3 Monkey’s Cafe (58 Mollison Street, South Brisbane, QLD)

Posted by Andy on Jul 29, 2009 in Restaurants, Cafés and Places to eat | 1 comment

Some people like cafe’s that are all about being ‘modern’ – glass doors, stainless steel walls, white chairs, expensive food, a $10K Bose sound system playing Cafe Del Mar and staff that spend more money on their hair than they probably earn working there.

Then there’s those of us who like dark & secluded cafe’s – tiny little rooms with checkers & chessboards built into the tables, soft pillows, the smell of fresh coffee, walls covered in old posters, a dusty old bookshelf in the corner, some incense burning near the front counter and plenty of character. If you, like me, prefer the former – then 3 Monkey’s Cafe is for you.

Located next to the Coles shopping complex in West End, 3 Monkey’s has been in the area for over 20 years now – but their style hasn’t changed a bit. Granted prices have gone up with the times, their menu still provides a range of hearty meals – including some great cakes & muffins, nachos, chilli con carne, quiches, Turkish breads & focaccias, and so forth. I’ve personally tried their lasagne, quiche and chilli con carne – and all have been great.

Unlike some cafe’s that pride themselves in being able to stack microscopic quantities of food as high as possible, and then randomly drizzle the other nine-tenths of the plate with a French-sounding sauce, the meals at 3 Monkey’s are of a great size – especially for someone like me that eats a lot and is always craving carbs & protein for bodybuilding. As far as drinks go, they do a great coffee (although our resident coffee expect Dale should really be the one rating that) and I can certainly recommend their huge mug (bowl?) of chai tea.

At a guess, I would have to say that I’ve probably been to 3 Monkey’s over 15 times so far (at the time of writing), and while the menu hasn’t changed much in that time, the food available is always of good quality & tastes great. Not being a “fancy cafe”, some may find the food a little basic, but like I said above – it’s all hearty stuff. 3 Monkey’s Cafe is perfect for catching up with a friend, going on a date (I’ve met a few people here over the years) or just chilling out with your loved one for a game of chess or checkers, some cake and a nice coffee or two.

As far as price goes, I would say that all meals are of good value. Some years ago, 3 Monkey’s Cafe used to offer a student discount too – but not being a student anymore, I’m not sure if this is still the case – be sure to ask though! On weekends, it can be quite busy (I don’t think they accept reservations on weekends though – ring and ask if you’re unsure) – so arrive earlier or later than the usual peak times to ensure a table.

Final thoughts…

I’m giving 3 Monkey’s an 8 out of 10, with 1 point lost due to the back outside area often being wet in the rain (even though it’s covered – their roof / umbrella’s may need some work), and the other point lost due to some of the tables being a little dirty – but this can easily be fixed with staff more-frequently coming around for clean-ups (and again, this was on a busy weekend).

Quick info…

Rating: 8/10