Chul G.
Yelp
I had a very uncomfortable, inhospitable experience at Mona's on Thursday (3/19/15) at around 5:30 pm, and I was in the bar for literally less than two minutes.
My wife and I were looking for a laid-back place to shoot pool and watch the first round of March Madness. She found Mona's online and we planned to meet there after work. I arrive before her. When I entered the place, it was quiet (no music) with around 8 to 10 folks who looked like "regulars." The first thing the bartender said to me was, "Hey, you got DVDs!" When I didn't respond, he said it again. It's probably important to note here that I'm a 37 year-old Korean American male.
As the bartender -- who was white, bald and looked to be at least 50 years old -- said it the second time, I could hear a woman saying, "No, no, no!" (as if to say to the bartender, "Dude, don't go there, this guy is obviously here to have a drink!"). The woman was with a small group of people clustered near the end of the bar and at least one of the members of her group was laughing. When the bartender realized what he'd done (ie. act like a racist a--hole) he murmured something about DVDs that I couldn't make out, and then someone else from the group said, "Nice recovery!" And then they all had a hearty laugh about it. I turned around and walked out.
So, needless to say, if you're an Asian person -- or any person of color -- I don't recommend Mona's. Establishments like this who employ people who still apply lowest-common-denominator stereotypes so quickly and openly -- especially in 2015 in a place like New York City -- shouldn't be in business.
If you're the owner of Mona's and you're reading this, I'm going to make sure none of my friends or close acquaintances ever patronize your crummy establishment.