First and foremost, the service is wonderful. I've been to many bars as any other general person going out for drinks but I've never put in a review to anyone one of them until now because of the great service and the exceptional quality of the drinks. I had to put this out there because it is worth sharing. Dru, hands down, made a perfectly crafted old fashioned that I never thought could taste as good as anyone could make it, including myself (I love an old fashioned so I give 100 cookie points to her!) The Bad Monkey is great! Please visit this place you will not be disappointed! Especially the patio! Really chill lounge area with two large tv's to watch the local games, plus there is an additional bar! read more

I would pay cash here. Used my card here and the next day thousands were being extracted from my credit card. Note: I use this card once a month. read more

Typical smoky bar with cheap drinks. Even though this bar can get smoky and they have an ashtray on every table so you can't claim you didn't know, the indoor outdoor flow means the air circulation is good enough that you don't leave smelling like an ashtray. It might also help that we were there at about 2 p.m. on a Sunday, so the place was relatively empty. In addition to drinks, they sell cigars for $7, so my friend bought one and we sat at a table close to the outside area so she could puff away. They had a drink deal for $5 Stoli. Good enough for me, so I grabbed a vodka soda. My friend got a bloody mary and said it was pretty tasty. They have darts and giant jenga. You can easily pass a couple hours smoking cigars, playing a game, and drinking cheap drinks. That sounds like a very enjoyable day to me. read more

LOVE THIS BAR!! Walked in sat at the bar and was immediately asked what I'd like to drink. Kept it simple just ordered a beer and a shot of fireball. As I sipped on my ice cold corona looking around I realized how COOL the place looked inside. There's military stuff everywhere witch I respect so much. Multiple tv's and a giant jenga game witch is awesome for you and some friends to have some fun. There's also a upstairs area with more tv's and a pool table. The whole front of the bar is open witch delivers a good breeze with the perfect amount of light. They also have a awesome jukebox and a phone charging station witch really helps for us who can't put our phones down lol. The staff were very friendly! I had Jenna and Andrew as my bartenders. They were so on point making sure I had what I needed at all times. In the middle of the bar is a section for people to hang out and poor their own beers. I've been to lots of bars just something about the combination of nice people good service and amazing decor hit it big with me! Anyone who served or still in the military will have so much respect for this bar. I have not one bad thing to say about bad monkey. I will never once step foot into ybor without stopping in here for a drink. Great job guys much respect. read more

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When researching the area, Bad Monkey seemed like my kind of place. In a party of three, we walked in and the place did not look busy. We noticed many tables had not been cleared but chose to sit down in an empty one. 11 minutes went by and not one waiter or bartender acknowledged or talked to us. We walked out and went to another place down the street. read more

Horrible bar! Ordered myself drinks, my sister ended up leaving without paying the bill (we got into an argument) and the manager was trying to force me to pay for her check. I'm not paying for something I did not order. Thank you very much! read more

Cute place. We ordered some drinks and beers. I like the open concept of the bar it lets the smoke out nicely. Great place to chill in Ybor City read more

Bad Monkey - Toasting the fallen brothers - Pubs Near Me - Ybor City, Florida

I stumbled upon Bad Monkey when I was in Ybor City a couple of weekends ago. It's a new bar across the street from Coyote Ugly. They did a great job with the build out of the place. It's got a military theme complete with a fighter jet in the corner of the bar. They also have a camo wall and turned the air vent into a missile. I wish they had something telling you why a bar called Bad Monkey is military themed but that may be common knowledge. This place has great potential but they need 2 things, more people, better drink specials. It's got a full bar and a healthy beer menu but it's pretty expensive for ybor. You could walk out the door in either direction and go to a bar with cheaper drinks and more people. However, if they lowered their drinks prices, people will come. They have a really cool little middle bar that you can rent a tap for a party. And, of course, the taps look like missiles. It could be a really cool place if you were having a big party (and don't care that it's relatively empty in the bar). This place will find it's groove. It hasn't been open that long. Overall it was good, the bartender got drinks fast and the building is really cool. They have a breathalyzer machine in the corner which was a crowd favorite. Give it a shot but bring people with you. read more

Bad Monkey - Pubs Near Me - Ybor City, Florida

This place is so freaking cool! Bartenders are awesome! Retired military guy owns it and everything is very military friendly and very military decorated. This is where you come when you love America! read more

Bad Monkey - Bartenders are awesome! Retired military guy owns it and everything is very military friendly, just look at the fun! - Pubs Near Me - Ybor City, Florida

I've came to this bar a few times over the years. The vibe is typically cool and they have unique Christmas decorations. However on December 16th, I brought a group of friends with me. One of my friends is here on a student visa. He had shown his (not American) ID to all the other clubs in Ybor and had gotten in no problem. The bouncer at Bad Monkey says "We only accept state driver's licenses and passports as ID", I've heard of a bar doing this, to prevent fake IDs, but his reasoning threw our group off. He says "The owner is a 2 star Air Force retired general, it's his rule." I come from a military family, I did not think it was respectable to use rankings as a way to get citizens to comply; and I thought it was distasteful coming from a veteran owned business, military members should be humble in their service. If the owner is seeing this I would advise your staff not to bring your rank up, and perhaps use a phrase like "veteran owned" business. Also, if your reasoning for using state drivers licenses and passports is your service in the military, it definitely sends a wrong message to someone of of a different nationality/race. Many people of color and different nationalities serve in the military to gain citizenship and a better life for their families. This is something you should consider when you have your reasonings for not taking a perfectly legal form of identification. I always try to support veteran owned but we left and we will not be coming back. Do better. read more

Just left this bar at 4 PM & saw a girl get fingered while the guy held their baby. Visiting from Austin, Texas & can't say I've ever seen this before. Can't wait to come back! read more

Always a great time. Love going to the outdoor bar. Staff is also very friendly. Drinks are affordable. Can get a little smokey sometimes One of my favorite bars in ybor read more

We stopped in for birthday drinks and had a great time! It wasnt to crowded which was nice! Will definitely stop in again! read more

Bad Monkey - Pubs Near Me - Ybor City, Florida

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Keeping this one short and sweet. Pros: decent selection of beer, interesting aesthetic (model prop plane coming through the wall)/ these cool standing islands with tap heads coming through), quick and attentive service and plenty of games (shuffleboard, pool and electronic darts, giant jenga). Cons: smells like stale cigarettes throughout, smells like lit cigarettes near the bar -- have to walk through a haze of smoke to order anything -- and physically impossible to stay in this place for more than 45 due to lack of fresh air (been in plenty of cigar bars that managed to ventilate appropriately). Pushing 4 stars if this place advertised itself as a cigar bar of some sorts (or just did a better job ventilating). read more

Right in the heart of Ybor, this place is really cool to stop by and not just have a drink and chat, but have a drink and play games. Giant games. Games we all love like Jenga and Connect 4 have been turned LIFE SIZE. Their servers were quick, attentive, and laid back. Easy going bunch in here and it was a comfortable place to chill. We played a game with GIANT JENGA. It was whoever made the jenga fall had to buy the next round. We took a cab home that night. I recommend stopping by here if you are with a couple friends in Ybor and want to do something more active with your time together. read more

I love this bar! I love that is so wide open with minimal tables so you don't feel so claustrophobic. The bartenders are very friendly here and even though it was crazy crowded because of the FSU Pub Crawl this past weekend, they were all smiling. I like popping into bar when I am in Ybor City because the staff is fun and efficient. Definitely put this bar on your list to visit for a quick drink! read more

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I'm not an Ybor City fan any more but I bounced there recently and stumbled upon this joint. It is a nice, and subtle atmosphere. I enjoyed watching some partygoers take a chance at Jenga!! You can also engage in a game of darts once you feed the machine .25 or you can mosey your way up stairs and shoot pool. I engaged in both activities which I thoroughly enjoyed. If you check in on yelp when you're there, you get 10% off your tab SCORE! read more

This place does not make sense. There is an airplane, female bodies, and sports stuff for decoration. The TVs seem to loop on war footage. And Top 40 plays on the speakers. All very confusing. It gets so crowded, and loud, you can not even talk to anyone you are there with. And the clientele are pretty rude. Not a fan. It's just a plain Bad Bar. read more

This place is great. The decor is all militarily themed without being jingoistic, the owner is a great guy who isn't hesitant to start up a conversation with anyone. The beer selection is very impressive, you can actually reserve a tap if you're having a group of people & don't feel like continuously ordering. My favorite part is the upstairs cubby hole. It's got couches & a pool table, very relaxing area. read more

Finally got there........drawn by the irresistable focus on military/vets and Law Enforcement......where will you find a safer bar with better war stories and other oral fiction. Fine service, friendly customer, great prices at happy hour 2-4-1 with lots of drafts and bottled, appropriately inclucing local brews. My wife is not big on bars, but liked the feel of this one. No food, but lots of muted TV screens with captioning. While it is well tagged with military indicia, including artillery shell draft taps, naked ladies sculpted from rifle brass and vintage pin-up art, they have exercised restraint on clutter that occurs in some bars that cater to the military and encourage the posting of unit insignia, uniform parts, bras, and magic marker "Kilroy" graffiti. So i will restrain my impulse to jam some jump wings into the furniture. And from their Facebook page, they seem to sponsor lots of events and specials that will draw us back. Will have to try the monkey-breath banana draft beer next time, in honor of Cornelius, the Pinellas bad monkey. read more

Wednesday afternoon drinks and chat were great! The service was fast, beer was cold! Loved the scrolling photo played in the bar!

Very nice refreshing bar in ybor city... Great ambiance and love the military theme! We will be back for sure #badmonkeyybor...great selection of beer and liquor...they had the Tito vodka which is my new favorite and sea dog blueberry my favorite beer! read more

Bad Monkey - Pubs Near Me - Ybor City, Florida

What to do when stuck in downtown Tampa overnight? We asked a few locals and they couldn't quite think of anything fun to do on a Monday night, but they finally directed us over to Ybor City via the trolley. The bartenders here were friendly and attentive - maybe it was because there was only one other person at the bar when we came in, but nonetheless great service. The entire area was pretty much dead. The decor here is pretty neat. The owner was apparently in the military and you'll see a military theme carried throughout - camouflage accent wall, bullet sculptures, but the neatest thing were his photos from the military that scrolled on a couple of the TVs. I could see this being the place where military, vets & law enforcement congregate. This place had a ton of seating and the TVs were set up really well making this a great place to catch sporting events. Upstairs there was a pool table while downstairs there was a juke box with built in photobooth and we even saw a professional-size poker table they apparently set up once/week. Everything was really clean too & decent prices. My husband was looking for some local Florida beers but they didn't have many on tap or in bottle. Would recommend if in Ybor City. read more

Good food, fun atmosphere, feel safe, clean and service was wonderful. Bartenders were fantastic! Christmas decorations were awesome. looking forward to my next trip to Tampa just to visit the Bad Monkey. read more

They have the best Frozen Rose- Frozay. Absolutely excellent!!! If your haven't had it- you are missing out!!! read more

Bad Monkey - Frozen Rose - Pubs Near Me - Ybor City, Florida

Another to the point review. The prices are great. The establishment is clean. Decent music being played. Pool table in great shape. Upstairs lounge area is great. Staff is super nice. Bathrooms are clean! Will be going back. read more

Spent the afternoon here waiting for our reservation to be up at Columbia's 1905 day. I really enjoyed everything about this bar! It's new, clean, unique decor for Ybor, fun games like life size jenga, pool tables, and a nice lounge area upstairs. They have a ton of new tv's with all of the stations/ football games and 2 for 1 beer specials the day I was there. The house brew (Bad Monkey) was quite tasty with a distinct banana undertones taste! Since they don't serve food, they had boxes of fresh pizza for patrons to munch on - Free! For ten minutes, every touchdown the Bucs made prompted a tasty $3 BadMonkey shot special. The center island that ran the length of the bar had beer taps that you could rent to host your own party. Service was also A+; prices great! I will visit here again when in Ybor for a night out. read more

Very, very cool bar for Sunday afternoon football. Every time I visit, the service is great. They have a full bat and plenty of casual space for sitting and chatting. The music isn't too loud spp you can still hear people you're there to hang out with. read more

I love this bar. Central Ybor location in the heart of the action. Decent selection of beers. Great place to watch sports. I've seen large parties really enjoy themselves here without crowding out the smaller groups. Not uncomfortable for a couple of ladies having a few drinks. Clean too! read more

Always an amazing crowd. One of the places we will visit -FOREVER- . #TeamUSA we enjoy the great drinks and managemant.

The Bad Monkey is the place to be if you want great drinks and a place to enjoy Ebor City! And the bar tenders are fabulous! Shout out to Dru...Jamie and Josh y'all are great! Service was awesome! read more

I will add what others haven't: Limited but solid tap selection. With TBBC, cleanest bathrooms in Ybor! read more

Nice but I like a bar with food! Honest bar tenders work at this bar!! It was a book signing. They do have a full bar but no fresh herbs for drinks like Mojito's. read more

This is a nice bar for Ybor. Fairly new so it is a bit cleaner and hipper than a number of other places. I thought the staff was attentive but seemed pretty clickish even though the bar was not slammed. They must be paying for the updated décor. $9 for a Makers and Coke is the highest price on the strip. It is nice there, but not that quite that nice for me. read more

We ordered the double cheeseburger, Buffalo tenders, smothered tots, and mozz sticks. Everything was so good! We needed some side sauces and they brought out so many it was so perfect! The owner of the food truck came out and brought us our sauces and was so nice! read more

Nice cool place to hang out and have a drink! Good music, pool tables, darts ands it's 2 levels. Very spacious. read more

Bad Monkey - Nice and friendly staff! Cheap good drinks! The Frose is the shit! - Pubs Near Me - Ybor City, Florida

I write lots of reviews but not many about a bar as a bar should always be about service and usually have a good experience however I have to give a huge kudos to all of the staff here at bad monkey. I've been a loyal customer for many years and the bartenders and security have always treated me like family. Even when I was drugged down the street I won't name names but I was only 2 drinks in and blacked out getting sick and Shane came to my rescue and helped me not just treated me like a dirtbag like I feel now hahah. I love everyone there the bouncer is easily the best I've ever seen he remembers the right people and cards everyone even my friends I love it he is a very mutual guy and the rest of the staff I can't get enough of them I drink here because of them other wise I'd drink at home. I've been here for my ups and my downs and I met the love of my life here. We plan to visit as part of our wedding reception after party. Thank you for providing a safe clean and fun environment to enjoy my new found love for Long Island iced teas :) keep doing what you do because you do it right! Much love! read more

My friends and I went down to Ybor for Super Bowl weekend and my birthday. This was our favorite spot. Not to mention Josh and staff accommodated us with a table for the game. They put an awesome spread of food and welcomed us like we were regulars. If you visit the area, go here. Not to mention the bar is owned and frequented by many Vets. It was awesome to see the entire bar stand for the national anthem to open the Super Bowl. Thanks again for a great weekend!! read more

Friendly, helpful service from the staff. Great atmosphere that made for a wonderful afternoon treat.

A new bar in Ybor? That's rare. Not. So why go to this one? Well, it's new. And clean. And it hasn't acquired a patina of grime yet that is common to most of its neighbors. It is very open to 7th Ave., nice and airy. It has a cool balcony with some comfortable leather couches to sit on. Apparently, some military guys own it. The decor is military-themed, including beer taps that look like huge bomb shells. They spent some serious money on custom woodwork around the attractively lit bar area. Very nice. Now, the drinks. I only had a beer, and they have a decent selection of craft options, priced competitively, but still high for, well, beer. They have a lot of TV screens, and a few of them play a continuous slide show of military personnel and scenery in what looks like the Middle East and maybe Afghanistan. The pictures are actually quite interesting to look at. One thing that is lacking is entertainment. There is none. No live music. No nothing. So, you go here for a drink and that's it. Add some music, and this place could be filled. For now, it's kind of empty. read more