A Spotlight on Drunken Monkey Coffee Bar

A Closer Look at The Multiple Award Winning Venue...

Drunken Monkey Coffee Bar is a unique coffee house experience. Located on North Bumby Avenue, in Downtown Orlando. It's been giving birth to both vegan and non-vegan food for a decade, and we're mighty glad about it. They have delicious food, paninis, in-house-made soups (6 or more per day), wraps and specials that change daily. Voted Best Coffee, for the majority of years it's been open. If you're looking for vegan or vegetarian restaurants in Orlando, this slice of creation is one to visit. Drunken Monkey is open 365 days a year. No days off for this hardworking Monk.

Coffee Shop In Orlando Serves Up Vegan Food And Drinks

I had the chance to speak with one of the minds behind the Drunken Monkey Coffee Bar, and it's food allergy friendly concept. I talked with Larry Hardin, one-half of the creative minds behind our favorite coffee house. The other creator is Maureen Hawthorne, who was hard at work at Drunken Monkey when he and I spoke.

Once upon a time Larry was a once computer programmer, before he turned into a coffee shop owner and renowned connoisseur. He takes pride in the unique and bold concept of locally roasted coffee in Orlando.

"After I was laid off at one of those corporate filler jobs, where people are disposable. I decided to invest my retirement money on the Drunken Monkey Coffee Bar in Downtown Orlando. I knew I wanted to open a coffee shop, and so I began talking with Maureen Hawthorne. She came up with the name. She worked in the restaurant business, in fine dining for most of eight years. We both lived in Orlando, and we wanted to stay in our town. So, we came up with the idea for the coffee house with non-vegan, vegan, or vegetarian restaurants in Orlando. We wanted it to also be an Orlando restaurant that people could carry out their food, or eat in. She created most of the food items and drinks we serve. She's really great at creating the names of the food too, when we brainstorm. We're both very much involved on a daily basis." - Larry Hardin (Co-owner of Drunken Monkey Coffee Bar)

Drunken Monkey Coffee Bar has taken over the hearts of the caffeine addicted for ten years. It transformed the lives of two creators, who had a passion and a common desire to create a low waste business.

They offer a lot of products you don’t get at other places in Orlando. There is no set menu. They mix the different types of food used for each item, in order to create other unique recipes. They rotate the food. Therefore, the menu changes daily. Everything they have, is used to not be wasteful. This way they don’t have to stock mass quantities of ingredients. They rarely ever throw out anything at the end of the day.

As a green friendly business, they have practically no food waste, which is a huge problem for most restaurants. This is an environmentally conscientious business. Everything tastes great and you can feel good about eating it too. All while barely leaving a carbon footprint, with your purchase.

The Mojo Jojo is a household drink. It was created by the co-owner Maureen Hawthorne, who spent two years perfecting the beverage. Mojo Jojo is a coffee based drink that is sweetened with condensed milk and other ingredients that they make a big batch of. The name was inspired by the monkey character from the animated show called The Powder Puff Girls. They have all sorts of eclectic names and phrases for each of their drinks, soups, and prepared foods. They go the extra mile in giving each item a fun background. It's more than just shallow food. It's food with sentimental meaning for the pop culture enthusiast.

"One of our most popular items is the Anzac cookie, which comes after the Mojo Mojo drink. It's an anagram that means Australian New Zealand Cookie. The Anzac is mainly oatmeal and coconut. There is no dairy in it. Back in the day, people used to send them to the Australian New Zealand Army Core, in World War I. They made the cookie with ingredients that had to withstand a long trip. It's a vegan cookie. There are no animal products in it at all. No soy, or nuts either. We even have a gluten free version of it." - Larry Hardin (Co-owner of Drunken Monkey Coffee Bar)

This quaint coffee house can hold about twenty-five to thirty people at a time. The atmosphere is relaxed and laid back. He chuckled, when I asked him what the coffee house's mission was. Then he said with a lighthearted tone, "That would be a corporate thing. We're not a corporate thing. We just have all types of food, soups, paninis, wraps, baked goods, with unusual names. We offer gluten free, vegan, and meat options as well. Half has meat, or has dairy products, but the rest does not. We make special custom drinks for everyone. Most of our food is already made earlier in the day. The majority of the soups are gluten free. We list every item's ingredients, in order to let people know whats in their food. We are very allergy aware. We're really a coffee bar at heart. There is no mission statement. Just good food." - Larry Hardin (Co-owner of Drunken Monkey Coffee Bar)

Who will you see sipping their favorite latte, or custom hemp milk drinks? Essentially, everyone with keen taste buds. There is a large population of college students and artistic people, but there are also business men and other corporate busy body types.

It's a great place for first date coffee drinks in Downtown Orlando. It’s a large date hotspot.

If you're looking to get some work done in a serene place, keep in mind that this Monk offers free wifi! Some people do most of their work at this gem. Several books and screen plays have been written within its walls. Even a video game was made there, whilst sipping drinks. There are also people working avidly away on their developing thesis. Most people complete full projects in this creative atmosphere. It’s not a loud location. It’s easy to sit and concentrate on your partner, or work.

It's said that Drunken Monkey Coffee Bar has the best coffee in the city. They’ve won so many awards throughout the years. Doing so, without push advertising. Voted Best coffee, for 4 out of the last 6 years by Orlando Weekly, Orlando Magazine, and Orlando A - list. They roast their coffee in house. There is no comparing Drunken Monkey Coffee Bar to corporate coffee shops. They are two completely different animals.

They have free stand-up comedy on FRIDAY and SATURDAY nights in Downtown Orlando, from 8:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. Friday is their showcase night. Saturday is open mic night for the crowd. For a laugh and a daily dose of caffeine, be sure to go to their weekend comedy nights in Downtown Orlando. There is no cover for their showcases. Watch, laugh and try to catch your breath. In between laughing and being in close quarters to some of Orlando's hilarious talent. Who doesn't need to laugh after a rough week?

Grab a quiche to go, or eat in house. They make sure to be open every day, for loyal and new customers. Larry Hardin's philosophy is as follows, "We are open every day of the year. Including Christmas. My customers expect that we're open for them. We also do a Thanksgiving dinner. It's special. We want them to feel special."

Below is an example of their Thanksgiving dinners!

The Drunken Monkey Coffee Bar holds a dinner at different times during the day, for every Thanksgiving. So, anyone on any schedule can enjoy a home cooked meal. They hold three sittings. One at 1:00 p.m., 4:00 p.m., and 7:00 p.m., but the space is limited to 30 people at a time. This a great option for those who are cul

inary challenged, and or want to eat some home cooked food for the holiday. It's made with love by local people, and pure on the ingredients. There's no hidden ingredients in anything. It's a very open-door list to what you're eating.

This coffee connoisseur hot spot supports local Kombucha makers, bee farms, as well as other small bakery businesses and local farms. There is something for carnivores and herbivores alike. The items they do outsource are highly vetted. They get a handful of their baked goods from small shops in New York, Miami, Orlando, and some other places around Florida.

"About 80% of our food is all made in house, and almost all bakery items are vegan and gluten free. We do sell some of our items at other businesses and we do some small catered events too." - Larry Hardin (Co-owner of Drunken Monkey Coffee Bar)

If you stop by Drunken Monkey Coffee Bar... know that a lot of heart has gone into your food. Let us know when you stop by! Leave comments below.