Monarch Market
Rasheedah Muhammad
Amazing atmosphere and food. Our bartender, Chad, was welcoming and made sure we had a good time. The bar on the terrace overlooks N Tryon so it is perfect to stop in before catching a show at the theatre or a game at Spectrum. Everything is within walking distance. We ordered the sunrise temple and enjoyed Greek cuisine from the vendors. Definitely an experience. Perfect for date night, a night out, or a drink after work.
Serena Porter
Our first lunch visit. We walked the options and settled on Barley and Burger. The wait time from joining the line, ordering, and getting rhe food was decent but keep in mind it was a Friday holiday. I got the Truffle Shuffle and fried pickles.Yum! As others have rightly pointed out, come prepared to pay above average prices and how much you get to enjoy the environment may depend on when you make the trek. I think it will be worth the occasional walk for us.
Ryu Fan
To put it in perspective. We went here with high expectations but were disappointed by 1) the parking 2) the amount of food given 3) the price it added up to Youre paying for the atmosphere. I had 3 items as we thought it was be enough for a meal for two and it came up to $35 without drinks we got 4 chicken wings, a side salad, and some mushroom dish for $36. Yeah sorry not in this kind of economy. I couldve went to an event at Spectrum and spent less with alcohol included. Not to sham the tenants because rent must be expensive but to pay over $18 a person and not get even close to full on stall food is ridiculous. Beautiful place - poor parking situation. Props to the city for trying but due to the expensive rent I dont know how any civilian can afford $20-25 a person in a FOOD Hall for some appetizers that are fit for a child
BH Fan
Great to have another casual dining option in Uptown that's open for dinner! Wish they had online or kiosk ordering like other modern food courts so you didn't have to wait in line (some longer than others--perhaps due to inefficient order intake and not necessarily popularity) and then hope to find a table! They all use the same point of sale (receipts all say "Monarch Market"), so that shouldn't be hard. The address listed on the website for the parking garage seems incorrect, but we ended up finding a spot on the street anyway. Yes, some places seem pricey to make a full meal. The $13.50 chick bap from Seoul Good was ok if you're not super hungry. Might need to add a Korean hot dog, which would be another $7. The focaccia sandwich I got from the Italian street food place was $12 and were a decent size. I just wish it had been hot, not room temp. The best value seemed to be the $10 Nam Khap (called a lettuce wrap, but basically fried rice ok top of lettuce in a prepackaged container) from the Laotion place.
Franklin Johnson
Ah, we ventured to the Mexican and Lao joints, but alas, their fare echoed the charm of airport cuisineneither delectable nor wallet-friendly. The ambiance? Akin to an airport lounge, oozing a corporate aura down to the last decor detail. For the cost, I'll opt for a proper restaurant over this market-style setup.
