Short North’s Monarch Cocktail Lounge will open its doors for a grand opening this Friday, March 30. Located at 700 N. High St., the two-floor space used to cater to the LGBTQ demographic under the name Level Dining Lounge. New owner Shawn Shahnazi said while everyone is welcome, Monarch won’t be targeting any specific audience. But, with top shelf liquor brands, soft seating, and a chef-inspired menu, Shahnazi believes it’ll fit in among the other restaurants on that block of the neighborhood.
“Here on High, there are amazing restaurants around, fine dining,” Shahnazi said. “If you leave those restaurants, if you just want to have a drink, if you just want to have a small bite to eat, if you want to just go for happy hour and you don’t want to sit at a table, you want a comfortable sofa, where are you going to go?”
Using lighting and sound, Shahnazi plans on altering the ambiance of Monarch throughout the day. Opening at 5 p.m., they’ll run a happy hour until 8 p.m. that offers half off all alcohol. During happy hour and until 11 p.m., Monarch will feature a live saxophone player, after which the lights will dim, and a DJ will take over until close.
The menu, conceptualized by Shahnazi, Medi Malek and Robert Pagan, will offer a few salads, a seafood bar and small plates, including truffle lobster mac & cheese, shrimp ceviche, spicy meatballs, and grilled lamb lollipops, among about a dozen others.
Monarch can comfortably seat 80, but there’s enough standing room for 150 people. The second floor is currently closed, but Shahnazi may expand the Monarch concept to include an upstairs, or he might consider a new purpose for it altogether. The main dining space can be rented for catered events on Mondays and Tuesdays, when Monarch is closed. Smaller parties can be accommodated during open hours.
Monarch is open Wednesday through Saturday from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
For more information, visit monarch614.com.