Over the past few years, brewpubs have begun to pop up around Guiyang. The simple but hip ambiance, fresh brews and good bar food make this type of establishment popular with locals and foreigners alike. Unfortunately, many places tried to follow the success of some of the original pubs without the brewing ability of their predecessors.
Monkey King saw the opportunity and burst onto the scene with good beer, decent food, and a great atmosphere for getting your drink on. The bar is decorated exactly as you’d expect from this category, with big tables, simple chairs and a good view of the brewing equipment.
Monkey King has several good beers on tap, served ice cold in good glassware. They also offer a selection of cocktails, but I haven’t had the chance to sample them.
On this visit, I stuck with the Guiyang June Wheat beer, a crisp and cold beer that’s great if you aren’t into the heavier flavors of stouts and IPAs. Served in a tall pint glass, the beer was fresh and went down very well. The No. 5 Tank IPA was also a nice brew, with a heavier, more bitter flavor and darker coloring. It was served in a smaller glass than the wheat beer.
As with any brewpub worth its salt, they offer a small menu of pub foods to complement their beers. None of the food stuck out as particularly amazing, but it was good for snacking on while downing a couple of cold ones. The quesadilla, served with a dish of salsa, was crisp and tasty. They did have some very impressive fries, cut thick and fried nicely. They came with two dipping sauces, mayonnaise and a mustard/mayo mix.
The dish simply called “Bacon” was a decent snack, crisp mini-tortillas topped with bacon, lettuce, tomato, and cheese. There was also a side of salsa with this, packed with fresh cilantro. Probably the nicest dish the pub offers is the sausage platter. Though insufficient for a full meal, the slices of different sausage were perfectly fried,topped with fresh black pepper, and complemented by a nice swath of mustard/mayo for dipping.
Go There
Monkey King can be found near Estee Mall, down an alley off Shinan Lu. With the mall behind you, facing the street, turn right and head to the first alley you see (don’t go into the gated driveway that leads behind the mall, you’re looking for an actual alley). Turn right into the alley and then turn right again just a few meters in. From there, the alley leads down a small hill where you’ll see Monkey King to your left. In the second photo here, it’s the entrance with the bright light.
TAXI (to Estee Mall): 逸天城购物中心，市南路
