We had a group of 12 at Monarch Bar and overall, the ambiance was nice — upscale and stylish with a good vibe. The bartenders were clearly knowledgeable and passionate about their craft, which we appreciated. That said, the way they kept steering us toward different drinks made it feel like we didn’t know what we wanted. It wasn’t about upselling — just felt a bit pushy.
One issue we ran into was that someone in our group was told their ID was expired, even though it clearly listed 2027 as the expiration date. It created an awkward situation that could’ve been handled with more tact.
They also accidentally charged us for an extra drink, which I missed at the time — so that’s on me — but still something to keep an eye on. In addition, we noticed there was a built-in gratuity added to the bill, which wasn’t disclosed beforehand. While we understand it’s common for large groups, it would’ve been helpful to be told upfront.
The biggest issue was the seating. For a group of 12, the layout was inconvenient — we had to constantly stand up and move around to talk, often getting in the way of the bar.
Overall, Monarch has a beautiful space and skilled staff, but it’s not the most accommodating spot for larger groups — and a bit more transparency would’ve made the experience smoother.
Edit: The Monarch Bar team issued a refund for that extra drink and were extremely helpful throughout that process! Thank you!
Miguel Valdes
We had no issues with the service and the place is gorgeous, but our group 12 all left disappointed with our drinks. It felt like a lot of thought went in to the presentation of the drinks, but unfortunately the taste did not deliver for us.
N. Pirtle
Good place to start your nite with a expertly crafted drink by mixologists who actually know alot about the ingredients of each drink.
T Smith
Watch out for additional charges to the already overpriced drinks.
Erin Lockard
We celebrated my sister's wedding in the Monarch's private Parlor. The bar tender was amazing. He made us some excellent cocktails.
Delani Trausch
Great cocktail bar. Came here twice on our trip to KC. Quiet Wednesday night and louder busier Friday night. Both times drinks were great and atmosphere was fun.
Cole Ehmke
Went for cocktails at happy hour on a Thursday with friends -- I got the Jungle Bird and my friend got the mocktail version. The mocktail was much better! Service was good. Setting was refined. Getting to the bar from the parking garage was a trek down service corridors, around corners and through a patio.
Alyssa Guardado
I was extremely disappointed with my experience at Monarch Bar. I was denied entry simply because of my shoes, which seemed petty and unwarranted. It’s shocking that a bar would focus on such trivial issues rather than the overall atmosphere and customer experience. I expected better from a place that claims to be inclusive and welcoming. I won’t be coming back, and I encourage others to reconsider their choice.
Rare Rebel
Came here for The New Year event spent $400 on reservations that came with 1 free round of cocktails and your idea of food was a bowl of chips and pieces of a charcuterie board baby sized snacks (hard mini triangle shaped sandwiches with pimento cheese, hard bread served with a pork meatball, and hard bread with a block of cheese and 2 non-rinsed grapes.) What are we having snack time at the Boys & Girls Club?? Y'all may as well gave us peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with applesauce and a Koolaid Jammer. The manager Cameroon was rude, disingenuous, and unprofessional whenever we had a concern about the quality of our experience. Our tables had pre-poured glasses of water and the water had been sitting for about 10-20 minutes before we arrived. When we requested new water they were defensive and argumentative. The gratuity was $86 so we still left spending an extra $200 and the DJ was trash and begging for cashapps and cash payments to request a song. One of the women's restrooms was out of order. The place is supposed to be esteemed and high-end but I've had better drinks, food, and experience at Third Street Social. A WASTE OF MONEY. NOT WORTH THE PRICE AT ALL. Not DEMURE. The food was very chintzy.
This place although beautiful is severely overpriced! I had just 2 Vodka Crans were I was charged an extra $2 for Cranberry juice. On top of that, there was a charge for Gratuity plus another charge for paying with a card and not cash. To hide their price gouge they just give out non-itemized receipts. No way I’m going back to that place
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 2
Nate
Great service. Magnificent ambience. Exquisite cocktails. I definitely recommend, especially for anyone looking for a good cocktail, especially after eating at or shopping at the plaza.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Mary Fuqua
Our server was not friendly and service was poor especially for the price of food and drinks. Will not go back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 1
Barbara Gruenenfelder
Nice ambiance and great location. Drinks were good. Food was good. Service was good (except talking to manager) Bring cash! Because there is a significant charge to use a card. (We were not told that and we got 2 charges for that!) Be careful with the tip-automatically set to 25%. If you’re happy with that then it’s all good. We likely will not go back as there are other places that offer a better experience for us!
Thanks for helping make my birthday special.
We had a group of 12 at Monarch Bar and overall, the ambiance was nice — upscale and stylish with a good vibe. The bartenders were clearly knowledgeable and passionate about their craft, which we appreciated. That said, the way they kept steering us toward different drinks made it feel like we didn’t know what we wanted. It wasn’t about upselling — just felt a bit pushy.
One issue we ran into was that someone in our group was told their ID was expired, even though it clearly listed 2027 as the expiration date. It created an awkward situation that could’ve been handled with more tact.
They also accidentally charged us for an extra drink, which I missed at the time — so that’s on me — but still something to keep an eye on. In addition, we noticed there was a built-in gratuity added to the bill, which wasn’t disclosed beforehand. While we understand it’s common for large groups, it would’ve been helpful to be told upfront.
The biggest issue was the seating. For a group of 12, the layout was inconvenient — we had to constantly stand up and move around to talk, often getting in the way of the bar.
Overall, Monarch has a beautiful space and skilled staff, but it’s not the most accommodating spot for larger groups — and a bit more transparency would’ve made the experience smoother.
Edit: The Monarch Bar team issued a refund for that extra drink and were extremely helpful throughout that process! Thank you!
We had no issues with the service and the place is gorgeous, but our group 12 all left disappointed with our drinks. It felt like a lot of thought went in to the presentation of the drinks, but unfortunately the taste did not deliver for us.
Good place to start your nite with a expertly crafted drink by mixologists who actually know alot about the ingredients of each drink.
Watch out for additional charges to the already overpriced drinks.
We celebrated my sister's wedding in the Monarch's private Parlor. The bar tender was amazing. He made us some excellent cocktails.
Great cocktail bar. Came here twice on our trip to KC. Quiet Wednesday night and louder busier Friday night. Both times drinks were great and atmosphere was fun.
Went for cocktails at happy hour on a Thursday with friends -- I got the Jungle Bird and my friend got the mocktail version. The mocktail was much better! Service was good. Setting was refined. Getting to the bar from the parking garage was a trek down service corridors, around corners and through a patio.
I was extremely disappointed with my experience at Monarch Bar. I was denied entry simply because of my shoes, which seemed petty and unwarranted. It’s shocking that a bar would focus on such trivial issues rather than the overall atmosphere and customer experience. I expected better from a place that claims to be inclusive and welcoming. I won’t be coming back, and I encourage others to reconsider their choice.
Came here for The New Year event spent $400 on reservations that came with 1 free round of cocktails and your idea of food was a bowl of chips and pieces of a charcuterie board baby sized snacks (hard mini triangle shaped sandwiches with pimento cheese, hard bread served with a pork meatball, and hard bread with a block of cheese and 2 non-rinsed grapes.) What are we having snack time at the Boys & Girls Club?? Y'all may as well gave us peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with applesauce and a Koolaid Jammer. The manager Cameroon was rude, disingenuous, and unprofessional whenever we had a concern about the quality of our experience. Our tables had pre-poured glasses of water and the water had been sitting for about 10-20 minutes before we arrived. When we requested new water they were defensive and argumentative. The gratuity was $86 so we still left spending an extra $200 and the DJ was trash and begging for cashapps and cash payments to request a song. One of the women's restrooms was out of order. The place is supposed to be esteemed and high-end but I've had better drinks, food, and experience at Third Street Social. A WASTE OF MONEY. NOT WORTH THE PRICE AT ALL. Not DEMURE. The food was very chintzy.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 1
Restaurantji Recommends
This place although beautiful is severely overpriced! I had just 2 Vodka Crans were I was charged an extra $2 for Cranberry juice. On top of that, there was a charge for Gratuity plus another charge for paying with a card and not cash. To hide their price gouge they just give out non-itemized receipts. No way I’m going back to that place
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 2
Great service. Magnificent ambience. Exquisite cocktails. I definitely recommend, especially for anyone looking for a good cocktail, especially after eating at or shopping at the plaza.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Our server was not friendly and service was poor especially for the price of food and drinks. Will not go back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 1
Nice ambiance and great location. Drinks were good. Food was good. Service was good (except talking to manager)
Bring cash! Because there is a significant charge to use a card. (We were not told that and we got 2 charges for that!) Be careful with the tip-automatically set to 25%. If you’re happy with that then it’s all good. We likely will not go back as there are other places that offer a better experience for us!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Very cool bar and great drinks
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
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