The Funky Monkey

Brandon was absolutely AMAZING! Not only is he adorable and funny, but by far made the best expresso martini I have had in Mt.Dora. He was very attentive and knowledgeable about the drinks and made a delicious pineapple upside down martini too. I let him surprise me with a shot of his choice that was incredible too! I highly recommend coming here.

Stopped in on a Friday night with a friend. The bar was full so we opted for a high top. We ordered the beef empanadas and birria egg rolls to share. Both were really good. The empanadas were stuffed with beef filling and served with a horseradish sauce. The egg rolls were my favorite. The filling was juicy and delicious. I had an old fashion with chocolate bitters that was also really enjoyable. Staff were super attentive. Our server checked on us every time she walked by. The atmosphere was very moody and dark. This would be a great place for a date night. There was a really good singer/guitarist playing that we really enjoyed too. I'd definitely go back next time I'm in town.

This has to be one of the worst experiences I've had. My friend and I, who don't get to hang out often decided to have a girls night in downtown Mount Dora. My friend is a Mount Dora local so she recognized a lot of people at Funky Monkey. We arrived at approximately 10:15pm and were immediately approached by Josiah. We had a bottle of pellegrino which was purchased at Handle Bar just prior. He told us last call had passed but we were welcome to "sit and chill". I asked why is last call so early and he said due to the Art show tomorrow, they'll be there till 3am getting ready so they decided to stop serving. We said ok and sat at a table. A few minutes later, he approached my friend and I and said he could get us two drinks on the house. I said how, you said it was already last call and he said he could take care of it. After delivering our drinks, a couple sat next to us and I overheard them ordering drinks from another server. I brought this up to Josiah and he said they decided to open the bar back up. A little while later we left, with all of our stuff and were taking photos in the big mirror upstairs.Josiah came out and joked around with us about taking photos and went back in. We then walked downstairs and left the building.We were crossing an intersection when we heard yelling, turned around and it was Josiah. He said "you're just going to leave and not pay". I looked at him confused and said to him "you told us they were on the house because the bar was closed". He gas lighted us, by saying he never said that, and then accused us of walking out on our tab at Handlebar. In shock, I brought up my bank account and showed him the charge from Handlebar, but he continued to accuse us of walking out on Handlebar still, in the middle of the street with people all around us. He also upcharged both drinks, ringing them in with Tito's, which was never discussed nor asked for. I run a social media page, which Funky Monkey follows or now maybe followed me on. I posted a story on instagram explaining what happened and instead of an apology the owner asked me to take my story down and we could discuss the situation in the morning. I did not.I don't know if this something he regularly does to females, but I caution anyone who visits here stay vigilant.

My boyfriend and I visited Funky Monkey on January 19, 2025, for an afternoon date, excited to try something new, but unfortunately, the experience left us pretty disappointed. We ordered the Bao Buns (appetizer), Spicy Miso and Curry Chicken Ramen (entrees), and, based on the waiter's recommendation, the apple turnovers ($11 on the menu). While the ramen dishes and Bao Buns were good enough, the apple turnovers were a huge letdown.They were very tiny--about 1 1/2 inches--and had a really hard crust with canned apple chunks for filling. It was unpleasant to bite into such a hard exterior and the flavor just wasn't there. We were very surprised as this didn't match what was advertised on Yelp either. We barely got through half of one before leaving the rest untouched.When it was time to pay, I handed my card to the waiter and mentioned my disappointment with the turnovers and informed him we weren't going to eat them/could they take them back, but upon asking for the receipt realized I was still charged for them. When I asked why, the waiter said, "We can't keep comping things that people don't like; we didn't do anything wrong, you just didn't like it." It was a really dismissive response, and I felt like my concerns were brushed aside.On top of that, I noticed after paying that they had already added a tip to the bill without informing me. Not realizing this, I tipped another 22% on top of it. It felt really sneaky, and I wish this had been communicated upfront. When I asked to speak to a manager, a woman came over from the bar, hands on her hips, and started the conversation with, "What's the problem?" That threw me off completely. I calmly explained my concerns, and she mentioned they had just had a meeting about situations like this. I asked if this was happening a lot, and she said it wasn't--it was just for new hires. Despite this, her tone was dismissive, and she went on to say, "If you didn't like the empanadas, you shouldn't have ordered them. We're a small business, so you can't expect us to comp people just because they don't like something." "We didn't make a mistake." I was stunned. This attitude was not only unprofessional but made me feel like my feedback wasn't valued at all. Even though we enjoyed the cocktails, appetizers, and entrees, the rudeness from both the waiter and manager, combined with the tip issue, ruined what should've been a nice afternoon date.We spent over $100 on lunch, but after this experience, I can't see us coming back. It's frustrating because we love supporting local businesses but in this case made to feel completely dismissed and unwelcome. If you're considering Funky Monkey, I'd think twice about whether it's worth spending your money at a place that doesn't seem to care about their customers.

1/8/2025 Starting the year at The Funky Monkey with my Yelp Orlando bestie Phylicia. We came here Wednesday night for some tapas and conversation. We did not order any drinks during this visit but it was Whiskey Wednesday. We ordered the beef empanadas with chimichurri, the Chicken Bao Buns and the Birria Egg Rolls. The egg rolls were our favorite of the three and my recommendation if you go. They offer much more, especially ramen.Will definitely come back. The service by Josiah was excellent. We felt welcomed. He made some great recommendations.The restaurant is very cozy, dark. The bar looked super cool but it was a bit packed. I usually like sitting in the bar. The decor was....you guessed it, monkey inspired.Can't wait to bring my husband and friends here.

We happened upon this place in Mount Dora. It has a great vibe, great bar service by Stormy, and great food. We had the Hoisin Ribs and Pork Gyoza. Both were delicious. We ate them so fast that I didn't get an opportunity to take a photo. We will definitely be back.

Great service at the bar, great drinks, wonderful Baos and Wings.... Would definitely revisit and already have plans to!!

The service and atmosphere was great. The food was reasonably good. My friend and I wanted to go out and found this place. Server was attentive but didn't disturb us too much which is how I like my dining experience.

these bar tenders rock!!!So much fun!Vlad rocks!!!!!!!So much fun!!!!!!!Will come back again.

Wandered in on a Friday afternoon. Great bourbon and tequila. Received the best service. Thank you Beth!!!!