Monkeyshines Bar & Grill

I stopped in here for a burger at the recommendation of one of my best friends, and a person I generally agree with on food. Have to say the Shines Burger was excellent. Perfectly cooked, great flavor, good bun. If I could name one complaint it was too saucy, but the sauce was great. Served with a pickle and chips by default, I have to say the price was certainly reasonable and both the pickle, which had a garlicy flavor which I liked, and the chips which were home made and seasoned well were great. Food came up quickly, which I appreciated since I was in a rush. Since I went for lunch I didn’t have any cocktails or a beer but it appears they have a solid selection of beverages, maybe not any wines but that wouldn’t be surprising for this type of place. Good selection of people there when I was, with an older retired group, a couple of working class guys across from me at the bar and a group of mid 20s guys hanging out having a few sitting at a table behind me. Seemed like everyone was well served and happy to be there.
One thing I noticed, there was a definite smell of stale cigarette smoke. Based on other reviews it seems like they have or used to have a smoking room connected. Didn’t bother me much, but it might bother some.

An odd bar. Sat at a table with 4 friends and we were largely ignored despite it being pretty empty. Average drinks, below-​average food, and weird atmosphere. Had an odd beach volleyball court outside that was pretty unkempt. We played volleyball for a while without anyone checking if we wanted a drink (well over an hour) and then just left. Spent over two hours there and only ordered one drink, would’ve ordered more if they had waitstaff checking on us.

Decided to try this place out. Sat at the bar and was flat out ignored by both bartenders even though it was pretty slow. Won’t be going back.

Really good greasy spoon breakfast on the weekends. Good prices. Nothing fancy, but sometimes that is just what you need on a weekend when you may be recovering from the night before.

Wow! Amazing Panko breaded cod. Cole slaw and fries with a teaser cheddar bay biscuit. Having been here before things are changing in the food and entertainment department. All for the better. Lent is a great time to try some great fish. I promise you a new and improved experience. If you love MARCH MADNESS you will be in for one very pleasant surprise.

Clientele is shady. It’s a really, really weird mix of people… good people watching, but don’t look too long!
I guess I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it’s consistent with this part of town. All I could think when I walked in was, «Huh?»
The bartenders are friendly. The drinks are cheap. I’m not sure if they serve food. Even if they did, I’m not sure what it would be or if I would try it.
It’s a little crazy when you walk in. Use you’re imagination friends… It looks like it used to be a strip club and there are volleyball courts outside. I really don’t get it. I’m sitting here writing this right now… and I don’t get it. One part pool hall… one part casino… one part strip club= worst shot you’ve ever had. Expect a hangover!
But, hey, why not give it a shot?!

Is this place a double insult?

Stopped at ms during a badger game. The staff was attentive and the beer selection was pretty good. The interior was plain and the place had zero energy. I cannot say it was bad, just not a place i want to revisit.

Sub par service and not the most inviting crowd. Let’s just say the beers are 3 bucks and they aren’t worth the money…

Monkeyshines is the way to end a night of bad decisions.

Monkey Shines is a smaller bar located off of PD in Fitchburg. They have two nice pool tables and offer a indoor smoking room for people that want to smoke. Beer Selection is pretty good and the staff is usually great. Great Place to stop by for a quick drink.

Not too busy on a Saturday late-​morning for breakfast and football. Breakfast portions are inexpensive and large. My farmer’s omelet had a sufficient amount of toppings, but was just ok. Friends had the bacon and said it was cooked very well.
The bloody mary was ok. Free jello shots when the Badgers score a touch down! Plenty of space for large parties. An ok place for a cheap breakfast, but don’t expect it to be quick. The service was slow and shotty at best.

Check this place out for an inexpensive lunch. Prices are good and portions are large. I especially enjoy their pork chops, mashed potatoes, green beans lunch special. It is served with a large slice of bread. Wait staff is friendly and food shows up quickly after ordering. The Taco salad is also a good choice.
Haven’t been there in the evenings so I can’t comment on drinks or the crowd atmosphere.

The food here was pretty standard bar food. The service was not good. Our waitress never came to check on us after we got our food. We had to come up to the bar for boxes. The cheese curds were good and cheap. It was the best thing we had.

I really wanted to like this place. They have outdoor volleyball nets which I always see driving around and it really looks like a fun place. Indoors has pool tables, arcade games, and TV sets. The atmosphere is nice for a bar and the place just seems very friendly.
Onto the food and drink… *sighs* Underwhelming. I had a bloody mary, my drink of choice. It was made to my specifications (kudos! because I’m fussy and have to have things done my way exactly!) but tasted slightly below average. My guess is that they use cheap ingredients. My companion had a gin and cola and there were no complaints there.
I ordered a chef salad. There’s a reason that it’s only five dollars and change. There’s almost no protein. I will admit that it was a very fresh and tasty salad but I’ve had side salads with more substance and character. You get about ½ oz. of shredded cheddar and maybe 1 oz. of mystery-​meat bits. Nothing else besides iceberg lettuce, tomato, and onion. NOT A MEAL! Chef salads are supposed to have hefty amounts of recognizable protein. They do have two low-​fat dressings which is nice. Most places have only one if you’re lucky. The salad came with a huge piece of buttered bread but nothing else.
My companion ordered a burger deluxe and chili. He said the burger was dry and lacking in flavor. Chili wasn’t that great either. ‘Edible’ is how he described it. You don’t get any sides with whatever you order. Everything is a la carte and very spartan. Most places make up for a lack of substance with plenty of filler food like fries or chips. The prices are extremely low but you’re not getting what you’re not paying for.
Service… Every interaction I had with the waitress/​bartender was good. She was knowledgable of the menu and answered my questions easily. The only problem was that, after our food arrived, she didn’t stop by once until after my companion went to the bar to ask for a glass of water. His glass had been empty for far too long. We went at noon. It wasn’t horribly busy but it wasn’t empty either. I would have had a much better impression of the service if that friendliness had been seen more frequently at my table.
Note: Now that WI is smoke-​free, they have a completely separate smoking room. You can smell hints of cigarette aroma but there is no smoke in the main bar.
Overall: Not bad but underwhelming in just about everything. It’s not a place to be avoided but I don’t see making special plans to go there.

Monkeyshines is small because of a big, u-​shaped bar and a large pool table. This isn’t a problem until it’s crowded, which it usually is. Add in 99% of the patrons smoking, and you’ve got an asthma attack coming. Gack!
Really, though, I’ve generally had an alright time there, so I don’t have a vendetta against it. I would never choose to go here, but I’ll go if others are going.