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Drum & Monkey
Categories: Nightlife Dance Clubs Nightlife Bars Pubs Dance Clubs, Pubs [Edit]
1201 1 St SWCalgary, AB T2R 0V3
(403) 237-0846
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 11 am - 2 am
Sat 12 pm - 2 am
Sun 3 pm - 2 am
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Music:
- Juke Box
- Best Nights:
- Tue, Thu, Sat
- Happy Hour:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- No
- Coat Check:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Very Loud
- Ages Allowed:
- 18+
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
14 reviews for Drum & Monkey
14 reviews in English
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Review from Dan D.
7/17/2011 1 Check-in Here
I like the Drum & Monkey.
A classic "footballer" kinda pub, fairly priced beer, pretty good food and occasional live music (in the Bamboo lounge).
Really good food/drink specials throughout the week!
Probably one of the downsides is that it can get PRETTY loud ... but whatever! -
Review from Don B.
1/8/2012
Until my visit to the Drum & Monkey I had never ever seen anyone spinning nu-metal tracks using Serato Scratch Live. Seriously.
This bar was right near my hotel in Calgary and in need of a place to sit, grab a drink and get a little work done, I wandered in to this ruckus spot. I was immediately out of place amidst a crowd of what seemed to be 20-year olds getting shit-housed on a random weeknight. Shots! Shots! Shots! Sitting at the bar I had some prime real estate to observe with amusement the mating rituals of young drunken Calgarians. All with a head-thrashing metal soundtrack.
Did I get much work done? No. Did I enjoy my relatively cheap drinks and entertainment? For sure. Would I make this a regular spot in Calgary? Naw. Well, maybe. If they found something better to pump out of that Serato.Listed in: Alberta On My Mind, The Best and Worst of Calgary!
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Review from Angelo T.
7/6/2011
This used to be a classic hangout joint for me and my old call-center co-workers. I've never had the chance to try the food, even the one time we managed to score the back room for a private event and snacks were served.
But the scene was great. No better way to burn Friday pay checks than getting boozed at the Drum. It's always packed with wily and frisky characters. The service was quick but the bar can get a little crowded, but after a few drinks it becomes the pond where strange conversations can be fished out from. Music is great as well, I recall a few times a DJ was playing some tunes, but the Drum has always been the last stop for me so at the state I was always in, I can't confirm this.
It's also easy to catch a cab from here at night, just stumble out of the door and you'll hit the street curb. And within seconds a cabbie will pull up right in front of you. -
Review from Meghan M.
Cold Lake, AB
12/7/2010
I'm reviewing the pub & food portion of the Drum, not the nightlife portion, which is pretty much a typical, busy (cramped) pub that I would most likely give a solid 3 starts.
I'd only ever been to the Drum for drinks and the bar scene before a few months ago, when three of us met up for lunch - one a very pregnant woman. I ordered salad and French onion soup. They both ordered salads with a veggie burger and a chicken burger. My meal was absolutely gross - the top of the French Onion soup was a piece of Wonderbread covered with cheese. The broth makes me cringe; I don't know if it was Superstore special or what, but it was sick. The salad was Denny's worthy - mostly iceberg lettuce and a few tomatoes and cucumbers thrown in. The best thing about my meal was the beer and, well, they didn't make that.
Fast forward a few hours later - ALL THREE of us got food poisoning and ended up quite sick. My husband called the pub and spoke to the manager who was incredibly rude and not concerned about the fact that three women - one pregnant - were sick because of this establishment. He didn't apologize, offer a solution, etc.; he just acted like he was too busy to listen and hung up. Angry, I called the City and reported the food poisoning - but by the time the health inspector showed up, The Drum had two days to clean the kitchen, which is why I believe they passed.
Even if we hadn't all gotten food poisoning from The Drum & Monkey, the food was still gross. I have only gone back for beer, never will touch that food again. -
Review from Peter S.
11/2/2010
Perhaps ending the night here was a bad idea?
Or maybe I needed the three extra jager bombs at 1 am.
Saturday morning (and the following 12 hours) felt like a monkey was drumming my brain. Ouch
Bad monkey.Listed in: Calgary. YEEEEEhaw
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Review from Allison M.
Calgary, AB
4/10/2011
I came here with a friend after we couldn't get into the Hop 'n Brew. We were looking for a quiet place to grab a few beers and hang out -- nothing too intense or overrun with drunk people.
Up until about 10 p.m., the Drum & Monkey was great. They have a huge tap selection and our server was attentive without being overbearing. The crowd was mostly guys -- it's a sports bar -- but the environment was relaxed and no one bothered us.
Then the idiots showed up. This is a common problem I find with a lot of bars in Calgary...they're rather bipolar. Before 10 p.m.-ish, the crowd is great and relaxed, but after 10 p.m., the douchebags come out in full force.
Don't these people have clubs to go to? Where they can rub up on each other?
I wish that the crowds would be more consistent in many bars in Calgary, including the Drum & Monkey. I don't like having to leave after a certain hour because the crowd changes completely. I understand that people want to party after 10 p.m. on a Friday night, but it would be nice if the bars in the city catered to specific crowds, making them more predictable choices. I don't think it's unreasonable to want a bar to go to after 10 p.m. where there isn't really loud music and drunk people falling on your table.
I'll go back to the Drum & Monkey again, but for post-work/early evening beers. -
Review from Chad W.
Calgary, AB
10/2/2008
The Drum and Monkey, located downtown on First Street SW, is one of the most popular nightspots in town for youthful Calgarians. The building was designed to resemble an old-school British public house. During the afternoon, sporting events glimmer on their six televisions and sophisticated rubes sit and chat at booths and stools over alternative/indie tunes selected by the bartenders. At night though, the "Drum" goes through a complete metamorphosis. Local hipsters flock to the flow, the PA system gets utterly amped, vibrant lighting is set up, DJs break out the vinyl and decks, and drinks cascade like the Elbow River.
Food here is excellent and boasts flavours of the UK: Guiness, bangers and mash, and the best dish of macaroni and cheese in the city. -
Review from Sapna G.
Calgary, AB
4/3/2010
Let's get to it: You know what I can't *stand*?!?!??! Cocky people. There, I said it. And I said it prior to this when I had lunch with a friend at Drum & Monkey a couple of days ago.
I'm in an entertaining mood. So for your 'reading pleasure', here's how the conversation went down:
Sapna: He is actually trippin' on himself. Out of the blue, he looked me dead in the eyes and told *me* that I want to get with *him*. I'm sorry... do you need some help getting up from under that ego of yours???
Friend: WHAT?!?!?! Is there even anything *to* like about him?
Sapna: That's the thing. If, hypothetically, I *did* like him, anyone who knows me beyond a 'hi/bye' relationship knows that I'd just come right out and say it. Gawd, I'm waaaay too old for this 'kiddy shit.'
*Unknown Voice That Has Snuck Up Behind Us*: Well does he look like Will Smith?
Sapna & Friend: Huh????
(Unknown voice turns out to be our waiter)
Waiter: Well does he? Look like Will Smith, I mean?
Sapna: Hell. To. The. No.
Waiter: Well then clearly, he doesn't stand a chance. End of story. What can I get you ladies to drink this afternoon?
************************************************** **************************
TRUE STORY!
After *that*, there's no way I couldn't LOVE this place.
No, but seriously, our waiter was FANTASTIC (I promise, Will Smith comment aside). And he was the furthest possible thing from cocky - which, as you know by now, I sincerely appreciate.
The food was delicious, the atmosphere was great, and I absolutely LOVE the location. We walked around in the area for a good hour after we ate.
I'll mos' def. be back.
Mad props go out to our waiter. Where else can you get a dose of therapy with your meal? Killin' two birds with one stone my friends... TWO. BIRDS. -
Review from dinah g.
Calgary, AB
11/22/2009
I don't know the Drum and Monkey at night but what I do know is that I enjoyed its ambiance at noon. Lunch found me here one day and I had a simple burger and fries and a cup of coffee. The place was full with locals and business folks having a hearty homemade meal and some already starting on the brew.
Decorated as a good ol' British bar, I found my way to a stool at a bar area, and there I sat eating my hearty meal and reading a FFWD. The waitress was really cool, friendly but gave me the space to get into my read and refilling my bottomless coffee in intervals. It was a relaxing, delicious meal, priced right with good local ambiance. No complaints. -
Review from Katie C.
Calgary, AB
11/22/2009 1 photo
The thing about the Drum (at night) is that at first it seems really great. On the one side is an old school british pub with varied seating, lots of chairs and friendly servers. A small corridor connects to the Bamboo Tiki Lounge, which is a lounge/dance bar.
Two bars, two atmospheres, two layouts, the works. Throw in a beautiful, young, trendy crowd at night and it seems like the ideal place to be. There's a little bit of everything, so you don't have to decide and can entice your whole group into coming.
But the music is really loud, which makes it hard to listen. It gets super busy on Tuesdays for dub at the pub, and you have to pay cover to listen to a DJ at a bar. The sound system is so-so, but the food is good. The drink specials are great and much appreciated.
The thing is, while much of the youthful and trendy crowd is friendly and fresh, they're also really young. The night-time crowd often seems to be under-20 (during the day and evening there are plenty of business people and locals, just at night). They're also super trendy. It is really see and be seen.
What can I say? The Drum was my favourite place to be until about a year and half ago when I had the revelation that it was nice to hear the conversation and not fight skinny hipsters for a table. It is still a favored lunch destination, and I will always remember it fondly, but it is easy to grow out of quickly. -
Review from JP D.
Calgary, AB
4/15/2010
I have mixed feelings with the Drum. This place used to be one of my favorites, I would go to Dub at the Pub on the odd Tuesday, and it was great; until the summer. During the Stampede season, the pub attracts an influx of the wrong crowd. This crowd being older and rougher than usual.
But the seasonal crowd aside, this place is worth going to, and if you dont get there early, the line can be pretty long. If you do happen to be stuck in line, you should check out the Hop in Brew a few doors down. -
Review from Cornelius V.
Calgary, AB
11/15/2009
The setup is, hey, get this, A BRITISH PUB! And actually, it's the most british looking of all the british pubs in calgary. It's a decent place with great (i.e. bland) British food. The wings aren't much. But some deece drink specials are to be had on down nights. The dub at the pub is really annoying because the PA is just as terrible as Bamboo's. And there's cover, to get into a pub, on a tuesday night. It's a bit silly.
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Review from Danny F.
Calgary, AB
9/30/2008
The Drum is a British style pub serving British style food (Bangers and mash and UK-style curries) along with the regular pub fare. In the evening you will regularly see local independent bands playing. And, on Tuesdays enjoy the 'Dub at the Pub' with DJs spinning, $9 pitchers of beer and the young crowd gyrating at close quarters. A bit pricey if you're not drinking the beer special but still a reasonably good time.
Listed in: The Places I Go Out
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Review from Kris A.
Calgary, AB
2/21/2010
A great mainstay pub. A great Guinness. Awesome ribs. Super-friendly staff.
