Stumbled upon this restaurant after a long move-in day at UMass and following a very strong street recommendation from some random dude who looked like a local (probably the owner's brother!). Â It wasn't until I was seated with my wife and 13 yr old son that I read other reviews here and it was too late to abandon ship. Oh well. Â Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Service was very pleasant and attentive, although our waiter forgot our appetizer platter and just brought dinners, and had trouble getting our drink orders straight. Â This aside, the food was very good and fresh. Â I had the iron steak with gorgonzola, wife had the seafood risotto, and son had the "tour of italy" chicken parm (owner is from Naples). Â Although I found my portion to be lacking in size (as with my starter salad), it was very tasty and well prepared. Â Wife and son loved theirs. Â My house salad with lemon vinegarette was extraordinary. Â I am already looking for a lemon vinegarette recipe.
Happy enough to have made a reservation for a sweet window booth for the entire family when we return for Family Weekend in Oct.
Net net....good chow, nice atmosphere although I HATE seeing TVs (over bar) when I dine, and a diverse menu for all palates. Â Wish I had some rawbar and time to have dessert. Â And I'm sure all would have improved if I didn't have to pass on more vino due to a impending drive home to eastern MA.
After I sat down on the patio, for lunch, my friend and I became the object of affection for a couple of flies. It proved to be a dangerous omen, indeed.
This place is awful. I came here for lunch, which is really, really easy to do. I mean, really easy. You have to try really hard to fuck up lunch. Sandwiches. C'mon.
I got a Cajun Chicken sandwich, I think I added cheese and bacon. Not sure what he got. Fries. Nothing impressive. Still tasted like Sysco packaging. They were Burger King style fries, which I have never been a fan of. The chicken tasted like it was boiled or par cooked then microwaved or something. Oh, and the food took forever. His was bad, and we didn't finish, despite still being hungry. It was on par with food from the DC on campus in terms of quality.
Now, the menu looks like this place should be great, but I think it's all done to be cheap and profitable and look nice so people bring their parents to eat here. Faux fine dining. Worse than Friendly's. Honestly. That Mahi Mahi has to be frozen. I guarantee it. Maybe it's like a nightclub/Red Lobster hybrid. I don't know. I don't understand.
As for the nightclub? Well, if you are looking to roofie / get roofied, I don't think you could pick a better spot than the basement of a frat (which, if nothing else, would be much cheaper). I just imagine people bumping lines in the bathroom, but maybe that's a good thing. They get away with running a shoddy place because they have a prime spot make plenty of money and people just wanna grind. Straight up. They let in underage girls (this is a fact). I feel bad for the people standing in line outside that place; they just don't know any better. As such, it's a LOCAL HOTSPOT. I just hope the drinks are boozy.
My review is of the food only, as someone who has lived in Amherst and knows people very fond of this place - at least they were ... best to recap our meal of last night. 3 people, 3 different entrees, ranging from filet mignon, seafood risotto and frittata.
The latter was requested based on a previous experience, but this one was evidently nothing similar - much heavier with a lot of cheese. Although it was nice of them to make it for dinner when it's traditionally on the lunch menu.
The filet - very tender. The risotto was good, although I should have ordered a full serving instead of a half. That way I would have gotten more since the excellent maytag blue salad would have been included.
As it was, it came to about the same price. What I noticed about both entrees (and the mashed potatoes with the beef) is that they were both really quite bland. I mean, as someone who watches salt, this made me happy but there are LOTS of other things you can put in to flavor things up.
I took the risotto home (you know it's not really a good sign if you're calculating how to fix it WHILE you're sitting in the restaurant) and with some garlic, lemon, salt, pepper and chili powder it was, in my opinion, much better.
Pluses - they have an awesome Tabasco vinaigrette with a real kick to it - that I would have loved to have taken home. Nice olive tapenade too and good bread.
Re: service - especially pertaining to the above-mentioned blandness - the chef did come by to ask how everything was but due to my trepidation, fear and general discomfort I just offered a weak "fine" - I mean, since it wasn't horrible and somewhat eaten, what was he going to do? Any advice on such situations would be appreciated ...
I would go for special requests and small quantities - see Tabasco above - or if someone else is treating ...
DINING: Â The food is quality, but you'll pay for sure. I dont know of a bad meal here everything is atleast on par. The service can be hit and miss depending on their seasonal help, but has been good.
Nightlife:
after 10pm or when the dinner crowd clears out this place is normally a club like experience. Extra loud music with a DJ, sometimes 2 (one in front room and one in the main room in the back) Drinks are moderately priced and the music is usually tasteful. The crowd and experience is not for everyone and the cover charge (usually $5) is redic for a bar in AMHERST! sometimes they hold the crowd back outside so they make the ol' fake line so we look popular. The place is usually packed when school is in session and cops sometimes come around.
overall, i'd recommend a meal here once in awhile and i would check out the late night action for a change up.
Monkey Bar has been in Amherst for a while now, and has received a bad rep for it's lackluster bar scene. The quality rests in its restaurant. It's not where you want to go for the "Amherstonian" nightlife experience. If anything, it's for the older crowds to eat and drink. Â
Just an FYI, there is no place in Amherst where you can go clubbing; don't imagine Monkey Bar is the one to deliver. Having said that, they do have a great selection of drinks. They have a solid martini list, and all of them are pretty good (and strong). Their tequila sunrise (my friend told me) was damn good.
So I'd go here during the week with somebody for dinner maybe, or a pre-game cocktail, because the place would be nearly empty and you'd have it all to yourselves. Go closer to the weekend, and you'll soon figure why everyone else gave it mixed reviews.
So bizarre. Â I consider myself to be rather particular reviewer and difficult to please. Â And yet, I find that my review dramatically differs from previous comments. Â No idea how they could be so different, so I'll share my two cents worth and encourage y'all to test it out yourselves and post your thoughts on yelp.
My comments aren't regarding the bar scene and I'm not sure what' one would expect from a small-town college bar. Â Instead, my comments are focused on my multiple dining experiences here. Â It is a great place to stop in for a drink and a bit to eat. Â The food here is well-above bar grade and you can actually enjoy non-fried food. Â The French Onion Soup, the Asparagus Salad (when in season), Penne Pasta (with chicken and mushrooms), the oysters and the Pan-Seared Chicken have all been tested by this kitchen and approved. Â Its not fancy, just simple, good food at a reasonable price. Â You can sit at the bar (our preference), in the dining area or out on the back deck (great for those summer months). Â The owner is almost always there and takes the time to stop by and see his guests. Â One improvement I would recommend is updating their wine list, that is not my favorite. Â You will find a something worth drinking, but I've yet to find a glass that I'm excited about.
Fail.
Massive fail.
I don't know what the restaurant is like. Â Apparently it's good. Â There probably should two separate entries for the restauarant and this monstrosity.
Basically, this is your standard crappy Boston dance bar squashed into the middle of Amherst. Â
I came here a few times during my first year of grad school. Â When it wasn't a heaving mess of Top-40 grinding on a small area, it was a general mess of the front and back bar area, whether it be impossible to get another drink, or the drinks were a little on the pricey side for the quality. Â
Overall, it's not worth it.
I have never eaten here, so my review concerns the bar only. Â Nearly everyone in the 5-College area has heard of the Monkey Bar. Â The music is average and it regularly draws big crowds, but I personally prefer The Pub right nearby. Â Sometimes there are a few too many sleazy men lurking around the walls in the Monkey Bar, who feel that an effective way to meet women is to grab them while they are walking by and simply not let go. Â Can you say creepy?!
Review Source:One of the trashiest bars in Amherst... by trashy, my definition would be: slutty, skanky, smelly, whorish men, people who do not know how to properly put on a pair of jeans over their underwear. Â Hm... the music is horrible as well. Â Where people go to get hammered/laid (if they're lucky, or if their partners are too drunk to care).
Review Source:I've never been to the restaurant, but I have been to the bar. Â Man, it was horrible. Â But who knows, it might be your scene. Â I mean, maybe you WANT to listen to bad top 40 "jamz" in a room full of annoying, leathery sorority girls who just did a 2-year bid at the tanning salon, and dudes with white baseball caps and chips on their shoulders who would otherwise be drinking alone and jerking off to their 50 Cent posters.
On the plus side, some years ago they mixed a good manhattan.
Before 9pm, this is a restaurant known as Bistro 63. After that, it becomes the Monkey Bar, and it should be avoided at all cost. Bad music played too loud reigns supreme. The back room houses a dance floor, which becomes absurdly overcrowded very quickly. The Monkey Bar should be avoided at all costs.
Review Source:
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