The Monroe

The Monroe is a 4,000-square-foot dining and entertainment venue on the ground floor of The Julian Apartments in Downtown Orlando's Creative Village, featuring a main dining room, bar, lounge, semi-private dining area, backyard patio, and daytime coffee bar. The restaurant is named for Dr. William 'Monroe' Wells, a civil rights leader and physician who built the neighboring Wells'Built Hotel and South Street Casino (construction permitted in 1924 and 1926) to house African American travelers and touring entertainers during segregation, when no other lodging was available to them in Central Florida; the hotel is now the Wells'Built Museum of African American History and Culture in historic Parramore, which The Monroe supports.

The Monroe is the fourth concept from Good Salt Restaurant Group, led by owners Jason and Sue Chin, who in 2025 became Orlando's first-ever James Beard Award finalists, recognized in the Outstanding Restaurateur category alongside their other concepts (Seito Sushi, The Osprey, Reyes Mezcaleria, Sparrow Wine Bar, and Osteria Ester). Executive Chef Nikk Burton, raised in Queens and formerly of Disney's California Grill and Boardwalk Resort, runs the kitchen's nostalgic, childhood-inspired menu. The Monroe's own design and hospitality have picked up separate recognition too: Orlando Magazine named it 'Best Vibe' in its 2023 Dining Awards, and it has appeared on Eater's and Time Out's best-of-Orlando restaurant roundups.

The bar team maintains a rotating printed mocktail section alongside its coffee, tea, and cocktail programs. Recent seasonal builds have included the Pear-anoid Punch (Thai tea, orgeat, pear nectar, maple, lemon, ginger beer) and the Chai Hard (oolong chai, turmeric, lemongrass-ginger honey, condensed coconut milk, cardamom-lime foam), alongside the Pear-anormal Activity (lemongrass ginger tea, pear, almond, honey, lemon) and The Jackie Daytona (blood orange tea, cranberry, pomegranate, pineapple, ginger beer).