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 !
Although I've never eaten here, my colleagues and I frequent this bar for any going-away drinks we have. There's always plenty of room, yummy and original cocktails and a really cool ambience.
Always great cocktails and ambiance, hasn't changed much in 6 years which is testament to them. Red mood lighting and DJ spinning beats on a Friday night.
A cool bar with Asian inspired decor. They do a great cocktail and the drinks list in general will keep everyone happy: from sparkling wine to important beers. It can be pretty quiet, which ideal for a date or somewhere you want to have a proper conversation. Love music sometimes too so check out their website. A really cool, quaint, intimate cocktail bar.
Had a great time here after desperately trying to flee somewhere more chilled and less crowded. We arrived around 8pm and there was hardly any one down there so it was great for convos. The cocktails are phenomenal and staff were hilarious and kept it super entertaining for us! Later on, it got pretty busy but still not intense and they opened up a "dancefloor" around 10
I come here nearly every week with my friends. We've made friends with the bartenders because we frequent so often. Pretty cool Asian bar with pretty decent drinks. They make a really tasty Long Island iced tea! Atmosphere's pretty cosy too but the lights are a bit too bright after they renovated. Overall, lovely bar with awesome staff!
Heading downstairs you are drawn into a rabbit hole of intimate lounge areas, dimly lit with tea light and silk lanterns... take you to Saigon. The beautiful oriental features and leather sofas... chilled out tunes and extensive cocktail menu will draw you into an abyss of pure pleasure. Start your friday night here.
Must visit.. Best cocktails in melbourne hands down 🍸🍸🍷
Cheers big ears, thank me later. 🍸🍸🍓
Had never been here when I made a booking for my birthday. Found it online and looked pretty funky, plus liked the look of the drinks menu and bar food. A deposit was required for the booking which I got back as soon as I arrived.
It well exceeded our expectations, and we had the best night. Yes the cocktails could be considered expensive, but this is what they do! It's a show watching them make them and were so delicious, and great for a special night out.
The service was excellent, our booth was perfect and gave us our own area to enjoy, and we all enjoyed the varied music, which was both new and old.
Will definitely be recommending it and plan to return.
Came to Golden Monkey for a work function and was impressed by the food served which was all off the tapas menu. Yummy spring rolls, salt and pepper squid and prawn wontons. I love an underground bar and this had fabulous ambiance all dimly lit and beautiful interiors reminiscent of an opium den. Fun little discovery
I went to this cozy and cool underground bar on Saturday night. I like the performance of bartenders here. They are friendly and amused me! But sometimes I needed to wait for long. Music and atmosphere was good.
Oriental layout with dim lighting. Upbeat, music.
Mandarin Negroni was strong and mei li China doll was sweet.
Asian tapas style so food to share. You go to the bar to order. Ordered the Shanghai basket for two (crispy spring rolls, Shanghai fries, salt and pepper squid, eastern fried chicken). All dishes were made just right. Crispy, well flavoured and solid. Xiao long bao were juicy and the broth was good.
Went here for dinner and while the food is not amazing it is pretty decent. Service was excellent though and staff were very friendly. Atmosphere had a nice family restaurant vibe.
I only came for one quick drink, and boy o boy was it a fast one, so I had another one. With poor lighting and sticky tables we all had a fabulous night, filled with conversations and friendly smiles. The music selection is actually really nice. Slight cool breeze coming down the stairs but I'm not complaining.
The venue has a few cosy corners where some get a little too comfortable if you know what I mean..but again I'm not complaining. I'm gonna be honest with you all (because I trust you), I kinda wish I was in one of those comfortable corners if you know what I mean. But I'm not complaining. All round it's a great place for all ages.
Very chill, cozy and zen atmosphere, bar staff know their stuff, great place to hang out with friends on a casual week night! Felt like stayin there all night!
Stumbled along this place while walking down Hardware lane and decided to give it a go and we were pleasantly surprised! A really cool underground bar, darkly lit and live jazz music. Great cocktail selection, especially the lychee cocktail - would definitely recommend this place!
Very cool opium den atmosphere in hidden underground location. Fantastic drinks and the food is just as good. Quite pricy but well worth it. Strongly recommend
Stumbled on this gorgeous little bar on a Tuesday night so we had live jazz - so good! Drinks were nice and the bar tender friendly. Really nice atmosphere, relaxed and cool. Stopped by on a weekend night and didn't stay, was more like a normal bar with loud music and a big crowd.
A bar with a cool vibe with interesting decor making it a good hang out spot. They do a good range of nice cocktails with some creative options. While they do have a tapas menu, the food has never been that remarkable the handful of times I've been here. The service is alright, but can be slow when it's busy.
Nice bar with a cool vibe. Three of us went in on a Friday night and got a table. The service wasn't great as we had to wait a while before asking if we could order. We got a few of the appetizers which were nice. There's nothing special about it but it has a cool chilled vibe anyway.
A cool little bar which is located down stairs. Wonderful atmosphere and can be very private for a romatic drink. The drinks were amazing (cocktails) and their asain tapas was fresh and yum but would have preferred it to come out one by one rather than have it sit there.
I've been coming to golden monkey every few weeks for the last 7 years. It's my favourite spot to relax and listen to great live soul rnb music. I am absolutely attached, it's an unpretentious place with a great intimate vibe. The interior design is something I'll never get bored of. If you're a romantic it's a great date spot to impress the ladies. I don't usually come here for food, cocktails are unique. I think the food is there more to compliment the over excessive alcoholic intake :) it's definitely a Melbourne bar gem.
We enjoyed stuffing our faces with their skewers, noodles, rice dishes and dumplings. The dumplings in particular are a notch above. The only downside is the fact that the bar-like atmosphere doesn't exactly gel well with a lunch time feel but otherwise, it's a great place to catch up with friends. Service is also great - warm, friendly and helpful.
Visited for the first time on a friday night to see a friend.
Knew nothing going in and was very pleasantly surprised!
From the welcoming security guard, to the warm furnishings, this was very enjoyable.
The bartender was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic, showing me some new alternatives on the cocktails I ordered and obviously really enjoyed his job.
Was only there for a short time but I had a very enjoyable experience and would recommend it for anyone looking for a relaxing, well made, drink.
RNB tunes while eating Fried Chicken. An institution on Thursday nights for drinks while the sounds of their amazing Soul/RnB band (Shaolin Funk) rock the night away making you wish it was Friday.
Found myself and a few mates at this spot last Saturday. Great vibe and although no band the Dj was spot on with their sound. Their selection of drinks and service never disappoint. Food was sooo amazing. Fried chicken is a must, dumplings and Lamb ribs also worth the try. 10 Thumbs up Golden Monkey.
Lamb Ribs. Was invited by a mate to this amazing bar on the long weekend and blew my mind off. Made me feel like i was in a Bruce Lee movie. Great selection of cocktails for the ladies and great beats for the boyz. Food was great too. Will be back on Thursday as I hear the resident live band is amazing.
Good food and cocktails. Not the friendliest of welcomes compared to other spots in melbourne
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Golden Monkey still going strong.... It's hard to know where to begin writing this review for Golden Monkey. My first experience of Golden Monkey was one of discovery, by chance finding the basement bar on a weekday afternoon within weeks of their opening. To this day, I still remember that Amaretto Sour being the best I'd ever tasted.
Famed for its Shanghai Opium Den inspiration, cocktails, and several years later a slew of awards tucked under its belt, Golden Monkey have good reason to boast, but manage to stay cool, calm and collected, and a solid fixture in the Melbourne boutique bar scene.
In my experience, their tapas style food has always been good. The pork buns are delicious, and I'm so pleased that other reviewers have mentioned the Xiao Long Bao. To me, Golden Monkey serve the nicest Xiao Long Bao in Melbourne. The dumpling casing is just that little bit lighter. (Every other place I have tried, the casing has been thick, and honestly tasted like soggy cardboard.)
It was great to see Shaolin Funk still going strong, a night that acknowledges some of Melbourne's most talented vocalists.
I think one of the most difficult aspects of any bar (or business for that matter) is finding the strength stay consistent, and continuing to meet that expectation once you set that bar.
Golden Monkey not only manage to do that, but last night I was even pleasantly surprised. Table service was excellent. The two female staff members had such a lovely, polite demeanour. Nothing was too much to ask for, and there was service with a genuine smile.
Please note that they do get busy on their more popular nights, but Golden Monkey is great whether there for the entertainment, a quiet drink or even a small gathering/function which I was there for last night, and have been over the years for all three.
Awesome atmosphere with great cocktails and music! Shanghai'd Saturdays!
Great date spot.. Used to be my favourite first-date haunt, as it makes you look mega sophisticated (even if you're not) and its dimly lit corners enable multiple-mid-meal-makeout sessions with your lucky lady friend as staff walk by - seemingly unaware that you have your hands all up in your girls no-go-zones. A definite must-try!
Nice place. Come here on Sundays to escape the usual busy crowd and just relax. Peter behind the bar is somewhat of a wizard. As a bartender, it is nice just to have someone else make you amazing drinks and this kid doesn't disappoint, knowledgeable and skillful The food for the most part is fantastic. The risotto balls are the main let-down; they're a bit dry and taste like deep-fried rice. We chucked some of our delicious sauce from the beef on it and it made a huge difference. Everything else (ambience and service) has been consistent and above par and the Asian salad served in Asian spoons with a sesame dressing on it is gold. If you don't order at least 2 of these per person you're crazy. Overall an 8.5 / 10... and my girlfriend and I will be back here many Sundays to come. PS... Stick a ramekin of Chinese 5 spice or some other delectable salt / spice combination with your edamame to make it a killer, but it's pretty great as it is.
Top Place. Having fought our way past the restaurant-pimps on the same street, promising us free drinks with our meal, blah blah blah, we decided to head downstairs to this basement bar/restaurant - No one was on street level begging our custom. Result? The place has the overall feeling of a Yakuza speakeasy bar: Superb Asian tapas. Reasonably priced. Friendly staff. Recommended.
Has It ALL!. Golden Monkey has it all.
The interior. The vibe. The music. The drinks.
The vibe is obviously influenced by the interior, but it's also about the crowd and the staff. The Music, especially on Thursday nights, is incredible. The overall atmosphere of the place is simply superb. I'm so much for the food at a bar, so i really don't know if it's any good here, but this I know for sure, these guys make some fancy drinks.
Try em out if you haven't!
you won't regret it!
p.s. watch your wallet, coz once you start on their drinks, it's hard to stop.
Great variety of cocktails and great Asian tapas!!! Music was good and atmosphere was dim
I celebrated my birthday at Golden Monkey last weekend and couldn't have picked a better venue! I hired the two back rooms for the entire night at no extra cost except for the minimum spend which is easily spent on the amazing food and drinks if you have enough people joining you.
The atmosphere is amazing, good choice of music and the staff were attentive to our group. For a lot of my friends this place was a new discovery and we will all go back again for sure!
Satisfied. After reading some of the reviews and the ease with which I could get a booking on a Saturday night, it was with trepidation we took on the golden monkey. Having said both my girlfriend and I both left satisfied. In terms of food, we both enjoyed the karaage chicken and xiao long bao. Service was all you could ask for, kudos to the waitress (with the tattooed left bicep) who was fantastic! Only con was that the table was tough to fit your knees under with low slung drawers.
Big Eyes For A Big Tummy
+5
What's chillin'?? cocktails + live music!. Thanks guys for a wonderful thursday night. beautiful voices and awesome band. brought along some first timers to the bar and were in awe of the amazing talent. blackstreet's love's in need...wooooowww....thanks for the trip down memory lane!! we were still talking about it last night. oh and double thumbs up for the espresso martinis!
Golden Night. We recently held our team function at Golden Monkey. Jaye and his friendly crew looked after us and the night was a huge success. Great atmosphere, excellent food and fabulous service. Nothing was too much trouble. A cool bar with a great attitude.
A cute little spot! Super .... A cute little spot!
Super friendly and helpful staff.
Great place to go hang for a few cocktails with a chilled out vibe
Mid week city meal. Mid week is best for a meal and some drinks.
You are Gold!!. Thank you Golden Monkey for making my Hens night such a memorable experience!! It was exactly what I wanted for my pre-wedding celebrations - cool, edgy, yet sophisticated. Jaye and the GM team were so accommodating, making our party of 12 feel very special. They created 2 personalised cocktails for the evening which were absolutely delicious. We loved ordering rounds of the Blushing Bride and Sonia's Veil :) The food was also amazing - and plentiful. The service, atmosphere and all round experience was fantastic and I got lots of positive feedback from my guests about the venue selection. It was my first time at Golden Monkey but it's now my fave Melbourne bar.
Great late nights. I always end up at the Golden Monkey when I am out and about on a night in the city, it is never a let down, the service is ever so efficient and the quality is never disappointing, a bit more personality in the place would not go astray but all and all it is a pleasant experience.
Great atmosphere awesome food in a cool setting will be a regular place to chill and enjoy life ^_^
Golden monkey is my all time favourite bar! Great atmosphere, great drinks, great live band every Thursday nights. If you like stevie wonder or Marvin gaye, here's the place to come and have a listen! Tapas is average but better then expected from any bar menu I've ever tasted.
Very cool place... Friendly staff set the scene for this Chinese-opium-den-grungesque underground bar and tapas venue. Drinks are a little bit pricey, but the service is excellent and the tapas dishes are delicious and good value! Definitely worth it for the unique feel of the venue too!
Great find. Wow what a great little place.. very cool.. just had drinks but we will be back!!
Everything you need. Errrm where to start. Rum anyone? There's a huge selection that could have you sitting back in a venue that oozes comfort and great service. I tried three of the most delicious rums then started to get a little hungry, almost sensing this the waiter headed over with menus ready and the tapas we ordered was delicious.
This is honestly the kind of venue that you will not want to leave, and when you don't, make sure you don't look at your card receipts negatively - it's worth it.
Beautiful idea!. Lovely place. Beautifully design, lovely music and quite fast to get drinks even for a packed house.
Went here for a friends birthday recently and had the back corner booked. The drinks came very fast and were perfectly mixed. Had a very good time with the good music which setup the environment for some very good catchup and socializing.
Thanks Golden Monkey!
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Brilliant!. I went on a Tuesday night (730-10pm) with a friend, so whilst I'm not sure what the place is like on a Fri-Sat night, on a Tuesday it was fantastic. Exactly the right amount of attention from the (extremely polite) waitresses, ordered about 8 of the tapas dishes at once and the waitress didn't even need to write it down, which I found pretty impressive. Lovely cucumber water on arrival into what really did seem like a 19th-Century Opium Den, a low-key jazz singer crooning away (but definitely not too loud for normal conversation to be had, definitely a plus as I hate having to shout!), and delicious food. The dishes were basically like ones you get in a Yum Cha meal, but made much, much more delicious. In particular, the mushroom-stuffed risotto balls, and the Shanghai Fries, were amazing. Only had one cocktail, a Mai Tai, which was well made, but it's the extent of their drinks menu that is really exciting. Description and origin of each liquor really helps when you want to try something new (I did, a Myer's Original Rum, which was delicious!). Have decided to bring more friends here, the service is amazing, the food is top-notch, and the bartender REALLY knows his stuff...... Absolutely brilliant place.
Great before the kids discovered it. For me, this was a Thursday night staple with the girls before it became too popular (and noisy) for words. Their cocktails, Asian-inspired small plates and leather couches are a winning combination; if it's not busy, it's a great place to be. The Shanghai fries will forever hold a place in my heart. (The last few serves took over an hour to get to us, that's all.)
Awsome vibe, sligtly akward eating dinner on a couch but atmosphere made up for it. Dumplings were yum!
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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