Monkey Thief

“Brunch at Monkey Thief did not come to play. The space is small and cozy, but the design is beautiful and gives off Southeast Asian vibes that really set the tone. The food was packed with flavor and felt like a fun twist on brunch favorites. Everything we ordered hit the spot, especially the creativity behind each dish. That said, the lamb burger could've been better for the price. At $21, the patty was a lot smaller than expected, and there was more bun than burger. It looked great but just didn't deliver on portion. Also, one of our dishes didn't make it to the kitchen due to a mix-up, but we were fine skipping it and still left full and satisfied. It's the kind of spot that feels like a hidden gem. I'd definitely come back next time I'm visiting.”

“This trendy spot offers a brief menu from raw bar to fried chicken. In line with their positioning as a cocktail bar, it is a rather loud space. So I wouldn't recommend for a quiet meal. However, if you don't mind the buzz the food is absolutely delicious. Given the menu is largely small plates, we had an assortment of dishes and enjoyed every single one of them. The Beef Koi was very good. Diced and in a spicy sauce, it was a unique plating that packed a good spice. The mash up of flavors in the croquettes was impressive. Delicious cheesiness while also a mix of flavors from the chutneys. The calamari was a big hit. Not your typical calamari at all, this was proper pieces that had been lightly breaded and dashed with seasoning. The sauce it came with added a kick. Definitely worth trying. We also had the Chicken Satay, Dumplings and Chicken Bao. The chicken skewer was tender with a pretty standard peanut sauce, the dumplings packed a lot of flavor in their filling and the Chicken Bao had such good chicken on it, we ended up adding the Fried Chicken to our order. And that was perhaps the best plate of all. This bowl of boneless fried chicken, we ordered the large, was filled with taste. The chicken was juicy and tender and the breading had a little spice to it with cumin and a mix of others. This is the dish not to miss served along side of a cucumber salad. From a drink perspective, we tried an assortment and you really can't go wrong. An upside for a crafted cocktail space, they were quite swift. We had two rounds and at no point did it seem like we were waiting long for drinks. The wait staff was also very quick to clear empty plates and bring water which was helpful given we ordered so much. Helpful reviews? Check us out on IG @jjluxtravel”

“Stopped in on a busy night hoping they could squeeze us in for a table and fortunately they could! The atmosphere was very chill and there was vibrant conversation at the tables, but not so loud we couldn't chat amongst ourselves. The tables were small, parties larger than 2 or 4 may struggle walking in and getting a table easily. Great drink menu with a good variety of unique hand crafted cocktails. Food was delicious and there were quite a few dish options. The waitstaff gave us great advice on what to order and how to choose between cocktails and dishes. We came back for brunch on a different day and the menu was a bit more limited, but still delicious. My only negative feedback was we felt a bit "nickeled and dimed" when we needed additional sauce for a dish when we ran out - they charged us for the additional (which was less than a tablespoon portion size). We had spent plenty on other food and multiple cocktails, so it would have been nice if they "threw it in" without the extra charge. We plan to come back and bring friends the next time we're in NYC.”