Monkey Forest Road

Our go-to coffee spot. It helps that we live within walking distance, but even when it is not the most convenient we still find ourselves heading towards Monkey.

I like that it isn't just your standard coffee shop. The fact that it is also an art gallery is great and creates a very mellow atmosphere. The staff is very nice and seating is comfortable and plentiful (inside, indoor patio, outdoor deck).

Coffee is made to order and is consistently divine. They don't overheat their milk (yay! no bitter flavor), the foam is perfect without being overpowering and the Verve coffee is nutty and delicious.

Bakery part is always worth a try. Personal faves include the bacon date scone and blue cheese scone. They also have great gluten-free and vegan options which are also really good (and I am usually a skeptic about GF and V baked goods). If they have cupcakes you should probably order one. The brownie with praline something-or-other is also a good one (a great treat to bring if you are planning to visit a friend). Pi day was a highlight when they had multiple pie options that all looked fabulous. Husband had the key lime (he said was fantastic) and I opted for the pecan. Can pie day become at least a 1x/month thing?

I'm so glad it's almost the weekend so I can enjoy my Saturday morning ritual at MFR.

Like other yelpers-I'm a happy camper. The pastries all looked wonderful an yummy. I picked up the vegan oat bran muffin (doesn't sound good but it was the best oat bran vegan or not muffin I have ever had!). Drip coffee was delish. I couldn't concentrate on my movie I was trying to watch on Netflix because the place was just too gorgeous ignore. The gal behind the counter was super friendly. I noticed they were also a wine bar. I'm coming back for the booze later. Can't wait!

I'm very picky about the cafe's that I visit, because oftentimes the cafe is cool and centrally located, but the coffee is bad; or the coffee is great and everything else is lacking. Monkey Forest is a great combination in that it's located near the 580 FWY in the popular Grand Ave. shopping district, and the food and coffee are great. Monkey Forest is both a cafe and retail shop for beautiful, Indonesian home goods and art. The tables and chairs for customers are beautiful pieces of art in themselves, and the atmosphere is approachable, and could be best described as upscale zen. There are nice outdoor and covered seating areas which make for versatile seating options on both overcast and warm, sunny days. The cafe doesn't provide Wi-Fi, which I suspect is to promote community and to discourage squatting by laptop zombies. It's actually nice that it doesn't, because it does encourage more social behavior and the lack of computers everywhere has an overall calming effect. I do confess, however, to providing my own hotspot on occasion, but I don't abuse my time in their beautiful space for more than 30-40 mins. BIG BONUS: They serve almond milk, in addition to soy, which I'll drive way out of my way to get. The fact that some cafe's don't is a mystery to me, given it's popularity, but that little extra creates another "yes!" on my checklist.

The Treats: I'm not a carb eater, but check out the homemade pastries near the register. They're made on-site and are definitely a nice change from the typical, generic fare that one finds in most cafe pastry cases. One last thing: The staff is friendly and efficient. No snobby, "too cool for school"  baristas, here. Just folks serving up good coffee and food, in a nice sunny cafe surrounded by beautiful, unique ethnic art.