Old Monk, Westminsterback to pub details please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
I used to work near the Old Monk but never went in as it never appealed from the outside. Went in yesterday because it was advertising a beer festival 3-15 March. It looks like it used to be a wine bar - exposed brick cellar and Belgian cafe like tables and chairs. The barstaff were very helpful and seemed keen to promote real ales. Food seemed a bit pricey but didn't try it. Will probably give the festival a go.
chick - 28 Feb 2008 14:19 |
The Old Monk is built into the basement of a dull and quite boring, modern office block and is quite easy to walk past in favour of the more alluring and traditional Strutton Arms next door. The rather mundane entrance leads downstairs to the spacious if somewhat dim and gloomy bar with its contrived décor and expanses of stripped back brickwork. The ceilings are a tangle of exposed pipes and air conditioning units and there are raised areas to the one side and at the rear. The main bar area has bare floors and plenty of tables so you can usually grab a seat unless it is exceptionally busy. The most interesting part of the pub is at the rear with its 6 carpeted arched snugs that are quite cosy for small groups. Note the small skylights where the pub extends underneath the pavement above. This provides the only natural light as well as the weird experience of watching people walk overhead. The beers are nothing to write home about – Green King IPA, Abbot and Pride although signs are up showing the introduction of Swing Low for the Rugby World Cup. The quality is variable and prices are OK for the area. Food looks nicely presented but a bit pricey. It can be a bit hollow and cavernous when not busy when the piped music tends to echo around the walls. A single central plasma screen is usually supplemented by a few makeshift TVs during major sporting events. On a hot day (remember them?), the Monk is one of the coolest places to escape the heat but overall, it’s really a pub geared up for the local office workers rather than anything to go out of the way for.
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This would be a lovely pub if it wasn't underground. Beer is normally good, and the food is ok. Had many a drink in here, but not through choice - others have dictated it!
Natural light can make all the difference!
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A bit plastic, but spacious, not too smoky and with a fairly good range of beer. There's usually an interesting guest ale, too. Reminds me a little of being in Central Europe - it's in a cellar, and on the gloomy, cosy side.
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Great pub for a beer after work. Very spacious with excellent air conditioning/smoke extraction. Busy but never packed. No facilities to stand outside which may interest people on a summers night but in comparison to the other 4 or 5 pubs around St James Park (The Old Star, The Buckingham, The Sanctuary, The Feathers, Adam & Eve) that I frequent it comes out on top for it’s surroundings and ease of use.
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Very nice pub - didn't go there before it was done up, but it's a spacious cellar bar/pub with nice beer on tap, plenty of tables...definitely recommended for a lunchtime pint, and I imagine it's just as nice in the evening.
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When Nick says slow, I assume he means the staff are asleep. They always seem to serve the person nearest to them, so try and stand next to a till. Otherwise you'll be there all day. I loved this bar when I found it many years ago. The nearest I get these days is the pub next door.
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It's a downstairs pub that's newly reopened, well peopled but never too crowded, popular with suits and non-suits alike. Serves delicious IPA. Bar staff are relatively slow but pleasant. A great atmosphere, helped by a good exhaust fan system that means it's never too smokey. There's a large open area by the bar, plus plenty of tables and three old wine vaults to sit in. Food is relatively decent for pub food.
Nick Laurence - 23 Feb 2005 15:35 |
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