Finally got a chance to stop by this place around 8pm on a Friday night! The place was hopping, how could this not be a good sign? Well the Mr. and I walked in and just kind of stood there. Awkwardly. For what seemed like an eternity. It's a very small place, with a bar to your right and and 2 small dining room spaces. There was a sprinkle of wait staff running around like crazy and they acknowledged us in the hustle. After probably around 5 mins were seated in the back room and handed a menu, the waitress said she'd be back with another one. We never saw her again but that's ok because I don't have sharing issues.
Our waiter immediately greeted us and was pleasant. Although he was very slow, but I gathered he was new and learning the ropes. And he had a full table of girls to deal with with copious amounts of booze. So no judgment on him; He did excellent!
The menu I was a little disappointed with. It's very small and offers the bare bones of Mexican food. Which isn't a bad thing per say but it's good to know what you're in for. I got the enchiladas and the husband got a quesadilla. The food was good, and the proportions were normal. Not much else to say. I liked the food but I feel like there are just so many awesome Mexican places around that I probably wouldn't go out of my way for this place. My husband actually said "Yeah I don't think we'll be back" which I wouldn't necessarily agree with completely. I would go back but it might be specifically for drinks, a girls night out or a gathering. I wouldn't treat is as a dinner place though.
SO! Alright food, but this is a bar and it's bar food in the long run. The décor is cute and you'll probably have a pretty good time.
First, let's start with the good news: We had the Ape marg. and the special guava Patron Marg. both excellent. We enjoyed both salsas served with the chips (though they were a bit stale). The ambiance/ atmosphere was relaxing and fun. Our waitress was very attentive and apologetic for our problems (I'm getting there). We enjoyed the chicken tacos, nice little tapas size. The problems: The skirt steak was completely inedible. Could barely cut it with a steak knife and I worked on a piece in my mouth for nearly a minute before I realized I might never be able to swallow it. I sent it back and ordered the shrimp tacos. Tasty little coconut breaded shrimps, but they too were badly overcooked. The place was less than half filled on a Saturday night and I think we found out why-- it must be the chef's night off. Too bad, nice concept restaurant that we wanted to like...... but couldn't.
Review Source:We went a few weeks ago for a birthday celebration and everything was so good!! The waiter led us to the margaritas by stating that they were the best around, and he really wasn't lying! I ordered the steak tacos, which were delicious.....but when I tasted my boyfriends shrimp tacos, I was blown away! They were absolutely amazing! There were four of us in the group and I think it was the first time that we all agreed that it was truly a fantastic meal! I cannot wait to go back!
Review Source:This is the 3rd time I've been there. I do support Bartlett business and try to buy local whenver possible. But each time I was disappointed.
My 3rd and last time here because
1) the Sangria had very little alcohol
2) despite being seated in the back room where I had hoped for a quieter experience, a table of 8 who were talking exceedingly loud about their teaching experiences (not something to broadcast) The smaller seating up front was even louder so it wouldn't have helped to move.
3) the entree was not edible. I ordered the pork special, described by the waiter as "slow cooked all day long," I love me some good tender pork, but this was so salty I had to quit after 2 bites.Strangely the rice was also salty! Beans were OK and I even tried putting the pork in the soft tacos that came with it with lettuce, guacamole and tomatoes and bean to tone down the salt but didn't work. When the waiter noticed I had not eaten it, he asked if I wanted it boxed. I told him I could not eat it because of the salt, and he called the manager. I asked if the manager had tasted this -- he said no, but he knows they add a lot of spices. I said I can taste a little chile powder but the salt is overwhelming. He did take the entree off my bill.
The one thing I had there my 2nd time  that was good was the chile shrimp appetizer. If you want to go just for drinks and appetizers, although the choices are few, you might be better off.
The only reason I gave it 2 stars is that the chips and salsa were good, especially the green chile salsa.
Did takeout the other night so my review is simply on the food. I will update this again when I actually go visit.
Onto the food...the portions are decently sized but with just A-OK food, I wasn't terribly impressed. It does have a very limited menu so I guess I expected what few things they do have on there would be stellar.
I had the chicken enchilada stack. Hubby had the steak tacos. We both agreed we weren't blown over by the taste.
We will certainly try again, though...so stay tuned.
My wife and I just happened to be waiting to be somewhere in the neighborhood so we saw Tipsi Monkey and decided to stop in for a drink. Â Our bartender, Raj, was awesome. Â Quickly explained the menu, and once he realized we only wanted drinks focused on helping with the decision. Â I don't remember the names, but I had the equivalent of a top shelf margarita and my wife had one with a corona tipped into it. Â I don't normally drink tequila, but this drink was great! Â Size, flavor, and saltiness were all perfect. Â Raj did a great job making the drinks and chatting with us when he had a chance. Â Unfortunately, I cannot rate the food as neither I nor my wife had any, but the drinks were perfect. Â I would highly recommend this place to anyone in the area.
Review Source:I've been here twice now and will stick with 3 stars. Â Though if I am just writing the quality & size of their margaritas I'd have to go with 5 stars! ;-)
The food is good, the portions are decent but not gigantic for most things. Â I'm sticking with 3 stars because:
-I think the prices may seem a tiny bit higher than your standard Mexican restaurant
-The menu is definitely limited compared to other Mexican restaurants but what they do have it good (love those fish tacos!)
-The service has just been okay. Â Not bad but not as friendly or attentive as I would like.
-The restaurant is tiny. Â When they are busy it fills up fast and it's a bit claustrophobic and very LOUD in there.
It does have fun but very nice decor and those margaritas and fish tacos will definitely have me coming back on occasion.
Was going out to dinner with some friends and wanted something different then the usually burger and fries, I had found Tipsi Monkey on yelp some times ago, but never got a chance to try it out until now.
We walked in and the place was smaller and crowded inside so we decided to get a table outside, plus it was really nice out. Our server came to our table and introduced himself and then asked our names, which he used the rest of the night. I thought this was a very nice added touch, made you feel a little more important.
Our server brought out free chips and salsa for the table. The salsa was homemade and amazing. Great flavor and not to spicy. After we had finished the plate of chips and salsa we would just keep bringing us more...Im pretty sure we had about 6 plates of chips and salsa throughout the night!!! I ordered a corona-rita, they are the special on Friday($10.00). VERY GOOD, I had never had one and glad I finally did. The margarita was very yummy on its own too!! For dinner I got the enchiladas luis with chicken. The food came out very fast and the portion sizes were huge, I probably could have split it with my friend except the rice and refried beans were so good I ate all those by myself. You get four  enchiladas in the dinner. I ate one and was able to take the other 3 home for lunch the next day. Not bad for $10.99!!
If you read my reviews you know that I do not always think highly of restaurants in Bartlett. Â but I was pleasantly surprised about Tipsi Monkey, although disclaimer: I did not eat any food there, only went for drinks.
that being said, the peach sangria was OMG good (I love a good white sangria) and the people who work there are SUPER nice and friendly. Â pretty sure we were there after they closed but they made no moves to rush us out or hurry us along in any way. Â
great patio area as well, with a fire.
I cannot stress enough how nice the family that was is running TM. Rishi was our waiter and he was adorable, but only home for thesummer. We, (my husband and I), actually had planned on a quick bite at the restaurant next door, glad we skipped it. We went on a Wednesday night, with the Corona drink special and discounted appetizers. We skipped the appetizers, but opted for tacos.
My husband got the pulled pork on wonton style shells, he absolutely LOVED! Â I got the shrimp tacos on corn tortillas. Slaw served on the side was tasty, but light on the seasoning, so if you are looking for a overly sweet/sour slaw, this is not going to appease you. Both sets of taco tacos were very good. I wish there would have been more of the damn tasty, pico de gallo, on the side. I have had a couple bad shrimp taco experiences lately, nothing will compare to our resport in Cabo, but this was a great alternative. Wish I had asked for a little lime to sqeeze on top though, but not their fault. Great after dinner drinks, Brave Bulls (Tequila & Kahlua). Will definitely be back as we love to keep local business flourishing.
Side note, chips and salsa rock!
I thought the food was very good and the service was excellent! Â Had the fish tacos which were very good. Â Could have had more of the chili sauce on the side. Â Nice portions. Â The Guacamole was good but they serve it on a base of lettuce which makes it appear larger than it is. Â Steak tacos were also very good. Overall nice place and I will return!
Review Source:Visited for the first time and was somewhat underwelmed. Some of the ideas and ingredients worked well  but some really stale tortillas spoiled the whole thing. they were dry and hard and should NEVER have left the kitchen. It was a sham because I really wanted to love it. The menu is very small but the drinks were good. Service was good, Guac was interesting spiced with cinnamon maybe it was good but I've never seen it cut with chopped lettuce, that was a little too strange. Nothing like some soggy iceburg with your avocados. I would like to give it one more try, kind of a poor mans (very poor mans) Bien Trucha.
Review Source:Visited for the first time this past Saturday. Â Arrived around 6:30. Â Our first clue should have been that this very small place had several open tables at 6:30 on a Saturday when there are not many options in Bartlett. Â After terrible food/service at the previous concept here, we decided to give this one a try.
All started out great. Â The salsa was fantastic, some of the best I've had in a while. Â Although, I question giving out some pretty spicy (in a good way) salsa and then allowing the server to not return with water or take our drink order for 5-10 minutes. Â Our mouths were a bit warm.
With our hopes high, we ordered the tacos for two meal. Â We got the grilled steak and the pulled pork with flour tortillas. Â We were brought out a nicely displayed assortment of toppings. Â We made our first tacos and dug in. Â Sadly, we instantly noticed that there was zero flavor to these. Â Even the sour creme had no flavor. Â The meat seemed clearly processed and not fresh. Â The pulled pork is very likely the precooked variety available from Cosco. Â I did not sense that anything was prepared with any pride or prepared fresh. Â Even the tortillas were not homemade and just a bland generic type.
Service, much like when this place was Italian was slow, without personality, and simply not good enough. Â My wife ordered a margarita on the rocks with salt. Â She received one with no salt. Â Rather than send it back, she kept it as she was very thirsty from the hot salsa. Â Her drink was not very good. Â Tasted either pre-made or prepared with a store bought margarita mix and tequila. Â A bar featuring tequila should at least have enough pride to mix real margaritas.
We noticed "comment cards" stuck in with the check. Â My wife suggested this means that ownership knows something is wrong, but either does not believe it or is clueless to it. Â The manager did visit our table as we ate and asked us if everything was good. Â I told her that the salsa was fantastic but the food was terrible and bland. Â She did not seem too shocked by this and I sense she has heard this before. Â We also noticed the table next to us scarfed down their chips and salsa, but left most of their dinner untouched.
We'd love nothing more than to find a great local place to eat (We do love the other Mexican restaurant located down the street from here), but until things change here, we won't be back. Â I predict that a for sale sign will be on the front door by years end.
We'll tolerate questionable service for a good product. Â Questionable service and a poor product means we simply will bring our business to a competitor.
We went here on a Friday night around 8. I expected busy and had read reviews on here but didn't expect it to be SO small. Really. There couldn't have been more than 15 tables. We walked in, waited a minute or so (no big deal...everyone was running around) and the hostess came up. We said "hi, two" and she said "do you want to wait forever?" and then stared at us. I understand sarcasm, but that was a little rude. She finally offered for us to wait at the bar and "get drunk" while we waited for a table. We crammed ourselves into the bar as out of the way as possible, but everytime an employee has to go to the back to get food or drinks they had to squeeze their way past. We finally got 2 open seats at the bar and ordered food there (after another encounter with the hostess who REALLY stressed we were at the booootttom of the list so we should prob just eat at the bar)
-Drinks were good...i got the mango sunrise and the pink monkey. The pink monkey was the best one and both had a lot of alcohol which is good when you're spending $9 for a drink.
-Food was boring. I had fish tacos (which are my FAVE!) they didn't have any flavor unless you piled on the thai chili sauce
-Bf got the steak tacos (his fave) the meat looked like dog food. I tried one of his and they were pretty flavorless.
Overall we definitely will not be getting food here again. Maybe drinks, but in that case there are other places just as good with drinks that also have good food and fit more than 30 people. On the upside, the bartender was nice, but seemed a little overloaded on work maybe.
I liked many, many things about this place!
**I like the streamlined menu (hey, if you do something right, there's no need to have 18 pages of fluff)
**I also liked the portion sizes
**The salsa was very flavorful but not spicy which is EXACTLY how my white butt likes it (spicy and I are not besties)
**The drink I got (the ape margarita) was REALLY strong. Â LOVED it. Â Very delicious. Â My friend's strawberry margarita was really good as well!
**The nachos were really yummy--I like when nachos have refried beans on them!
**I ordered the chicken Parrilla, and enjoyed it immensely!
Our waitress was really sweet, attentive, and really kept us happy and well-fed! Â
What I didn't like about the place was how small it was. Â You know those restaurants where you see it from the outside, and it is WAY bigger once you get inside? Â This is NOT one of those restaurants. Â We had a hard time getting in and out of our seats because it's pretty tightly cramped.
The food is great, the atmosphere is wonderful, and the drinks are AMAZING!
I know I will be back :)
Wow. I should probably keep my mouth shut but...
Maybe we should have had the fish tacos. Had the skirt steak tacos. Dry and tasteless. Boyfriend had the chorizo tacos. Yuk O! Spicy Kennel Ration. Refried beans was like eating nothing. Just texture and NO taste. Maybe we are Mexican restaurant spoiled. We did comment to each other that people probably don't come here for the food. It would be a great place to go to for just the alcohol. Margarita was great. But, I mean, even the salsa was bad. So, what do you have with the margarita? We were really hoping this would be a good place. To survive in this area, you need two things: Good food and reasonable prices. The prices are ok, but the food is not there. This is off our list. Kinda sad.
Normally we go to one of the other mexian restaurants in town, however we tried Tipsi out. Â
We enjoyed our time here. Service was friendly and the 'ritas were good.
It pains me to see the former beautiful Sansavaria decor modified even if the monkey theme is cute.... Â I miss that beautiful eiffel tower and other decor (and the bread and pecan butter).
Went here a few weeks ago on a Friday night and we will be going back a lot! Â The atmosphere was great, the place has such a good vibe and the decor is what you expect with a name like tipsi monkey. The prices for everything were so reasonable! The margaritas were yummy, Â tequilla choices were awesome. Â We had the taco platter for two (it really could have fed 3 or 4) and everything on it was fresh and delicious, way better than that other place in town. I hope these guys stick around we'll be coming back!
Review Source:I love a good theme. At the Tipsi Monkey, the "monkey" theme or name was everywhere from their drink specials to the accent decorations around the bar. Even their free WiFi password had a monkey word in it (but you'll have to ask your server for that).
Although the Tipsi Monkey is billed as a Taco & Tequila Bar, I usually rate any place that serves Mexican food by their enchiladas. So on my first visit to the Tipsi Monkey, I ordered their enchilada dinner and a small side of guacamole. The dinner came with the standard beans and Spanish rice.
I wasn't really impressed with the quality of the enchiladas. The server did tell me the red sauce wasn't spicy, so I was okay with that. However, the chicken and corn tortillas were quite mushy together; the texture did not meet my expectations. The side of guacamole was okay (nothing special).
I did like their regular Margarita (again with a Monkey name). I'm not a big drinker and I don't like overly strong drinks. Whereas I typically feel the effects of the tequila after sipping 1/4 of a typical Margarita, this drink was very mellow and either really smooth with a good quality tequila or not much alcohol at all. I finished the whole thing without much of a buzz at all, so I wondered about their mix/alcohol ratio. There was an option to add an extra monkey themed shot of tequila to the Margarita, but I opted out this time not knowing how strong their drinks were. May have to try that next time to make a good comparison.
On my next visit, I'll probably try their tacos, pass on the enchiladas and go for the upshot in a Margarita or try their Sangria. And I'll try to save room for this unique banana dessert that was on the menu.
My husband and I tried Tipsi Monkey for the first time on New Years Day. Â When we walked into the restaurant we were greeted promptly by the hostess and seated right away. The hostess was very friendly. Â As soon as we were seated our waiter came to the table to take our drink order. Â He then returned with fresh chips and Salsa which were very good. Â We ordered the Taco Party for 2. Â When the meal came out we were surprised by the amount of toppings that came with it. Â There were three platters filled with toppings. Â We got Cilantro mixed with onions, pico de gallo, fresh limes,cheese, guacamole and beans. Â We got to pick 2 types of meat for our tacos we chose the steak and the chicken. Â We also got both soft shell and hard shell corn tortillas. Â The meat was very tasty, I normally not a steak eater and I actually enjoyed it more than the chicken. Â We also ordered a side of rice which was also for tasty. Â It was just the right portion for my husband and I. After we finished eating the owner came out to see if we wanted desert and he also cleaned off our table. Â The atmosphere of the place was really cute and inviting. Â I'm looking forward to going back and trying their margaritas. Â I would recommend this for a good Mexican dinner or just for a drink and some Appetizers.
Review Source:I just felt so-so about this place. Â First off it's very tiny and when the front door opens the whole place is blasted with cold air- had to keep my coat on the whole time. Â We ordered the taco party for two and it was really similar to tacos I would make at home. Â The best part of this place is the meat- the steak and chicken was seasoned wonderfully and both very tender. Â The tortillas were a bit stale and the guacamole was hard (underripe avacados). Â The drinks are over priced by about $1.50 - 2.00 each. Â $50 for 4 drinks and shared tacos???? Â I'd go back simply b/c there are not a lot options in Bartlett, but they're certainly not going the extra mile at the Tipsi Monkey.
Review Source:My boyfriend and I went here on a Friday night for dinner!
Great chips and salsa!!
Salsa is not spicy, but very fresh and flavorful!
We had the taco party for two ... perfect portions for "average" eaters!
If you like bigger portions for one, this is probably a bit on the smaller side for two.
Margartias were delicious!! $6 each - pretty good in my eyes - expecially for the size!
Service was great too!
My ONLY reason for 4 stars is I would have liked to see just a little bit more on the menu - I love some basic favorites that I didn't see on the menu.
We will def. be back!!
That was fun...and yummy! Â In a continued effort to stay local a bit more often, we tried Tipsi Monkey for dinner. Â I'm glad that we did. Â
We were greeted by the owner's daughter and promptly seated with a smile. Â She's a spunky, young woman who had me chuckling a few times over the course of the evening. Â Fresh, warm chips hit the table with a nice chunky salsa. Â We took care of those pretty quickly and our waitress offered more, but we decided to save room for the main dishes.
The menu is pretty simple. Â It was a pleasant surprise to see a streamlined menu. Â Do one thing & do it right. Â Some appetizers - maybe six or eight of them, some unique entrees that come with rice and beans, many varieties of tacos, a few simple side dishes, drinks and desserts. Â My son decided to try the shrimp tacos. Â This was a platter of four tacos on blue corn tortillas with breaded shrimp, tasty cole slaw and a sweet and spicy sauce. Â He did a good job of clearing his plate. Â My husband and I decided to have a 'Taco Party'! Â We chose two meats - seasoned steak and lightly breaded tilapia (fish). Â He opted for flour tortillas & I chose soft corn (red corn) tortillas. Â The accompaniments were plentiful! Â A mound of guacamole, onions & cilantro, pico de gallo, sour cream, refried beans, the sweet & spicy sauce, a creamy cole slaw and honestly, there were a couple more things that I didn't use, so I can't place them right now. Â We ate all of the meat and the cole slaw, but didn't even come close to using up everything else. Â
Our waitress was lovely...a real sweetheart. Â She kept our glasses full and promptly moved dirty dishes off of the table. Â
We also met the owner. Â He arrived at the end of the meal, right along with the check. Â It turns out that this is definitely not his first rodeo. Â With different restaurant concepts in Elgin, Arlington Heights (I think?) and Southern Illinois, he is a seasoned restaurateur. Â Soft spoken and maybe even a little shy, our conversation was quick. Â But I was glad to meet the man behind our newest Bartlett restaurant. Â I wish him well and will look forward to another tasty meal again soon!
So take two for restaurants in this location is Tipsi Monkey, an upscale take on Mexican food. They opened 5 days ago with a splash, so I decided to check it out.
The meal opened with freshly baked tortilla chips with a simple salsa. The chips were fantastically crisp, salted just right and not too oily or greasy. I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of heat in the salsa, which tasted fresh and had two, possibly three kinds of pepper in it.
We kicked off appetizers with spicy coconut shrimp. Tipsi, in general, tries for the "quality over quantity" philosophy of restauranteering, which is how I found out this dish consisted of six breaded shrimp with a side of slaw. The shrimp were excellent, though physically flat, covered in a layer of coconut and set off just right sweet and spicy sauce. The slaw makes a good creamy counterpoint, and it's seasoned and has raisins in it.
Next came the soups, which seem to be free with a menu item for now. The tortilla soup shined; brightly acidic, a complex chicken broth heavily steeped in cilantro, and about the only time someone has served raw onions to me without me gagging. Oh, and served with more tortilla chips.
The chicken and rice soup was good; a bit heavy on the cilantro and raw onions though.
We went with the taco party option, with chorizo/potato and steak as the meats. You get a ton of stuff with it... more raw onions and cilantro, tomatoes and onions, a light sour cream and decent guacamole.
The steak was cooked with pineapples, and was nice and tender. As far as I could tell, it had a decent rub on it. The chorizo was perfect with the creamy potatoes.
The interior of the restaurant is dark, and filled with monkeys. Not even joking. The scary one is located above the entryway...
I was really impressed with this place, and I hope it does well in Bartlett. I definitely would like to try out some desserts, and I'd like to see how the food settles out after a few months.
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