Williamsburg's Monkey Town Closing Down

One of the most intriguing restaurants and performances spaces in New York will close next month: RIP Monkey Town, a multi-room destination for adventurous food, performance art, music, and video. Owner Montgomery Knott tells Brooklyn Based that "due to landlord issues" the space will close on January 24th.

Monkey Town is famous for serving multi-course meals choreographed to accompany exotic video mash-ups on four giant walls; in 2007 we saw some truly gonzo sci-fi dinner theater in that back room, and in April there was a bizarre indie rock tribute to Phish. This week they're doing a 6-course Ski Lodge Dinner "with DJs spinning sounds of wintry slopes, a 1974 Werner Herzog film about ski jumper, AND your chance to win FREE lift tickets to two Vermont Ski Resorts."

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By John Del Signore in Food on December 17, 2009 2:13 PM

Comments [rss]

Andrew

this is devastating. i have been going here since it opened there. gonna have to catch a few more experimental shows over experimental dinners before the end. i hope a new home is in the works.

duckert

Simple you pay your rent and you stay simple.

Agnes

i went here to see my friend's in late spring, and it's such a gem place for music and visual colab. the workers are really nice and food was awesome! really affordable too, hope they'll open somewhere else.

i'll be waiting for the update, john.

dorkasaurus_rex

noooo!! this is the worst news i've heard all week. i loved this space for both their food and performance space and it's a shame to see such a unique place disappear for no good reason.

billybob

this is too bad, a great space for performance art, music and visuals. Hopefully they will find a new home in BK or LIC?

Gothamist_Cynic

Their food and drink minimum ruined a decent space to go see performances.

Rob

Good Riddance to bad rubbish. I have several memories about how poorly this place was managed and how badly they treated the performers including my band and others.

It's truly a shame too due to how cool the space was for electronic music and performance art.

Mookie Wilson

Tavern on the Green?

John Del Signore

I called them to get more details and haven't been able to get through to the owner yet. If there's any good news, I'll definitely update.

hug0chavez

No one's proposed showing up naked to protest the injustice? I guess Williamsburg is all tuckered out from all injustice of this past week and a half.