Sorry but this review is not great. First time at this restaurant and wo'nt go back. From the overpriced $14 dollar Old Fashioned to the below average service and just OK food. Better places in Auburn to spend your $200 for 4. This place is not worth the price. read more

Went here for my mom's birthday dinner, and it was amazing! The drinks, the appetizers, the entrees, the desserts, to the customer service was too notch! Environment was wonderful and staff was welcoming! Great experience! Special shout-out to Shauna for the amazing service! Thank you MonkeyCat!!! read more

OH NO! Did they get a new chef? It looks like they have a new menu too. The new menu didn't bother me though because I always get the same thing - house salad with salmon. However, I got this to go ($25 approx) and look how little lettuce I got? It didn't used to be like this. Imagine if I didn't get the salmon and just got the house salad - I would have 4 bites of lettuce! Super disappointing. Please go back to how you used to make your salads because 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it'. read more

The Monkey Cat - $25 salad - It used to be so much better! - New American Near Me - Auburn, California

Probably one of my favorite little spots in Auburn. I highly recommend sitting on the patio for the ambiance and view. The fountain and climbing greenery is absolutely stunning, calming and jus sooo relaxing. And the service is phenomenal I've never had a bad meal there. The flavor and everything is always fabulous never a bland meal. read more

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Jennifer and Jared served an awesome dinner and great wine selection. We had pan seared scallops and salmon, both were prepared to perfection. We finished our dinner with an amazing chocolate decadent cake aka mode (of course) and coffee. Patio seating was perfect for us and our dogs. We will be back for more!! read more

Our dinner was delicious, the wait staff were friendly, and the service was good. It is in a delightful area of old downtown Auburn and is a nice change from the western-themed bar & grill options. It is described as "Upscale casual" but it is not too fancy to relax. read more

We Experienced this place for the first time for our anniversary tonight. The Food was good - but our server Erica was the best customer service person I have EVER had! She made our experience from- "it's Good" to Amazing!! and no I have never met her before! She made the experience stand out. Kudos to you Erica! read more

It had a really cute aesthetic and a nice ambiance. However it's overpriced for the meals you are getting, following the drinks to be rather overpriced too. We sat outside and they did a great job with the little set up that they had, and the service was really attentive and good energy. Overall everything was really nice just you're paying more then what you end up getting. read more

There's a problem with this yelp page - this is my 4th time trying to write this review. Good service. Fast bartenders. Good food. Watch out for crazy drivers at intersection and a constant line for the bathroom. They should really just be made unisex read more

The Monkey Cat - Chicken Parmesan - New American Near Me - Auburn, California

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Exceptional salmon and white fish entrees arrived after incredible bread and butter. Prices were to be expected, but our experience was impeccable. read more

First time to visit the Monkey Cat. Another client lunch in the cute downtown area of Auburn. Nice atmosphere with darker woods. Started out with appetizers, crab cake (2) was delicious. Also the Apple Brie Crostini was very good. Main course was also in the crab family. The crab melt , blue crab with avocado topped with tomato and cheese. Very good. Service was excellent in a quiet atmosphere perfect for business lunch. I'LL Be Back" read more

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I would give them 4 stars for the food, but the service was so bad that I had to give them just 1 star. Yes, that bad. The host was very cordial; but then the pleasantries ended. In a word: our server was simply very rude and angry throughout the evening. We arrived at our reservation time of 5:45PM. A bit earlier than we wanted but they were expecting a large party so we opted for early rather than late. We were seated right away, and before we could even glance at the menu, the server arrived at our table. She barely greeted us before then hitting us with a hard sell, trying to convince us to buy a bottle of wine. 25% off all bottles. Going on about an especially good Sauvignon Blanc they just got in. We said we wanted to look at the menus and choose our dinners prior to deciding on the wine. She seemed very angry over that and stormed off. After working many years in retail management, I understand that someone can have an "off" day so I made up my mind to be extra friendly and nice to her. Problem was, her presence was pretty scarce at our table. We would notice her wander out of the kitchen, kind of stand around a bit at the back of the restaurant, then go back into the kitchen. As if she really didn't know what to do. Finally she came and took our order. We asked for separate checks: two and two. We were sitting in proper order so that should have been easy but the server seemed horrified. My husband ordered Fillet Mignon, MEDIUM. He and I shared a wedge salad; I ordered crab cakes and a bowl of zucchini soup. My friend ordered a bowl of soup as well, Cesar salad, and a strawberry flatbread; her mother ordered Asian ribs and cup of soup. Seems like pretty simple items. Nothing complicated, no special requests. After we ordered, our server disappeared. Another server dropped by our table and asked if we'd like bread, and we said yes. After a long wait, the cup of soup arrived all by itself. More waiting and the salads arrived. Waiting some more, my husband's steak arrived; it was bloody rare, not the medium he had ordered. Yes, medium is a bit overdone for most people, including me, but he likes what he likes and he's paying for it, so give him what he wants. He should have sent it back but he was concerned it would take another hour to get it cooked further, plus it was smothered in sauce. Finally after a lot more waiting, the flat bread, crab cakes and ribs were served. Then came my friend's bowl of soup, and a cup of the wrong soup for me. I said I ordered a bowl of zucchini soup, not a cup of tomato. The server was again obviously furious. I was really concerned that she was going to throw it across the room! She left without a word. After about 20 minutes my soup arrived, no apology whatsoever. All this time, the server never stopped by our table to check on us. We had to ask three times for our checks. When they arrived, there were three instead of two, and nothing on them was correct. We sorted it out between us with cash; she took our credit cards and left, not to return for another 10 minutes or so. FINALLY she returned, and held out the checks and cards and said "I don't know what you want me to do with these". My husband had plainly handed her two checks with his card, and our friend handed her one check with hers. If that confused her, she should have confirmed before she left the table. I said "you're asking that NOW? This whole evening has been ridiculous". My husband said "just put everything on my card" and we told our friends to go ahead and go home, as they were worn out. The server looked angry and stormed off. Another server brought the credit card back for my husband to sign, and we asked to speak to a manager. The manager was nice and very apologetic when we explained the situation. We let her know that the party seated next to us had arrived 30 minutes after we did, and left 30 minutes before we did, which made no sense. We had the pleasure of seeing their dinners arrive at their table when we were still hoping for our salads. We were there for over two hours. We told her that was our first time there, and had been looking forward to trying it. We recently moved to Auburn, but our friends have lived here for 35 years and it's one of their favorite places. The food was very good, except for that steak of course. We said we would love to come back but we would be sure to remember the server's name and so as to not be seated in her area. We left, and as we went to our car, we both said "wait a minute....the manager didn't even offer to comp anything, or give us a certificate for a return visit. Just an apology and nothing more." This is not what we expect at a fine dining establishment. Poor service is not COVID related. The restaurant was full with only one empty table, no extra space between tables for distancing. Thankfully the staff did wear masks. read more

Nice high-end restaurant with a casual a feel. I had dinner here last weekend with my sister and we both very much enjoyed our dinners I had a bowl of corn chowder which had an absolutely delicious flavor I will admit it was a little on the thin side compared to what I think of typically for hearty chowder but I still enjoyed it based on the flavor. The wedge salad was good and while I substituted the blue cheese dressing for their maple vinaigrette it was just as delicious. My sister ordered a seafood pasta and she said It had a great flavor. I think this is a great restaurant choice while in auburn. Our server was friendly and helpful in selections. The lemon meringue martini was amazing. read more

The Monkey Cat - Corn Chowder - New American Near Me - Auburn, California

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We visited MC for our anniversary dinner. We made reservations for a window seat, which they failed to honor. "Oh, I didn't see that request", quite flippantly. They brought us water immediately. No cocktail or wine order to enjoy while perusing the menu. We ordered drinks and our meal together. The Long Island Ice Teas were weak. Very disappointing. The bread was great. The hamburger I asked for medium was undercooked. Dirty dishes that I actually set on bench to get them off our table. Way too much $$ for mediocre food and service. Also, it is loud. Sadly, the charming Monkey Cat of days prior is no more. read more

I was amazed at the quality and flavor! For food we had the avocado bacon burger, French dip, and Carmel cheesecake. For drinks we had lemon raspberry press, and Cadillac margarita. Everything was refreshing and so good! I couldn't believe o haven't been there before today! Highly recommend! read more

INCREDIBLE experience. We met some friends here during the Thanksgiving weekend, and the restaurant provided a lovely experience with delicious food, attentive service, and a lovely environment. The steaks were absolutely excellent! I had the filet with potatoes. They had lots of great semi-healthy options for dinner consumption - so many that I had a hard time choosing. They let us try a few different wines before we chose the one we liked best, even after we tried 3 and then asked for a fourth, which was the winner. Very accommodating, and excellent wine. I tried the butternut squash soup and got shrimp added to my steak - and those were the best 2 decisions of my night. The ambiance was light enough for a good experience, yet nice and private with high booths and good deco. I think it's the perfect place for a date, a reunion to catch up with old friends/family, or pretty much any nice occasion when you're looking to pamper yourself a little bit with a nice dinner. I will definitely return upon visiting Auburn. read more

EAT HERE! Their food is amazing. I have eaten here twice. The level of freshness is unparalleled. I have had the Rib Eye, Chicken Corden Blue, Scallop Risotto, Seafood Pasta. There is something on the menu for everyone. The kicker is their bread is hot, rubbed in olive oil with sea salt. Seriously the best! Jarrod(sp?) The owner is a great guy. The staff is superb, super attentive, so polite! read more

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Mediocre food at expensive prices, but for some reason it was still popping enough that we had to wait 2 hours for a table. I think the first red flag was when we walked back in for our 8:30pm table checkin time and we stood at the hostess table for legit 5 minutes before anyone acknowledged us. The servers were walking around us but avoiding eye contact. A simple "I'll be with you in a minute" would've been appreciated and gone a long way. But yeah no. Especially after waiting 2 hours for a table, this was not how I wanted to start my dining experience. I was super excited for the seafood pasta (which was a special that day I think), but was sadly disappointed. It was described as pasta with clams, mussels, shrimp, dish in a DIABLO sauce, but it was just watery tomato juice. Also the portions were TINY. For $26, it was clearly a ripoff, because I got neither quantity nor quality. I tried my friend's steak and we both thought it was really bad. It was just over-peppered steak, no other flavors besides pepper, with a side of broccoli and carrots. For $32, I'd expect more than pepper as a flavor. Sorry if this sounds unfair but this was just my personal experience there. read more

Great food and great ambiance.. I have been all over the world and I have to say that there bread and apple honey butter is out of this world!!!! read more

This place is going downhill. It took them over an hour to bring our food, which was cold. Our drinks took over 20 minutes . It was extremely over priced. Our waitress was very polite but dealing with others came off as rude and put off and inconvenienced. One waitress was overly annoyed that our friends brought in a stroller for their baby. Which was out of the way and in the corner. This place use to be somewhere my dad and I would go to for lunch dates . I will be finding another place to dine from now on. read more

Amazing service even on a busy night. Food and mocktails we're great and Gigi was super helpful and sweet. We will absolutely be back read more

The Monkey Cat - a drink in a tall glass - New American Near Me - Auburn, California

I hosted a wedding reception for my son and new daughter-in-law in the Monkey Cat's Private room and side patio. Everything was perfect. Great food, nice cocktails, comfortable space, perfect service. read more

Great spot to stop in Auburn on way to or from Tahoe. Good variety of food and good speciality cocktails. Erica made it extra for my friend's birthday. Also very accommodating for dogs on the patio. Free dog treats and ice water! read more

The Monkey Cat - New American Near Me - Auburn, California

UPDATE 10-4-2013 Thank you so much Monkey Cat!! After atrocious treatment from the Italian restaurant down the street, I enjoyed a beautiful meal (the daily special) of Grouper w/ Mango salsa, fresh vegetables and rice at your restaurant. My glass of Chardonnay was exactly what I needed to help fix what started as a rocky evening. My server's name read "Smashly" on my dinner receipt-freaking awesome! She was an absolute delight and was very sympathetic to my distraught state upon my arrival. I plunked down what is expected for a fine meal and I would pay the same again. Thank you. When I want to indulge, Monkey Cat gets my enthusiastic seal of approval. First review in 2011 "Okay...I really want to give this place the best reviews. I have been to Monkey Cat twice. Both times have produced a similar feeling. During my first visit, we went during peak hours on the weekend. Wine was great...atmosphere steller. My pork dish was undercooked, with the string still holding the tenderloin in place...is that normal? I will say that the bread beforehand was yummy, and my salad and sides were spot on. Second time I went was because one of my teams gave a giftcard in thanks. I took my daughter before BR played Colfax (at Colfax), so we went right as they opened for dinner. There was NOBODY in the restaurant, yet we sat in idle forever. Now, I was a server for many years and understand getting prepared for a dinner rush/servers preparing for their shift etc. But our waitress had NO clue what she was doing. admittedly, I'm a fan of multi-tasking. I really don't see how pulling an empty dish from a table is a difficult task. However, the teenager enjoyed her filet and mashed taters...and my salmon was tasty. I think Monkey Cat is a pretty cool place and I'd love to try the outdoor seating in the summer. I just hope they've improved a few areas in the serving department before I go back." read more

We booked a reservation on Open Table at 5:30pm and specifically requested a window seat in advance for the purpose of watching the Christmas parade. To cover our bases we also called and asked if a window seat would be possible and they said as long as we included our request in the details section of our reservation, we would be able to sit by the window. We arrived 30 min early (just in case) only to be told that others had already booked the window seat, and they were sorry, but "the window seat was most desirable." The hostess explained that others had reservations at 6pm by the window, so we sat through our entire dinner staring at the open seats, waiting for the "preferred" customers to show up. We were seated in a corner behind the hostess so we had no view whatsoever. Moreover, two ladies walked in (with NO reservations) and were seated at a table with a perfect view of the parade. By 6:30pm the customers never showed up and we had finished our dinner. Overall, the food was marginal especially for the price. We ordered the seafood pasta and the halibut specials. (Halibut overlooked and flavorless, seafood pasta wasn't fresh, was over-garnished, and left a lot to be desired) The waitress was sweet, but this didn't make up for us having to sit and stair at the empty seats the whole dinner and listen to the ladies talk about their amazing view of the parade. We would have told the manager our concerns but he never greeted us or made any attempt to see how our dinner was. To be honest he seemed quite arrogant, and we felt bad leaving a $10 tip on our $100 bill, but this was poor management and service read more

The Monkey Cat - Empty window seats and other seats with view of parade. Ambiance did not match pictures on website. - New American Near Me - Auburn, California

We LOVE The Monkey Cat!! This is one of our favorite places to go for dinner. Food is always excellent and staff is very friendly. If you are in the area its a must try!! read more

The new and improved Monkey Cat is excellent! Service is five star. Try the Brie starter, truly original and tasty. Caesar salad is on point. Had the double cut pork chop and celebrated that finally a chef knows how to cook it perfectly! Flatiron steak was delicious. I can't say enough about how attentive the staff was. We never had to ask for a thing, they are right on it. This review is why we always give restaurants a second chance. Thank you Monkey Cat for an excellent dinner and dining experience! read more

As you can tell by the ratings that are all over the place, this place seems to have its good qualities and bad ones. Let's start with the bad... - Shriveled, partially rotting lettuce mix, probably from a bag for an extremely small $4 garden salad. Considering the price, I would have expected mirco-greens or at least some stuff that was fresh! - Strawberries. WTF? Dude... We are in strawberry season right now and these guys are using crap ass store-bought strawberries that taste like garbage. I know it doesn't seem like much, but we have some of the best produce in the world coming into season right now, please use it! Don't fake the funk. - Too expensive for the quality. I don't mind expensive dinners, but when I get them I expect everything to be perfect. The presentation was pretty bad. Actually really bad. It reminded me of what prison food must be like: they just take the serving spoon and slop the sides onto the plate. Onto the Good: - Love the restaurant, the décor is phenomenal, the dark wood, the comfy looking booths, the intimate bar, the outdoor patio seating. - The service, they have some great employees that work here. Friendly, upbeat, willing to joke and laugh. - The menu was awesome, with some innovative offerings. It took me over 10 minutes to finally decide what I wanted. We had: The Mediterranean Antipasto Plate (Everything was delicious except the offensive strawberries), 2 small garden salads, the GF had Filet Mignon (It was perfect, but the side of mashed potatoes weren't that great), and I had the Swordfish (A little dry due to overcooking)- no dessert, no alcoholic beverages - total bill $90 dollars. I really, really, really wanted to like this place. Like 'give it 5 stars like', but get up the quality of ingredients (BUY LOCAL!), get the presentation better and/or lower your prices, and I could see coming here frequently. read more

The Monkey Cat - New American Near Me - Auburn, California

We tried monkey cat for the first time last night and our server Erica really made the experience so much more enjoyable. She explained items on the menu in depth, recommended her favorites and she was bright and cheerful! I had the chicken, fingerling potatoes and mushroom sauce and it was amazing and my date had the chicken cordon blue and didn't leave a bite. Would definitely recommend to a friend. read more

There was good points and not so good points. First the good, everyone here was friendly and accommodating. The service was impeccable. The wine was good, although the choices were somewhat limited, and was also a fair price for the bottle we bought. The food was hit and miss. We started with calamari for an appetizer and it was good. My son's girlfriend had a scallop risotto that was just ok. The scallops were cooked well but the rice was underdone. My husband and younger son had ribeyes that were a sad, chewy, tough pieces of leather. I tried a bite and found myself chewy for a LONG time just to get it where I would not choke. The filet was actually very nice, but the asparagus side was way overcooked. It was a weird balancing act of good and not very good. We had three desserts that were all tasty, but $10 for each dessert seems extreme. Overall, we left spending $300 for a table of five (the wine was cheap remember) for a meal that was just ok. We'll probably give it another chance someday just because the staff were so wonderful and the atmosphere is nice, but they do need to find some better talent in the kitchen. read more

This restaurant is tucked away on one of the main streets in Auburn in between shops. Having been to Auburn only a few times prior, we easily found it and there was plenty of parking near it. When we walked in there was an odd vibe at first. The hostess was shocked because we didnt have reservations even though we could see a handful of empty tables and there was no one else in front of us waitig to get one. After a short wait we were seated and then we looked around, wondering why we both felt a strange vibe. This must be a place that locals primarily make up because we were getting checked out by the other customers when we were standing up at the hostess stand. Weird. The place has a warm ambience to it, but then it made sense...it looked like it was a scene out of an "Our Time" commercial as the crowd was most definitely of the retirement persuasion and the bar area was packed with silver foxes. Now the looks made sense. We are closer to the age of the servers than the other customers :) Our server was friendly and got us our cocktails pretty fast. Having read the other Yelp reviews, we tried the wontons (really good and not particularly fishy), calamari (basic), salmon with apricot cream sauce and almonds (delish - I would have that again), the roasted chicken (needed salt), and the tirimisu (worth it). Some pretty decent bread also comes out as an appetizer but oddly no butter. Service was on point for us. We were checked on but not fussed over, which is typical for a restaurant that is trying to convey more of a fine dining experience. The idea is to conversate, which we appreciated. Overall a pleasant experience. Entrees seemed a tad pricey for what you get but if I was back in that area I would go again. read more

Amazing food and drinks! Great service too! We rented the private room and it felt like a birthday party at home. Love this place!

wasn't planning on eating here but ended up and was so glad we did. amazing food , great service. our sever ( unfortunately can't recall her name) was excellent, above and beyond . next time we're in Auburn, we'll definitely stop by read more

The food is surprisingly good. Came here years ago and was not impressed then but now, it's improved a lot and the food is very good. The risotto is excellent and so is the Caesar Salad. My husband has had the Chicken and the Pork and liked them both (and he's hard to please). They have a lemon dessert that is very refreshing and yummy. We like coming here and will be back! read more

Stopped in for lunch and was a little disappointed. The food was actually pretty good but both orders were not quite right. I ordered the Monkey Cat burger medium rare but it came out well done. The nice server offered to have another prepared but I declined. She also upgraded my fries to chili lime fries at no extra charge. My wife ordered the grilled cheese with bacon. She asked to have the bacon on the side. Although she enjoyed the grilled cheese, the bacon never arrived. A couple of simple things that changed a 5 star review into a 3. read more

The Monkey Cat - Monkey Cat burger and chili lime fries - New American Near Me - Auburn, California

I Love this place! The food always feels "Chef prepared". The staff is wonderful, always checking in to see if you need anything. There is a great drink selection at the bar; also beer is always very cold and served in a chilled glass. read more

Super sad food is plain bad now. Over cooked, chicken dish raw inside, burnt outside covered up by sauce, gross white lettuce. At their prices it just not right. Gordon Ramsey would spit out their food. Have a drink and go eat somewhere else. read more

The food was fabulous here. Service was not very good. Booths are very uncomfortable. Need back cushions. Probably won't go back.

I understand that during CoVid everyone is struggling getting back up to speed and I do appreciate the problems the restaurants face. However, our issue really was not covid related. It was just bad business. After months of not eating out and seeing tons of people out and about in Auburn we felt it was time we enjoyed our community again. We chose the Monkey Cat because it was local and we wanted to support a locally owned business. We tried to call for reservations at about 4:30 but the voice mail answered and told us to leave a message and then hung up on us. So, we got in the car and drove over about 5:30. We were told they had space and were shown to a table in a dark back room that had no other patrons in it. We were alone in a dark quiet bar type room with unset tables. We asked if we could be out on the patio with others where there were tables unoccupied and not close to other diners and we were told they were reserved. So, after months of quiet dining at home we were in a dark room alone while all the other diners were on the patio or enjoying music inside. When our meal was served we asked again if we could please move to the patio to enjoy the fresh air and once again we were declined. I ordered swordfish, my husband ordered salmon. Both were awful. The swordfish was over cooked and tough and flavorless. The rice was hard and the veggies bland. My husbands salmon was fishy tasting and had an odd sweet ginger sauce on it. I left my meal uneaten. We ordered creme brûlée for dessert and it was actually good however the crust was burned. We shared it anyhow as we were both hungry. We paid $100.00 for this really terrible ambiance and awful meal. We left feeling completely sad after months of isolation. The table on the patio that was open when we arrived was still open when we left. We live here in Auburn but, we won't return to this restaurant. As we drove home we passed the restaurants on the corner of Lincoln and High Street. Live music, happy people enjoying their outdoor dining and tons of people sitting in the courtyard. We wished we had just done that instead. Even if we had bought a hamburger and enjoyed the courtyard it would have been so much better. Do yourself a favor. It is much more joyful and lively just down the street. read more

Passing through Auburn, stopped by for our Valentine's Lunch. Monkey Cat sounded intriguing. So here we are... had to wait for a minute or two to be seated, as no one was at the front... Ordered the fish du jour (seared yellow tail and mint sauce) and the grilled cheese (brie, caramelized apple and bacon) .... heavenly!!!! Come and enjoy this place. I want to say it is Asian Fusion, but I can't, the decor indicates Asian, but ...you decide.... BTW, they close at 2p and reopen at 5p, M-F. read more

The Monkey Cat - Seating - New American Near Me - Auburn, California