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Blue Monkey
Rating Details »
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Music:
- Live
- Best Nights:
- Thu, Fri, Sat
- Happy Hour:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- Outdoor Area/ Patio Only
7 reviews for Blue Monkey
This is a super place for a late night after dinner drink. The service is consistently ok, the drinks are good. (the signature "blue monkey" martini is my fav)
Do not miss heading straight through to the back room piano bar. The singer/piano player is a regular. A "unique talent" to say the least. We have been going to Blue Monkey for over 10 years. In that time frame he has not added 1 song to his set list. The same songs, in the same order, performed in exactly the same way. The seating in this area is extremely close. This has provided a chance to meet and chat with some really interesting characters.
A fun place!
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- Useful (1)
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The Blue Monkey is okay. I really like the couches and the laid back atmosphere. It's awesome that the bar food comes from Cobb Lane, the best place to eat in town. It has a large selection of fruity drinks in all colors, including pink. Cigars are sold as well. The big sign outside with the dress code freaked me out a little.
But is is SO EXPENSIVE. I would expect to pay this much to drink in D.C. or a really upscale place in Dallas, not in Birmingham.
I have traveled to many, many cities and checked out the night life in each and I must say, I was so impressed by the Blue Monkey that they have officially raised the bar for me. Literally. haha.
I could not get over the incredible ambiance, the outdoor patio, the charming dive feel of the decor and so on. I remember the bathrooms being a bit tight and quite unappealing but that was easily overlooked. I don't remember it being expensive (or affordable) but if I don't remember it means that it couldn't have been that bad because I clearly kept buying.
Next time I surface in Alabama, you know where to find me.
From an ambiance standpoint, Blue Monkey has a great patio, with nice views out onto Cobb Lane, pretty candles, nice chairs etc.
But trying to get an actual drink...yikes. I'll go if my friends are going but you're not going to hear me suggesting it as a destination for the night. Between getting ignored by the waitress or it simply taking forever to get my card/receipt. Granted, I tend to go on busy nights, but for the amount of people they have sitting out there you think there could be more than one person taking orders and one person busing.
Upsides include pretty strong drinks for the price (which isn't cheap to begin with) and proximity to work/my apartment. That said, I always feel like sort of a schlub when I go because I tend to stumble in from work to meet people dressed in that day's polo shirt, sneakers and jeans, as opposed to the cocktail party attire the rest of the world seems to have on hand all the time.
I really believe the Blue Monkey deserves better, but I have to take some stars off because of the crowds and bathrooms. It's hard to find a good martini in Birmingham, yet the Blue Monkey has the best in the city. The patio is excellent, large and very little car traffic going by. The interior is filled with couches and chairs and music isn't too loud so you can have conversation with out yelling.
Now the bad stuff...
The bathrooms look like they were hit by a bomb. I can blame the Blue Monkey, I know it's from idiots going in there and trashing it (this seems to be common in Birmingham). The people that come here confuse me, why go to a martini bar and drink cheap beer? The majority of people seem to be just flunked out of college and can't control their liquor. Loud drunk girls and the hard chargers chasing them around.
A solid martini bar with a huge variety that should satisfy anyone's tastes and help them get tipsy quickly. I've tried quite a few martinis there and I can't say I ever had one that I didn't like. They have a big patio which is great during the warmer months, and the servers will bring your drinks to you so you don't have to run the bar every time you run low.
It's not the most amazing club or bar I've been to, but it does a solid job and serves incredible drinks for some great times with friends.
The Blue Monkey is one of my favorite places in Birmingham to hang out on a summer night (though the rest of the year is great too). With their large patio and great service, its fun to enjoy a classy evening outside with friends. Once inside the bar, the experience is great as well. Though some would call it cozy, I really like the intimate feel of the bar and the ambiance it provides. This coupled with the amazing bartenders and liquor selection makes for one of my favorite places to go out to in Birmingham.
