A cosy bar had some comfy couches and some great cocktails. Its wasn't too loud so we could have a nice chat.
Love the location- easy to find, and is alongside many restaurants. The ambience is romantic and cosy. Friendly staff. Would’ve loved to stay for the live music but left before it began- the music playing in the background could’ve been better to suit the mood. We got the watermelon cocktail and lychee sangria with the zomato gold membership. Both very enjoyable and I especially loved the lychees in the sangrias. Would recommend coming with your s.o. or a group of friends.
It’s all about fine drinks and fun times. The drinks are designed for a night out with friends with refreshingly good cocktails.
Good place for dumpling lovers and groups, vegetarian friendly.
The soundtrack is a mix of lounge and electronica to take you on a journey to another time and place.
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This drinks and dining venue is fit out really nicely with cosy wooden seating that's split between their indoor and outdoor areas. If you want some privacy, opt for a back booth, otherwise sit out the front and watch the tourists strolling down Hardware Lane. The cocktail list here is thoughtful and innovative, offering tastes for every palate.
I tried some drinks from the special Chinese New Year menu including a super delicious Yuzu spritz, a very gingery gin and mint and tea cocktail, and a fruity pineapple and rum drink. Each was great, although the strong herbs and spices in the ginger cocktail made that one my top pick.
As for food, a vegetable dumpling basket shared with my partner was the perfect accompaniment to our drinks. It contained green vegan dumplings stuffed with greens and vermicelli, which were the best of the bunch. But all other dumplings were also great including some vegetarian dumplings in translucent skin, glutinous rice dim sims, and a big, fluffy veg bao. I appreciate the variety as well as the assortment of sauces available. While the prices are a bit more than your cheap and cheerful dumpling joint, the price reflects the quality of dishes served. For upscale dumplings and drinks, Golden Monkey should be your top choice.
Oldie but a goodie. First impression when I rocked up Friday night was that the place had died down from when I last visited but it got quite busy around the 10pm mark. Very dark inside and the music started to blare out making conversation more and more difficult.
A lot of their cocktails are Asian inspired, anything with lychee gets a tick in my books. We didn't have enough people for shareable drinks but punch bowls are also very popular here. They also do dumplings if you got the munchies but more of a cocktail bar if anything.
😱Lizzie’s first impression: I often come here for drinks and it really does go off on a Friday night.
🍩Lizzie enjoyed: the cocktails here are amazing - especially the lychee one. The drinks are asian cuisine influenced so you can see them using a lot of lychee, yuzu and of the like. They even have the same menu as their China east trading company restaurant upstairs so it’s really a two bird one stone kind of deal. Delicious cocktails and all sorts of dumplings!
🍅Lizzie did not enjoy: the place is a little dark but that keeps the ambience going and you find that there is actually a lot of room for big groups too!
🥇Lizzie rates overall: I loved the vibes of this place and can’t wait to go back for more.
Great music, chilled out place, lychee aloe smash cocktail was super delicious!! Would love it even more if they made it in a jug though. Would definitely come back here :)
Lovely ambient atmosphere in this busy bar hidden away on Lonsdale street. The bartender here made her own concoction of a cocktail for me and it was absolutely delicious!
Points for: intimate experience with good cocktails
Golden Monkey has gone through a number of rennovations, and is still alive and kicking after more than a decade.There is now more space in the old Shanghai themed bar, with a number of booths and seating configurations.What I like here is the chilled out vibe you get, without blaring music (except on Fri & Sat nights after 9PM). You can actually have a decent conversation.
Would be nice if they had happy hour specials though, and the fact they only accept card for transactions over $15 is a bit annoying to manage.Great place for hosting small parties, the managers are very accommodating.
Did not know there was food here, I always come here to grab a few cocktails. I love the atmosphere here , the drinks always taste really good !
One word! A M A Z I N G!!! We judged the place by the entrance but when we got there it was such a vibe. Staff were amazing drinks were yum also cheap 🤑 after so many drinks we even ordered cup noodles which was so funny but the cup noodles were exactly what we needed at that point. Romantic vibes but amazing spot for drinks before dancing for girls too.
We had such an amazing time visiting @goldenmonkeybar earlier this week.
We were firstly treated by dome amazing baos and dumplings on the upper level before heading down into the basement for some great fun.
They have Live Music nights on Thursday and the mood is electric. With the music we enjoyed their amazing cocktails and had a great time.
We definitely recommend you to visit them specially on a Thursday to have a great time like we did.
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Down Melbourne’s iconic bustling Hardware Lane you will find Golden Monkey, a hidden basement bar reminiscent of the 1920’s Shanghai opium dens. The venue has been hosting talent and DJ’s for almost 20 years now and have recently started live music on Thursday nights. 🎤
Upstairs is their casual restaurant @eastchinatrading, serving up a variety of dim sum. We loved the house made Buns and Dumplings, my favourites surprisingly being the vegan options which were so packed full of flavour you would never even know. Some of the dumplings were sadly undercooked leaving the wrappers gluey and hard. With a small menu it’s not really somewhere you would dedicate a dinner to rather great for snacks with drinks. 🥟
Downstairs is decked out in red neon lighting, dark wood, leather sofas and booths. Taking centre stage is the live entertainment that kicks off at 830pm. Starting off the Easter Long Weekend the venue was completely packed, the vibe was amazing. I loved seeing the whole place jamming, dancing and hyping up the local artists which were sensational! 🎶
Playing til late, you and a group will be entertained for hours. Cocktails are on the sweet side however they also have a small selection of beer and wine.
⭐️ 4/5 (Great)
Hidden eccentric underground bar worth trying out. Such an amazing time - good music played by set DJs and the whole cocktail range are all delicious!
Drinks are quite diluted, but super tasty. Our favourite would have to be the Sun WuKong - tastes like a passionfruit sorbet! The Cafe Umai is another favourite if you love your espresso martinis. I loved it so much bc it was infused with Chai spices - love a dirty chai for me. Another good one was a pink milky cocktail (can’t rmbr the name).
Highly recommend if you’re not sure how to start your night!
Great cocktails here! If you're looking for a bar that's a little more chilled out and the music is not crazy loud so you can actually hear what your friends are saying then it's a good choice
Nice place. Good cocktails, downstairs is more of a dance club vibe. More quiet at the ground level.
Great food great drinks and a great time!!!
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