Blue Monk

Gmanofleisure

New York

4.98/5  rDev +8.7%
vibe: 4.75 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 5 | $$

I've lived in Buffalo for a while, and Blue Monk has been one of the most welcome additions to the area in a long time. I guess it starts with the beer - so you can expect 30 high quality on tap in addition to an outstanding bottle list. Selection is a nice balance of American craft along with Belgians and others.

Service is outstanding. With just one exception, the bartenders are friendly, fun, quick, and totally happy about sharing their beer knowledge with the customers. The rest of the staff is also super! Barbacks, wait staff, and management is the best our area has.

Being vegan, I can't comment on too much of the food, but can vouch for the vegan frites, which are the best. My family likes the mussels and duck reubens.

We like attending the almost weekly tasting events- always introducing a new beer to the area or focusing on a certain style. Now that its warm, the beer garden out back enhances the space. Definitely ranks high among beer pubs I've been to anywhere.

05-15-2013 18:09:57 | More by Gmanofleisure

Spiderbeerman

New York

4.69/5  rDev +2.4%
vibe: 4.75 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4.25 | selection: 5 | food: 4.75 | $$

This is a great stop for all of you beer connoisseurs. It was a crowded happy vibe that permeates the place. The wait staff is helpful and fun and the food is fabulous. This a great place to hang out after work or later in the night. In the Elmwood Village it is convenient to other bars and restaurants, but once you're here you might as well stay.

05-11-2013 05:15:48 | More by Spiderbeerman

Michael_D

4.23/5  rDev -7.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.75 | $$$

I really like this place. Can usually score a few beers here that you won't be able to anywhere else. (served normally in tulips or snifters, depending on the beer).

It's a little pricey to get dinner and some beers, but with the quality of food and the selection of beers, it's ok.

It gets really packed on Friday and Saturdays, but the rest of the week is reasonable. Service is hit or miss, but as stated before, the beer and food make up for it.

01-31-2013 02:57:49 | More by Michael_D

vonnegut21

New York

4.88/5  rDev +6.6%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 5 | $$$

Let me start by saying my biggest issue with Blue Monk is that I live 5 hours away. Seriously, if I was a local, I would be here multiple times a week.

The atmosphere is great. The bar is an excellent mix of beer geeks, young professionals, hipsters and families. The bar is always high energy and the back picnic area is a nice place to relax.

The quality is second to none in Buffalo. The selection is great. There are 30-35 taps, mostly Belgian, some extremely tough to find in Upstate NY. There are a handful of non-Belgian offerings, mostly local which are also excellent (Pumking is a staple in the late summer/fall).

The food is also very excellent. Easily the best food I've had in Buffalo. The frites fried in rendered duck fat are incredible. Even staples such as mac and cheese are given excellent treatment at Blue Monk.

If you're from anywhere near the area, make it a point to stop here. The best bar/restaurant in Buffalo, bar none.

05-18-2012 01:39:38 | More by vonnegut21

gabedivision

New York

4.73/5  rDev +3.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5 | $$$

A Belgian themed beer garden located in the heart of the Elmwood village, tons of beer on tap, some are always there (delrium, maudite and such) others change quite often. Excellent bottle selection, all types of sours and bitters and trappest beers. All beers are served in appropriate glassware, bartenders and servers are knowledgeable about most of the beers. The food is excellent, very bistro. It is definitely pricy but it is also impossible in Buffalo to find 80% of these beers. Great bar great food, almost impossible to not be elbow to elbow in there however, the bar area is small and always packed.

03-31-2012 18:40:34 | More by gabedivision

sdj5

New York

5/5  rDev +9.2%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$$

This place is truly wonderful. They have only the best and rarest beers on tap for your enjoyment. They feature Belgian offerings, but are surely not limited to one style. The last time I was there I had Evil Twin Yin Imperial Stout from Denmark and my friend had Delerium Tremens. I want to get there to try Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier! They have a ton of taps and they change all the time. Worth the time, worth the money. It can become very crowded because it is such a popular destination on Elmwood.

03-03-2012 22:29:32 | More by sdj5

korguy123

Ontario (Canada)

4.75/5  rDev +3.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5 | $$$

Visited Leap Day with my fiancee for dinner.

It was fairly quiet and we were greeted not only by the bartender but our friendly hostess. We were seated immediately and our server was over in seconds with waters and a friendly hello.

The draught and bottle menu is quite extensive and unfortunately the Stillwater Two Gypsies I wanted was out of stock. My second choice was a kriek that was served in a champagne bucket. The server was a little taken aback when I wanted only one glass (my fiancee can't drink alcohol)

I ordered the Thelonious Burger (medium) with chips and it was fantastic. My fiancee ordered the Poutine and we both agreed it was a tad dry but she enjoyed it anyways.

The atmosphere was comfortable and we actually found parking right in front of the building.

Will definitely be returning.

03-01-2012 21:53:08 | More by korguy123

mendonjoebeer

New York

4.38/5  rDev -4.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5 | $$$

Went for lunch with my wife on a friday at 1:00. I was afraid it would be too crowded, but not so. We we seated right away and service was prompt. The food was very good. We had shrimp bisque,their frites,a grilled cheese & a blt.

The draft selection provided many good choices. My wife had a Blanche de Chambly and I had a Bear Republic Mach 10. Both 12oz servings in proper glasses. Unfortunately, they were out of my next 2 choices on the list- Vitus & Van Honsebrouck Kasteel Rouge, but there were many other choices to keep me happy. I finished with a nice German Heffe that I cannot recall the name of. The online draft list is very up to date.

They had a sign out front stating they would be having a fresh cask of Flower Power at 5:00, but we could not stay that long- bummer.

We will return fore sure

02-17-2012 22:31:53 | More by mendonjoebeer

buffaloipa

New York

4.63/5  rDev +1.1%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 4 | $$$

I feel very fortunate to both live and work cose to this jewel of a tavern. The atmosphere is very nice, though space is limited on busy nights. Great selection of not only Belgians but also many American, European and Canadian craft breweries as well. There are some rarities available here that we just can't find elsewhere in WNY. A nice element IMO is that there is only one television and it stays off unless there is a Sabres or Bills game on. Refreshing to be able to talk to folke in a bar in Buffalo for a change.

The staff behind the bar know their stuff and are always happy to talk beer and provide a sample to taste before dropping $8 on a brew. (Prices are high but worth it IMO)

My last visit I had an Evil Twin Yin RIS (Denmark) to start and then a Weyerbacher Quad (US) with my order of mussels. Both beers were outstanding (and very strong :0 )

The food that I have ordered in the past includes the Duck Frites (fantastic) the Mussels (also delicious) and an Elk Burger (not as fond of that one but how many chances to order Elk do I get?).

I definitely recommend this place to anyone in Buffalo or visiting. It's a great addition to the Elmwood Strip's variety of restaurants, bars and shops and a beer lover's heaven.

Edit: Changed my atmosphere to a 5 as I was thinking of the former occupant of this spot, Merlin's. Perhaps the diviest of dive bars. An amazing reuse of the spot.

01-28-2012 13:17:01 | More by buffaloipa

atomeyes

Ontario (Canada)

4.88/5  rDev +6.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$

We were in Buffalo to go to a Sabres game and, when killing time, we decided to go for a pint or 2 at Blue Monk. The name rang a bell after I'd quickly read the Buffalo board ages ago. I said to my wife "let's go inside and see if they have anything worthwhile on tap."

I forgot that we weren't in Toronto anymore; never mind "worthwhile"! The tap selection was amazing. 30 taps available an I could have easily had 20 of them. The choices range from area-ish microbrews to Belgian must-haves to Belgian hard-to-gets.

I have no qualms paying $8 for a larger tulip glass of a nice Belgian beer. They're hard to get. We're not talking about Monday Nite Molson Canadian $1 Pints. So while its on the expensive side, I expect to pay for quality and selection.

The staff: our bartender was incredibly nice, as was the other gent with the beard who was working behind the bar. Its always great to be able to saddle up to the bar, drink great beer and talk beer with the staff.

I'm hoping that I've converted my wife to being a hockey fan. It gives me a good excuse to do a road trip to Buffalo for another Blue Monk visit!

01-08-2012 14:49:11 | More by atomeyes