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Award-winning products look great in a press release. What matters more is what people say after a season of actually using one. CNET named the Monument Eminence 605 its Best Grill Overall for 2025, so I went through the spec sheet and a large chunk of its 458 buyer reviews to see if that title holds up once the grill leaves the driveway.
What you’re getting for $1,349
The Eminence 605 is Monument’s flagship: 6 main burners plus a rear infrared burner and a side sear burner, totaling 89,000 BTU. That’s enough to preheat to 800°F in about 10 minutes.
Cooking space comes to 860 square inches (640 primary, 220 secondary), enough to fit 35 burgers at once. The grates are 7mm SUS304 stainless, and it runs on either propane or natural gas. A rotisserie kit and two meat probes ship in the box, along with a fully enclosed stainless steel cabinet.
The smart-tech features
The Eminence line runs Monument’s third-generation LED touch display with Bluetooth app connectivity for remote temperature monitoring. The knobs light up in different colors depending on burner temperature, which is a small touch but a genuinely useful one when you’re grilling after dark.
Reviewers consistently call out the sear side burner and rear infrared burner as standout features, saying they lock in flavor better than the front-to-back burner layout common on competing grills.
What buyers are actually saying
A 4.86 average across 458 reviews is a strong number at that volume. The recurring praise: fast, even heating, a solid feel to the build, and the sear burner performing as advertised.
The most consistent complaint is assembly. One reviewer with an engineering background described the instructions as difficult to decipher, and put total build time at around 3 hours. That lines up with what I found across other Monument reviews: the grill itself performs well, but budget real time to put it together.
How it compares
Inside Monument’s own lineup, the Eminence 605 sits above the Denali 605Pro on price ($1,349 vs $899) but adds dual-fuel capability, a slightly larger 7mm grate, and the extra sear burner. If $1,349 is more than you want to spend, the Denali 605Pro covers most of the same smart-tech ground for less. I compared the two series in detail in Mesa vs Denali vs Eminence, explained.
Against Weber’s comparable dual-fuel flagships, the Eminence 605 undercuts on price while matching or beating warranty length. I laid out the full trade-off in Monument Grills vs Weber.
Should you buy it
If you want the biggest cooking surface and the most burner configuration Monument offers, plus dual-fuel flexibility, the Eminence 605 is the pick, and the CNET award tracks with what actual owners report. Clear a few hours for assembly, and inspect the crate for shipping damage before you sign for delivery.
For care instructions that keep the stainless finish looking new, see how to clean and store your Monument grill. For where to buy from an authorized seller, check where to buy Monument Grills authentically.
Keep reading: my full Monument Grills brand review, how to pick the right Monument grill, and where to buy Monument Grills authentically.