Laura S.
Yelp
My husband read some travel brochures highlighting that Bend, Oregon has some great breweries, and we would be traveling through Bend while in central Oregon. He was excited to discover there's a tap house called "Monkless Belgian Ales" in Bend, reminiscing about the dark stout beers that he enjoyed in Brussels during a vacation there a few years ago.
After the challenge of finding parking, we visited Monkless on a Tuesday evening, around 6 pm, in Sept., 2024. We climbed up the stairwell from the riverside street, which brought us to the back patio, where we ultimately decided to sit.
We ordered an appetizer from the "Communal" section of the menu to share. Our choice was the gluten-free Alsatian Bacon and Onion Tart ($18), which featured a thin cauliflower crust, topped with cream cheese, caramelized onions, bacon, and fresh chives. Our rating: 3.5/5. It was tasty, but we would've preferred a more traditional flour crust. It was also somewhat pricey given the size of the tart.
My husband also ordered four beer tastings from the Build a Flight menu, which featured your choice of four 4-ounce pours for $10. (They also offer eight for $20). Preferring dark stouts, and as suggested by the waiter, he ordered (1) Dubbel or Nothing; (2) the FNG; (3) Meet your Maker; and (4) the Trinity. He enjoyed the variety, but liked the Meet your Maker best because it was the darkest, most malty. Good value. For a future visit, he might try Belgian bottles rather than the tap beers. Rating: 4/5.
Not being much of a beer drinker, I ordered a specialty cocktail -- a Belgian Peach Bliss ($11), with Shepplekoffegan witbier, peach schnapps, and orange juice. Rating: 3/5.
Ambiance. (3/5). We were on the back patio, with a nice view of the river, some greenery, and a parking lot. It was quite hot without shades, and the tall stool was uncomfortable for me, a short (5'4") person. The restaurant's music was also competing with the live band performing in the arena across the river.
Service. (3/5). Our waiter was friendly and gave good recommendations for beers, but had to be reminded that we requested waters and had to be flagged down with our final bill.