The Monkey Barrel

Cool vibe! Definitely not a place to come for great food, but a good spot to meet up with friends. Ordered the single cheeseburger, the crispy chicken sandwich, and fries. The burger was the only thing that tasted fresh, okay sized patty for the price. The fries and chicken however were definitely bought premade frozen, then heated for serving. Did not care for either. Fries were pale and stale with no flavor, chicken was dry, could have been served in a school cafeteria. Definitely won’t be stopping in by myself for food in the future but might meet some friends for games and drink.

Yes, please. The playlist, drinks, overall vibe was perfect. I don’t love that the drink menu doesn’t include pricing, but it was a good time, and a fair deal overall. There’s a whole pinball room!

One of the best "dive" style bars in Denver. Kid friendly. Great entertainment. Right next to a park. Had our engagement party here. Amazing staff!

Good food. Just know that you need to scan the QR code for the menu and order all drinks from the bar

I have been really debating whether or not I should post this review, but I’ve been really bothered by what happened, so I’ll leave it out there as a word of caution as you order from the bar. We’ve frequented Monkey Barrel at least once every couple of weeks and never had any bad experiences before last night (10/21/25). We’ve come when there happened to be a gathering of 50-70 Volo Kids Foundation members and a festival in the park across the street and we’ve gotten better service. The bartender there was always very kind to me and attentive. Granted, he was the only one running the bar last night and still very nice, but the lack of service I received from him this time was so-not-him and disappointing enough we won’t be coming back. My husband and I arrived what seemed to be a fairly quiet Tuesday night at around 6:45. We settled in table D3 and I went to the bar to place our order. I got myself in line behind a group of maybe 4 people who were already sitting and standing at the end of the bar. After about 5 mins, he finished helping them, I moved up closer to the bar so he could see me because I’m very short. I knew there was another group of maybe 3 on the other end of the bar by the kitchen window, so it was expected that he went to help them first. Another a good 3 minutes passed and he did acknowledge me. He said he’d be right there and I said “sure” and then a big group of at least 10 women showed up (who did see me), decided to form a line on the other side of the bar closer to the kitchen and he continued to help them. He turned to me and said he’ll be right over. As I waited, he kept asking the next person in that line for their order, while I was waiting by myself on other side of the bar. After taking few more people, he said he would come right over… then after a few more people, he kept asking “who’s next”, “who’s next” to only that side of the bar as I stood waiting, expecting him to pull away at any moment because entry single one of them had individual checks so it wasn’t like he couldn’t have just broken away from one of them and helped me, but instead he helped the entire party of 10+ while I waited another 15 mins. At that point, I lost my appetite so I only ordered for my husband a cheeseburger and beer. He did apologize profusely, but at that point I was already broken and felt humiliated. I went to my table and told my husband why it took so long, and he was so upset with what happened to me and stormed out and said we would never come back again. I was upset that I’d already paid and we ended up leaving without our food. Even though there is a burger and beer special, I’m not sure how my bill came out to $21, but that was really no big deal as I still gave him a tip.

This place is similar to fast food joint. There are no servers. To get drinks for your table, either everyone goes to the bar, or you bring ID's for the amount of drinks you want to order. For food, you have to order through a Qcode from the table you are at. Wings and fries took over an hour. The outdoor band idea is nice though, but with no service, it's kind of a strange place. EDIT: If this place ever returns servers to their staff where a person can order a drink without going to the bar without more than one ID, I would consider returning.

Update 2025: consistency has improved considerably over the years. Since it’s in walking distance from our house, we go here regularly. Happy to have a neighborhood watering hole and quick grub stop. Our dogs love it too! // I was hungry for a simple but juicy burger, and this place fit the bill! It was ready pretty quickly for pickup. I had their special BBQ bacon cheeseburger and my husband had a regular cheeseburger with LTO. Only downfall is their fries are too salty! Other than that it was pretty good.

A massive patio that is dog friendly, an very well chosen list of draft beers, booths with N64, lots of TVs to watch your favorite game, super fun ambiance and very friendly staff. Love that it both a chill spot as well as lively in the evenings and host numerous events. Definitely a hidden gem in Denver!!

It's on like Donkey Kong at the Monkey Barrel. Touting it's the "Gen-X Home of the Mile High City", this neighborhood bar has a bit of everything. Multiple photos and movie posters adorn the walls of the inside with familiar faces from the 80s and 90s. As Tiffany looked over my shoulder at my table in the bar, I definitely did not think we're alone now as there were many other customers in the gaming area as well as the patio outside. QR menus are everywhere to look at food and drink menus. Drinks must be ordered at the bar. Food is run to your table. My friend tried one of their nostalgic cocktails. All have names based on 80s & 90s favorites such as Pearl Jam, Mortal Kombat, and Otter Pops. I went with a basic vodka soda since most seemed a bit on the sweet side. There are many forms of entertainment for customers. We went during the day on break so there were several children enjoying video games and pinball in the game room, and the extra large Connect Four outside. This Gen-Xer and my Millennial Bestie entertained ourselves with a memory game we created on the spot of guessing who each celebrity was when a photo of them was randomly displayed on one of the bar TVs. One of my favorites was preteen JT and Ryan Gosling back in their Mouseketeer days. Cue the music: M-O-N: eNjoyed our time here K-E-Y : why, because it's different B-A-R-R-EL

I really enjoy coming here, most of the time. The instances where I have a lesser experience are mostly due to the intermittent popularity of the venue. Trivia here is a bit of a draw. Open Mic (Pallet City Comedy) can sometimes really pull in an audience. And other events here also have a fan base. With that in mind, I have my best experiences when the venue is at 70 to 80% capacity. The beer is cold. The prices are reasonable. The bar staff is attentive. And the audience members, although not amazing, are a cut above many other venues.

Fun concept for those who hold dear the last two decades of the 1900s. Monkey Barrel is located across the street from Chaffee Park. They have a beer garden type feel on the outside as there are several picnic tables and yard games for any ages to play. Inside, Monkey Barrel is dedicated to the best two decades of 1900s with fun art, arcade games, and Nintendo 64 consoles set up in each booth (there were 4 booths) for your entertainment. The most entertaining part for us Gen Xer and Millenial was trying to figure out who was the celebrity from pictures taken 40 years ago. The menu is also dedicated to the great musicians of the 1990s. I selected the Pearl Jam, which a Monkey Barrel's take on a Dirty Shirley Temple. The place was happening during mid-day, so this place has definitely made a name for itself which is why it is on Westword's 100 Bars for this year. Monkey Barrel is also supposed to have great food - which could be concluded by the number of pick up orders that were constantly coming through.

Friday night hangout with a great live band and fun drinks. Lots of outdoor space on 2 patios so you can decide how close to the band to be or if you'd rather converse further away with some mild ambiance We didn't eat, but the burgers walking by looked great. Such a great 90s feel. Warm and friendly. And the pickle shots! Get a pickle shot. They do them right here.

Monkey Barrel is a neat bar located in the upper Highlands area with beer, cocktails, food, and games! The games consist of pinball, cornhole, and, get this, Nintendo 64! What a blast from the past! My group did not play any games but we definitely will need to play some next time we visit. The beer selection is decent. However, the cocktails leave quite a bit to be desired... I ordered the Blind Melon (Watermelon Margarita, Espolon Silver Tequila), Pearl Jam (Pearl Cherry Vodka, Club Soda, Maraschino Cherry, Lime), and a tequila pineapple. All of them tasted off and not in a good way. The Pearl Jam in particular was unpleasant. Next time, we will stick with beer and games!

Being a child of the 90's, how did I not know this place existed? A couple of girlfriends and I went to watch a friend's 90's cover band, BSides, last night. It was such a cool little venue with 90's memorabilia adorning the walls, N64 games, and a spacious patio with lawn games and enough seating for larger parties. The great thing about the patio is that the buildings block the sun in the afternoon so you're not being scorched while you're trying to enjoy happy hour. You order drinks from the bar and then find your seat. I got an Aperol Spritz and a pickle shot. Both tasted like a Friday and exactly what I needed after a long week. The service was quick and efficient. The band went on at 7pm and rocked some deeper cut nostalgic 90's songs until 10pm. They also have events like open mic night and showcase other 90's inspired genres. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for more shows at The Monkey Barrel.

Monkey Barrel is the perfect neighborhood dive bar! We lived in the area for a year and instantly felt welcome every time we walked in. It's such a fun spot to catch a football game and unwind while playing video games on the vintage arcade machines. The atmosphere is laid-back and friendly--definitely a local gem we'll keep coming back to!

Great bar with indoor and outdoor seating and some fun games! My friends and I enjoy the drinks and food here and the bartenders are so friendly. They have great prices and there is usually a few people here but not overly crowded.

It is a bar with food. Not amazing in any way but completely serviceable. They need a bit more seasoning on everything.

I will never forget my night at the Monkey Barrel. One word: Rob. My skin started to burn, sweat was beading from my forehead. It wasn't the Sun that was beaming... it was Rob. If infectious smiles could kill, Rob would be on Death Row. In preschool, I was tasked with finding something I wanted to be when I was older. Garrett said Astronaut, I said Chip Truck driver. I always hated Garrett. But what Garrett neglected to understand is that there is a bliss in the simplicity. As I pack up my Ruffles truck and leave this bar, I am reminded of how a smile can make remember how simple life can be. It grounds you. And that's how I feel at the Monkey Barrel

Best smash burgers in the city, a solid meal for under $10, you really can't beat it.

Came in on a snowy day so Monkey Barrel hardly had customers in. We were maybe 2 out of 5 people at that time. Unfortunately that didn't mean we got good service also. We sat at the bar and the bartender took a while before she acknowledged us. Got our drink orders and walked off right away. We were trying to order food but we had to wait to order those. Drinks came and they were horrible. I don't remember the names of our drinks, but mine was a Manhattan type of drink. It too bitter and I couldn't finish it. But when we got out drinks we had the chance to tell her we wanted to order food. She came back minutes later and took our order. We got the monkey fries, philly cheesesteak dip, and on special was a chicken sandwich with bacon (not sure what the name was). Monkey fries was fries covered in their own thousand island sauce. It didn't work. It became too rich. Philly cheesesteak dip was better, but the sandwich was bland. Chicken sandwich was too dry to enjoy.

What a great neighborhood spot...music, beer, great burgers and fries at a great price, outdoor seating, sports on TV and pinball. Been here a few times and always leave wondering why I don't come here more often! The bartenders are super nice too!

I ordered the fried pickles and the Nashville hot chicken sandwich. The fried pickles were just ok, a little over breaded and fried though. The chicken sandwich was complete garbage. I had two bites and had to toss it. Aside from the sauce just tasting gross (not even a good Buffalo sauce), the chicken patty they use is subpar. The spicy McChicken from McDonald's is better. These are "chicken" frozen patty's at best. But not a real chicken breast by any means. Maybe the consistency of McDonald's chicken nuggets. The atmosphere is cool with the pinball machines and live music. Good draft beer options as well. Avoid the food.

What a trashy place where our neighbors could have an awesome place. The staff doesn't want to be there and they have no clue except Max and Lizzie. Horrible service from the other kids.

This bar is not only cool, but has the best burgers in town for a half of the price of the nearest restaurant. If you're not coming here, what are you doing?

Cool bar, good staff and great burgers on the cheap. Arguably the best bar in Sunnyside.

Worst brewery in Denver. Mediocre beer selection. Cursed at and namecalled by the staff? Very unprofessional, and to be honest, pretty fucking pathetic. They also charge $80 for their crawfish boil. Pretty outrageous. Is this place a real business? Doesn't appear so, and if it is it's run by toddlers

Monkey Barrel could be a good neighborhood bar but they can't figure out there identity. They try to have live music but there are all these screaming kids trying to play pinball. Are you Chucky Cheese, if so advertise it? I come in to watch live music at 8pm and there are all these fucking kids yelling and screaming. It's so disrespectful for the artist trying to perform. Are you a bar or an arcade? It's hard to do both. Maybe you should hire Barney for your next live music performance. Get it together!

This place is friggin awesome. Divey bar with great food. Also very reasonable/cheap prices. They always have a 3$ draft beer and a $6 hamburger. What else could you ask for? Maybe Nintendo 64 at tables and pinball machines and awesome posters and a million TVs and outdoor seating and events almost every night and clean bathrooms?? The Monkey Barrel got it all baby.

Found this place in a tamale run(hint... next door) Dogs allowed on the HUGE patio. Big park across the street-no dog run. Green chili fries are yummy. Fried pickles hit the spot. brews on tap are local. Outside patio menus- QR codes on each table. Our server was awesome.

Really close to my work so I had to try it out. I have been here numerous times and always get a burger and a beer. One of the best basic smash burgers I have had in a while. Great flavor. Buns are never soggy and the burger isn't super greasy. I don't understand the negative reviews. Like I said before, I have been there numerous times and the bartenders are friendly and on top of everything every time. Never rude or anything. Added bonus they have Nintendo 64 to play with friends.

awesome food, awesome service and amazing feel. Automatically felt welcomed by the staff and patrons even being from out of state. The retro feel with the pinball machines was just the cherry on top!

Oh man, I really keep wanting this place to be good. Live in the neighborhood, was excited to maybe have a neighborhood bar, but every time I come here, I leave mad at myself for giving it another shot. No prices on the menu, bartender rude when you ask---this is how I ended up paying $14 for a spritz that was mostly club soda. Anyway, I just leave disappointed in a new way each time :/

The burgers and food here are amazing they taste like in n out and the ambiance is awesome they have an outdoor patio and Nintendo 64 in every booth! It was jam packed when I came in and I got great bar service and the drinks were well priced and tasty. I would 10/10 recommend it and will be going back shortly !

Definitely a summer/spring bar type. Loved the vibe inside and all the games and pinball machines. To grab a table though so you can order food was pretty hard to find when we went. We managed to after standing and drinking for a little bit. For two people to get a drinks, app, plus two burgers was 35 bucks . Not bad tbh. The burgers are thin so definitely like a light dinner or typical lunch depending. It was decent nothing crazy. You get chips for free on the side or fries for 2 dollars more. The drinks are really good mixes and not crazy expensive like in downtown. The music was super loud we had to shout at each other to hear that nice. When we went had live music which might be why it was that way plus small because had to keep everything closed since winter. Hence why would be great place to go in the summer or spring just not so much in the winter. Will be back though later on because still a good spot!

Casual and spacious with games and great for groups. Friendly staff with good prices. Burger was good.

My husband and I went to The Monkey Barrel yesterday afternoon. We hung out on their patio while a band played inside, which was nice because it is fenced in so we could let our toddler roam a bit and there were a few other kids of a similar age there. The band didn't knock my socks off but it was still fun to listen to live music. We ended up ordering food- the wings were meh but the burger and fries were tasty- I'd definitely do that again. It wasn't fancy, just a basic cheeseburger and fries, but sometimes classically simple is the best way to go, especially for 5.95! They have a great beer selection and we each got 2. Overall though we had a fun time and we'd go back, but would know going in that our bar tab would probably be higher than expected.

We came into the Monkey Barrel to watch the avs game. Scott, the bartender, came right away to see how he could help. I didn't see a sour at first so Scott pointed me to the kombucha style ale. He also suggested trying it with a little cider. I tried it both ways and ended up sticking with the ale by itself. Such a great suggestion! I loved how attentive and friendly Scott was. Many people came in and knew him by name and he also knew theirs. Benny's Pizza recently took over the kitchen and they have great pizza by the slice and garlic knots. Since it's so close by, we'll definitely be back!

Not sure if they have new owners or what but my husband and I had hands down the worst restaurant experience here. Bartender ignored us for 10 minutes, rude and disrespectful and acted annoyed to wait on us. There were 2 other customers so not exactly busy. Drink was completely off and it smelled like raw sewage.

My favorite neighborhood watering hole! Maya is a great server and you're guaranteed to have good time.

Can't beat Monkey Barrel, best deals on beers and food and the service is amazing. Raquel and Maya are the best. If you're taking pickle shots make sure you can walk home!

We use to come for comedy nights but no more. We are regulars who use to come out every Thursday. We are sick of the performers creepIng on us, the weed smoke that makes it's way inside from people continue to puff outside on the patio (how is this legal with a liquor license?) jokes that are derogatory and not even funny. You can't even order a water from the bar without getting attitude from the wait staff. We've witnessed fights, drug use, and predictor like behavior at the Thursday night comedy show. We don't recommend attending, especially if you are a woman. We're sad about Monkey Barrels decline the past year and the comedy show has made it worse... we love comedy, but this isn't it. the burgers are 10x more greasy than McDonald's, you get skimped when ordering wings, and the staff and host aren't that nice...

Great spot for a delicious burger. Great beer selection, and n64s at every table is awesome

If you want pinball, and you want the best burger in town, you have one place to go...Monkey Barrel. Owner is solid as a rock takes care of the customer. My friends and I have been fans since they were over next to Paris on the Platte. Great drinks and food at amazing prices, very kid friendly during the day. Not too wild at night...Perfect!

Great local bar. Good beer, good food, and great atmosphere. A must go to spot in Sunnyside

The last sentence should have said, we were the only group of people waiting for food until another group came in and sat down. They were waited on right away and served their food before us.

I was fairly wary to stop in since they were only ranked 3 stars and I am honestly not sure why! We have sat outside each time and there is always a ton of open seating (perfect for all of our friends and ALL of our dogs). We also have so many drinks options to choose from. I went in thinking it would only be beer, but they had ciders, seltzer and hard alcohol too. We've actually been going weekly after kickball and it's a very solid spot in a very solid location!

How is this place still open? We accidentally ordered from here (delivery after a tour) and it was inedible. Whoever made the food should be fired. Everything was cold, gross and soggy. Nothing was edible. People, stop giving a business money when they treat customers like this.

Great beer selection & meet the cook brought him a shot (jamO) & he shared his burger witch was f......g awesome, 1st time in this place & 1st time in Colorado,, I'm really loving it !!!

Came for the burgers, and I came back for the service. Great beer, great food, great bar staff. Best sports bar in the neighborhood. Plus the decor is phenomenal. Home of the only Beastie Boys mural in Colorado.

I was profiled by the bar and the patrons. I live in the neighborhood and have been driving by for awhile. I never stopped because I never seen to much diversity. After going in today I see why. I was profile from the start. I am a corporate guy. I probably make more than a lot of people that profiled me. I do this on purpose to expose those who say BLM as long as it not in my community. After being harassed by some regular the bartender told me don't mess with our regular. I thought to myself I live in the neighborhood also. My people stay away from this racist atmosphere

worst and most awkward comedy show we've ever been to. we typically avoid Thursdays cause of this but apparently comedy on Wednesdays too. Food wasn't good at all and neither were the performers.

This is such a great bar! They have a ton of indoor and outdoor seating and games to play. Each both has a Nintendo 64 at it and a bunch of pinball machines inside for fun. They always have a great beer selection and the burgers are so good.

this place is great. really nice staff with great events like trivia, live music, crawfish boils. great burgers

What a dope start to this Sunday morning. "Biggie Smalls" banged out the speakers as I chow down on some breakfast and knocked back a few beers and cocktails. Went to their brunch today and the DJ was killing it...all of BIG hits without them being edited...it took me back. Staff was friendly, food was delicious (real corn beef, w/hashbrown). Nice patio set-up, nothing extravagant but efficient. Nice size crowd, not that diverse but hey, its Denver. Enjoyed myself, will definitely be returning for more brunches.

Went to Monkey Barrel for the first time last night. The Avalanche were in the playoffs and it's near my house. It was so poorly run that I fail to see why anyone goes there. One bartender during an Avalanche playoff game!??? No wait staff and a constant line to get beer or food. I don't mean a few people waiting 5 minutes to get a beer. I m talking a line out the door. The burgers were good I will say that. My fries were burnt but at that point I didn't feel like waiting in line 15 or twenty minutes to get none burnt ones. We left after the 1st period of the game. Of course we had to wait 15 minutes to pay our tab.

I ended up at Monkey Barrel for The Office trivia night, and had a great time. I appreciated all the thought the staff put into the theme, the trivia host was great, the food was really good (I'm not sure what went down in the other reviews), and there was a large beer selection. We were a little bummed that the trivia night sold out so fast, but we decided to get to Monkey Barrel really early to snag a spot at the bar. Some of the staff seemed a little overwhelmed since there were a lot of people, so that was a little stressful. However, the bartenders were fast and made great recommendations.It was a little odd that we had to wait 30 minutes to order food because there was a transition between their regular menu and the trivia menu (even though a lot of the food items were the same, just named differently), but the food was still good. We ordered the wings and the chili cheese fries. The wings were nice and hot - get the hot buffalo sauce, and the chili cheese fries had just the right amount of chili so that the fries weren't too soggy. I also loved that they offered such a variety of beer (it would be nice if the prices were listed). I want to come back to check out Monkey Barrel when there isn't trivia to see what it's like on a regular night. The bar seems like a chill hang out spot (bonus points that some of the tables have Pac Man and N64) and a fun place to grab a drink and some bar food.

Just had an awesome burger at Monkey Barrel here in the neighborhood. $8.95 burger, chips and a beer. They've got multiple TVs with football on, a few heated tables and awesome service. Dogs allowed as well. Don't waste your time waiting in line for 4 hours at In and Out... This was an awesome burger that rivaled the classic In and Out burger