The 5 Second Rule: Monkey Town Brewing Co. (Dayton, TN)

Written by: Devin Burrow, Audio Division Head

“Do you guys want to try the best wings in town?” I asked my hallmates Josh Bianchi and James Barber. Bianchi is a Chicago native, accustomed to food in a big city context. Barber, Bianchi’s roommate, tagged along because he wanted to experience more of Dayton.

When you walk into Monkey Town, you’ll usually be greeted by a friendly server who seats you to your liking. Glancing around the restaurant, you’ll notice the decorations that pay tribute to the history of Dayton, especially the Scopes Trial. There is a bar located at the front of the store, and a chalkboard noting the specials for the day, and, in the far distance, you’ll even notice a dart board sporting the Monkey Town name.

“Six O’Clock in Chicago usually means that business is booming, but here? It’s empty,” Josh commented.

After taking in the atmosphere and warm decorations, we ordered an appetizer: fried pickles. Served as fried spears with a side of ranch, these pickles have a crunchy exterior and a warm interior that doesn’t fail to meet expectations. The well seasoned snaps covered in batter show the fresh made authenticity of the dish. Josh and I finished the fried pickles with ease.After one bite, he had enough.“Pickles aren’t really my thing,” James said the toughness of the pickle loses the flavor. Once you snap into the pickle, there is a chewiness that holds this food back from being easy to eat. This, however, does not negate the flavor of the appetizer. Josh said, “Everywhere in the South has fried pickles, I was excited to try some.”

Then our entrees came. I ordered 6 hot wings: 3 BBQ and 3 Buffalo with a side of onion rings. The wings were underwhelming, especially the BBQ wings. They seemed to be dipped in store bought BBQ sauce.

“The sauce was so huge in taste that I actually lost the taste of the chicken,” James described.

However, the buffalo wings surprised us.

“If you go to Buffalo Wild Wings and order their buffalo wings, it just tasted like Frank’s red hot,” Josh added. “But this sauce tasted like a more traditional buffalo sauce.”  

The onion rings were beer battered and had a very greasy texture. The onion itself, however, does not pull away from the batter casing. Not really a snap, but no toughness to the side item. For a total of $10.70, it’s definitely not expensive.

Josh ordered  fish and chips. The meal comes with two fresh fried cod bars, a bowl of slaw, tartar sauce and your choice of a side, which for Josh was french fries.The mayo slaw that accompanied the fish lacked an necessary edge. After tasting the cod, I was convinced that the next time I ventured to Monkey Town, I would order this entree.

“Usually places over serve fish. You can’t eat too much fish. It will make you sick,” Josh said about his main food.

The fish was well cooked and was complemented by the spiral cut fries. Fried to perfection, these fries can go with any item on the menu, and can rival the entree with it’s taste. The mayo slaw that accompanied the fish lacked a necessary edge. All in all, the fish had completely entranced all 3 of us. Josh spent a total of $18.55, including the cost of the fried pickle spears.

James ordered a cheeseburger and fries. “This burger is cooked a little too done for me, but it still rivals as one of the best burgers I have ever had,” he said. James spent $11.13 on his meal.

“So, what do we think?” I questioned my fellow reviewers. “I am really glad that I decided to come to Monkey Town. It has a fantastic atmosphere, wonderful staff and delicious food.” Josh commented. “ I really enjoyed the burger, but, somehow, the fries were way better.” Will we be eating here again? Definitely. Monkey Town has daily specials including 75 cent wing Thursday’s!

Devin’s rating 4.1/5; Josh’s rating: 4.7/5; James rating: 4.2/5 — Overall Rating: 4.3/ 5

Devin is a junior communications, media and culture major with a minor in worship arts at Bryan College. His interests include hiking, music and football.