up on the mic and doing their first ever hip hop show or comedy, and people visiting that used to live in this neighborhood or who still do coming in and talking about the memories we have back in old North Denver. So many things have changed here, but those are the types of community things and events that really hit home for me.” Jimmy reflects. Now known for their music/comedy events and stellar nostalgia inspired drinks like Wheezin' The Juice and Donkey Kong, Monkey Barrel’s food is finally becoming a star of the bar too. Prior to the pandemic, they only served drinks, though they did have a short-lived partnership with Carbone’s Italian Sausage Deli who provided sandwiches when they first opened. But when lockdown hit, bars that only served drinks would not be allowed to open to the public for in-person service for over a year. So once again, Jimmy had to get creative or lose his business. He partnered with Denver’s Filipino & New Mexican Fusion Food Truck Adobo as well as the beloved slice of the Bronx pizza shop, Benny Blanco’s, who leased out his kitchen. But he knew he ultimately needed to create an in-house menu to keep his doors open for the long haul. “I made a burger in my in-laws kitchen — five or six of them, actually and said to my wife and her family and my kids, ‘Hey, I want you to try these and tell me which one’s your favorite.’ And they go, ‘That’s the best one.’ Everybody just kind of unanimously agreed. So we came back with what little money we had left to buy kitchen equipment. Because I didn’t own anything and I don’t have a culinary background. But I took to [Monkey Barrel’s] kitchen and was cooking the menu that I could make. My wife’s bartending. My kids are in here doing their homework on laptops, and people started coming back for the burger and buying drinks to go, and then they kept coming back for the burger, so I’m like, well, I got something good going here. And it was all born out of the pandemic. And we’ve been able to keep our prices low, and all of it had to do with us building the patios out.” he says. That’s how their patron favorite homemade smash burger and fries was born. And it’s under $10. With food now on the table and the conversion of their parking lot to another massive patio in addition to their other two — all dog-friendly complete with games and No. 127
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