264 South 16th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
A few weeks ago my cousin and I ran the McGuire Air Force base 10k mud run. After finishing up and getting showered, we decided to celebrate crossing the finish line by going out to dinner and drinks in the city. I had been waiting a long time for this day…the day that I finally got to try Monk’s Café. My cousin had been raving about it for years, and my girlfriend had been there a few times without me since moving to the city recently and I was dying to try it.
We went on a Saturday evening, and we were lucky enough to get a table in the main eating area without a wait. This is pretty rare because Monk’s is always packed, at all times of day, on every day of the week. They have so many beers to chose from, and although some of the people there are huge beer snobs, it is an awesome place to grab a pint. I started off with the Dogfish Jiahu because I love how complex the flavors are in Dogfish’s beer usually. It was incredibly complex. Flavors ranged from honey to berry to grape, and that was when it ruined it for me. I loved it right until the grape after taste kicked me in the back of the throat. I knew I had to switch beers so I switched the Unibroue Ephemere apple. It tastes of spices and apples, like a beer mixed with apple cider and it had the effervescence of champagne. Incredibly different than almost anything I have ever tasted, this beer was my heaven.
Not to be outdone, the Monk’s Flemish sour ale was also indulged in, and it was as good as ever. It has a stronger sour flavor than the Ephemere, but less of an apple taste. I like it better than the Unibroue because of its sour taste.
My girlfriend and I ordered a small pot of mussels to share called the Red Light Mussels. The order was huge! 30 mussels come in a small bowl with bread and frittes and it could honestly be its own meal! The mussels were cooked in Hoegaarden, fume, chile de arbol, and garlic. The mussels were cooked so perfectly and the broth was incredible to dip the bread that they were served with in. The best part of the dish however was the double fried frittes. They were soft and hot, and the bourbon mayonnaise that they were served with was spicy and creamy, all of the perfect elements to a dish.
By the time my burger came out I was already full, but I could not wait to eat the burger because of how good it had been described by my cousin after every visit he had to Monk’s. I got a different one than he usually gets, but it was incredible just as he described. The Ardennes burger was topped with a sweet Belgian ham and an incredibly creamy and flavorful Belgian cheese. These burgers are so good that you don’t need ketchup and mustard and all of the things that are usually put on burgers. The meat is wonderfully flavorful, the bread is incredibly delicious, and the cheese and ham just put it in another stratosphere.
Monk’s is an amazing place to grab a good and affordable meal. For 4 people with 4 burgers, two orders of mussels, and 16 beers we only paid 35 dollars a person with tip! That is incredible to me, because eating in Center City can get incredible expensive for a lot less food. Go out and try Monk’s ASAP! Cheers!
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