat to cook. It actually worked out well, as I waited until my friend got hers and we were able to grill together. The O-rings came out right as we were finishing. The chips and salsa used to be better, but now it seems they use Pace. :( They offer a decent selection of craft and domestic beers. read more

Came for lunch. From what I saw, all of the seating is outdoors - so don't come here if you want to be inside or away from the heat. They do have misters. We were the only ones in the entire place, 1 waitress. Believe the other reviews when they say the food comes out SLOW and not at the same time. Half of our party was done before the other half got its food. Quality of the food was just OK, nothing to rave about, burgers come plain, just cheese, no other toppings. Only reason I gave the place 2 stars instead of 1 is it LOOKs like a cool spot, maybe it's better at night - but I won't be going back during the day. read more

Ordered a beer and a appetizer. How do you ruin jalapeno poppers from a box. Under cooked, Cold and tasted terrible. Then was abandoned at the bar with an empty beer bad food.. They were more than happy to take my card but never came back ... The brite side is that the lead bartender/manager took care of my bill and I think I may come back because of that read more

Stopped back by the Monastery to see some friends last night. Ended up having a great time, food was excellent and the drinks worked well. The pizza was one of the best I have had in a long time and the wings just perfect. Also found out that they now have live music many nights! Will return! read more