Monarch

Great music, craft beer on tap, cool atmosphere. Best place in town for live music from around the country, plus great local djs spinning everything from Motown to psych rock to funk

Very awkward bathrooms, the owner is super rude. Bartenders are really nice though. If you like weak drinks this is the place for you!

This review may appear to be somewhat biased since I know 90% of the staff personally, but honestly, the place is great.
I am a huge music fan and this place is ideal for live, intimate shows. Oh and get this, the shows are always free! Well actually, I may have paid a $ 3.00 cover ONCE.
The crowds are different each time, but most of us regulars are always there which makes it feel like hanging out at a friend’s house. The bartenders are all cool dudes who know tons of stuff about music… so even when a band isn’t playing, the songs and atmosphere remain killer.
The place was once a small home I believe, which makes it nice and cozy. There are several nooks to get comfortable in inside and a decent patio outside to enjoy comfortable weather. I also love all the personalized items that decorate the joint… there’s so much to enjoy here, really.
I didn’t give the place 5 stars only because the women’s restroom can be somewhat of a fuss and because I think they can improve on their drink selection. Other than that, this place rules!

I really enjoyed the ambiance and it seems like there is always people on any given day of the week. The drinks seemed to be reasonably priced. Really enjoyed it and will be back often (mostly given the fact that I am walking distance)!

Bartender was unfriendly and gave no eye contact. The beer was somewhat cold but I could tell it was kind of old by the taste. I love Guinness so much, I could handle old beer but it was so old, it left a kind of slimy bitter after taste from hell! The music is boring and there really isn’t a crowd here. More like a few people and I can see why. The people who do come here range from the somewhat friendly to altogether douchy. They will gawk at you and laugh if you dress gothic! This place pretty much sucks! Not worth it for the overpriced old and stale beer. Stay away from this horrendous place!

I’ve been to monarch twice now. Its a unique bar in El Paso (similar to Boomtown which just opened) in that its a modified house. My most recent visit was on a Monday night. I had heard they did karaōke there and wanted to check it out. For a Monday night at 9pm there was a decent amount of people there. My experience in el paso is that Monday-​Tuesday night is dead everywhere (hoppy monk and hope and anchor being the two places that seem the steadiest). There is a tiny outdoor patio immediately outside the front door and that’s where most people tend to gravitate I’ve noticed. When you walk inside the bar is immediately on your left. On your right is a larger room which they seem to use for bands and presumably karaōke (they didn’t have karaōke). If you keep going straight as you enter you will promptly hit stairs leading up to another room that has a couple chairs and an old school tv mini tv playing static (kinda weird). Monarch has a very interesting atmosphere and is cool in that it comfortably hosts a diverse group of people: lawyers, hipsters, students, rockers, and a meteorologist (that was random) all popped in while I was there.
The drinks were standard fare but the bartender made the drinks decently strong (they won’t knock you on your ass but you won’t complain about it being too weak). Monarch is the kind of bar that you might hit when heading back from downtown. Or if you just want to chill and talk with friends. It was annoying that the bands didn’t start till 1130. I guess I’m an old man but Im not waiting till 1130 on a Monday for the bands to start. The bartender said they still do karaōke but it doesn’t seem to be a consistent thing.

Bad service, warm beer. Small beer and liquor selection.

Been here a couple of times and still had an unsatisfying experience. The main problem i have with monarch is that the beers whether on tap or bottled are always borderline warm. Which for a beer is unacceptable. The place itself is very unique looking with vintage furniture like couches, tables, and decorations. Recently though they’ve had the doors and windows open but it simply isn’t enough to keep the heat out. More people are using the patio area which is really nice. One thing that surprised me is how lit the patio area is. The service is ok i always have my girl friends order for me since only women and close friends of the bartender seem to get their attention. Their mix drinks are really good though made with quality stuff like most of their featured cocktails are. Definitely come here for the mixed drinks. I love that this place is in a pretty random area of El Paso where there aren’t a lot of bars around so the people who come here are part of the community and are here often. There hasn’t been a time when i don’t see someone i know here. Really chill bar.

It’s been a long time since I’ve been here… years, in fact. The last time I was here it was Club Dedo. It’s still the same, dark, cozy interior… the place seasoned with years of steady bar-​goers. If the walls (and couches) here could talk, they would keep one entertained for hours and probably make you blush a few times. Yes, this place has some history to it.
It hasn’t changed much, except for the name. It’s a very chill place to hang out. There is nice selection of beer on tap and a full bar. There is an enclosed outside seating area, good for those warm summer nights where one might want to enjoy a smoke with their drink, or just enjoy the breeze and the stars. There is even a bar seating area just outside the bar, so you can order/​drink/​smoke without missing out on any interactions/​music inside the bar. Very cool alternative and 80’s music. This evening was Karaōke Monday… just pick a song and mess it up as badly as you possibly can!
The drinks here are very reasonably priced and it’s as unpretentious as the rest of El Paso. Come here if you wanna have a good time, relax and kick back without judgement.
And now, for another white russian…

Monarch is by far one of my favorite bars to go to. I wouldn’t call it a dive bar cause most dives that I know of don’t sell the craft beers that they have. Some bars aren’t for some people. I wouldn’t go to little bit of Texas and give them a crap review cause it’s not my scene. Anyways, the pints are perfectly price and the music is always on point! And if they have a food truck in the parking lot… talk about a perfect combo! Perfect place for a Sunday fun day!

This place is not for everyone! However, The staff is awesome! The service is great and the owners are great people! If you are looking for a place with a long list of wine then this is not for you. This is your hole-​in-​a-​wall bar with awesome music, great beer, chill time and to be with friends and enjoy no matter what! Love it! Respect it!
It might not be a classy joint but hey! We all need a bit of El Paso and El Paso has a lot to offer. especially when it comes to MNRK!!!

My opinion about this establishment has not changed one bit. With exception that if I could give zero stars I would.
Their expectation for a review is far beyond reality. Rather than take constructive criticism which is what a review is meant to be and improve their business, they choose to put those reviewers on blast for giving a negative rating on Facebook.
So I suppose beware if you don’t end up liking the place, because your review will be plastered throughout Facebook, giving other the opportunity to post vulgar, trashy comments.
Monarch– you are such a professional establishment, you demonstrate class and professionalism.

A small, comfortable bar that makes you feel right at home because it literally looks like a little house on the inside. They have a decent beer selection, and relaxed environment. It’s a lot different than other bars I have gone to. I truly enjoyed it and plan to go again.

If you feel like being on a horrible acid trip without actually dropping acid, come here. The music playing on the patio was… interesting.

Perfect dive bar. Good beer is cheap and plentiful. Lots is space inside as well as a massive smoker friendly patio for those wonderful desert nights. Just north of downtown on Mesa street.

Monarch takes life seriously. It’s a bar and I love it. A bar where I can chit-​chat whilst drinking some variation of a mixed drink, typically Vodka and Sprite (don’t you ever utter the words Vodka Water to me, lest you be struck down by the Vodka Gods for ruining the perfect form of clear liquor… heck, even the general Drink Gods may be a little ticked off because when’s the last time you heard someone order a Coke Water?).
Like I said though, they take life serious… if you’re not a regular and only partake in the laid back environment that is Monarch once in a blue moon, you will be carded so don’t forget your ID in the car because you will look like a teeny-​bopper when they request it (yes, this happened to me on the last trip). In the past year, there’s maybe three instances when I had to whip out my ID before entering a bar. The last being the trip to Monarch I’m talking about, the second was my last trip entering Hope & Anchor (although they always seem to card as a younger crowd is usually here), and the first time was when I almost ripped a door off it’s hinges at Pint & Peanut trying to make my way to the restroom (not an exaggeration… a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do).
Monarch is very dark and one of the few places I have to really consider what I’m wearing before going because I always feel like everyone there has impeccable fashion sense. A lack of fashion sense isn’t frowned upon here, don’t worry… but I always see a lot of brands and designers that I recognize and occasionally items that appear to be vintage or handmade. And some people just wear polos.
I can’t positively tell you what prices are like on drinks here, but I think it’s safe to assume they’re about average for El Paso as I never see anyone counting their pennies. Full bar? Yes and no. Technically they do have a full bar, but they don’t carry every main stream drink. You’re either looking at top shelf or bottom shelf. There’s no inbetweens where I usually comfortably order from, simply because that’s usually where the girly sh*t lies.
My last trip here was with Albert K and after we picked up some grub from the San Galo Sausage cart. I think it was his first time and I can’t speak on his opinions, but he was hesitant to sit back for about an hour at Monarch and that’s saying something because I don’t think he’s the kind of guy that you can force to do something that he doesn’t want to. The only thing that cut our trip off abruptly was the fact that we were sitting next to a speaker and out of nowhere it got ridiculously loud. I think they should reconsider the seating arrangement or at least the speaker arrangement because as I was sitting in the black lips chair, for a split second, I thought my hearing had given out as I could no longer hear what anyone was saying. Other than that though, nice place to chill and catch up with friends.

Nice little bar to chill out and see some live music. I was there all night yesterday, I had a blast. There was a pretty cool band and lots of nice chill people. Drink prices are reasonable. They have guiness on tap. Totally worth checking this place out. It’s kinda like a better version of club detto