I love to brunch it up, and in my opinion, there are a few things that make a good brunchy brunch: excellent eggs, a list of adult beverages, and at least one delicious menu item that I can’t get anywhere else. If the eggs suck, why are we even up this early? If there’s no mimosa or brunch cocktails, then it’s just breakfast — and sorry not sorry, that’s not really my thing (unless it’s Sam’s Cafe French toast). And if the place has a menu of the same ole brunch dishes, then what’s the appeal?
Needless to say, I’m a picky brunch broad, and Cowboy Monkey ticked all three of my brunch requisite boxes.
In between Neil and Walnut on Taylor Street, Cowboy Monkey is open for dinner starting at 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, but the Downtown Champaign Tex-Mex restaurant opens early for brunch on the weekends. My husband and I recently went for brunch at Cowboy Monkey. When we arrived on a Sunday around eleven, a server sat us at a table immediately.
We ordered all the things: coffee, mimosas, pancakes, an omelette, and two appetizers.
To start, we had the guacamole and chips ($7.25) app. Most of the dip was smooth and creamy, but there were also big chunks of avocado and some diced red onion, which I liked. There was a little heat that snuck up on me the more I ate, and it was great.
In true brunch gal fashion, I ordered the mimosa flight ($18), which came with four different mimosas: classic orange, pineapple, grapefruit, and cranberry. Honestly for a flight, it was a lot of mimosa. These were no sampler mimosas; these felt like full-on mimosas. Sweet and juicy, the pineapple was my favorite, but I liked all of the flavors. The sparkling wine was nice and bubbly, and it was fun to sip the different mimosas side-by-side. While I have missed the bottomless mimosas that Big Grove used to have (RIP), this was on the same level. Four mimosas under $20 was a good deal, but serving four mimosas at once meant we never had to catch someone’s eye to order another drink.
My husband ordered a drip coffee ($2.95), which was the only coffee option for brunch on the day we were there. He didn’t mind because black coffee is his go-to. About the size of a small soup bowl, Cowboy’s coffee came in a large mug (no doubt inherited from Aroma Cafe, which was housed inside Cowboy Monkey during the pandemic before it closed permanently), and he never needed a refill because it was so big.
I ordered the masa pancakes ($12), which had three pancakes and a trio of cups with stuff to pour on top: syrup, strawberry-tequila syrup, and maple chipotle butter. The soft, dense cakes had a savory corn flavor without a gritty texture, and it was a delicious base for the syrups and melted butter.
I dumped all three warm sauces over the pancakes. Who else loves a river of hot chipotle butter? Because I definitely do. The butter had a little kick from the chipotle, and it tasted so good with the stawberry-tequila syrup. I liked that these were unique pancakes, not just regular sweet or cinnamon-flavored. Due to the sheer size of this dish, I couldn’t finish even though it tasted delicious. The buttery masa flavor tracks with the restaurant’s Tex-Mex cuisine, and I haven’t seen anything like this on other brunch menus in Champaign-Urbana.
My husband ordered the Mexicali omelette ($10.75). It was monstrously large, like at least four eggs plus fillings and toppings. The eggs were folded and wrapped around avocado, candied jalapeños, diced potatoes, roasted red peppers, and topped with salsa ranchero, chihuahua cheese, cilantro, red onions, and chipotle sour cream. This omelette had a lot going on, but it truly was all about that egg. Well salted and just the right texture, the eggs were fluffy but still sturdy enough to hold everything together. There was a nice grilled flavor from the chipotle sour cream, smoky salsa, and roasted peppers. The soft potato was a yummy add-in, like breakfast potatoes, just inside the omelette instead of on the side. The candied jalapeños were really good: sweet and just a bit spicy, but we both wished there were more.
Because we had heard tell of the quesadillas here, we also ordered the blackened chicken quesadilla ($13), which was absolutely delicious. Stuffed with just chicken, salsa, and cheese, it was basic, but crazy good. Freshly cooked, the chicken had a great peppery, blackened flavor, and the ooey, gooey cheese held onto the red onion, black beans, and corn salsa. I loved dipping the big triangles in the chipotle sour cream, too.
All in all, Cowboy Monkey nailed brunch. The food was tasty, and every dish on the brunch menu is priced under $15. In addition to drip coffee, juices, the mimosa flight, and their full cocktail lineup, Cowboy Monkey also sells brunch buckets of beer, too.
I will always say yes to brunch at Cowboy Monkey. I’m in for the masa pancakes or that damn good quesadilla anytime.
Check out the full menu on the restaurant’s website.
Cowboy Monkey
6 Taylor Street
Champaign
T-F 4 to 10:30 p.m.
Sa 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. + 4 to 10:30 p.m.
Su 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
