The Monarch

Stillwater has its fair share of lively bars and honkytonks, and they certainly have their place, sometimes you just want a loud crowd, cheap beer, and a little chaos. But when you're in the mood for something more refined, something with a bit of elegance and a touch of class, The Monarch is the answer.The cocktails are nothing short of an art form. This is not the kind of place where drinks are hurriedly thrown together by a frazzled college kid. Every cocktail is meticulously crafted, each ingredient carefully measured, each garnish placed with intention. The smoked old fashioned is a performance in itself, with the wood set ablaze right before your eyes, infusing the drink with deep, rich complexity. Other cocktails feature touches like earl gray syrup and tobacco bitters, flavors that are bold and sophisticated, mixed with precision by bartenders who clearly take pride in their craft.The food is just as refined without being pretentious. Every plate is a balance of flavors, and a testament to quality ingredients and thoughtful preparation. This is not bar food. You will not find cheese fries here. This is the kind of dining experience that elevates an evening, perfectly complementing the artistry of the drinks.And the service? Impeccable. The staff knows their stuff, treating every guest with warmth and professionalism without being overbearing. It's the kind of place where you feel welcome the moment you walk in the door. Time slips away inside the Monarch. Stillwater has its fair share of lively spots, and those have their place. But The Monarch is different. It is a place to sit back, sip something remarkable, and enjoy an atmosphere of pure class. It would not be out of place in London or New York, yet here it is, a gem in the middle of Oklahoma. We are incredibly lucky to have it..

The Monarch has an old school lounge feel, and our server was very attentive. Happy hour drinks are a great deal here! We ordered the mushroom crostini as our appetizer which was good, but the cocktails stole the show. We both had the smoked old fashioned which was amazing. They use Woodford Reserve and don't skimp on the alcohol. I had a passion fruit drink that comes with a shot of champagne as my second drink. It was a tad sweet but quite delicious. My husband had the Fancy Freedom with Templeton Rye, which was also very good.Will be back for happy hour to try the other cocktails.

Omg. Fantastic. Best cocktails I've ever had. Legit wow. I forgot I was in Stillwater. Tony is the man you want to make your drinks!

We went to The Monarch tonight and it was a fantastic experience. Everyone around us was raving about the food and the atmosphere. We had the charcuterie board which included Sage Derby Cheese (love it), smoked Gouda, salami, apple compote and more. It was a generous size for the price. We also had the Red Snapper with risotto. The risotto was perfect and the snapper was a definite entree to order again. The atmosphere is elegant and upscale. The staff was very friendly, the service was excellent, and the cocktails were on point. This is a fantastic addition to Stillwater! We look forward to many more great evenings at The Monarch!

The ambiance was great but that was where it ended. The service was so so and the scallops were cold.

Horrible service !!! Terrible dining experience. Very average foodReservations were at 4:15 and we were ready to order immediately . Waitress kept saying cook was late but was about to walk in the door . Cook didnt show up until 5:45Meal came at 6:15 after waiting two hours. The manager took off a measly 20. Off a 150. bill . We couldn't get out of this place quick enough. We will never return.

Food, service and drinks were all excellent. Great cocktail menu. Server wasvery knowledgeable and personable. Ambience like nothing else in town. A great new addition.

The server was nice and gave good effort. The decor was partly upscale. Food was not good. Our appetizer of breaded shrimp was 3 burned shrimp. They forgot my glass of wine. My Waldorf salad only had grapes, no apples and minimal pecans. So disappointed. Over priced for what was served. The patrons next to us did not like their food either. The menu was interesting, and not in a good way.

I have put off writing this review since we started going when they first opened. The first handful of times were great. The vibes were super fun and sophisticated yet warm and welcoming . The service was great and the bartender was so fun and always made special drinks for us. We had been going twice a month until the menu hadn't changed and we were needing a change. The past two months we have gone twice and have had less than stellar experiences both times. I have not seen any of the staff that were there when we first started going, which is sad because it's just not the same. I have recommended this place to many of my friends and bosses. When you recommend a restaurant of this scale to someone they are expecting great service and great quality food, neither of which have been achieved when these recommended people went to dine here. The most recent time we went was for lunch which was new, normally they are only open for dinner. When upon arrival we were the only people there and there was only two menu items available. We were told there was a new chef. It then took 1 hour and 45 minutes for them to make one sandwich. The bartender was polite and kept the conversation going which was nice but waiting that long for a sandwich was disappointing. After this visit we will not be returning.I do still dream about the mushroom crostini but wasn't able to get it the last two times. If you brave the storm going here do yourself and order the mushroom crostini!!

Limited menu, zero changes to menu, tasteless food, cold food, terrible service, screwed up order, over billed, cold, cold room, no salt nor pepper, and no waiter to bring it, no ambiance, we were abandoned in an icebox