Monk's Café is a fictional
coffee shop from the
NBC sitcom
A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...
''
Seinfeld
''Seinfeld'' ( ) is an American television sitcom created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, with a total of nine seasons consisting of List of Seinfeld episodes, 180 episodes. It ...
''. The exterior of
Tom's Restaurant on the corner of West
112th Street and
Broadway, near
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
, which first appears in season 1 episode 3, "
The Robbery," is often shown on the show as the exterior of Monk's, though the interiors were shot on a
sound stage
A sound stage (also written soundstage) is a large, soundproof structure, building or room with large doors and high ceilings, used for the production of theatrical film-making and television productions, usually located on a secured movie or te ...
. The restaurant consists of a number of booths, tables, and a counter. Jerry, Elaine, George and Kramer normally sit in the first or second booth from the entrance.
The owner of the fictional café is Larry the Cook, played by Lawrence Mandley. He first appears in "
The Outing" during season 4. In the season 4 finale, "
The Pilot", Elaine is incensed that Monk's "new management" is hiring nothing but big-breasted waitresses. The new owner is identified as Mr. Visaki (played by
Al Ruscio) and the well-endowed employees turn out to be his daughters. However, in the season 5 episode, "
The Wife", Larry has returned as the owner/manager and appears in that role throughout the remainder of the show's run.
Ruth Cohen plays the cashier at Monk's, identified on screen as "Ruthie". She appears in 101 episodes, the most of any character other than the four leads; most of her appearances are as a non-speaking background character.
Jerry refers to a competing coffee shop, Reggie's, as "the
bizarro
Bizarro () is a supervillain or anti-hero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Otto Binder and artist George Papp as a "mirror image" of Superman, and first appeared in ''Superboy (comic bo ...
coffee shop." According to George, it has practically the same menu but is disliked by Jerry and Elaine (in "
The Soup") for its failure to serve an "egg white
omelette" or the famed "
big salad". In "
The Pool Guy" George eats at Reggie's because there is no room for him at the table in Monk's, with
Susan
Susan is a feminine given name, the usual English version of Susanna or Susannah. All are versions of the Hebrew name Shoshana, which is derived from the Hebrew ''shoshan'', meaning ''lotus flower'' in Egyptian, original derivation, and severa ...
taking up the fourth spot.
Jerry Seinfeld and writer
Larry David
Lawrence Gene David (born July 2, 1947) is an American comedian, writer, actor, and television producer. He is known for his dry wit, portrayals of awkward social situations, and brutally honest takes on everyday life. He has received two Prim ...
, who created ''Seinfeld'', called the coffee shop Monk's because there was a poster of the pianist and jazz musician
Thelonious Monk
Thelonious Sphere Monk ( October 10, 1917 – February 17, 1982) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist and composer. He had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the Jazz standard, standard jazz repertoire, includ ...
in the office in which they were writing. In the original pilot "
The Seinfeld Chronicles," the luncheonette was known as Pete's, and featured a waitress named Claire (played by
Lee Garlington); Claire was originally conceived as a regular for the show, but was written out (and Pete's replaced by Monk's) by the time the show went to series, because it was decided that having the female lead be from such a different social status compared to the rest of the cast would be unworkable.
Employees
*Larry the Cook, the owner/manager/cook.
*Ruthie Cohen, the cashier at Monk's, is seen behind the register in most scenes set in the café, and appeared in 101 episodes. In "
The Gum" she is seen on a horse, and aggravates George by saying, "Your car's on fire."
*Kelly, a waitress who openly flirts with George in "
The Soup". She is turned off by his mentioning an affinity for the word "
manure
Manure is organic matter that is used as organic fertilizer in agriculture. Most manure consists of animal feces; other sources include compost and green manure. Manures contribute to the fertility of soil by adding organic matter and nut ...
". She is only waitressing to get money to travel to Europe and quits at the episode's end because her handmade hairclips have started selling.
*Paco, a
line cook at Monk's. He is alluded to in "
The Strike" when George attributes a rubber band in his soup to Paco's cooking.
*The Blonde Waitress, who George is certain is giving him "the finger" by pointing to the menu and scratching her face while talking with him. The actress is
Lauren Bowles, the half-sister of
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Julia Scarlett Elizabeth Louis-Dreyfus ( ; born January 13, 1961) is an American actress and comedian. She has gained acclaim for starring in a string of successful comedy series as well as several comedy films. She has received List of awards ...
.
* Olive, a cashier whom Kramer dated in "
The Pie".
*
Babu Bhatt, who worked as a
busboy after Jerry helped get him hired in "
The Visa".
* A
Portuguese waitress with whom George had a brief relationship in "
The Abstinence".
* Carlito, an employee who passed out. Elaine’s date Ben, who is not a doctor, tells him to elevate his legs in “
The Abstinence”.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Monk's Cafe
Fictional restaurants
Seinfeld
Fictional diners
Fictional elements introduced in 1989