Saturday 31st of December 2011 03:58:49 PM

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After years of meaning to visit, finally made it to Monk's Pub, a Chicago Loop institution. Went on a Friday evening, with a happy crowd of folks filling the place. Dark wood, Schlitz Tiffany-style lamps over the bar, casks as decorations, and two front areas -- one as a library, one as a wine cellar. Great tap list -- Belgian and Belgian-style brews served in proper glassware, and US craft brews generally served in shaker glasses. Chicago brews were well represented. The bottle list really shines for Belgian brews. The food is good, too -- basic pub food, but with decent ingredients. Burgers are very good -- they look like nothing special, but taste wonderful -- charred, cooked to the way you order them, possibly the burgers are formed by hand rather than using patties. The bacon was decent quality, with flavor! Each table comes with in-shell peanuts, and the floor is where the shells go. The peanuts do the job of making you thirsty for the brew. We had the Duvel Single and the Revolution Eugene porter. Attentive service even with the crowds, and the waiter took the time to line out the drafts that were no longer on. It's only open on weekdays, and that's a shame, but I can already see playing hooky some afternoon from work and parking myself in the library section with a book and a few beers.

Lots of tvs with the sound off, music playing, crowd noise can get high, but there was no problem with hearing conversation. Beer prices were fine for downtown, food pricers were, too.

Edit -- been there during slower times -- nice place to hang out and the food is great. I'd love to show up just as the lunch crowd was leaving and stick around until the after-work crowd arrived.