Monk's Café

Monk's CaféMonk's Café
Monk's CaféMonk's Café
Bar, Eatery

264 S 16th St
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19102-3357
United States

(215) 545-7005 | map
monkscafe.com
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.45
Reviews:
377
Ratings:
580
pDev:
9.44%
View: Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by gcare02:
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Reviewed by gcare02 from Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev -4.5%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | food: 5
I will always find myself going back to Monks. They don't carry a million beers but the beers they do carry are outstanding. Expect to find almost every beer from Cantillon, which is always a good but expensive treat. They have a very impressive draft line-up with Belgian beers you will not find anywhere else. I feel like the beers on tap do not change up to much though.

My only problem with Monks is that the service is hit or miss. I had a table with 3 other guests out front and just dropped about $200. My guests wanted to check out the back bar and the hostess said we can't go back there unless we order food again (attitude included). She gave us a hard time so we ordered some more food just to head back there.

I still find myself still going back there because this place is pretty irresistible.
Feb 12, 2010
More User Ratings:
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Reviewed by chrisjws from California

4.94/5  rDev +11%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5
Stopped by this legendary spot on a Tuesday afternoon on a warm spring day. I promptly took a spot at the bar upfront. There were a handful of other patrons at the bar, and a few upfront near the window eating and drinking. Took a good long look at the menus and there were more beers I wanted than I had the liver capacity for. I had to think long and hard, but several great beers were had. Next time. The vibe fits the word "cafe" quite well. Pair that type of vibe up with some old-world decor, and some Belgian beer signage. Wooden bartop with stools. I didn't check it out but I was told there was a patio out back.

The bartenders were kind enough to give me several other recommendations to checkout around town during my trip. After chatting with the bartender I also checked out the extensive bottle list. This place very much lives up to the reputation it has earned.
Monday at 08:18 PM
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Reviewed by TheIPAHunter from California

4.31/5  rDev -3.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5
One of the best places for craft beer in Philly, and they were offering the myriad selections they have before most. You want Pliny? Check. You want some Alchemist? Check. You want great food that covers all dietary restrictions? Check. Service is really good and that is something I never take for granted. Peace...
Oct 05, 2023
 
Rated: 5 by saymike32 from New Jersey

Sep 26, 2023
 
Rated: 4.38 by ejimhof from Pennsylvania

Sep 23, 2023
 
Rated: 4.66 by mcbridec6 from New Jersey

Jul 27, 2023
 
Rated: 4.55 by DrStiffington from New Jersey

Mar 29, 2023
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Rated by Budlum from Maryland

5/5  rDev +12.4%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 5
Perfect.
May 19, 2022
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Reviewed by eluvah from New York

4.88/5  rDev +9.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.25
Pliny the Elder and Blind Pig on the east coast? Are you kidding me? Plus the finest Belgian bees on tap and bottles. This is he gold standard for beer bars.
Dec 01, 2021
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Reviewed by WaterBoar from Pennsylvania

4.24/5  rDev -4.7%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.25 | food: 4.25
I had the duck spring rolls, some other food I can not remember and a few beers. This restaurant is unique and they do have some obscure beers on tap and bottle, but Monk's Cafe is not a place I go to often.
Sep 19, 2021
Photo of tone77
Reviewed by tone77 from Pennsylvania

3.91/5  rDev -12.1%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.75 | service: 3.75 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3.75
I finally got a chance to give this place a try. We arrived on a Friday night, and the place was packed and noisy. Beer selection is very good, I had a Russian River Pliny the Elder and a Maine Beer Co. Lunch. Service was good and food wasn't bad either. Overall it's not a bad place at all, but I was expecting more based on the reviews here.
Aug 07, 2021
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Rated by OfficerKramitz from Pennsylvania

4.61/5  rDev +3.6%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.25 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5
Always stop by when in the city. Very nearly always have pliny the elder in tap which is great for the coast. Works class beer selection.
Dec 31, 2020
Photo of Knapp85
Reviewed by Knapp85 from Pennsylvania

4.66/5  rDev +4.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5
Monk's is a staple visit when visiting inner city Philly. It's not the biggest place so sometimes seating is a bit tight or non-existent but I enjoy the vibe they have. The service it great and the selection is truly hard to beat. I highly recommend this place for anyone who's either just getting into beer or if they're a seasoned veteran in the craft world.
Jun 25, 2020
 
Rated: 3.85 by slasich from Pennsylvania

May 16, 2020
Photo of cratez
Reviewed by cratez from Canada (ON)

5/5  rDev +12.4%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 5
What I had: Russian River Blind Pig IPA, Monks Café Flemish Sour Red Ale, Russian River Pliny the Elder, and Dogfish Head Ta Henket on tap, Pan Seared Rainbow Trout for me, Caesar Salad, Roasted Chicken, and several glasses of sauvignon blanc for my fiancé.

What I liked: Wonderfully low key atmosphere in the front of the restaurant, no trouble finding seats on a Thursday night, extensive and carefully selected draft list, was elated to find two of Russian River’s best beers on tap, our waitress was warm, attentive and knowledgeable, we enjoyed all of our food and my partner liked her wine, couldn’t have chosen a better spot to celebrate our engagement.

What I disliked: I probably wouldn’t come here on a busy night if I just wanted to drink, since they reserve all tables for diners. Thankfully, though, that wasn’t an issue for us.

Would I go back? Absolutely. We had a flawless experience here and it’s clear that The Monk’s Café is a must-visit when in Philly.

Overall Rating: 100
Jan 30, 2020
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Reviewed by Sheppard from Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev -15.7%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4.25 | service: 3.75 | selection: 3.5
I've been to Monk's a few times now, every time I've been in Philly lately actually, and the primary reason to go is the Russian River bottles and draft. The two bars are awkward and tight. The fact that there are two of them and if you order a beer from the other, your bartender has to go back and forth is a little awkward. The service can be a little slow in general and because of this. Monk's also relies on the old European style handwashing, but doesn't seem to have bar backs so that is also on the bartender. The place does get some rare out of town beers, but I would also say that there was a stark lack of local beers the most recent time I went. Nothing from the Philly area, which has a pretty good beer scene.
Jan 03, 2020
 
Rated: 4.56 by MICAMD from Maryland

Dec 27, 2019
 
Rated: 4.56 by sjones5045 from Pennsylvania

Nov 19, 2019
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Reviewed by Sabtos from Ohio

3.03/5  rDev -31.9%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3.5 | service: 1 | selection: 4.5
Good lord is this place legendarily overhyped or what! I understand, they brought a lot of hard to access beers into a big city that not many places in the country even cared to get a hold of at the time, but much of that is now old hat and they really haven't changed a thing since.

Monk's Café is a very quaint, excessively cozy, elbow to elbow "restaurant" that tries to be a bar, while both of the bars themselves are extremely short and tiny. The place smells of mussels and butter without end, which in and of itself isn't terrible, but it's also kind of weird and actually turns me off from ordering food in an unusual way, and I'm a big fan of mussels usually.

The draft list is still surprisingly small, and while the bottle list is pretty extensive, I can get almost all of it at local bottle shops these days. There's very little that's exciting, while the prices are pretty outrageous. Having Cantillon on the menu might be a big luxury in a voraciously consuming city like Philly, but there was nothing that I couldn't order online for cheaper, or get at the numerous special events hosted in Akron and Cleveland each year, (or in my cellar for that matter).

That aside, it really comes off like they have no idea what they are doing anymore. If they ever did in the past, that's gone by the wayside now. Clearly, they've had a strong love and passion for beer, particularly Belgian beer, but their hospitality and service has all but disappeared. It really wasn't that busy, but it gives the impression that it is due to the claustrophobic nature of the space. I mean, the place has like, what, 20 tables? So we had a 15 or so minute wait. Our wait turned in to 30 minutes, so what, okay I get it, it's popular. Here's the problem, as the wait drew on, I decided on a brew to order and stood at the bar, which had a few open spots but not enough for us both, so I didn't sit. After 10 minutes of leaning in and giving numerous glances and nods at the single bartender who wasn't actually very busy, our table was ready, so I said fuck it. We sat down and I placed my beer order there instead. 10 minutes later it was delivered, warm from sitting at the bar presumably that whole time, while our other beer was originally delivered to the wrong table. Does any of this sound like the service you'd expect at a place as renowned and revered as Monk's Café? Either way, $20 for two draft pours and you should practically be getting a massage with that.

Here's my problem with Monk's Café. We have bars in Akron that turn over 3x the amount of tables they do at Monk's Café, with the same amount of staff, and they do it faster and with better service. This is a landmark bar AND restaurant, in a major metropolitan area--wouldn't there be more competition in the area, and at least between servers, to do better? Don't they have a little pride in their work, or their business? This was a Saturday night, you'd think they'd be prepared to be slammed. And I wouldn't in any way call what I saw this evening as slammed. It was a pretty typical after dinner crowd to be honest, and a lighter one than I'd expected for Philadelphia. And they really couldn't handle it.

I can't for the life of me figure out why so many people fawn over or even patronize this place anymore. Just because you were told you are supposed to by the ghosts of beer past? No thanks. I'm not fan of tradition in general, but especially if whatever's good about something has faded to an unrecognizable degree. It's time to move on.
Sep 24, 2019
 
Rated: 4.84 by TrojanRB from Texas

Sep 05, 2019
 
Rated: 4.73 by Samnem from Pennsylvania

Aug 11, 2019
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Rated by Mikemcgrath4 from North Carolina

4.61/5  rDev +3.6%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.75 | selection: 5 | food: 4
Came to Philly just to come here. Different than expected, but did not disappoint.
Jul 15, 2019
 
Rated: 4.98 by Noelito76 from New York

Apr 05, 2019
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Reviewed by hozersr from Pennsylvania

4.69/5  rDev +5.4%
vibe: 4.75 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4.25 | selection: 5 | food: 4.75
The look of this place gives you a feeling like you are eating in your home. Not a huge draft menu,but, what they have on tap is world class, Russian River, Hills Farmstead, just to name a few. Their bottled beer is well into the hundreds.
Food is amazing, best mussels I have very had. A must visit place when in Philly.
Apr 03, 2019
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Reviewed by Ampman69 from New Jersey

4.45/5  rDev 0%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 4.25
I'm in Philly almost every weekend. There's so many places to go. I try and hit a different spot each time. Came across Monk's this past weekend. They have a huge selection of beers from around the world, mostly Belgian. I was disappointed they didn't have my favorite, Nostradamus, but there was plenty to choose from there. It was quite busy, one spot open at the front bar so my girl sat there and I stood. Didn't venture to the back bar. We ordered a burger and it was really good plus some dessert. Definitely a good spot to hit if you like Belgian beer.
Mar 16, 2019
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Reviewed by RollTide7 from New Jersey

4.69/5  rDev +5.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.25 | selection: 5 | food: 4.25
My go to place in Philly. Monks has an incredible selection with Russian River (particularly Blind Pig and Pliny the Elder) regularly on tap. Also great selection of hard to find bottles like Cantillon, 3F, and others though obviously you will pay up for them, they are for onsite only though.

Note there are 2 bars, one in the front and another if you walk all the way back then down the long hallway tot he very back of the the place, frequently its much easier to find a place at the back bar and its also much nicer in ambiance too. Food is good not great, I typically get a burger and frites. Full disclosure though this place can also be very crowded and difficult to get seating even at the bars, as others note they only give you a table if you are ordering food.
Mar 13, 2019
Photo of Evan93
Reviewed by Evan93 from Pennsylvania

4.55/5  rDev +2.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 4
Vibe- Nothing special. The bar was full and they wouldn't let us sit at a table without ordering food. Kind of crappy considering our table of 4 spent almost $100 on beer and weren't there longer than an hour.
Quality- The beer quality was great and the cheese board we got was very good.
Service- The server was good. Nothing special of note.
Selection- This is off the charts. This is where this place really shines. Not very many taps but what they have tapped is usually great. The bottle list is out of this world. Lots of Cantillon, Russian River, Tilquin, etc. Lots of hard to find items.
Food- Only got the cheese board, but the food we saw looked good.
Overall- good experience, great selection. I had a good time. My only 2 negatives were the having to order food to sit at a table, and they won't let you buy any of the rarer bottles to go. I don't live close and they have things i can't get close to home, so I would have spent quite a bit on bottles to go if they allowed it.
Feb 06, 2019
 
Rated: 4.63 by CanConPhilly from Pennsylvania

Jan 27, 2019
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Reviewed by JamFuel from Sweden

4.6/5  rDev +3.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.75 | selection: 4.75 | food: 4.25
One of the most Belgian places I've ever been to outside of Belgium. Narrow room with a bar at the front and one at the back, with tables in between. Not a huge place, and apparently gets pretty packed. Fairly quiet when I was here.

Tap list is about 20-24 strong with a lot of European beers, especially Belgians, which makes sense. Since I live in Europe, I came for something else, namely Pliny the Elder. The list is very varied, and noone should feel unable to get something they like. Bartenders are very helpful if needed. They are also very friendly and laid back. The overall vibe at the bar was very upbeat and inviting.

Food was very nice, a take on European pub grub with a twist here and there. The pulled pork sandwich was excellent and worked well with the house Flemish sour.

Overall, a great spot that I will happily visit again when in town.
Jan 05, 2019
 
Rated: 4.63 by vfgccp from New York

Dec 15, 2018
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Reviewed by npolachek from New York

4.75/5  rDev +6.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.25
This is likely the best beer bar I've ever been to. Tom is terrific, and every time I've gone, the bartenders have been able to recommend a beer a haven't tried that is fantastic. I love this place!
Oct 21, 2018
 
Rated: 4.48 by TTripp725 from Pennsylvania

Oct 14, 2018
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Reviewed by Bouleboubier from New Jersey

4.35/5  rDev -2.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.25
Best Belgian bar in Philly, hands down. Very consistent. First visited back in 2003/04, before I knew all that much. Had my first Rasputin upon that first visit (got it take-out, all I could afford off the bottle list at the time). Been coming back periodically ever since. Sat at both front and back bar and have eaten in each of the three sections many times over. Not really a bad seat in the house, unless you can't get a seat. Prices have jumped considerably over the years, some favorite dishes now gone (trout saison, rabbit), but it's hard to stay away for too long. Frites are usually fantastic, and the mussels are more often on point than not. The main draw - the beer - is of course the constant lure. Despite prices, I do sometimes get a bottle, but the draft list is ever-changing and usually has more tempting beers on it than I could drink in one sitting. I have been to a few events here and they're great, usually bringing out an eclectic crowd, and often offering an eclectic, can't-miss tap list. Last visited a week ago. Great beer, great company. Always on my radar. Imitators abound, can't match.
Sep 25, 2018
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Reviewed by brewme from Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +1.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5
Went here recently while vacationing in the area. It has a legendary reputation. Somewhat small, cramped space. Epic beer selection (Lunch & Pliny on tap when I went!).
Aug 25, 2018
 
Rated: 4.91 by q33jeff from New Jersey

Aug 03, 2018
 
Rated: 4.43 by Rubezahl from Pennsylvania

Jul 30, 2018
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Rated by dafla67 from Pennsylvania

4.64/5  rDev +4.3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.75 | food: 4.5
One of the originals and still the gold standard in Philadelphia. Wonderful food and always a varied and great selection of beers.
Jul 18, 2018
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Reviewed by Summer_Swelter_Beer_Fest from New Jersey

5/5  rDev +12.4%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 5
Try the mac and cheese with ham and asparagus. Pairs really well with a nice Pliny the Elder. In Philly. Pliny in Philly. That alone has to get this place some major points. The staff knows beer and are really helpful with trying new styles. Really cool old school vibe that makes you feel like you're in a pub in Europe instead of a block away from the NJ train station.
Jul 09, 2018
 
Rated: 4.97 by jcb1130 from North Carolina

Jun 24, 2018
 
Rated: 4.86 by GregSemenza from Connecticut

Jun 21, 2018
Monk's Café in Philadelphia, PA
Place rating: 4.45 out of 5 with 580 ratings