Belgian Monk
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Walked past many times, usually with the family, none of whom are keen on this sort of food. So when I found myself at a loose end in town and hungry, I thought I'd give it a go. Was able to get a table for one as a walk-in just after midday, but it was otherwise booked up so they must be doing something right. I love beer but I don't drink alcohol anymore, so naturally I went straight to the alcohol-free beer section which consisted of...one beer, Jupiler, which is a half-decent Belgian af pilsner. Given that there are loads of nice and varied Belgian af beers available now, this is a pretty poor show given that most standard pubs stock a range of af beers, some on tap. Now, the food. I didn't know that it was two for £25 Monday - Wednesday on many main courses. That makes it great value. Nonetheless, I didn't feel too bad paying £19 for a huge bowl of moules marinière which came with a vast cone of excellent chips and a decent chunk of baguette. The sauce was decent - good depth of flavour - but it was hard to get to in these very deep bowls. I prefer a wider, shallower pot as served in some places I've been to. The mussels themselves were a bit of a let-down, being puny of size, if plentiful. With the beer and tip, it was ~£26 all in and I was stuffed - uncomfortably so, to be honest. If I were to go again, I would choose the starter size which is £13 and comes without chips. £26 isn't exactly a cheap lunch, and while it was enjoyable enough I don't think I'd hurry back, at least until they've upped their af beer game.
Tim ArnoldTim Arnold
00
Let me put the 3 stars into context immediately… I’m into my beer, and when a venue advertises that they are the only U.K. ‘ambassador’ for a beer, I want to visit to try that beer. Said beer in this case was Pais Deux, however on arrival we found that the beer was off. There goes the first star. I then looked at the draught guest beers to find the all time classic Delirium. That was off too. There goes the second star. So I ordered a bottle of Belgian IPA from Prearis, which tasted tired and old. Upon asking to see the bottle, it was out of date by 3 months. There goes another star. That being said they did change it for an in date one so *ping* that star is back! The food? It was decent, a fairly ‘classic’ Belgian offering with some straight up traditional dishes (fish & chips and burgers) Unfortunately the place was relatively empty but we did book in advance and this is advisable on a weekend Also, I’m not a fan of automatic service charges being added to bills, I’d much rather reward the service if it was good (it was). Kudos for also giving us a bottle of beer to take away as an apology for the missing draught beers. Worth a visit if you like this sort of thing, just don’t get your hopes up on the beer offering
Steven BentallSteven Bentall
00
Popped in without a reservation and was lucky to get a seat, although was asked to move upstairs after 10 minutes so another customer could sit where we were and wasn’t sure why this was needed (although not complaining as we were happy to move). Unfortunately felt a little rushed with ordering but this was understandable since it was very busy, I was catching up with a friend and chatting away so would have appreciated a bit more time with the menu, especially since having looked at the menu online I’ve realised all the delicious things available that I didn’t actually see that I would have preferred (again not their fault as I should’ve looked closer!) I absolutely loved the look of this place and how cosy it feels. The food and drink is a delicious although a little expensive, but would definitely return to try more of their menu!
RebeccaRebecca
00
In my opinion, the Belgian monk, isn't as good as it use to be, we visited for a meal as we've had great meals in the past, however there seemed to be a more limit menu, however we both for a tartiflette, one fish and one with spicy sausage with black pudding, I had one prawn and one peice of small salmon in the fish dish, with lots of sause, and we found three slices of sausage and a few cubes is black pudding in the other dish, and the size was much reduced from last time we visited, taste was very nice. The beer menu has Chimay on the front and inside, but they no longer sell it, disappointing.... It's still a nice place to visit, however I felt I did not get value for money for 15-16 pounds a meal with very small amount of filling. Service was attentive, chairs uncomftable, pricy food for quantity and quality.
YOGI Bear (Yogi)YOGI Bear (Yogi)
20
I personally have never actually eaten here before but my guest had, I have heard that the food was good, we chose to be seated outside as it was a lovely evening, our waitress was perfect she new every dish on the menu, & was extremely helpful. The drinks came quickly & the food was worth the slight wait. Very good portions and well presented both meals were season correctly even one to the vingaret on the salads. I would highly recommend anyone visiting or thinking about eating out in Norwich. Unfortunately I have to add to my last review, everything has gone down hill, so to speak.. No communication between staff food was bland service was terrible food wasn't great poor presentation. So.much so I wouldn't go back there to eat at all.. very disappointing.
D. M-PD. M-P
40
Incredible selection of Belgian beers, although expensive and mostly sold in half measures. Staff really friendly and helpful (now all table service). For food I had the vegan halloumi which was £14.99. I expected a bit more substance/quality with the meal for the price (it was basically just vegetables, halloumi and rice, and the rice wasn't great), but it was still tasty. Another member of my group had the mussles and enjoyed them, although it was warm so attracted an unwelcome swarm of flies! Overall a unique place, 100% worth a visit for the beer selection, though you can rack up a large bill quickly. Could work on their menu (the vegan one at least) a bit so you get more for your money/higher quality ingredients.
Ellie SayersEllie Sayers
00
Nearby Attractions Of Belgian Monk
Chantry Place
Norwich Market
Norwich Cathedral
Norwich Cathedral
Vue Cinema Norwich
Norwich Castle
Norwich Castle
The Plantation Garden
Gravity Active Norwich
Chapelfield Gardens

Chantry Place
4.3
(4.5K)Click for details

Norwich Market
4.5
(3.8K)Click for details

Norwich Cathedral
4.8
(3.2K)Click for details

Norwich Cathedral
4.7
(2.8K)Click for details
Nearby Restaurants Of Belgian Monk
Turtle Bay Norwich
Cosmo Buffet Restaurant
The Queen of Iceni - JD Wetherspoon
The Bell Hotel - JD Wetherspoon
The Glass House - JD Wetherspoon
TGI Fridays - Norwich
Namaste Village Norwich
Bill's Norwich Restaurant
Middletons Norwich
Lamb Inn

Turtle Bay Norwich
4.7
(2.6K)Click for details

Cosmo Buffet Restaurant
4.3
(2.5K)Click for details

The Queen of Iceni - JD Wetherspoon
4.0
(2.3K)Click for details

The Bell Hotel - JD Wetherspoon
4.1
(2K)Click for details
Basic Info
Address
7 Pottergate, Norwich NR2 1DS, United Kingdom
Map
Phone
+44 1603 767222
Call
Website
thebelgianmonk.com
Visit
Reviews
Overview
4.4
(1.3K reviews)
Ratings & Description
Description
Classic alehouse offering Belgian beer, plus a menu with mussels, meat plates & vegan dishes.
attractions: Chantry Place, Norwich Market, Norwich Cathedral, Norwich Cathedral, Vue Cinema Norwich, Norwich Castle, Norwich Castle, The Plantation Garden, Gravity Active Norwich, Chapelfield Gardens, restaurants: Turtle Bay Norwich, Cosmo Buffet Restaurant, The Queen of Iceni - JD Wetherspoon, The Bell Hotel - JD Wetherspoon, The Glass House - JD Wetherspoon, TGI Fridays - Norwich, Namaste Village Norwich, Bill's Norwich Restaurant, Middletons Norwich, Lamb Inn
