Disappointing experience. Food was ok but average. Drinks dropped and someone threw up on the floor. Security guard was trying to start fights with complying patrons, telling them to "take a swing." Would never reccomend going if you have a decent sized group. EDIT: A) My parents are very proud of me. B) I personally did not have a drop of alcohol all night so maybe try and be more accurate with your comments. C) Stop trying to undermine my negative experience by posting a lot of misleading or just plain false statements about what happened on a post I cannot reply too just to save face for your restaurant after you treated us attrociously.

We had such an amazing time visiting @goldenmonkeybar earlier this week. We were firstly treated by dome amazing baos and dumplings on the upper level before heading down into the basement for some great fun. They have Live Music nights on Thursday and the mood is electric. With the music we enjoyed their amazing cocktails and had a great time. We definitely recommend you to visit them specially on a Thursday to have a great time like we did.

There’s so many other bars around. Do yourself a favour and pick a different one :) Just a bit overpriced and a bit lame (for lack of a better word) But the live singer was very good!

great vibing bar! every thursday these guys have live performances! upon my visit they had their own band play and these guys are legit so good! they got me singing the night away! was perfect night out with their small hot foods and cocktails and drinks! upstairs there are some spots for you to sit down and enjoy some food, and then downstairs is your bar - there is a good amount of tables and seating around, as well as some floor space for you to break at the moves definitely check these guys out if ur already in the area at night - especially on Thursdays for the live performance!

Down Melbourne’s iconic bustling Hardware Lane you will find Golden Monkey, a hidden basement bar reminiscent of the 1920’s Shanghai opium dens. The venue has been hosting talent and DJ’s for almost 20 years now and have recently started live music on Thursday nights. 🎤 Upstairs is their casual restaurant @eastchinatrading, serving up a variety of dim sum. We loved the house made Buns and Dumplings, my favourites surprisingly being the vegan options which were so packed full of flavour you would never even know. Some of the dumplings were sadly undercooked leaving the wrappers gluey and hard. With a small menu it’s not really somewhere you would dedicate a dinner to rather great for snacks with drinks. 🥟 Downstairs is decked out in red neon lighting, dark wood, leather sofas and booths. Taking centre stage is the live entertainment that kicks off at 830pm. Starting off the Easter Long Weekend the venue was completely packed, the vibe was amazing. I loved seeing the whole place jamming, dancing and hyping up the local artists which were sensational! 🎶 Playing til late, you and a group will be entertained for hours. Cocktails are on the sweet side however they also have a small selection of beer and wine. ⭐️ 4/5 (Great)

It has a hint of mystery, romance and decadence — moody red lights illuminate the entrance, and folding shades provide an intimate space for booths and couches. Expect cocktails from three menus – see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil – which cover everything from old-time favourites to in-house specialties. Space is big enough to vibe out to also with a brilliant DJ friendly staff we loved our cocktails thank you V.

Many other options to go to!

One word! A M A Z I N G!!! We judged the place by the entrance but when we got there it was such a vibe. Staff were amazing drinks were yum also cheap 🤑 after so many drinks we even ordered cup noodles which was so funny but the cup noodles were exactly what we needed at that point. Romantic vibes but amazing spot for drinks before dancing for girls too.

Monday morning inspo: Save this for your next Friday night hangout with your tribe @goldenmonkeybar which is the newly added, cool and sensational bar in Melbourne. @goldenmonkeybar is based on the 1920’s Shanghai theme with loud red lights, vintage Chinese decor and vibes, unique and tasty cocktails and yes of course, they offer some insanely tasty dumplings and baos both vegetarian, meat, seafood and even sweet like egg custard bao. Also you’ll find fortune cookies with your food and drink serving. DJ plays EDM from 9pm every Friday and RnB on Saturday nights and live music on Thursday nights. You’d definitely love to chill and break a leg when the DJ fires up the dance floor. The cocktails here are such a treat, all of the cocktails are a must try and they also do punch for larger groups, so why not get your Friday night all sorted out today? Checkout @goldenmonkeybar this weekend for some sick beats, great vibes, delicious and authentic dumplings and baos with fabulous cocktails all within an impossibly affordable budget.

You will love this hidden underground bar located at hardware lane in the city! Luckily we had a chance to enjoy a Thursday night live music session which is quite rare to find in the city, but @goldenmonkeybar is killing it. Serving beautiful potent cocktails and some scrumptious bao buns to keep the night going! Loved the cozy vibe here and warm service, and the live music sesh was a total mood add on. We definitely had a blast!

If you peek through the velvet curtains on Hardware Lane venture down the stairs, you'll find cocktail and dim sum at Golden Monkey. The owners have managed to infuse Shanghai 1920's style nightspot with a moody opium den and make it work, expect cocktails from three menus – see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil – which cover everything from old-time favourites to in-house specialties. If you're feeling extra thirsty, order your group a punch bowl. The Concubine's Last Kiss, the food is exceptional With its old-world charm, GM lets you drink and vibe. Staff were exceptionally friendly and knowledgeable. We had a great nite thank you so much

Pretty chill atmosphere. The drinks are a gouge; defaulted on my home loan. The food, specifically the dumplings, were nothing short of tasting like soggy paper towel with frozen corn attached.

Expected there to be live music but there wasn't any which was a disappointment. Ambience is pretty cool though we had a weird corner that fell very enclosed and tight

Quiet bar and a nice place to catch up with mates. Certainly one of the older joints that I used to hang out earlier in my career and was pleasantly surprise it was still around! Not wheelchair accessible as it is a underground bar

Second time I have randomly walked in with mates on our night out and both times and amazed us everytime. Last night we were treated with some incredible live music with their talented performers. Great little underground bar!

Hidden eccentric underground bar worth trying out. Such an amazing time - good music played by set DJs and the whole cocktail range are all delicious! Drinks are quite diluted, but super tasty. Our favourite would have to be the Sun WuKong - tastes like a passionfruit sorbet! The Cafe Umai is another favourite if you love your espresso martinis. I loved it so much bc it was infused with Chai spices - love a dirty chai for me. Another good one was a pink milky cocktail (can’t rmbr the name). Highly recommend if you’re not sure how to start your night!

Average experience, we had a group for a birthday looking to go up to the rooftop bar, we were told to sit at golden monkey as the rooftop was full, waited 30-45mins to finally be told that our group was too big. Very disappointing. Only good thing I'd say is that the bartenders were great and made fancy shots for us. I would've liked to have been told that our group was too big from the start so we could move on earlier instead of wasting time.

Ordered the lychee sangria “cocktail” which tasted like sugar water for $20. Do yourself a favour and give this place a miss. Plenty of other good bars around.

Found this place the first time just randomly out with friends and looking a good spot to chillout and get a drink. Conveniently located off of hardware lane below East China Trading Company this bar has great cocktails, decent dumplings on offer and a very cool opium den ambiance that just lures you in to sit back, slow down and chill. Ideal spot if your looking for somewhere to bring a date for a sneaky drink after dinner or just catch-up drinks with a group of friends. Golden Monkey 🐒 got you covered either way.

Cannot rave enough about this place! The staff are fantastic, friendly, and just the right amount of interested. The drinks have always been to die for, and they can cater to any palette- making something up off menu for me and my date. Decor looks fantastic, with the recent renovations the lighting pops and the music sets the mood for a perfect relaxed night out- with room to boogie if so inclined. So much fun! Thanks guys 😍

Discovered this place by chance last night. And boy was it incredible! The service was great, and the live music was outstanding. They took one of our song requests and even invited my partner to sing with them. Thanks for making this such a memorable night. We'll definitely be back!

Great place to gather with friends! Good food, drinks and atmosphere (especially with their local band on Thursdays). Service is fantastic too, definitely recommended! Be sure to follow @melbbites on Instagram for more recommendations ☺️

Jenny was very helpful. Contacting to confirm the booking and also about the food menu. If you want to have a snack with your drinks, recommend to order the basket of dim sum.

Great vibe for drinks with friends.

Absolute bomb hidden nightspot in the CBD with some Asian inspired interior, cocktails and food! Live music on every Thursday too! 😍🎶🔥

Friendly staff. We went during their closing hours and we asked for one drink only. They allow us to take seat and serve. Waiter was pretty cool. Thanks for allowing us to have a blast. In and out in 20mins

Lovely place to rest relax and have a drink or cocktail 🍸

Staff were really nice. Great food and atmosphere.

Such a beautiful part of town. Golden monkey is such an amazing place to catch up just friends or family having a few cold ones

Chill and lay-back. Cooktail not bad. All average at $20

Amazing cocktails!

Such a cool vibe. The bartender (a guy in a Hawaiian shirt with longer hair) was so friendly. Great music too!

A small pub with a lot of tables for friends but not for who go solo. Cocktail is fine.

Bartender actually knew how to make cocktails not on the menu! Recommended.

Great atmosphere. The vegan steamed buns were yum. Was on there for a short time but will be back.

This place was amazing and the staff were incredibly generous! One staff member even walked us to the car with an umbrella! Lovely place!

Great atmosphere and drinks

Amazing bar, both managed & run with love. Great drinks, fantastic food and even better times, this bar's a must visit in Melbourne 💯♥

Great place to take your mistress or other girlfriend for a drink, the place is hidden.. perfect

Great cocktails here! If you're looking for a bar that's a little more chilled out and the music is not crazy loud so you can actually hear what your friends are saying then it's a good choice

The place is OK but the music was boring and the cocktails very small for Melbourne standards. I don't think I'd go again, I don't know if it's new but there is definitely room for improvements here. There was too much R&B and HipHop music and nobody was at the dance floor, you need to diversify the vibes.

Great food great drinks and a great time!!!

Great Bar, dance floor and Music all round .. We are lucky to a multicultural Club scene in Melbourne… Djz were pumping 🇿🇦 South African #Amapiano Genre & #AfroBeats 🇳🇬 & mixture of Hip-Hop Trap Pop 👌🏾🔥 Great experience pricy ticket 🎟 a bit since exclusive Neon light 💡 themed event 38$ per person .. Great Security and Management

The bar tender downstairs showed me a menu of 4 drinks and said that's all they had! I didn't see a food menu so went upstairs to order and they had 3 food items and they were all sharing plates! Not very impressed

Super cute space, love it x

All the drinks are fantastic, original and unique.

The cocktails ? super legit!!!! :) thank you gonna come again for Longan old fashioned

Fun evening

I had a first date here & it provided the right kind of atmosphere for an intimate gathering. The drinks were pretty good (4), the lighting & decor was great (4.5), & the staff were wonderful (5). Thanks for being a great spot to meet someone new in Melbourne.

Excellent Cocktails, intimate vibe. Try their tea for two with one glass

Such a great venue, fabulous cocktails, incredible ambience. So many good memories

It's okay but there are better options on Hardware Lane

Nice place downstairs for private parties

Great atmosphere

No toilet paper in the men's toilet. Didn't enjoy the acoustic guitarist at all

Warm Chinese themed bar serving a decent cocktail menu and dim synod dumplings. Good place for groups...

Great ambience, good prices and good quality drinks.

Funky bar, with a great basement bar area. Food is delish

Very cool place. Love it. Come down and join us.

Our group couldn't have had a better experience. Asha, behind the bar, is the easiest person to communicate with, and is very knowledgeable. She gives such exceptional customer service to all. I have never been to a bar with such exceptional customer service. If you're nervous about customer service ask for Asha, she's the one to speak/go to, she makes you feel more welcome than ever.

Nice environment, the bartender custom made us cocktails based on the type of flavours we were craving

Great little bar, hidden away downstairs with lots of private nooks and crannies, dim lighting with a kind of opium den feel to it, good cocktail list and some excellent spirits available, pretty quiet till late at night normally.

Had our staff party there, we enjoyed the atmosphere and delicious drinks, bartenders are friendly, we feel very welcomed. Thank you!

Way too hot, I don't know what was going on with the air conditioning but it was horrible to spend time in there. The 2 hours were long enough to make me feel physically sick.

Good?

Good atmosphere and very friendly staff

Best rum OFTD!!!

Nice and funky basement bar with live entertainment on Friday and Saturday.

Good cocktails

Lovely, cozy feel to the place...

Good vibes with music and cheap drinks

Service was very slow and bad whrn it came . The band was ok but need the music playing during set's as it's a very airy place.

This place had the pick of the cocktails, after a big weekend of bar crawling around Melbourne's best.

Venue itself is okay but the bartenders really know their stuff. Great cocktails, service, and knowledgeable.

Classy place with lots of atmosphere. Love their monthly shibari night.

The environment is nice and surprisingly you can have a wonderful dimsum here with cocktail ?

This is the place to be in Melbourne for those who appreciate of rum. They have a huge selection of very good rums from the world over. The bartender is enthusiastic about rum and will suggest interesting ones to try if the night is not too busy. Chinese themed. The rum selection is upstairs in the eating section where they also serve Chinese dumplings (I think Xiao Long Bao from observing other tables. I haven't yet tried them). Downstairs is a more intimate bar setting. If you're seeking out the rum, it may help to note that the rum selection is upstairs in the eating section, not in the downstairs bar. Good selection of Asian themed cocktails too. You can get a Singapore Sling here as well as tea infused cocktails. I tried their rum negroni which was masterfully made and delicious. They have a fun take on the Zombie playing with different Chinese flavours. One of my favourite bars in Melbourne.

Loved the dumplings and cocktails

Next night out destination sorted!✨Transport yourself back to Asia with this Shanghai themed underground bar. Start of your night with some snacks, they have soft and steamy assorted baos, crispy spring rolls and many other items to choose from. Then sit back, relax and enjoy the live band (every thursday) while sipping on some cocktails or shots🤪 Highly recommend this place! Follow @foodietrang on instagram for more food reviews