Unlike the name suggests, there are no monkeys living in Kao Nien-fu's (高念福) Monkey House. The only monkeys to be found there are the half-dozen plastic primates bedecked in space-age headgear that have been affixed to one of the tow-story joints' inner-walls.
Although Kao opened his inner-city beer house five years ago, at a time when the once-prevalent beverage imbibing establishments were fast going out of style, his Monkey House has done remarkably well.
Kao feels the main reason behind the joint's popularity is that, unlike many beer house, the Monkey House offers patrons a lot more than simply beer and snacks. "When we first opened the clientele was mainly youngsters in their late teens and early 20s with an appetite for ale," recalls Kao. "In order to attract a more-mature crowd we added wine to the drinks list, a do-it-yourself barbeque in the summer and hot-pot in the winter months."
Punters now not only get to sup on copious measures of draught beer - which comes served in five-liter faux beer barrels complete with tap - but are also able to choose from a choice of bar snacks or meals.
While the menu is packed with a good mix of local-style pub and gourmet grub, the drinks list is pretty sparse. Serving only San Miguel on tap, a couple of unremarkable German wines and all the usual spirits, the Monkey House in not a place for connoisseurs. It should be said that the Monkey Houses' most appealing feature is its' rooftop beer garden. Here customers can drink while enjoying the spectacle of Taipei traffic speeding about below.
Price are pretty competitive at the Monkey House. Beer costs from between NT$100 per glass to NT%750 for the whopping five-liter barrel.
The Monkey House is open Monday through Friday from 5:30pm until 3am and from between 11:30am through 3am on weekends. The hominoid joint is located at 1, Minsheng East Road, Section 2 (臺北市民生東路二段1號).
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