NYC Nightlife: Brass Monkey

By Tommy Leung on 01/05/2009 in Life

Brass Monkey is a neighborhood Irish bar with a mix of the up-scale Meatpacking District scene and a more down-to-earth locale. It is located on Little West 12th Street next to the West Side Highway. They have an extensive list of beers with over 75 imports. Their own brew isn’t bad either.

Brass Monkey has two floors with a full bar on both and an area for smokers. A friend of mine attempted to climb out of it, onto some fire escapes, and was promptly removed by the bouncers. He is still able to get in so I guess it wasn’t that bad. Apparently, there was a great view of the city from up there.

The staff is generally very friendly. I have seen a bartender kick a French guy and his friends out. I don’t know why and I didn’t bother trying to find out. I just ordered my drinks and returned to my friends. :)

The crowd is generally mixed with all sorts of people. The music is varied–rock, pop,  and hip-hop–with a larger space in the back that could be used for dancing. The DJ’s generally provide a good mix of the new and the old–I’ve never complained about the music at this place.

It isn’t a club so there’s no designated dancing area. People aren’t always getting their groove on and I have noticed that sometimes people are not really into the music–my friends and I are. Maybe they just need more drinks? Dancing isn’t out of character for this place so if you feel like it: do it. You’ll inspire everyone else.

They serve food here as well if you are feeling hungry. I have not had much of their food. I’ve only tried some of it once and don’t really remember much of it. I don’t recall that it was bad so, it must have been at least average.

I’ve been there mostly on Friday or Saturday nights so my experiences are skewed to those nights. They are the busiest nights in the city and it has been great so far. It has definitely become one of my favorite places in the Meatpacking District. I’m generally not amused by the high-prices of other places in the area–like $12 shots of tequila. I know NY is expensive but, $8 shots is about as much as I am willing to pay before I feel like a fool. We are also in bad economic times. :)

Brass Monkey is priced well and has a great environment. I definitely recommend this bar to those from out of town or country and New York natives like myself.

By Tommy Leung