The Monkey’s Tale

Huge pour of wine. Karaōke. Pickles! What else could you want from a bar. :-) this out of towner votes a big yes and high five.

The very best place I’ve ever been for karaōke in Indianapolis! The venue was once a home so it has a comfortable charm. I love the paned window in the former front room where karaōke happens. There is a cover charge, 3 – 5 bucks. I’ve been here a couple times and there are some awesome regulars that add to the fun of this place. It is loud, and that probably doesn’t come as a surprise to anyone, just saying.

Holy Karaōke!
I should probably preface this by saying that I ADORE karaōke. I don’t know another activity that’s as entetaining, amusing, and freeing as this.
I visited the Monkey’s Tale on a whim with a friend. My only regret is that I haven’t visited sooner. The Monkey’s Tale is like your college BFF’s super cool basement mixed with the bar from Cheers. You walk in feeling like everybody knows your name, and if they don’t they will by the end of the night.
Tucked just off the strip in Broad Ripple, the bar is conveniently located right on Westfield. If you’ve ever visited The Red Rooom, Corner Wine Bar, or Brugge, chances are you’ve walked right past it. The Monkey’s Tale is clean with cheap drinks and friendly patrons. If you’re looking for a super casual place where you can just be yourself and have the chance to belt out the best of Bruce Springsteen at the top of your lungs, this is it!

Went here for karaōke and it was amazing!!! I can’t vouch for the everyday ambience of the place, but I have totally found my new fav karaōke spot. There was such a fun mix of singers and songs — from jazz and broadway to rap! The best part is that you don’t have to worry about picking a song from an outdated book — just tell the karaōke gods what you’d like to sing and it’s all yours my friend. Service was a tad slow but drinks were good and reasonably priced. Next time you get a hankerin’ for some karaōke action, saunter on down to the Monkey’s Tale! I’ll be there!

Fun place, kind of sketchy, but gotta love the karaōke. They also have a very clean bathroom.

Nice setup, nice patronage. I went for karaōke randomly with some frields and was surprised how welcoming and diverse it was. I wasn’t aware there was a cover at the door, but it was only $ 3. The only downside was the bathroom, which had recently housed a too-​drunk girl and the result was all over the toilet.

Unfortunately, not worth the high $ 5 cover on a Saturday night. It was passed midnight and still no karaōke. The staff was nice and attentive, but the crowd was rude. Pretty annoying actually. I don’t think I intend to go back.

Can’t wait to give this a go in the summer!
We were here for an ugly sweater party so the whole bar was ours for about 3 hours and they even were willing to give us some special deals since it was a private party. I loved the vibe with the small stage feel on one half and your traditional little bar scene on the other side. The bartender was great and very attentive to everyone around. I would like to give the patio a swing, so you can catch me here once this crazy Indiana weather simmers down!

We had our company party here last night, and I can tell you that it is the BEST place to have a holiday party. They opened the bar for our staff, and we had the whole place to ourselves from 6 – 9. We had food catered in, and the venue itself was free! The bar manager, Curtis, was excellent and friendly, and the owner and another guy working there were awesome as well! We had a great time dancing and will for sure have parties here from now on. Thank you Monkey’s Tale for being so awesome and hospitable! Next year, maybe we can bust out the karaōke! :-)

Sometimes it’s packed and there’s a good band and a fun vibe– other times it’s a lot of really drunk people trying to look cool and more empty. When the live music is going & drink specials are on– it’s the time to be here. I do appreciate that this is one of the less pretentious bars on the strip– being on the back side of the drag helps.

By far one of my favorite bars off the main strip. I get to enjoy karaōke almost every night of the week if I want it. I also don’t have to deal with the typical frat boys when I go there. It’s a much more relaxed atmosphere. It has become my home away from home.

So, first outing in Indy since I moved here. I fell in love! This bar opened it’s arms, and so did all of the patrons! Friendly environment, great prices, great entertainment! There is something to do here almost EVERY night if the week. My favorite, however, is Tuesday night, Monkey Idol. Cash prize karaōke! Best place in Broad Ripple, by far!

This is sincerely one of the best bars in Broadripple, if not in Indy. It always has music to offer patrons, be it karaōke or live, and accommodates every kind of demographic as far as customer. You can hear hard rock, r&b, country, classic rock, pop, and everything else. The bar staff is fun and the drinks are strong and prices can definitely compete with the other bars. There is rarely a cover, and if there is it is always reasonable. The bathrooms are always clean, and the patio is huge. This bar is a fantastic place to spend the entire evening, not just to pop into. I am without question a fan.

Be careful about sitting outside if there is a band playing. Especially a rock band. The music was turned up so loud that you couldn’t talk to the person right next to you. The bartenders inside were extremely nice though. They made sure you were served promptly and not waiting for more than 3 – 4 mins. I wish they would take away some of the tables during the peak evening hours. It got a little crowded in the front room inside.

2^nd stop on the Broad Ripple pub crawl
$ 5 cover for what? A mediocre cover band and overpriced drinks with a bipolar interior that would make Two-​Face blush?
At least the drinks are nice and stiff. And that fire pit in front (back?) makes for a nice cozy spot to chill.
This train ain’t stoppin’…

Pretty nice place. It’s not a typical broad ripple bar it’s off the main strip. It’s a cool place to go on a night when u are trying to avoid the college crowd.

Didn’t expect live music (were in from out of town) but walked into some surprisingly good live blues tunes. Immediately felt like we were in the right place! 2 beers on draft, both local. I’m such a sucker for local :) The bouncer was very nice to let my girlfriend and I both in for $ 5 when it was supposed to be $ 5/​person. He also got a kiss on the cheek for that!

Somehow in all my years of drunken stupor in my 20s I somehow COMPLETELY avoided this bar. Like… I’m pretty sure I never even turned down the street it was on even if I heard the sound checks from Guilford… And I still don’t think I missed out that much. It’s OK. It’s definitely a different Broadripple experience. And I’m sure every weekend depends on the band that is playing. Last night it was an AC/​DC tribute band. They were true rockers who have definitely been stoned since the 60s. It was a good option for a crowd who isn’t all about dancing in the «clubs» until 3 AM.
I do think they suffer from a bit of an identity crisis. Inside has a trendy feel and when I went in to use the bathroom (which is only one person at a time just in case you were wondering) they were playing club music near a small dance floor. I was corn-​fused. They seem so chill/​relaxed on the outside, but then they want you to get down to it while you are inside… weird. I would have preferred the outside vibe inside as well. We may have moved in and stayed longer. But we didn’t.

I came here on STPD with some friends to enjoy live music. We sat outside and enjoyed some good tunes and even better beer.
One thing to keep in mind: no one was servicing the outdoor seating area, so when we wanted drinks, we had to get up and go inside and order them from the bar. Not such a bad thing seeing as how we had been drinking all day and could afford to burn a few calories!
All in all: good beer selection and live music outdoors? You have my vote! I will definitely be back!

if you visiting Indy, you have a few options: the backyard BBQ and pool party, the downtown scene, or the college-​bar-​esque atmosphere that is Broad Ripple.*
Monkey’s Tale is right in the middle, has great karaōke outside, a huge deck area, cheap drinks (on par for Indy but for those of us accustomed to LA, NYC, SF, and/​or Miami, you wouldn’t be surprised to hear that it had one friend HUGGING a waitress thinking she’d significantly discounted our tab)
The clientele are pretty solid, so much so that one turned out to be a bartender at a place nearby which resulted in a lock-​in and lots of complimentary drinks.
Would I go back? Absolutely.
*note: many locals will slur «broad ripple» (two words) into one gelatinous multisyllabic blurb that almost sounds like the name of a terrible strip club, but it’s two words and in fact a rather innocent sounding Midwestern-​type name.