Enable JavaScript to run this app.
Skip to main content
OpenTable logo
  1. Home
  2. United States
  3. Sacramento / Sacramento Valley
  4. Auburn
  5. Auburn
Mc Palapa - Monkey Cat, Auburn, CA

Monkey Cat

4.6
4.6
1458 Reviews
$30 and under
American

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 4 times today
  • Neighborhood gem
  • Good for special occasions
  • Charming
Located in historic downtown Auburn, The Monkey Cat is a popular destination for both locals and visitors who are looking for a unique dining experience. Monkey Cat offers a wide selection of dishes, with something for everyone. The lunch menu has hearty sandwiches, delicious tacos, variety of salads and wonderful entree options. For dinner there is a variety of steaks, seafood and poultry dishes that will leave your mouth watering. Vegetarian and Vegan options are available on the menu, and most diets & allergies can be accommodated. Placer County is home to fantastic wineries and breweries, and Monkey Cat is a proud supporter of that. Try a local drink on your next visit. Looking to take care of a larger group? Ask about private dining. Everything from Happy Hour, to Wine Down Wednesday, to Holiday Specials, Monkey Cat has you covered.

Order delivery or takeout

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    American, Asian, Steak
  • Hours of operation
    Lunch Tue–Sat 11:30 am–3:00 pm Dinner Tue–Thu 5:00 pm–8:00 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–9:00 pm
  • Phone number
    (530) 888-8492
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Private party facilities
    Private dining room available with a bar and Internet connection. Seats up to 24 for dinner or up to 50 for cocktails. Customized menu. Please contact Jennifer @530-888-8492 or jennifer@monkeycat.com to reserve the banquet room.
  • Neighborhood
    Auburn
  • Cross street
    Cherry
  • Parking details
    Street side parking, parking lot located on Cherry Ave as well as Lincoln Way
  • Additional
    Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, BYO Wine, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Takeout, Wheelchair Access, Wine

What 1,458 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.6
4.6 based on recent ratings
  • 4.6Food
  • 4.7Service
  • 4.5Ambience
  • 4.3Value

NoiseModerate

Loved For

  • Sacramento / Sacramento Valley

    Best Service

  • Sacramento / Sacramento Valley

    Neighborhood gem

  • Sacramento / Sacramento Valley

    American

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Monkey Cat offers a delightful dining experience with "phenomenal service" and "outstanding food." Regulars praise its "amazing atmosphere" and consistently delicious dishes like short ribs and seafood risotto. While the ambiance is generally pleasant, some noted noise and temperature issues. Overall, it's a "wonderful gem" for special occasions and everyday enjoyment.

1,458 Reviews
  1. OpenTable Diner

    San Francisco

    2 reviews

    2.0

    2 reviews

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Totally overpriced and having to order the sides as well because they don’t come with the meal is a turn off. Won’t be going back 🙁

    Is this helpful?

  2. Roberta

    Sacramento

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We were celebrating an early family Christmas and had never been to Monkey Cat, as we are new in the area. Loved the name, liked the look of the food offered and especially, liked the extensive and unique drink menu. Service was excellent and even brewed a pot of decaf coffee for our DD! Recommend the Luxardo Old Fashioned and the Green Eyed Girl cocktails. Monkey Cat featured my family's favorite Gin - Hendricks and Sazerac Rye Whiskey. Only drama was finding parking in this busy area on a Saturday night. Definitely will be repeat guests there. Try it out!

    Is this helpful?

  3. Wanda

    Sacramento

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Love Monkey Cat! We enjoyed the view from our window table as we watched shoppers hurry by. Our server, Cheyenne, was lovely and attentive, and the meal was delicious.

    Is this helpful?

  4. STEPHANIE

    Sacramento

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined 6 days ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 3
    I ordered the TBLT (Shaved turkey, crispy bacon, green leaf lettuce, heirloom tomato, avocado, pesto aioli on sourdough). The most unflavorful sandwich I have ever had. I should have gone to the corner gas station for the cost of this sandwich. Heirloom Tomato? I think not. It was a supermarket bland brand. The pesto aioli - I had to add half a shaker of salt to my sandwich it was so flavorless. Come on, Monkey Cat. You can do better than this nonsense. Service? Server was attentive but could have cleared the "shrimp corndog" appetizer plates sooner rather than after we paid the bill.

    Is this helpful?

  5. Janis

    VIP

    Sacramento

    41 reviews

    5.0

    41 reviews

    Dined on December 14, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Fantastic Saturday lunch. The staff opened the door for me early because it was raining. He gave excellent recommendations. The pace was perfect for my friend and I to catch up and make it to the Placer Theatre Ballet on time for the 1 pm performance. It was excellent. I had the shortrib grilled cheese sandwich that came with crispy perfectly seasoned french fries. My friend had the blue-cheese tomato soup. Super tasty.

    Is this helpful?

  6. laura

    Sacramento

    17 reviews

    5.0

    17 reviews

    Dined on December 12, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Shrimp tacos were outstanding and just right for lunch. Service was personable and attentive. Highly recommend this terrific spot.

    Is this helpful?

  7. JD

    Sacramento

    5 reviews

    2.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on December 11, 2024

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 1
    First time coming in, we found it extremely cold. Asked for a seat away from the draft of the door…it still didn’t make a difference. We ordered drinks and were told they were out of 2 of the 9 main entrees. Disappointed, we weren’t sure we would stay for dinner, but decided to order anyway. When we went to order our appetizers, we were told they were out of one of them. Server told us she came in and not a lot of food was prepped for dinner tonight which is why they were out a lot of items. With all the back and forth, we did enjoy our meals, but mind you, it was late and at this point hungry. We asked for a Togo box and when the server cleared our plates, she said she was coming back with more food. Confused, we said, what food? We didn’t order anything else. She came out with a dessert plate and offered us dessert. The way it was presented, we thought they were giving us the plate of dessert complimentary for all the inconveniences earlier on. She said which do you want and I’ll box them for you to take with you. As she walked away, I stated that was so nice of them. We got the bill and didn’t even have a chance to read it before she took the credit card and the bill to run it. When she came back with it, we saw the charge for the desserts. It was all very misleading. I think we were still processing what had happened and didn’t say anything before we left. But afterwards, we were both upset about the entire situation and lack of communication. It wasn’t about the final bill but it was about customer service and the lack of transparency and accountability. Having worked in the restaurant industry, that’s what brings customers back. Not the way they handled it. Sadly, I don’t see us ever coming back.

    Is this helpful?

  8. Mike

    Sacramento

    6 reviews

    4.0

    6 reviews

    Dined on December 7, 2024

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Everything was great. One thing was that when the receipt came it included a fee for use of credit card which had not been disclosed in advance. It would have been better had the restaurant disclosed upfront that they would charge a fee.

    Is this helpful?

  9. Cheryl

    VIP

    Sacramento

    26 reviews

    5.0

    26 reviews

    Dined on December 4, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Monkey Cat is always perfection! The food is delicious, and the service is amazing. They always make you feel like part of the family here.

    Is this helpful?

  10. Hank

    Sacramento

    1 review

    2.0

    1 review

    Dined on December 1, 2024

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 3
    Went for a birthday dinner. Ordered an appetizer , 2 dinners and wine. Wine arrived and then we sat and waited...and waited. After about 30 minutes our server came by and said the appetizer would be right out. Two minute later she arrived with the entrees and said our original appetizer was given to another server by the kitchen, but they had just made another one (baked brie) and would we like it now. At this point, with two hot entrees on our table we said, No Thanks. She was very apologetic, but her kitchen staff let her down and she had to make the excuses for them. Not a very memorable meal.

    Is this helpful?

FAQs

Monkey Cat offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (530) 888-8492.

Monkey Cat is rated 4.6 stars by 1458 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 4 times today

Order delivery or takeout

Google Map for Monkey Cat

805 Lincoln Way, Auburn, CA 95603

Additional information

  • Cross street
    Cherry
  • Neighborhood
    Auburn
  • Hours of operation
    Lunch Tue–Sat 11:30 am–3:00 pm Dinner Tue–Thu 5:00 pm–8:00 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–9:00 pm
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    American, Asian, Steak
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    Street side parking, parking lot located on Cherry Ave as well as Lincoln Way
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Additional
    Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, BYO Wine, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Takeout, Wheelchair Access, Wine
  • Phone number
    (530) 888-8492
  • Private party facilities
    Private dining room available with a bar and Internet connection. Seats up to 24 for dinner or up to 50 for cocktails. Customized menu. Please contact Jennifer @530-888-8492 or jennifer@monkeycat.com to reserve the banquet room.
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Cookies and Interest-Based Ads
  • Cookie Preferences
Copyright © 2024 OpenTable, Inc. 1 Montgomery St Ste 500, San Francisco CA 94104 - All rights reserved.
OpenTable is part of Booking Holdings, the world leader in online travel and related services.
Booking Logo
Priceline Logo
KAYAK Logo
Agoda Logo
OpenTable Logo