diff --git a/src/components/menu/js/menuServiceProvider.js b/src/components/menu/js/menuServiceProvider.js
index a33dd39de40..977677d69c3 100644
--- a/src/components/menu/js/menuServiceProvider.js
+++ b/src/components/menu/js/menuServiceProvider.js
@@ -318,13 +318,6 @@ function MenuProvider($$interimElementProvider) {
           }
         }
 
-        opts.menuContentEl[0].addEventListener('click', captureClickListener, true);
-
-        return function cleanupInteraction() {
-          element.removeClass('_md-clickable');
-          opts.menuContentEl.off('keydown');
-          opts.menuContentEl[0].removeEventListener('click', captureClickListener, true);
-        };
       }
     }
 
diff --git a/src/components/menuBar/js/menuItemDirective.js b/src/components/menuBar/js/menuItemDirective.js
index dd48e3cff21..ccc8fc4a7e9 100644
--- a/src/components/menuBar/js/menuItemDirective.js
+++ b/src/components/menuBar/js/menuItemDirective.js
@@ -4,12 +4,14 @@ angular
   .directive('mdMenuItem', MenuItemDirective);
 
  /* @ngInject */
-function MenuItemDirective() {
+function MenuItemDirective($mdUtil) {
   return {
     require: ['mdMenuItem', '?ngModel'],
     priority: 210, // ensure that our post link runs after ngAria
     compile: function(templateEl, templateAttrs) {
-      if (templateAttrs.type == 'checkbox' || templateAttrs.type == 'radio') {
+
+      // Note: This allows us to show the `check` icon for the md-menu-bar items.
+      if (isInsideMenuBar() && (templateAttrs.type == 'checkbox' || templateAttrs.type == 'radio')) {
         var text = templateEl[0].textContent;
         var buttonEl = angular.element('<md-button type="button"></md-button>');
             buttonEl.html(text);
@@ -24,7 +26,7 @@ function MenuItemDirective() {
         angular.forEach(['ng-disabled'], moveAttrToButton);
 
       } else {
-        setDefault('role', 'menuitem', templateEl[0].querySelector('md-button,button,a'));
+        setDefault('role', 'menuitem', templateEl[0].querySelector('md-button, button, a'));
       }
 
 
@@ -51,6 +53,10 @@ function MenuItemDirective() {
           templateEl[0].removeAttribute(attr);
         }
       }
+
+      function isInsideMenuBar() {
+        return !!$mdUtil.getClosest(templateEl, 'md-menu-bar', true);
+      }
     },
     controller: 'MenuItemController'
   };
diff --git a/src/components/menuBar/menu-bar.spec.js b/src/components/menuBar/menu-bar.spec.js
index 3232a64f9ff..38fb0561c64 100644
--- a/src/components/menuBar/menu-bar.spec.js
+++ b/src/components/menuBar/menu-bar.spec.js
@@ -342,11 +342,18 @@ describe('material.components.menuBar', function() {
       function setup(attrs) {
         attrs = attrs || '';
 
-        var template = '<md-menu-item type="checkbox" ' + attrs + '>Test Item</md-menu-item>'
+        var template = '<md-menu-item type="checkbox" ' + attrs + '>Test Item</md-menu-item>';
 
         var checkboxMenuItem;
         inject(function($compile, $rootScope) {
-          checkboxMenuItem = $compile(template)($rootScope);
+          // We need to have a `md-menu-bar` as a parent of our menu item, because the menu-item
+          // is only wrapping and indenting the content if it's inside of a menu bar.
+          var menuBarMock = angular.element('<md-menu-bar>');
+          var itemEl = angular.element(template);
+
+          menuBarMock.append(itemEl);
+          checkboxMenuItem = $compile(itemEl)($rootScope);
+
           $rootScope.$digest();
         });
         return checkboxMenuItem;
@@ -398,11 +405,18 @@ describe('material.components.menuBar', function() {
       function setup(attrs) {
         attrs = attrs || '';
 
-        var template = '<md-menu-item type="radio" ' + attrs + '>Test Item</md-menu-item>'
+        var template = '<md-menu-item type="radio" ' + attrs + '>Test Item</md-menu-item>';
 
         var radioMenuItem;
         inject(function($compile, $rootScope) {
-          radioMenuItem = $compile(template)($rootScope);
+          // We need to have a `md-menu-bar` as a parent of our menu item, because the menu-item
+          // is only wrapping and indenting the content if it's inside of a menu bar.
+          var menuBarMock = angular.element('<md-menu-bar>');
+          var itemEl = angular.element(template);
+
+          menuBarMock.append(itemEl);
+          radioMenuItem = $compile(itemEl)($rootScope);
+
           $rootScope.$digest();
         });
         return radioMenuItem;