3 Monkeys — Restaurant in Harwich

A Long-Awaited Visit That Fell Short As a local, I’ve been dying to try this place for years. I finally made plans to bring my wife and kids here for our anniversary, excited to finally enjoy the experience. The hostesses were friendly and welcoming—we gave them our number and waited the 45 minutes for a table. We were seated by the window, which was a nice touch, and I was genuinely excited to dive in. We started with appetizers: the crab rangoons and shiso chicken. Both were very good and set a promising tone. Unfortunately, things went downhill from there. The first issue was the noise. The restaurant was so loud we couldn’t even hold a simple conversation as a family. We had to yell across the table just to hear each other—and even the waitress was hard to understand over the noise. It took away from what was meant to be a special night out. When the food started coming, another detail jumped out: everything was served in paper bowls and on disposable plates. For a place with upscale pricing and a long-standing reputation, it felt like a poor touch that cheapened the overall experience. For mains, we ordered a variety of sushi rolls, a short rib ramen bowl, and some chicken off the kids’ menu. Being half Japanese, we take sushi seriously—and while it was okay, it felt overpriced for the quality. The ramen had promise—the short rib was tender and flavorful—but the broth and noodles just didn’t come together. My daughter, a big ramen fan, took a few bites and was done. My wife passed after just one try. The surprise winner? The kids’ chicken—crispy, well-seasoned, and honestly better than most of the adult dishes. The bill came to just under $200. Strangely, there was a credit card surcharge added—despite the fact that we were paying cash. We had to ask for it to be removed. For anyone unaware, this practice is illegal in Massachusetts. As per Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 140D, Section 28A(2): “No seller in any sales transaction may impose a surcharge on a cardholder who elects to use a credit card in lieu of payment by cash, check or similar means.” One thing I did appreciate was the 2% kitchen staff fee. The waitress let us know it could be removed if we wanted, but we chose to leave it on. Supporting the back-of-house team is a nice idea. All in all, we left $250 poorer and pretty disappointed. Between the noise, the disposable dishes, the underwhelming food, and the pricing, it just didn’t feel worth it. It’s tough to say, but I don’t see us adding this spot to our regular list—even though it’s right in our backyard. I really wanted to love it, but it...

It truly breaks my heart to leave a less than stellar review but I’m sorely disappointed with my experience at this restaurant.

I’d like to firstly say service was really good, the hostess was pleasant and quick to seat us and our waitress was happy, patient, and attentive. If you’re looking to drink, this is the place, the cocktails were tasty and strong.

The food however was pretty disappointing and mediocre in lieu of the price point. Nothing tasted as described and was severely underwhelming. The rice bowls were sopped in Mayo like a porridge, the sushi was warm and poorly rolled, poorly stuffed even - it was probably the saddest looking roll I’ve seen at a restaurant. The pad Thai was complete peanut butter mush- none of the spices or oils described on the menu were in what i received and the noodles were so severely overcooked it made it super difficult to eat with chopsticks. The gyoza was nice, the tofu was done really well. Had I only ordered appetizers and drinks I think this would have been a solid 5 star review.

The atmosphere was nice, it’s not relaxing but if you’re looking for a fun time this is probably the place for you. Again, I think this is a really cool place if you’re looking to drink but as for dining I wish I hadn’t spent a small fortune here, it’s a...

Potential customers should be aware that 3 Monkeys engages in illegal and deceptive pricing practices.

In small print at the bottom of the menu, the restaurant states it adds a 3.75% surcharge to the posted menu prices. This is illegal under Massachusetts law (search Massachusetts General Law - Part I, Title XX, Chapter 140D, Section 28A). While a cash discount reducing the posted price is legal, an added credit card surcharge is not. Further, this surcharge is deceptively applied.

This is how they do it. Say an item's price is printed on the menu as $15. On the bill you receive, the restaurant charges you for $15.56 for the item (or $15.58 in my case for unknown reasons). They're already billing you the higher credit card price, and there's no mention on the bill of the available cash discount. If you happen to pay with cash, you will receive a revised bill. This bill finally reads like what it is -- a cash discount is then applied to the higher, unpublished price.

At that point, taking into account the 7% Massachusetts meal tax and 2% kitchen staff fee that you are charged, the bill becomes very difficult to reconcile at the table.

Some may say that other establishments in the area are doing this. Regardless of whether this is true, the practice...