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Monk's Bar & Grill
Category: Restaurants American (Traditional) American (Traditional) [Edit]
220 BroadwayWisconsin Dells, WI 53965
(608) 254-2955
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
37 reviews for Monk's Bar & Grill
Review Highlights
"Fried cheese curds are to die for."
(in 8 reviews)
"Cute atmosphere and a huge beer selection."
(in 3 reviews)
"I'd recommend the cuban sandwich."
(in 2 reviews)
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37 reviews in English
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Review from Tricia T.
9/22/2011
Last time I ate here was about 10 yrs ago. Place hasn't changed and I was pleasantly surprised!!
Great place for tasty bar food. For apps- the fried pickles and cheese curds are a must!
Low key atmosphere that's great for families or groups. Bar seating too if you're looking for that. Definitely a "must do" if you're in the Dells. -
Review from Michelle M.
Las Vegas, NV
9/7/2011
Monk's is my very favorite place to go in the Dells! It's a great place to relax and have a few drinks (I am very fond of the frozen, fruity Purple Monkey) and an even better place to eat a hamburger. I cannot visit the Dells without eating at Monk's. Actually, I can't drive past the Dells without eating at Monk's- I've stopped here to have dinner on the way to Minneapolis from Chicago!
Walk down Broadway and let the siren scent of hamburgers and frying onions draw you in. I assure you that the food is as fantastic as it smells. Once inside, your burger is served on wax paper, no plate, but you don't really need anything at all because once it's in your hands, you won't want to put it down.
I am particularly fond of the the blue cheese burger with Cajun spices, medium rare. Yum yum yum. -
Review from Becky H.
8/21/2011
I like monkeys. I also like Monk's. They have a fun atmosphere and good food (burgers, sandwiches). I got a tasty chicken salad sandwich on great bread. Also shared some cheese fries with bacon on them. Yummy. Our waitress Rachel was super nice and went above and beyond. I should have gotten a t-shirt. Will come back when I'm in the Dells again.
4 Noms. -
Review from Bill M.
Lyons, IL
2/1/2012 1 Check-in Here
Great burgers!!!!!
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Review from Dan N.
Bartlett, IL
1/11/2012
The best restaurant in the Dells, Great old fashioned Burgers served on paper, you can sell the burgers onions down the street.. Dont miss the Cheese Curds have a beer and enjoy a place that hasn't changed in may many years for a good reason.
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Review from Jennifer B.
Crystal Lake, IL
1/19/2012 1 Check-in Here
Eeehhhh... Unseasoned large piece of greasy ground beef. Yuk! No plates, ok?? Individual salad dressing packets. Though breaded pickles were awesome! Based on fried pickles alone that reason alone I gave it 2 stars. This place is a pass for us next time.
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Review from Angela H.
Plainfield, IL
8/8/2011
Best bar in the Dells. Great drink specials, great drink prices if it's not a special, and delicious food. Decent music on the jukebox too. A couple of bachelorette parties swing by this place. A good mix of young and old, we went to Monk's twice during our stay.
Had a guava somethingorother for $5. My boyfriend had a tropical mojito. So refreshing, and only $7.
I'd recommend the cuban sandwich. Amazing, done well and done RIGHT!
So many shots here, so many drinks, and oh - cheese curds!
My favorite bar in the Dells. And it should be your favorite bar too. Even my dad asked me when I got home, "Did you have a burger at Monk's?" He hasn't been there since 1990 and never remembers anything. -
Review from Michael G.
Rockville, MD
A Badgers bar with a monkey mascot that's famous for cow burgers? It's like the whole animal kingdom on Broadway. And generally a good time.
This might be the most thorough sports bar in the Dells. In a larger city, each Big Ten team would have its own bar but this place flies the flags for the entire conference (and has the televisions to back it up - showing baseball from all over the country when I was there). However, looking down at the floor, you can tell where their heart lies from the paw prints leading to the (red and white) bathrooms. They bleed the colors of the University of Wisconsin - Madison (where the original owner's sons played college football).
Like a cow in India, however, they don't have the sacred badger on the menu (or even the hated gopher). They serve the cow. Large slabs of it on thin wax paper placed right on the bar. And they do serve it veggie style; which gave me a chance to try it. And if the greasy fresh off the grill goodness (strict herbivores be warned, they don't use a separate part of the grill; they use the same yummy part) is any indication of its meaty cousin, the place deserves its reputation as having the best burgers in town.
However, there is a problem (well, two if you count how kid friendly it is so it's not the most peaceful bar). There are a lot of burger choices on the menu, but the burger a customer gets has *only* the toppings listed on that burger. Anything else is an a la carte extra charge. Mine only came with lettuce and tomato. And they charged significantly extra for onions and cheddar cheese (no veggie cheese burger in Wisconsin?).
I guess this nickel and diming can be forgiven by their huge beer selection. If you want craft beer in the Wisconsin Dells, this is (a bit shockingly considering the simplicity of the bar) a great place to get it. The have microbrews from Milwaukee, Madison (of course), and the Dells area itself.
The whole package is so great that it's now a mini-chain. But I can't imagine the other locations being as cozy - and dare I say, historic (since it's been there since the 1940s) - as this downtown location. I'm glad to have been part of that history.Listed in: Run For The Borders, "Grownup" In The Dells
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Review from Gina V.
Burr Ridge, IL
6/15/2011
Fried cheese curds are to die for!!
Showed up here at 1:50 a.m. right as they were closing and the guy behind the bar said that the fryer was still on so he let us stay to eat!!!
Cute atmosphere and a huge beer selection -
Review from Patricia K.
Chicago, IL
8/24/2010 1 Check-in Here
First stop on our Dells adventure - Monk's Bar & Grill.
We were in desperate need of some good burgers and fries and found that Monk's was an excellent choice. Because the kids were particularly hungry after the long ride, we ordered some cheese fries and fried mushrooms. For my burger, I went with their Monk classic with onions and pepperjack cheese. Every bite was great, reminding me more of a gourmet burger than a pub burger.
The service was great and you could tell our waitress genuinely enjoyed her job. I was a little confused as to the seating procedures in the beginning but once we got that under control, we were all set.
I see Monk's as being a must-go stop on any future visits to the dells.Listed in: Goin' to the Dells, baby!
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Review from Sylvia R.
Crystal Lake, IL
8/21/2011
LOVE the burgers! This place isn't as 'dive' as it appears on the outside, and neither is the friendly, attentive staff. The narrow bar/eatery is made up in a WI Badgers theme, and has small TVs going for sports, if you like that sorta thing. The food is made to order right in front of you by a very quick and efficient wait staff, and I must say- I could get used to eating deep fried ANYTHING after those cheese curds! Plenty of beers to choose from, plenty of grease to consume, and an all around great place to stuff your face and get yo drank on in the Dells!
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Review from Lucy L.
Casa Grande, AZ
9/11/2011
Fried cheese curds were good, but I missed the squeaks on my teeth the fresh ones make. Got a plain burger, cause I wanted to taste the meat, it came with grilled onions, very good, and juicy. Hubby got the cuban, was really good, had a ton of meat on it. Try it, you'll like it.
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Review from Jessica N.
Brookfield, IL
6/8/2011
This place has one of the best burgars ive ever had in my life. I dont know anything about the bar but the burgars are AMAZING and i normally dont eat hamburgars.
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Review from Mike H.
Eau Claire, WI
2/23/2011
Monks is a must stop if you're in the Dells. I prefer this location over the new one. If you go to Monks, you have to get a burger, even if you don't like burgers, they're amazing.
Not the typical tourist trap restaurant in the Dells, go here! -
Review from Dan S.
Streamwood, IL
7/6/2011
I popped in here a couple times on my holiday weekend, this was a perfect place to unwind in a town full of kitchy/cheesy attractions. I was able to drink a huge beer while discussing sports with the employees in a laid back environment. I really wanted to try one of their famous burgers I hear so much about, but we stumbled over from Nig's a little too late & they were only serving appetizers. The cheese curds were phenomenal & the fries were Brew City, which are some of the best fries ever! I might make another trip so I can try a burger towards the end of summer
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Review from Josh B.
Manitowoc, WI
7/19/2011 1 Check-in Here
Burgers burgers burgers, we all had a differnt kind and they were all good! I had the cheddar jalepeno bacon burger and it did not let me down. The onion rings were great, big and looked like they were real onions!!!! When down town at the dells this is the place to go!
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Review from Brittany C.
Chicago, IL
1/21/2009
Monks is a Wisconsin Dells must for appreciators of Le Burger... Try the Monster Burger, it seems like its got too much going on, but it works. Its nice and greasy and huge. Lots of food for the price.
The place gets really crowded on late-night weekends and the space is oddly setup. I tend to get a little claustrophobic around too many drunk college kids. So I steer clear during these times. Go there early to eat and then leave. Or else, good luck getting to the bathroom if you are not a contortionist.
Also, expect to wait if you are there late. -
Review from Laurie Z.
1/29/2011 1 Check-in Here
I remember why I liked these burgers when I was younger....It's a GREAT hangover burger...Greasy as hell!!! A little too greasy for my liking now but still good. They used to serve the burgers on Monk's frisbees and you could buy it when through eating. Now they serve on wax paper. Kind of messy on the table.....split a basket of fries and nowhere to put ketchup without making a mess too.......reeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaallllllyyyyy soggy wax paper. :( Still would be a great hangover burger!
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Review from Melissa B.
Bartlett, IL
3/27/2009
Did the job. Definitely NOT QUALITY food. Although this place does have a cute, monkey themed atmosphere,this to me was a step below major chain restaurants like TGIFridays and Ruby Tuesday's. I had a hard time just finding something on the menu that I would enjoy, something a little bit healthy even. I don't think vegetables were even on the menu!
And the dessert was so disappointing. I ordered my favorite dessert, warm apple cobbler with ice cream. Well they serve you this NOT warm CRAP made with SOFT SERVE, when the menu says "ice cream". BIG DIFFERENCE. What a waste!
It's true what they say, I have yet to find any good food in the Dells. -
Review from Nicole L.
Glendale Heights, IL
5/22/2008
I can't even review the food at this place because we never got that far. It was a weekday afternoon, two people were sitting at the bar and another couple were at a booth so you'd think we'd get prompt service. Wrong!
There were three people "working" at the time but they were more interested in chatting than waiting on anyone. The couple in the booth in front of us had to approach someone to get them to come take their order. You would have thought at that point the waitress would come take our order as well but instead she returned to the bar area to continue her personal conversation with the other employees.
We waited a few more more minutes and when it was apparent no one had any interest in acknowledging us at all, we left. I almost said something as we walked by the "workers" but why bother? If this establishment wants to hire people who drive away their business, then so be it. I just have to wonder what kind of service you get here when the place is actually busy if you're completely ignored when business is dead. I noticed there's another location nearby but after that treatment I won't give this place my business.
We walked down the street to Sharky's and were waited on immediately even though the bartender was on the phone. Monk's could learn something from them. -
Review from K M.
Chicago, IL
1/14/2009
Seeing as my grand entrance into this place was flat on my face on the ground - my first bit of advice is "SALT YOUR FRONT WALK Monk's."
We ended up here after not finding anywhere to feed us after 10pm in the downtown Dells in January. So it wasn't our first choice, it was our only choice outside of Denny's which would require a cab call. The cook was very nice and made sure we were seated and treated well. So three points to him specifically. We all ordered sandwiches as well as the cheese curds and onion petals. Skip the onion bits, not so good. The meals were all good, not amazing, but good. I had the cuban and could only eat 1/2 it was so big. Wisconsin-sized. The homemade chips come with onion dip, which my sister in law mistook for some kind of mayo salad and ate a forkfull. Oh. Whole bill came to $60 for 5 of us with drinks, so they have that going for them. I wouldn't go out of my way to return, but I might stop there if it was after 10pm and I was starving and had $10 on me. -
Review from JarHarms P.
DeKalb, IL
This is a good place tucked inside the Dells. The staff is friendly and attentive. Our server (Taylor) was awesome. The el cubano sandwich I had was really good. Burgers were good too, strangely the burgers do not come on a plate just on wax paper. But I actually thought that was kind of neat in a minimalist way. Beer is cold and plentiful....just like a bar should be. I would come back here if in town again.
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Review from Catherine W.
Phoenix, AZ
1/6/2010
I am having cabin fever right now and man alive that means I want a Monks!
I grew up on Monk's burgers in the 80's. Before there were other locations and before they popped the roof up a couple of notches downtown to get in more seats. Doesn't matter.
You don't go to this joint for dessert, and you don't go to chat. If there is a game on you will not be able to hear the person next to you. You come here for cheeseburgers with grilled onions. Melts in your mouth not in your hand. Order a stack with a pitcher of beer or soda and extra pickles (so its healthy). They got brew city fries several years back and they suck. Oh well, more room for burgers!
My family's tradition is to slide into a booth, flip over the bottle of Heinz and take a headcount on cheeseburger and pickles. Keep it simple people. Next door is Dairyland Fudge. If you want dessert they have awesome peanut brittle and other classic candies.
If you want to be paid attention to come in from the back door after parking at the bank.
I wonder how many coats of paint were on the old ladies room under were the stairs are now before things got re-arranged? I learned a lot from the chalk board in there. -
Review from Jay D.
West Lafayette, IN
7/13/2011
Awesome place for burgers...try the burger with blue cheese and bacon and sauteed onions...perfect blend of taste....the meat is medium rare and well seasoned...the flavor just stays with you...teh best burger I have had till now.
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Review from Alexander F.
Buffalo Grove, IL
5/19/2010
This place is all about the burgers! The burgers are juicy and flavorful. The buns are sweet and tasty. The fries are crispy.
No plates or silverware here--the burgers are served on wax paper, and it does get messy!
The on-tap beer selection is good, but could be better thus the four stars instead of five. -
Review from Sarah B.
Chicago, IL
11/27/2007
Definitely a burger and beer type place. Burgers and fries are very good, especially the Monk burger, which the bf had. I tried a Fiesta Salad and, with my Wisconsin roots, you'd think I would have known better than to order a salad in a Wis. bar. Lots of cheese and iceberg lettuce. Fortunately, I got the dressing on the side, otherwise the salad would have drowned in it. Wings were very good, meaty and spicy, with homemade blue cheese dressing.
If you're not up for watching sports on the numerous flat screens (6 behind the bar alone), you can play darts--unfortunately on a machine--pool, pinball or one of two game machines sitting on the bar.
Lots of beer on tap, most notably 2 kinds of New Glarus: Spotted Cow and a seasonal. I think they were around $5, a bit expensive for the state, but it is a tourist area.
If you're looking for an authentic, locals only type place, this is not it. Too clean and too close to the interstate. -
Review from Nicole R.
Joliet, IL
7/6/2010
The location is great, but the place is kinda small. Still the food is great and the kitchen is up front and you can see them making food, pretty cool.
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Review from Hayley H.
8/17/2010
It's a typical bar, nothing special about it. The food is mediocre at best. I had a chicken salad which came with a packet of dressing and felt like I was at a McDonald's drive-thru. They also don't use plates and just to see your food on a sheet of paper. Now that's just lazy! Our waitress paid no attention to our table. I never thought I would write this, but I would have much rather stopped at a McDonald's for the same quality salad but a lot cheaper price.
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Review from Ricardo C.
Lakewood, CA
2/3/2010 1 photo
This place a really good Cuban sandwich! If you go to Monk's I would highly recommend this sandwich. The fries were also good, the beer is cold, they have a good amount of tv's playing sports and the workers are friendly. What more can you ask for?
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Review from Stella Y.
2/6/2008
Yum, had a great steak salad and shared Buffalo Chicken Salad with my pals when we went skiing the other weekend. Not many places to dine and this place is a great sports bar & grill for the area. Open late for night owl diners!
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Review from Sergio L.
Chicago, IL
8/21/2010
One of the best burgers I have eaten in a while. The aroma as you walk by the place is what drew me in! Yummy!
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Review from Jackie R.
Minneapolis, MN
12/18/2008
When my friends and I went to the Dells this year we liked Monks so much that we went here twice in 2 days. The downtown location is a long skinny old building in downtown Dells with a lot of character. It's so much better for adults than the other locations which are newer, bigger, and have a corporate chain restaurant / tourist trap feel. The food at the downtown Monks was great. You can get some real Wisconsin cheese curds, great onion rings and the burgers and sandwiches rock. The jukebox rocked too. All in all it was a fun, delicious experience!
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Review from Kelly R.
Middleton, WI
10/7/2008
A decent place for that typical sports bar meal. Stopped in for lunch while staying at the Kalahari this past weekend. It was PACKED because of the Packers game(Okay, I'm not so much of a sports girl). There are two seating areas. One is heavy on the "sports bar" feel(large bar, TONS of TVs, and loud crowd), and the other is a bit more mellow, although they still have quite a few flat screens up. The bar side was overflowing, so we went to the other side. I had a Santa Fe burger which was good(I guess this place is known for it's burgers), and the salad and Philly cheese steak that came to the table looked great too(my friend's bloody mary came stuffed with goodies-pickle, olives, mushroom and a beef stick).
I wouldn't say that Monk's is AMAZING, but definitely the place to go if you're up in the Dells/Lake Delton area on Game Day and looking for a place to get a cold one to drink, some food in your belly, and a view of the "field". -
Review from Olya K.
Batavia, IL
10/8/2007
This was a very weird place on the edge of Wisconsin Dells, where we stopped to eat while on a road trip. We wanted a decent sit down option for dinner after being on the road for a couple of hours, and this place was big enough with a full enough parking lot to catch our eye. The logo has a monkey on it - so easy to spot, altthough what do monkeys have in commong with anything at this place? That remains a mystery to me, but thats beside the point.
So its a big place with several different options - a bar/eating area that smelled very smokey from front door. A large dining room, and something else downstairs where we were invited to experience piano fondue, but we opted for the dining room instead. The place is big, clean, relatively inexpensive - so a great family dining option considering its Wisconsin Dells. The dining room interior gets a big E for effort on turning into a dining room whatever this warehouse-like building might have been before. It was weird - like they had the vision, but somebody else might have taken over interior design halfway thru and did not quite complete the vision.
Food menu looked interesting with many options to choose from. I went with a Fiesta salad with chicken. It was not bad although the "greens" had too many iceberg stem parts, and there was too much tortilla strips piled on top. In fact, the whole salad was covered with a blanket of chips substance that needed to be "stripped" from it to uncover the greenery. You would think if one was ordering a salad, they were looking for a healthy option on the menu, and I can understand using strips as garnish but whats with the heavy blanketing approach? The salad had a nice kick to it, although the flavor of the kick reminded me of Pace salsa, which I am not particularly fond of. Ok, it was a decent salad for the money, just skip the chips and the weird dry breadstick that came with it. OH, and the serveware was a little peculiar - some hardened-plastic-like bright red plate "cheesified" my salad instead of "dignifying" it.
So, I was not too thrilled with the food or the ambience. I heard the Italian beef sandwich was not particularly thrilling either, according to my travelling companion. -
Review from Jaelynn B.
Madison, WI
3/29/2009
Best burgers in Wisconsin! Cannot be beat! I don't know how this place does not have five stars from every single reviewer..
I love their burgers with all my heart. The monster burger must be the biggest in the state and for 7 bucks you can't go wrong! The people aren't the nicest of the nice here, but their burgers blow everywhere else's out of the water so I don't care who's serving me or what the place looks like honestly.
Only thing that is a negative is that the burgers don't come with fries, but oh well. Also, the fries suck so don't get them. You won't need them anyways if you get a burger because they are huge!
And for those of you who were mad because there isn't veggies on the menu..get over it..this is bar food alright. You won't find veggies in any bar, just loads of grease which is exactly what this place serves up. Get out if this state if you don't like it :) And yes it's smokey, so if you don't like smoke don't come to bars obviously.
If you are a true Wisconsinite you know that the more grease a burger has the better. Plus, the happy hour specials are great and the signature drink (the purple monkey) is a mix of a bunch of liquors and knocks my socks right off time and time again.
Wisconsin eating and drinking at it's finest IS Monk's bar. Also in Cross Plains, WI too :) :) :) -
Review from Ray R.
Lakeville, MN
7/4/2009
Really great food! Friendly staff. Burgers are excellent!
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Review from Bethany R.
Centreville, VA
8/16/2010
Monk's never disappoints! I was born in the Dells, and go back every couple of year's to visit family. We always make time for Monk's, and usually go more than once. The burgers are great and we've always had great service. We just went twice on our last trip, and loved it again! I highly recommend this place for anyone. It's a great family place, or just to go and have drinks and a burger at the bar.
