Monk's Cafe

Found this place and stopped for a quick lunch. The pommes frites are to die for. And the bourbon Mayo that goes with then is also great. My burger was pretty darn good. I got the Trappist version with goat cheese. He got the chicken fingers and said they were amazing. The place was cute and had windows with lights behind them as the decor. Pretty cool and it was also packed at 2 pm in a Saturday but not so much we had to wait for a table. Definitely would recommend.

We came here right at opening on NYE and were immediately seated in the back area - John was our server and made our meal very memorable. We ordered:

- Smoked trout dip: love the crispy trout skin inside the dip, dip itself was very fresh, loved smearing over baguettes. 4.5/5
- Duck salad: lean duck breast served with salad, great quality duck. 5/5
- Thai curry mussels: likely the star of our meal, mussels were so fresh and the sauce was some of the best we've ever had. We even ended up scooping the bottom just for the sauce/soup! 5/5
- Hill Farmstead Works of Love Monks edition: been wanting to try this bottle for years and you can only buy it for on-site consumption. It's been 4.5 years since bottling and the taste is very well balanced, limited funk, can likely age for many more years. My family members that typically don't like sours liked this!

Above all else, John was amazing and we asked him to take a photo of us, and laughed when we found his selfie in our album so obviously had to include it.

Oh man, I haven't spent too much time exploring Philly, so I was totally unaware that this place existed until recently. Combine an incredible Belgian beer selection (my favorite type of beer!) with great food, and you have an amazing combo.

First, just an FYI for other parents: the bar is completely inaccessible for strollers, as there are numerous steps and no ramp. Of course, it is a bar, so it's not too surprising that it's not super baby friendly :) They do have high chairs, though!

Anyway, once we got inside, we managed to snag a table (it wasn't too busy at lunch time, thankfully!) and I got to work looking at the beer menu. I didn't even look at the bottles because the draft list was just insane - so many excellent Belgian beers. For food, I ordered the pulled pork sandwich, while my wife got the chicken thigh. The prices were extremely reasonable, and the food was delicious! My wife didn't even have anything to drink and still had a great time :) Service was excellent throughout the meal as well.

We will definitely be back!

This place is a classic if you want good beer go here it's an institution and has been around forever. There's a lot of little different rooms that you can sit in and sitting at the bar at one of those is fun. I highly recommend as they have any beer you could possibly want and the food is good too.

Always happy with the service here. Great for drinks or happy hour. It's a popular place and can get really busy... I've left without being able to find a spot at the bar

If you're into beer and in Philly for any amount of time your first stop needs to be Monk's. I like to sit at the bar when I come in, but they have tables as well if you have a larger group or don't want to eat at the bar. The tap list is rotating which you can find on the website or their social media. You can't go wrong with the mussels and shoestring fries which they are known for. They also have an extensive tap list including a number of beers from Belgium.

I thought there would be
More local beers but there weren't.
Variety tho*

*I'm an IPA bro but the selection of other beers was very impressive

It is always packed and there are no reservations, but if you do have to wait it is worth it. Amazing selection of beers and the bartenders are nice and helpful to talk you through the list.

I love the casual style and vibe. It can be loud but it's part of the charm.

Great food, amazing fries!

Good food. Mussels are great. Huge beer selection. Cocktails and wine too. Service is great. Knowledgeable about the beers. Bar vibe.

A recent vacation in Belgium left us yearning for the beer, frites, and good vibes of our Flemish counterparts. If you can't hop a plane to Brussels, Monk's is the next best thing. If you're a beer enthusiast, this is the best beer bar in Philly. I'd go as far to say that I wouldn't be surprised if Monk's is one of the best beer bars in the country. You can get bottles and drafts of brews that are very hard to come by including Cantillon and Fantome. The food is tasty, too. I opted for a burger and my partner got the steak frites. I'm keen to come back for Mussels, personally. I could eat their frites until I died: crispy, salty, mouthwatering - accompanied by a spicy aioli. The burger was good, but the steak looked amazing! Cooked to perfection.

I can't round out my review without a shoutout to the best bartender. I wish I caught his name, because he was fabulous, quick, friendly: a real pro.

If you have mobility limitations, Monk's might not be a great spot. There's stairs to enter, and the walkways inside are narrow. I'm also bummed that they don't take reservations. If you time your entrance just right, you can snag bar seats - where you can eat and drink to your heart's content. If you opt for table service, note that you cannot be seated until your entire party is present. Also, I'm pretty sure table service requires a food order of some kind- if you're just there for drinking, you might be left standing.