Monkey Club

this place has re-​opened:
I think that they are only open on the weekends now — but they are super nice. when they are slow, they will make you some kick-​butt fancy cocktail experiments, which is super fun. and on a nice day, you can sit by the open windows.
it’s also a great place to have a party since the space is pretty big, and open. and for your drunk driving friends, the parking situation isn’t your typical san francisco type of hell.

Given the name, you would think that «The Monkey Club» would be the ideal place for Primate-​lovers of all kinds to gather and meet one another in the company of their favorite simian companions. But this is decidedly NOT the case at this establishment, whose doorman refused (on two occasions) to allow me entrance when accompanied by my pet chimpanzee, Zira.
At first I thought this was merely a dress-​code issue (Zira typically eschews clothing) but even when I attired her in a cute-​as-​a-​button Middle-​Eastern ensemble (fashioned after «Abu» from «Aladdin»), complete with a tiny Fez, we were turned away. Rather rudely too, I might add.
Thus, despite the name, I must sadly recommend that aficionados of our Darwinian relatives look elsewhere for a welcoming watering hole.

RIP Monkey
You have been re-​born as the Syn Lounge

I’ve been to this place a couple of times and I have to say that the thing I like the most about this place are the drinks. Various monkey themed cocktails, and I had some martini that was fantastic.
The place isn’t that big, but pretty comfortable. I happen to have gone once with a group of about 15 friends and it was a lot of fun.

NOT a place you want to go with a couple people. GREAT place to go if you’re with a big crowd of people, e.g. bday gathering, and want to avoid lines/​dresscodes/​covers. I’ve always had a blast here when bringing my own group of friends. Rarely very crowded and the music always has a few old school beats that the late 20’s & 30’s crowd enjoys. The bouncer, Dezi is a really cool guy and the bartender/​manager, Gigi is awesome.

This place is hit or miss.
If you’re looking for super crowded-​really hot and sweaty-​20 minutes for a drink, come on a Saturday.
If you’re more of a lets hang out-​have some mojito’s-catch up on old times, come any other day.
There are three main things good about Monkey Club:
1. There’s never cover, or a line at the door.
2. The music is usually a good mix of old and new hip hop.
3. They have Effen Black Cherry vodka.

Not sure what you people are smoking, but I have been to Monkey maybe 2 dozen times in the past two years and I love this place. Small and cozy, the bartenders are nice, the owners are totally chill. It’s a local’s bar. Everytime I go, I meet someone new that I can chat with casually. No pressure from obnoxious men who think they are the shit and only want to get a piece of ass to take home for the night. No snobby Marina chicks or hoochies wearing next to nothing hoping to be picked up by some jackass wearing his newly pressed Banana Republic shirt. The music is good most of the time. i’ve been there twice where the music was off, but every other time the dj’s have been awesome.
If you want to meet some real bay area people who just want to have a drink and a chat (and maybe a dance), Monkey Club is your place.

it used to be cooler when it first opened under new management where it was easier to get a drink instead of waiting for 10 minutes and the crowds weren’t as pretentious and lame. it was good to hear old school hiphop and r&b for a change then it sold out to whack commercial radio hiphop. errr. we stopped going here when they actually started to search people to go in. whoa. too bad. well, it was great while it lasted!

It’s tradition. Every year we get together for JoeJoe’s b-​day and usher him another year forward toward maturity and gf stability. Some of his more alluring lines: «Um once you get off BART, just take the Muni to the…(insert favorite neighborhood)» You get the picture. Every year there’s a dinner where we order too much and laud the boy for taking another turn around the sun before hitting the hot spots for some drink and merriment. We watch as he instructs us in the mating rituals of the elusive JoeJoe. This year we celebrated 2 birthdays, hitting one before cruising over to Monkey Bar to watch JJ pull out his favorite hip-​hop dance moves, culminating in the wind up of his hand spanking motions (Nice! And he holds a patent on that people). Now 21^st and Bryant isn’t the best part of town, but who cares when you’re with the party that rocks the party. This city isn’t really known for it’s clubs AT all, but given the selection, this lounge isn’t a bad spot. What’s important to SF clubbers is here: available parking, inexpensive cocktails, and a someone spinning plastic till the lights come up (OUCH!) and the doors close.
So JoeJoe matured. He danced his dance to his favorite House of Pain song. He performed his patent pending «slapidyassidy» dance. He enjoyed plentiful libations. He managed to take a nap. He came alive at the 11^th hour («JUMP AROUND!») answering the question: will the boy ever grow up? His amorous embrace of a trash can confirmed suspicions that we’ll be here next year. Same bat time, same bat channel.
3 duckets for buckets full of fun.

i like the monkey club. it has a more «local» vibe going… it’s definitly not the typical sf yuppy hang out place… it’s more of a dive club… but hey. i have had many drunken stupors here… leave the untucked striped dress shirt and slacks uniform at home… this place is cool and casual… they do have a small dance floor and plenty of seating also…

This place is fairly nice but nothing special. The DJs there are not very good — they really needed some help. Also, it is almost impossible to find a cab around this place and the area is kind of shady. If you have a bunch of friends with you it is a fun place to hang out — otherwise I would stay away.

Very cool bar/​lounge in the Mission. The drinks are reasonably priced and good (try the Mojito). The DJ was spinning some kind beats but not too loud that you can’t talk. A nice change of pace.

this spot use to be cool when it first opened. but these days its boring and the food is just horrible… I ordered the flatbread and it was burnt so badly that i sent it back and asked for a refund. Plus the drinks are just as bad and they advertise happy hour with just slashing a dollar off all their drinks. most real happy hour places offer free food and 2 or 3 dollar martinis…

totally depends on the crowd. some nights it’s packed with marina refugees, other nights the crowd maybe better. i’ve generally liked the dj on saturdays. kinda hip-​hopish

a friend of mind convinced me to stop in here one night because he had a crush on one of the female bartenders here… lets just say she was about the only thing worth looking at in this place. a boring bar, a boring time.

I have to agree with Michelle, it is boring.
I came here one night with three of my favorite girlfriends and even then it was boring. I would have told you that even being trapped in a broken elevator would have been fun with those three but the Monkey Club just sort of drained the sparkle out of all the conversation and seem to make us feel sort of tired.
Before we had even made a dent in the first round of drinks we were ready to leave. I did think that the space was pretty nice and with a different crowd it wouldn’t be a bad place.

Used to be much cooler when it first opened (remember when it was Cosmo’s???). Under new managment which somehow doesn’t get it — imagine a ghetto bridge and tunnel crowd on some nights — but the comfy booths and tight dance floor are often enough to make up for the sometimes lame crowd. It’s pretty near Blowfish Sushi, so a good spot to head to after dinner.