Monkey Bean2470 Broadway Denver, CO 80205
See it on the BUZZ Coffee Map
I just went to Monkey Bean the other day. I had to make a little trip to get over there, but it was great! I love the "funky coffee house" feel, and Monkey Bean has this down! Evyerthing from the plaster/brick walls to the mismatched furniture adds to a great atmosphere at Monkey Bean.
The patio is also amazing & they now have hammocks. They have created a nice little "oasis" here. It is right on Broadway, so traffic noise outide is a factor if you are talking on the phone or need some "peace and quiet" but I enjoyed it, as it just adds to the uniqueness factor of this place.The "Perks":
- Monkey Bean has a great menu! I had the BLT&A (a BLT wrap with avacado). It was great, and I look forward to sampling more of their fare. **UPDATE: their Bistro wrap rocks!**http://www.monkeybean.com/eat.aspx.
Free Wi Fi- Great Patio
- Books
- Ice Cream (made by a local! They even have their own flavor)
- See the website for more... I'm impressed with this place (if you can't tell).
Overall Comments: This has to rank among the top coffee houses I've ever been to. They have managed to create a truly unique and enjoyable atmosphere, and back it up with everything you could want in a place to work or hang out.
Monkey bean patio
Posts
38 reviews/comments:
My friends and I loved this place!! Two of them liked the food (which they had before I got there). We all ordered different coffee drinks, I had the black and white, they tried the orange milano and the chocolate mint one (can't remember the name of that one).
the seating was comfy, the atmosphere interesting (and lively). we agreed to go back soon!
So im from LA but i went here when I was in Denver and it was really cool. I like the boba, I also like the way you guys call it bubble tea.
http://forums.sirstevesguide.com/showpost.php?p=373864&postcount=350 :)
My review:Love the space and atmosphere!!!!!!!!But
I'd take a regular good latte....no magical latte art on top of the foam....over a decorative coffee drink whose milk was burnt.
Avoid the male baristas at this place...very slow and not very good. Been on MANY occassions and this is always the case. The woman baristas are exceptionally good.
Sidenote...and personal note...the owner, a woman, seems to need a little prozac. Very nice one day, very bitchy the next. But then again, aren't we all.
I went to the Monkey Bean on your recommendation. The location is a little concerning, several homeless loitering around your the cars, but the shop made it worth the while. I stayed for several hours to taste several items on the menu, including a fantastic mocha, a delicious Pear salad with chicken and one of the Tea Tonics. Everything was exceptional. I am sure the zen patio is esp. beautiful in the summer. All in all, I will go back and encourage others to visit.
Eclectic decor, eclectic clientele, good coffee, super-friendly service.
Sometimes they crank the alternative music too loud and it interferes with conversation. Free wireless is definitely a plus.
this place is too crowded for its own good now which has deterred me from going back many times. And there service is SO slow. The food when you get it is great, but it seems they have bought their own hype and are resting on it. too bad!
hahaha, are you kidding me, the male barristas slow?? i have never had a bad cup of coffee EVER at monkeybean and maybe if you wanted your coffee so fast i believe there is a 7-11 around the block that you may like to frequent....the food is delectable, the ambience is surreal, and all the BARRISTAS ROCK MY WORLD, especially that Eric guy, he's so dreamy....
I go to the Monkey Bean every day and love the coffee, best in town. Not sure what David was talking about "bought their own hype". This is the best place in Denver and deserved every article written about them.
I agree, the "Bean" is the best place in Denver. Always have great soup!!!!!!
I also love this place but have to agree that this place has been so crowded I can't get a seat and the last time I went I waited in line for a very long time while one of the baristas (male with facial hair, heavier set)just walked around doing nothing.
"Julio"
I think by the way you describe Eric as some 'dreamy' eye candy for you, you probably would't mind waiting a long time for a cup of coffee. So take him out of the equation, and the place although a cool coffeehop.....needs help when it comes to timely service and drinks. the food is definitely good though....
everyone knows that fat kids are slow and do nothing, but man can they make great coffee, the heavy set male barista with facial hair probably wasn't waiting on you because you are a detestable human being that deserves to wait for good coffee. Patience is a virtue, and all of us could be a little more virtuous, have we learned nothing from Socrates.
Ok, Ok,
This is a great CoffeeHouse!
It has the FUNKFACTOR!!
What else is important!
I wish there were more Funky CoffeeHouses in Town. The Bean, Paris & Stella's may they live forever.....
most people lack a talent for conveying sarcasm in text. still, it's fun watching some of you here Try ;)
"the heavy set male barista with facial hair probably wasn't waiting on you because you are a detestable human being that deserves to wait for good coffee."
Given your reaction calling someone a "detestable human being" because they said the service sucked...it is a good guess you are the heavy set guy with facial hair!! No one deserves to wait that long for coffee unless it is brewing.
great food....okay coffee....so so service....not enough chairs/tables.
I agree that the service does take a little long, but you have the choice to stop by Starbucks and get a quick and tasteless coffee if patience isn't in your cards. Also, the baristas are very helpful and enthusiastic about working there, something you won't see many other places. Bottom line... if you're in a rush don't drop in or hope the line isn't out the door.
BTW.. I think the male barista with facial hair is really cute!
.....there is a line to the door for a reason.....
someone hit a nerve with the heavy set facial hair guy!
WTF with the gossipy bitchfest? look, monkey bean has a great atmosphere and really good food. BUT the service IS slow, and although I'm the sort of person who stays in a coffeehouse for 5 hours doing homework, if you are on your 30 min lunchbreak waiting 15 minutes for a sandwich is a pain in the ass. I don't give a crap about the gender of my servers, but I've noticed in every coffeehouse in denver that grrls can do everything boys can do, but better. why? hell if I know.
can y'all PLEASE leave your Queer Eye act for a blog with a slant toward showtunes & linedancing, 'cuz this one is for COFFEE. appreciate it.
okay tiger grrl..oh I mean "anonymous"...next time make it less obvious.
hey tigger grrl aka 'anonymous'. This is a site that allows others to rate everything they like/dislike about a coffeehouse. If you don't like the way people word things or if things are too "queer eyed" for you, too bad. I think Monkey Bean is great...but yes,depending on who you get when you order it can be slow. The fact thatthey are so busy shows how starved we are here for a coffee shop like this...so hopefully others will open up so there will be similar alternatives.
So, let people write what they want...the guy that runs this site has said over and over agin he doesn't really write reviews....just leaves it up to everyone for their input..caddy or not.
it was anonymous only 'cuz the site was being funky, forcing me to do the word verification more than once. I never purposely post as anon -- if you can't put your name on it, then you probably shouldn't say it.
so, whatever dude. what I was say was, cut out the personal attacks and get to the coffee. glad you agree (sort of) does this mean that what you dislike about a coffeehouse is the sexual orientation of your server?
great food...terrible coffee...so wouldn't recommend this place for a coffee junkie
they need to check their espresso machines, it shouldn't take that long to get a shot out....tastes very burnt.
Great food...had a garden panini and some spinach soup, but the coffee was not that good. My drink took forever to make, (a latte), and tasted awful. This place is really funky and I like the layout, but can't say I would recommend it for the coffee, which is what this site is reviewing.
I disagree the espresso is outstanding. I watched them extract the espresso when making my drink and it took about 25 seconds which is in perfect. Extraction time of a good espresso should be in the area of 25-30 seconds otherwise it is bitter.
some people feel the perfect shot should be 18-25 seconds...depends who pretends to know everything the best I guess...
Anyone who thinks the perfect shot takes 18 secs works at Starbucks, where machines control the barista rather than the barista controlling the machine. Pulling the perfect shot is not that easy, too many different factors to list, ask baristas tough questions regarding what they are doing, you can tell if a barista is practiced or if they are working a summer job.
The extraction time for the shot is the correct way to pull the perfect shot, however depending on the type of machine (single boiler, double boiler, other factors) the time can be from 18 seconds to 22 seconds (most single boiler machines) to 28-30 seconds most double boiler machines.
I went to Monkey Bean today based on all of the great recommendations I saw on this site. I guess I can now safely judge what people mean when they say a place is "funky". As a commercial interior designer with experience designing hospitality and retail facilities, I always thought a description of "funky" meant the place was hip, somewhat off-the-wall, and maybe utilized furniture and finishes in creative or unexpected ways. Now I know that (on this blog, at least) "funky" means it is dirty and in a state of near-disrepair.
I was nervous to even sit back against the chair I was sitting on for fear of needing a de-lousing later on. An empty mug that had not yet been cleared from my table was chipped around the rim. The footstool in the front is actually leaking stuffing, and a chair cushion is torn to the point of nearly coming apart.
The front door is broken. It looks like it's been broken for a long time. It's taped together with duct tape. If this place is so successful and has customers on a regular basis, why can't they afford to fix the door? That's the first thing their customers are seeing. Not really a very good first impression, IMO.
I understand the desire to have a place that looks "lived in" or furniture that is "distressed". But Monkey Bean's furniture looks like it was picked up from the curb on trash day. And there is never a good reason to serve people from cups that could cause injury.
I tried to log on to the internet, but my computer's wireless connection said "connected at 11 Mbps, Signal: excellent". Really? 11 Mbps? I had a faster connection when the internet became readily available to the public back in the early 90s. It was so slow, in fact, that I couldn't even get yahoo.com to load. It seems a wi-fi connection that slow is worthless, so why bother?
The coffee was quite good. The ice cream was divine. I did not have any of the other food they offered, mostly because I was afraid there were bugs infesting the kitchen - I didn't see any, but the public part of the place looked dirty and I couldn't imagine the kitchen being any better.
Overall, not a good experience. Perhaps they should open a drive-through. I'd go back for the coffee if I didn't have to experience the "atmosphere" they provide.
A coffee bar should be known for its coffee FIRST, all other factors follow based on individual preference. If you go someplace for something other than their main purpose, that place needs to re-evaluate their primary purpose.
coffee at Monkey Bean is fair to good.
Food is usually good.
Atmosphere is fair, they do need to buss the tables, sweep and dust more often.
People are freindly but not necessarly coffee knowlegeable.
Thank you for your ear
I do believe Monkey Bean will be closing soon. That's what the website says.
Monkey Bean is in fact closing (I think it closed July 30th actually). the landlord of the building sold the place and the new person (read "yuppie-devloper-scum") is demolishing the whole funky triangluar block. doubtless to create "lofts" with a StarShmucks :~(
no matter how crappy the java is (and judging from the back-and-forth posts above, Monkey Bean was not a hands-down winner in the coffee department), it's a shame to see a funky spot killed off by The Man's greed. boooo hiss!
For all of you who liked this place for the late night, I recommend Aviano Coffee over on 9th and Lincoln. They are open until 2am on Friday and Saturday, and their coffee drinks and atmosphere are amazing.
Does anyone have the contact info for the owners of monkey bean, besides email. I have an awesome new location for them right down the street.
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