damnlines.comdamnlines.comA 1936-vintage Midtown institution with a monkey-mural dining room and celebrity clientele that Chowhound ranks among NYC's hardest reservations under current operator Hogsalt.
No camera at Monkey Bar yet — these are the closest live lines we cover.
damnlines hasn't pointed a lens at Monkey Bar yet. The most-wanted lines get a camera first.
Monkey Bar's booking reality is stated bluntly by Chowhound, which ranks the 1936-vintage room among the hardest tables in New York because seats are "released only 21 days out at 9am sharp" on Resy. The restaurant's own reservations page confirms the mechanics: "Reservations are available up to 21 days in advance with each new date becoming available at 9 AM EST," for parties capped at eight guests.
Booking online isn't free, either — per the venue's own site, a $2.50-per-person fee applies to Resy reservations, and the restaurant warns that any booking resold or traded through third-party services will be cancelled and the account flagged from future bookings. For walk-ins, Monkey Bar's reservations page states it will "welcome walk-ins to join us at the bar where we serve the full menu," so the dining room requires a booked table while the bar runs first-come, first-served; per Chowhound, "your best bet is to arrive about an hour before the restaurant opens" to secure a spot, since lines form early for that walk-in space.
The room is now operated by Hogsalt — the hospitality group behind 4 Charles Prime Rib — according to both Chowhound and the copyright footer on the restaurant's own site. Per Chowhound, that pedigree has kept demand high for the red-vinyl booths and monkey-mural dining room that have drawn patrons from Frank Sinatra-era regulars through modern celebrities like Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez.
Patterns as reported by press and regulars — not measured by damnlines.
Reservations: New Resy dates release 21 days out at 9:00 AM ET; parties capped at 8; a $2.50-per-person online booking fee applies; bar seating is walk-in only.
Walk-ins: Bar seating only, full menu available; dining-room tables require a Resy reservation.
There's no reported minute-by-minute wait time, but the binding constraint is booking, not walk-up waiting: Chowhound ranks Monkey Bar among NYC's hardest reservations because Resy tables "are released only 21 days out at 9am sharp" and go quickly. For walk-in bar seats, Chowhound advises arriving about an hour before opening since lines form early for that first-come space.
Yes, via Resy, but only 21 days out. Per the restaurant's own reservations page, "reservations are available up to 21 days in advance with each new date becoming available at 9 AM EST," for parties up to eight, and a $2.50-per-person booking fee applies to online bookings.
Yes, but only for bar seating with the full menu — the restaurant's site states it will "welcome walk-ins to join us at the bar," while dining-room tables require an advance Resy reservation. Chowhound notes arriving about an hour before opening is the best strategy to snag a walk-in bar spot.
Hogsalt, the hospitality group behind 4 Charles Prime Rib, operates the 1936-founded room today, according to Chowhound and the copyright footer on the restaurant's own website.
It's at 60 E 54th St in Midtown East Manhattan, per the restaurant's own site and its Resy listing.
Sources: Chowhound · Monkey Bar (official reservations page) · Monkey Bar (official about page) · Resy
