Monkeying Around at Monkey’s Bar
An Interview with Owner Elle Nelson
Elle Nelson, owner of Monkey’s Bar in Downtown Knoxville, makes the joke that she is attracted to chaos. And I believe it. But as a famous quote goes, “In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.”
A couple of months ago, I sat down with Elle and her one year-old golden retriever, Monkey (whom the bar is lovingly named after 😍), inside her bar to chat for a bit about her new venture in Knoxville’s Old City. After a quick introduction, I ordered an espresso martini sensing I was going to need a tad bit more energy for the interview. Before I even started asking any questions, she exuberantly dove right in to tell me her story on how Monkey’s Bar came to be.
Elle started bartending at Central Depot (the bar that was previously in the same location) in 2021 and told the owner she was looking for a possible partnership or ownership in that bar. When that didn’t work out, Elle moved on to other things – BUT when 103 W. Depot became available in October of 2022, she seized the opportunity, took herself over to the Secretary of State building in Nashville to form an LLC in person (because she didn’t want to wait), and opened Monkey’s Bar a mere two months later on December 23rd.
Hearing this gave me whiplash. (Insert the anxious sweaty emoji here because wow. 😅) On top of this extremely quick turnaround, she was also still working a fulltime job. Chaos, y’all! She does admit it was the most stressful time in her life but was committed to opening the bar and doing whatever it would take to get it done. And she did, admittedly with a lot of help from those around her.
image from @monkeysbarknox
We joked that it may take a village to raise a child but the same can be said about opening a bar… and most other things in life. Elle pointed out pictures hanging up at the bar of family and friends. She first pointed out a picture of her mom with Monkey. Then she notes the picture of one of the bar managers, Mike, and his wife, Taylor, telling me they spent a lot of hours painting and doing so many other things to help get everything in place to open. Another friend helped get the birchwood and made the liquor shelves behind the bar. Her dad helped make the molding designs on the wall. Others helped by bringing in art to decorate and showcase… the list goes on. “It wouldn’t have opened without those people,” Elle says while looking at the photos. You can sense just how grateful she is to have such a supportive community around her and how important community is for Monkey’s Bar, period.
In the few months Monkey’s Bar has been open, Elle has made it a place where people not only come for the standard bar happenings like happy hour and trivia but also events like ABBA-themed karaoke parties, disco nights and much more. “I think I pretty much opened a business because I like to throw parties,” she says while laughing and honestly, I’m here for it. At one point, Elle and I got sidetracked during the interview, brainstorming party ideas for Christmas in July and Valentine’s Day. I joked about having a tattoo party and she was immediately on board, wondering out loud how many people would get a Monkey paw tattoo (um, everyone?) and went on to say if they did, they would drink for free at Monkey’s Bar. Needless to say, I love all of this.
Once we got back on track, the final question I had for Elle was just asking if she had any tips for people who are new to Knoxville or anyone trying to get involved or wanting to know more about different places to live in the area. Her advice? “Ask your bartenders. They’re some of the best connection points that you’ll have in the city.” I couldn’t agree more with this. They are the eyes and ears around town and if they don’t know something, odds are they know someone who does. And when in doubt Elle says, “Come to Monkey’s bar and ask me because I’m from Knoxville!”
So go to Monkey’s Bar to get to know all the good stuff from Elle. Go to Monkey’s Bar for Monkey snuggles and kisses. Go to Monkey’s Bar for cocktails & mocktails named after fabulous pop-culture references. Go to Monkey’s Bar for New Girl Trivia or a New2Knox Hop. I’ll personally be going to Monkey’s Bar to catch up with my new BFFs Ellie & Monkey. Just go to Monkey’s Bar, full stop. Because in the midst of what might sometimes be chaos, I guarantee you will find your own opportunities for community (and cocktails 😉).
Cheers!
Nena
SHAKIN’ THINGS UP: 7 Must-Try Cocktail Spots in Knoxville
If you’ve hung out with us before on this lil corner of the internet, you know two things: 1.) We LOVE Knoxville. 2.) We HATE picking favorites. Here’s another thing we love: a cool cocktail on a warm summer day. So just be aware that these are just some of our many favorite spots for a fun mixed bevvie in the Scruffy City 😂 If you too are on the continuous hunt for the perfect place to wet your whistle and raise a glass to good times, we are your peeeeople! Go put on your party pants and then come back and explore these must-try spots for cocktails in Knoxville, Tennessee. (IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER, have we mentioned it’s hard to pick favorites? 😅)
1.) Public House
We will never get over Public House. Are they here to impress you with bells and whistles? No. There website states, “We are a neighborhood bar with no TVs, no live music, and no smoking inside.” We’ve never heard of trivia or comedy or fill-in-the-blank happening there. They will not care one iota that they made this list. AND YET. Their drinks are consistently delicious – experimental and yet palatable. They easily made our favorite patios list. Landing that coveted spot under the greenery leaves us blissful for days. And they serve bomb hot dogs. Y’all, we love hot dogs.
2.) Tern Club
On the quieter side of Gay Street lies an elevated tropical oasis: Tern Club. When we say every. single. detail of this spot has been intentionally curated… from receipts coming to you inside thematic books to glasses being carefully thrifted – everything has been carefully and lovingly chosen. But it’s not just cute. The tropical cocktails – from the classic faves to ones they dreamed up all on their own – are almost dangerously delicious.
3.) Monkey’s Bar
The newest bar on this list is our current casual ✨obsession.✨ Monkey’s Bar is owned by, well, Monkey. Monkey is the sweetest bestest golden retriever/bar owner there ever was. His human, Elle, is also an absolute delight and has created a friendly, delicious cocktail bar – somehow being both un-pretentious and un-divey (a difficult feat to manage, as I’m sure we all know). We love their pop-culture-inspired drink names, their specials to go alongside any and every show at the Mill & Mine (they’re next-door-neighbors), and their long and thoughtful mocktail menu. While we shouldn’t be surprised, it turns out dogs do, in fact, make excellent bar owners!
Image from @brotherwolfbar
4.) Brother Wolf
Speaking of dogs, their ancestors own the bar a couple blocks south. Brother Wolf has stormed the Knoxville cocktail scene with their lengthy Negroni menu (yes, they do in fact serve the famous “Negroni Sbagliato” from that momentarily viral sound 😂) and what many are calling the best espresso martini in Knoxville 👀 We’re personally smitten by their festive pop-up bars. Brother Werewolf pops up during October, Miracle in the Old City takes up residence during the Christmas season, and for one magical moment each year they turn into “Jolene’s” during Rhinestone Fest.
Image from @fivethirtylounge
5.) Five Thirty Lounge
If you prefer to take your cocktails in the skies rather than on the rocks (we do), our fave place to do so is the Five Thirty Lounge. This spot is just classy… (so classy, in fact, that we chose to NOT say “elevated” which would have been the perfect rooftop pun). Take advantage of their Happy Hour specials and deeefinitely round up some friends to have the whole rooftop igloo experience when winter rolls back around 🤩 Want to rooftop hop? Check out four more rooftop bars in Knoxville right here!
6.) Fly by Night
SOUTH KNOXVILLE
Remember Tern Club from a couple spots up? Those drink & design MASTERMINDS just recently opened up another brilliant concept. While Tern Club is a mid-mod moment, Fly by Night seeeeps of the seventies. From the disco ball in the center to the porcelain cats in the corner to the wallpaper that can only be described at groovy, it is all, as they say, far out ✌️ The menu even fits the vibe, offering popular drinks of the decade like dirty martinis, rusty nails, and (my personal favorite) grasshoppers. Needless to say, we are smitten & will be flying (😉) over to the south side frequently.
Image from Peter Kern Library
7.) Peter Kern Library
Last but not least, we couldn’t let a list like this slip away without a nod to Knoxville’s only speakeasy. If you turn off Market Square and slip into the alley between The Oliver Hotel & Knox Brew Hub, you’ll spot a red light. That’s your cue, babes 👀 The Peter Kern Library is open and ready to sneak you in for an evening of literary-themed (and excellent, for the record) sips. PRO-TIP: There is a loose dress code (namely, no hats, guys!) so take this as a rare opportunity in the Scruffy City – when your friend texts, “Are we getting cute?” you can answer with a hearty, “Yes!” 😉 There is also a password to get in, but in an effort to respect the scared secrets of The Library, we won’t just throw it out here on the world wide web. Shoot us a DM on Instagram and we’ll tell ya how to find it 🤫
Hopefully this helps wet your whistle as we whip up another 7! 😉 In the meantime, where is YOUR favorite spot to grab a cocktail?? Let us know over on the ‘gram & maybe it will make the next list!
5 Ways to Combat Loneliness in a New City
Five & Hoek Coffee: A Look Inside
Written By: Caitlyn Tate
One thing we Knoxvillians sure love is local coffee. And though Knoxville is teeeechnically the second Five and Hoek location for owners Beth and Tyler Fivecoat (the original location is in Illinois), we have of course welcomed them as our own in true southern scruffy city fashion! Does the word “pivot” give you flashbacks to 2020? 😂 We’ll be kind and use the word “reroute” instead. SO the pandemic forced the Fivecoats to reroute (😉) their original business plan concept in Wheaton, Illinois. To accommodate safety concerns and health mandates, they converted their new and thriving shop to a walk-up window and it was a hit! So much so that she continues to operate today. However, they missed the community aspect – having people gather together over coffee. This desire for community led them to their next adventure…. Searching for a new city to open a brand new spot to match the dreams they originally envisioned!
How adorable are those dreamin’ owners, Tyler & Beth??
Thankfully, the mountains, warm temps and plethora of outdoor activities to choose from here in cute ole Knox enticed the Fivecoats. (I mean, we get it 😉) They officially decided to move to Knoxville and make this Scruffy City their brand newww home – a home to raise their kids and use their creativity and expand their passion project (Hint: that passion project is Five and Hoek!).
Speaking of Five and Hoek, how do you even pronounce this super aesthetic coffee shop’s name? Are we thinking [hoke] as in rhyming with [joke]? Or maybe [hook] as in the loved-to-be-hated Captain? Turns outtttttt it’s pronounced like that mustache-twirlin’ scoundrel! Hoek is a combination of the first part of their last name (Fivecoat) combined with the friends whom they first started the shop with. Five is the street the original location was on – and the rest is history! (In their defense, the big ole “Hoeked on Coffee” sign that greets you as you enter could have probably been a clue… 😂)
Do you see the sign in the left hand corner?👀
While the original location has been a walk-up only spot since 2020, we in Knoxville get to enjoy the BEAUTIFUL walk-in-and-stay-awhile space. (And once you’re ready to get up and go, she’s also within walking distance to the Mill and Mine’s entertainment and Public House’s deliiiicious patio and Marble City Market’s endless convenience!)
Tyler and one of the baristas chat easily with customers as they whip up those caffeinated bevvies
When you walk into Five and Hoek, you’ll feel like family – inevitably greeted by the friendliest baristas or Beth and Tyler Fivecoat themselves. Definitely try one of the housemade caramels that make this little shop unique in your latte (salted beer caramel, anyone?!), the Knoxville chai blend, ORRR if black coffee is more your jam, you’ll definitely be in good hands with quality beans roasted in-house to perfection 🤤
Where the roasting magic happens✨
It’s safe to say we’re HOEKED on this cute little coffee shop 😉 Let us know youuur fave drink order at Five + Hoek! DISCOVER MORE LOCAL COFFEE HEEEERE
