Making success a habit
A nine-year old Philadelphia watering hole has become a destination pub for fans of Belgian ales from around the world. Jack Curtin spoke to co-owner Tom Peters
Ask Tom Peters if it’s fair to term him the man most responsible for the emergent popularity of Belgian beers across the United States in recent years and he pauses.
The argument can be made, but should one lay claim to such a grand achievement? On the other hand, should one merely shrug it off if accurate?
“I’ve heard some people say that,” he finally responds diplomatically.
Monk’s Café in downtown Philadelphia was founded in 1997 by good friends Peters, then a bar manager, and Fergus Carey, a Dublin expatriate who’d opened his own Irish pub about year earlier.
Famed for its extensive draught and bottle selection and its series of extraordinary beer dinners, Monk’s has become recognised as one of the finest Belgian bars anywhere in the world.
The tripartite premises consist of a six-tap bar and dining area up front, a narrow central dining room just in front of the kitchen and—down a long, dark hallway—a back bar and additional dining area. That back room, which a myopic beer writer told Peters prior to opening would never work out “because people won’t traipse back here,” has become the place in the city to quaff a pint, or, more cautiously, sip from a somewhat smaller glass, given the strength of many of the specialty beers pouring from 14 taps.
The duo’s Philadelphia enterprise has today grown to include partnerships in Nodding Head, a centre city brewpub, and Grace, a small neighbourhood tavern. They are also half-owners of a Scottish hotel/restaurant, The Anderso.....
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By Jack Curtin
Section : Spotlight
Page number : 53
