I came here for karaoke on a Tuesday night and found the experience disappointing. Ambience was mediocre at best; the space was blandly decorated and slightly cramped (not sure having a pool table in the middle of that limited space is the greatest idea), with awkward positioning of the bar counter such that the entrance area was too crowded. The staff seemed distracted, but they at least did not appear to be cranky or hostile. The karaoke selection was lacking, and as a queer man I was uncomfortable seeing that all David Bowie songs were pointedly crossed out in the books. Reviews had suggested that the Monkey Pub, despite being located in the U District, had a clientele of more than just college students; this may be true on non-karaoke nights, but when I went, it had the same college-kid crowd as anywhere else in the neighborhood. Drink selection was average. Indeed, the bar itself was largely average. I found no evidence of anything particularly dramatically terrible on my visit to the Monkey Pub, but nothing to get excited about either. Only worth it for karaoke if you're desperate. Probably an okay place to get a drink, but I didn't really detect much of the character and "local flavor" that usually makes a good dive bar worth the trip. read more

CLOWN SHOW!! Walked in and I thought the place was closed down for health reasons! Only people in there were two tweakers. Bartender nowhere to be found. Eventually came out of the bathroom with white stains on his pants and white powder on his nose. Said his name was Anthony. Kicked us out and went straight back to the bathroom. Told me they "don't serve colored people" read more

Don't overserve people. Emilia and Anthony are great. We won't be back until we've heard updates on last night. We're still being harassed and we had to have the cops drive us home. It was awful. read more

I didn't eat food here. Not sure they even serve food. The service was excellent for a bar. Super fun vibe with two pool tables and apparently they play music sometimes. There is a decent selection of beers on draft too. The glasses in the photo are empty, but a friend and I shared two Hazy IPA's from a local brewery. This is a dive bar. The interior is decorated with Polaroid photos, art, and the ceiling has cool things like kegs, a phone, and signage. Forgot to take pictures. Street parking seems to be plentiful too. Go. Have. A drink. Cheers!! read more

The Monkey Pub - Success - Pubs Near Me - Seattle, Washington

There was a small group of us who'd gone in for trivia night. It's a funky little place with a scattering of tables in the front, pool tables towards the back (which are irrelevant for trivia night, of course), and benches on either side of the pool tables. Fortunately, we'd gotten there early enough to secure a nice table that fit all 6 of us comfortably. Reasonable selection of draught beers and a full bar. I got the Jellyfish IPA, which I hadn't had before. It's a local west coast-style IPA that was pretty good. I covered some of my friends' drinks across the evening (we traded off throughout the evening), and when I got the final bill at the end of the night, the bill seemed outrageously low. I felt bad, so I padded the bill with a good tip. FYI, the folks working behind the bar were so nice! They remembered me each time I went up to the counter and addressed me by name. It was a nice touch. Trivia night was so much fun! Our team didn't do exceptionally well, but we're going to have to come back and try again! read more

Great but the new assistant bar tender ignores me every time I try to order. Unbelievable read more

The Monkey Pub - a fish in a tank - Pubs Near Me - Seattle, Washington

We stopped in for trivia night and it was a lot of fun! Their setup for trivia is great (albeit long), and the woman hosting was hilarious. I just had a coke, but my friends said that the alcoholic drinks were cheap and good. The only downside is the setup. There are barely any tables, just weird benches (almost like the type you see in church) along the walls with a pool table taking up considerable space in the middle of the room. So if you're there with more than 2 people, it's a bit awkward to chat since you're all sitting side-by-side. And if you're doing trivia, you'll just have to use your lap as a table for writing. read more

Cheap drinks and fun trivia. Mr. Door loves Patrick as the host! Definitely a fun place for college friends to hang out.

The Quintessential neighborhood bar, great jukebox, pool, live music and now with wireless internet. Daily Happy Hour Live Music, Low Cover Charge Greatest Jukebox Yeah, we're in the U-district, but not a "college bar." The Monkey is a "come as you are" hang-out. Providing a friendly atmostphere where one can come to hang out and hear some great music, play some pool, and meet good folk, all at an afforable night out. Here's a sampling of what happens at the Monk: Daily Happy Hour until 9pm, featuring $3 Wells, Micro's and free pool. Sunday: Happy hour all nite long, free pool; Karaoke @ 10pm, hosted by the lovely Rhiannon. Monday: Wells and Featured Micro $3 all night, Hot dawg and chilidawg nite! Tuesday: Wellz and Featured Micro $3 all night! Wednesday: $3 Wellz and $1 pints of PBR Thursday: Happy hour 'til 9pm, $4 pitchers of PBR Friday: Thank Gawd Saturday: In house pool tournament, sign up @ 5pm. Live music @ 10pm! This is my favorite bar! I've been going here since I moved to Seattle. The crowd here is family and everyone loves to meet new people and welcome them to the Monkey. Sunday is my favorite night because it's kareoke night and the bar has a great ole' time singin' till 1am. There are also softball teams that play for the Monkey; Pounders, 86'ers and my favorite, Neighbor Kids. Season is over for this year but join us for 2006! Pick-up games are on-going year-round, Sundays at Dahl field, 2pm. Anyone can play so come over! I'll have TONS of photos and much, much more details once I get a chance to sit and focus! Please drink responsively and always drive carefully! read more

The Monkey Pub - Recognize anyone? - Pubs Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Darts? Check Pool tables? Check Karaoke in front of random strangers? Check Dive bar to the fullest, complete with biker dudes, an awesome bartender, and some funky decorations. Shoutout to Stephi the bartender for pouring our pitchers and also singing I Kissed a Girl. Moments of the night: The minute we walked in, the guy singing took off his shirt. Singing Umbrella. And will never listen to the song the same way again. read more

The Monkey Pub - Monkeys at the bar - Pubs Near Me - Seattle, Washington

I don't get it. I love dive bars but this is just obnoxious and poorly set up. It's shaped oddly and the pool table is in a weird spot. There are only like 4 bar stools and limited seating. The crowd is obnoxious (I know I know.... location), and if you happen to stumble in during trivia night do your self a favor and run away quickly. The guy who hosts this thinks he's absolutely hilarious (he's not), the sound system is poopy and the volume *WAY* too loud. Stupid questions. :/ read more

I'm having trouble reconciling two contradictory beliefs. Perhaps you can help me. First, I believe we must resist the message that people's consumer choices reflect their inner nature and worth. That's a myth that's used to urge us to buy more - and more expensive - stuff. But on the other hand, if I see you wearing a trilby, I believe you probably like to neg women and that you wish that science fiction stories would "go back to before all this politics got into everything." So I accept that the Monkey Pub's vibe might not be everything to everyone. Maybe you like a bathroom without any graffiti. That's you. But if you like a chill place with different kinds of people, affordable drinks, fun karaoke with a low threshold for participation, and free pool, then you should choose to go to this bar. It won't necessarily make you a better person; that is a myth. Just go, and leave your trilby at home, and don't neg anyone, and accept that opening a genre to diverse voices inevitably leads to better stories. You will have a terrific time. read more

Perfect dive bar. Monday is $4 well drinks, and the pool tables are cheap indeed (free right now, on a Monday night). They have some interesting posters taped to the ceiling, and the bartenders are nice. The lights are cloth rather than glass. read more

At last! A dive-y bar in U-District that isn't filled with bros. I love it! The Monkey meets all my dive bar requirements : 1) $3 drafts 2) Free pool 3) Great jukebox music selection read more

Monkey see, monkey do, pretty much the reason I wanted to check this place out is because I liked the name. NO SHAME IN THAT. I like monkeys, how could I not like a bar named after monkeys? This place is as much fun as a barrel of monkeys, and that's a lot of fun. How many times can I use monkeys in this review? Stopped in on a Sunday night to find myself in the middle of a JEOPARDY game only to be followed by drunken KARAOKE. ON TOP OF THAT, there were $4 pitchers of PBR. I'm sold. Quit monkeying around. Pretty busy on Sunday, very eclectic crowd but very approachable and friendly. Free pool, "costco" $1 dogs... good times. Heard that it's pretty open on the other nights of the week. I seem to remember that it was cash only... that could be a lie though bc I had plenty of $4 pitchers to forget that detail. Monkeymonkeymonkey. (that's ten if you were counting) read more

This place hits the spot for a drunk on a budget. $4 pitchers of PBR. FOUR DOLLAR PITCHERS! Do you hear me?! Weird, eclectic decor and seedy clientele are just right up my alley, and the monkey delivers. Cheap food, and cheap beer. Don't expect more, and don't expect less, and you'll leave satisfied. read more

One word: Trivioke. I have only been here on Friday nights for trivia and karaoke with Mr. Patrick, but that is all I need. I love this place. The trivia is hard so I feel like I have really accomplished something if I get third place. It's serious business, $3 in and winner takes all the cash. Second, third, and last get drinks from the bar. Then karaoke like no other. You should come so I can win your money. read more

I give it 5 stars mainly because I was a fan of 90210 so basic high school drama appeals to me. One time this guy Zack needed a science project finished and didn't want to do it himself, so he pretended to be a girl so his friend Screech would do it for him. As IF! Then there was this girl Emily introduced in season 2, she dated this guy Dylan AND Brandon in two days! Scandal! Zack can also stop time, I am not sure if everyone else can tell, but the viewer can. He talks to me through the screen, detailing his plans. He seems to have god like powers but his plans always fall through in the end. Its a real tortoise and the hare situation. I told the bartender about Zach and Emily and he was all like, I wasn't really into 90210 but Saved by the Bell was kind of cool I guess. KIND OF cool? Lametron. read more

This place is pretty darn awesome. I went here for my midnight birthday party this year and had a super time. i arrived a bit buzzed already and found myself there on karaoke Sunday. Boys and girls....momma LOVES her karaoke. I got up and sang my newly 25 year old heart out. The bar tender and the karaoke dj were absolute dolls and helped to make our night. I will be going back for some crazy karaoke times as soon as i get the chance. read more

Why go to Dante's for ANY reason when you can go to this lovely dive bar across the street? ++They have "Today Was A Good Day" by Ice Cube. I've waited a long time to be able to sing it. MUCH IMPRESSED read more

Loved this place! Super laid back. Free pool and karaoke in the front. We stumbled onto this place in search of karaoke. Drinks are cheap and strong. Overall a great little place, will come back when visiting Seattle. read more

The Monkey Pub - Drinks - Pubs Near Me - Seattle, Washington

The Monkey Pub is the kind of place to go and chill out and not worry about anything at all. The drinks are cheap and the music is retarded. Karaoke on Sunday is a blast and it's a nice slap in the face to all the other dumps in the University District. Monkey Pub...It smells better than the Blue Moon! read more

What's that place with all the shit on the walls? Shenanigans? NO- it's the Monkey. Polaroids, my little pony, old show posters...this place is covered. We were here for Friday's trivia & karaoke. What a combo! Trivia is $3 / person and tough! Regulars slaughtered us with random internet questions, song clips, and movie clips of some of the worst movies ever. At the point where we were in second to last place, we no longer cared. There were $6 pitchers of Olympia till 9 pm and we were having F-U-N. We laughed, we sucked at trivia- a good time was had. MONKEY. read more

Your typical U District dive type place. Friendly enough people and lots of crazy stuff hanging off of the ceiling and walls. Bring your bad tattoos and fixed gear bike and drink some PBR. This is a good pick to come and drink some cheap beer and play pool. When you've had enough drink, you have the option of crossing the street and going to the booze-free university "student" naked junkie emporium. Such is the classiness of this local drag. read more

I haven't been going as much as in my heavier party days, but for the dive of your life, the Monkey is THE BEST. Total variety in regulars that are also long term friends meet there and they will include you if you're feeling social. People play nice and honest there, but take no bullshit. Great ongoing-over-ten-year-over-the-top happy hour specials. Great place to see bands that are getting going or established ones that just want to have a good time. They have also had many events that include donating money to important causes. Lead fisted! No joke. Inspirationally maniacal in the way that there actually is found objects decorating the walls. Not in that TGIF's kind of way though. Nothing beats it, really. This is a reason to go to that part of the U-district if you seldom make it there, as it is an area with not a whole lot else to offer. But that only adds to the magic. read more

This bar has all the elements of a great dive. CHEAP beer Free pool Karaoke Benches and chairs that were likely pulled from the dumpster out back The distinct feeling of needing a shower after leaving I'm in love! read more

I was here for the first time last night and it doesn't reek of what it looks like: skanky, greasy, toothless or bent over. There seems to be a lot going on. There's trivia on Fridays, 4 dolla PBR pitchers on HH 'till 9; Karaoke; 2.50 for PBR; two pool tables; food; and funny characters to delight the eyes. The bathrooms are pretty decent if you can ignore the sex-tagging. There's no STDs screaming or winking at you in the bathroom. The beers reflect the place, so don't come in expecting premium local beers. Come in expecting to get shit-faced on PBR. Shout-outs to the lames that showed up late and the ones that left early. You know who you are. read more

This place is pretty rad as its close to home and they have pool tables! Cheaper than most places too. The drinks were strong and priced ok - if I liked cheap beer I would have gone for the $1 PBR and Oly, but I prefer others ;) The thing I really have to bitch about is the smell! No wonder everyone in the bar was near the door, because the closer you get to the bathrooms, the worst it smelled. Unfortionatly the pool tables were right outside the bathrooms and so we didn't stay long, we even moved from one to the other and it didn't go away. It literally smelled like a rotting toilet that hadn't been cleaned in months! If they could figure out the smell problem, we will definetly be pool and well regs. Maybe you fellow yelpers can tell me when this is.... read more

Pub quiz on Friday and Jeopardy on Sunday are a dream come true for me. They charge too much for their premium beers, but they make up for it by being awesome. read more

Make sure you bring your "soft lens" when you go to the Monkey. In other words, don't look too closely at your surroundings. I noticed some crazy furry dust on the kitschy decor on the walls. (But, hey, the same thing goes for my apartment, so who am I to judge?) Caught trivia here last night. People were rowdy and crass, just like they should be. I left before the karaoke started, but I'm sure it was much of the same. I'd try it again, for a longer stay this time. It seems like the type of place that grows on you. (And the place where dust grows as well.) read more

A total dive. It was awesome. Ok, everyone I met in Seattle was all "you went out in the U-district? Um....why??" We had been on a plane for 6 hours, had checked into our hotel late on a Saturday night, and wanted to do what the kids do. Turns out it was still UW spring break, so there was no one around. Oh well. So we ended up at the Monkey because it was 3 blocks from the hotel. What a crazy little place. Some band from Portland was playing to a crowd of maybe 20 people. A few of those people had made weapons out of duct tape and were beating the crap out of each other. Hilarious. Other pros: - No cover - The drinks were strong and cheap. - No one was looking at anyone like they didn't belong there, ie the cutie-cute A+F clad fratboy on the stool near me was just chillin' and taking in the atmosphere along with the hipsters. Too bad it's not on my current coast. read more

The Monkey is HILARIOUS. There are some creepsters there (i'm talking to you, bearded man that stared at me without blinking the entire time i sang Meatloaf at karaoke night), but the 1 dollar Olympia pints def. make up for it. People there are super nice and it's really laid back. read more

I'm on a mission--to find a bar with Friday night karaoke for my birthday in two weeks. Not just any bar, mind you--someplace that won't be super-duper crowded (ha!) and that might even have enough space up front for people to dance if so inspired. (Not so hot on the "Let's all sit at our tables and watch the singer on stage" experience--ya gotta mix it up a little.) Tonight, I checked out the Monkey in the hopes that this would be the place. Just 15 minutes walk from my house--would've been sweet! And the place looked friendly in a comfortably divey kind of way. Would love to go hang there sometime. Unfortunately, the karaoke songbook--very thin. Too thin. Damn... Consoled myself with a taco and horchata at the taco truck (http://www.yelp.com/biz/nHUUnGJHkwMnseXNsd-yCw) on the way home. (Open 'til 2:30 on weekends!) The search continues... read more

Oh I love The Monkey Pub. This is pretty much the only bar I'll go to in the UD without reluctance. We randomly end up being there for Karaoke and last night managed to be sloshed enough that the whole bar took over singing of Total Eclipse. This seems to be a running theme with my group, but it's too good of a time to question. Sometimes it's a little full here and it can be difficult to find a spot big enough for a group, but if you get here early enough you can take over a corner or just weasel your way into a space as it seems like groups come and go here a lot. There's plenty of crap on the walls to stare at and wonder about. I don't think I've ever had table service here, although I did almost have to leave because my mother had forgotten to bring her ID. Fortunately someone picked up on that she was in fact, my mother, and thus a bit older than me. read more

Man, what can I say about this place. I've been coming here since the first Bush was president. So many memories. I'm sure it sucks, but to me, it's a gem. read more

An incredible establishment. Absolutely wonderful. The Monkey makes you feel like you're home. The bad Yelp reviews are a truly joyous read, please take time and read through them. Then go to the Monkey. Treat yourself to some PBR. Darts. Pool. The fantastic jukebox. I mean what more do you want from a bar. I've seen some cool bands and some really laughable ones there as well. Do yourself a favor - check the place out. read more

The one place in Seattle that makes me feel like I'm back in Texas. A classic dive, Monkey Pub has cheeeeeap draft beers, a pool table, and a lot of friendly old dudes hanging out and singing country and classic rock at their plentiful karaoke nights. The karaoke hosts are all fantastic, and the only thing lower than the standards is the inhibitions. Stumble out at 2am with your wallet not much lighter and your heart a whole lot fuller. read more

Came here since it said there is a happy hour every night. Got here and they said they don't do happy hour on Fridays. I got a well drink and a cider and paid $12. I'm pretty disappointed. read more

This is a racist establishment. When I walked in i was asked for more than 3 different forms of ID by the bartender who was rude and mean. I have friends that go there bc they are white and love to sing there, but they will never understand how it is to have to explain your existance and try to explain why you belong there. The bartender was aggressive and tried to fight by pushing me and egging me on. I just wanted to leave. If you are not white this place is not for you. read more

I'd give it zero stars. The Sunday Karaoke host- Jeff- copied, edited, and spread a private message all around to people because I don't like his girlfriend. I told the bartender and he didn't do anything about him. No slap on the wrist - nothing. The karaoke host harassed me. Blatant harassment. Bullied out of the bar. read more