Grease Monkey serves burgers with a side of music

By Lauren Ellison Sustaire

Grease Monkey in downtown Arlington offers a wide variety of activities for families and students alike.

Offering a menu of good ol’ burgers and fries as well as salads, Grease Monkey is a great place to go get a bite to eat between classes or with the family after work.

The restaurant also boasts a stage inside its bar area, where bands crank out loud tunes, and a patio in front of the bar where you can enjoy your food with weekly musicians on Sunday afternoons.

Park it ON the Patio is a weekly show at Grease Monkey every Sunday, featuring musicians Sam Anderson and Kenny Uptain. The outside music sessions run from 3-6 p.m., with drink specials offered.

While most Sundays the duo keeps guest grooving to their acoustic renditions of classic country and rock songs, every now and then they take the night off when Grease Monkey hosts benefit concerts or parties for local charities. On Feb. 17, Grease Monkey offered the opportunity for local high school bands to play on their inside stage to raise money for the Martin High School Booster Club.

“Sunday nights are really casual and relaxed,” said Paul Checkeye, general manager at Grease Monkey. “Friday and Saturday are our most popular nights; the more adult crowds come out then.”

The self-proclaimed burger shop and social club has events on every single night of the week. Mondays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays are for live music sessions, both in the bar and on the patio.

Wednesday night has live trivia—for proud geeks who love beer and answering questions right, Checkeye explained. There are even prizes for the night’s “king geek.”

If you stop in on Thursday night you will run into hopeful songwriters, who meet at the restaurant to swap songs and bounce ideas off of each other at “The Mesquite Street Songwriters Night.”

On Tuesday night, Grease Monkey creates a college student dreamland. Your school ID entitles you to burger specials, $1 drafts and $2 well drinks. Grease Monkey definitely is the place you want to go to relieve stress after a long day of classes.

 And if you are a parent living in Arlington, this place is for you, too. Sunday afternoons, Grease Monkey is the perfect place to bring young ones for some family fun. The porch is the ideal spot for little feet to go pattering around while you enjoy a beer and the relaxing music of Anderson and Uptain.

“The kids had a great time when we went, running around and basically inhaling those cheese fries,” said Amanda Hollis, mother of four and visitor to downtown Arlington. “We will definitely be coming back often!”

Visit the Grease Monkey website to view the food menu and full schedule of events.