So last weekend found us in Philadelphia. Friday evening and night were a wedding and a reception on the outskirts of Philly.
We decided to stick around and stay an extra night as my wife had never been to Philadelphia other than to the Wachovia Center to see a college basketball game. I had not been to Philly since visiting as a youngster, other than for the aforementioned game some years ago.
So Saturday found us at a hotel near Rittenhouse Square in the downtown area. We took in an art show in the park across the street from our hotel. We then walked to the Independence Hall area. It was late afternoon so we didn't do the full tour. But we did get to see the American Philosophical Society, the original House of Representatives and Senate buildings, and of course the Liberty Bell.
Then, hungry and thirsty, it was time to hook up with a nephew and his girlfriend. We decided to look closer to our hotel and so we ended up at an establishment called Monk's Cafe on South 16th Street. Definitely a good choice. It advertises itself as a Belgian Beer Emporium and Restaurant. They had me at "hello".
My nephew informed us that Monk's makes the list as one of the best bars in Philly. I can see why. It also explains the crowd and the noise. Not a place you would go for atmosphere. It gets crowded fast. For a table of five (5) it was nearly an hours wait. But not everyone got there right away and we had nowhere else to go, so we stuck it out. And we were amply rewarded. We had a table at the window overlooking the street, and eventually we got used to the din and could actually hear each other as we conversed.
Monk's Cafe is a Belgian tavern. Oh it has a great variety of beers on tap and available in bottle (at least a dozen on tap and over 300 varieties in bottle), but the emphasis is on Belgian beers. It also carries beers from some local brewers as well. Unfortunately we were only there once so I did not take the opportunity to sample some of them.
I ordered the Mussels for dinner. And they were done up in Duval Saison beer. So naturally when I saw they had Duval Saison on tap I had to go with that one to complement the dish. Duval is one of my favorite Belgians and I was reminded why. Light-colored but so tasty, with a good head, and that piquant little flavor and spiciness you associate with the Belgian styles. And the mussels were good too!
If you're in Philadelphia and looking for a good place for lunch or dinner I'd definitely try Monk's Cafe. The beer selection alone makes it worth the trip. They do have wine and other drinks available as well. The son who was with us, perhaps still feeling the effects of the reception from the previous night, had a Bloody Mary that he found to be quite good. And everyone at our table enjoyed their food as well.
Monk's Cafe
264 South 16th Street
Philadelphia, PA
215-545-7005
We decided to stick around and stay an extra night as my wife had never been to Philadelphia other than to the Wachovia Center to see a college basketball game. I had not been to Philly since visiting as a youngster, other than for the aforementioned game some years ago.
So Saturday found us at a hotel near Rittenhouse Square in the downtown area. We took in an art show in the park across the street from our hotel. We then walked to the Independence Hall area. It was late afternoon so we didn't do the full tour. But we did get to see the American Philosophical Society, the original House of Representatives and Senate buildings, and of course the Liberty Bell.
Then, hungry and thirsty, it was time to hook up with a nephew and his girlfriend. We decided to look closer to our hotel and so we ended up at an establishment called Monk's Cafe on South 16th Street. Definitely a good choice. It advertises itself as a Belgian Beer Emporium and Restaurant. They had me at "hello".
My nephew informed us that Monk's makes the list as one of the best bars in Philly. I can see why. It also explains the crowd and the noise. Not a place you would go for atmosphere. It gets crowded fast. For a table of five (5) it was nearly an hours wait. But not everyone got there right away and we had nowhere else to go, so we stuck it out. And we were amply rewarded. We had a table at the window overlooking the street, and eventually we got used to the din and could actually hear each other as we conversed.
Monk's Cafe is a Belgian tavern. Oh it has a great variety of beers on tap and available in bottle (at least a dozen on tap and over 300 varieties in bottle), but the emphasis is on Belgian beers. It also carries beers from some local brewers as well. Unfortunately we were only there once so I did not take the opportunity to sample some of them.
I ordered the Mussels for dinner. And they were done up in Duval Saison beer. So naturally when I saw they had Duval Saison on tap I had to go with that one to complement the dish. Duval is one of my favorite Belgians and I was reminded why. Light-colored but so tasty, with a good head, and that piquant little flavor and spiciness you associate with the Belgian styles. And the mussels were good too!
If you're in Philadelphia and looking for a good place for lunch or dinner I'd definitely try Monk's Cafe. The beer selection alone makes it worth the trip. They do have wine and other drinks available as well. The son who was with us, perhaps still feeling the effects of the reception from the previous night, had a Bloody Mary that he found to be quite good. And everyone at our table enjoyed their food as well.
Monk's Cafe
264 South 16th Street
Philadelphia, PA
215-545-7005
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