Brush Up On Your Flemish And French, Because The Belgian's Are Coming To Blue Monk

It's no secret that Buffalonians appreciate their beer.  From light-style pilseners, hoppy ales, and hearty stouts - Buffalo quaffs a large amount, and now a better quality of beer, than ever before.  So it is a bit of a surprise that it has taken quite so long for a real Belgian beer bar to grace Buffalo's streets.  But that is about to change with the highly anticipated opening of Blue Monk, on Elmwood Avenue, in Buffalo.


Belgium is a very small European country - about the size of the state of Maryland - and yet it comprises the most numerous and varied collection of high-quality beers in the world. And yet, Belgium has over 400 beer brands and counting.
From popular pale pilseners like Stella Artois, to flavorful ales like Chimay, Belgian beer's are steeped in history.  Many of Belgium's brewing’s origins go back to the Middle Ages, when monasteries and abbeys began producing beers with wild yeasts.  From simple "table-beers" to complex lambics that are double-fermented (think champagne) and bottled with corks, there is a Belgian beer for everyone's taste.

So local beer aficionados were buzzing when word got out that Mike Shatzel, owner of Cole's, was opening Blue Monk bar and restaurant, on Elmwood Avenue.  Just north of Ferry Street, the eagerly anticipated renovation of the 40-year-old tavern that once housed local-dive-bar Merlin's, should wrap up in the next few weeks, and be open by late summer.

With an old wood bar, hardwood floors, and distressed walls, Blue Monk hopes to exude a comforting European ambience. Overhead doors - instead of windows - at the front of the bar will open to the street during warm weather, to allow for an al fresco dining experience.

Blue Monk will have over 24 draft lines, more than half of which will be dedicated exclusively to Belgian beer, with the remainder pouring artisanal craft beer such as NY's Ommegang, and local ales from Flying Bison, Ellicottville & Southern Tier.  A special tower will be devoted to Delirium Tremens, one of the world's most popular "cult" beers.  A selection of hard-to-find bottled ales and lagers will round out the beer menu.

A short classic cocktail menu is also being planned, and a highly focused wine list will feature boutique wines from small producers, carefully chosen to pair with the inventive GastroPub menu being developed by executive chef Dino DeBell.  DeBell, a NickelCity Chef, and former chef at the Park Lane, Hutch’s, Tempo, Toro and Cole's, is developing a menu based around beer, with Belgian, French, German, and English touches.  Moules en biere (mussels in beer,)  frittes (double-fried french fries) with mayo and sauces, and a variety of local sausages, will top the list of Belgian classics - while gourmet burgers, healthy salads, and inventive dishes such as soy-glazed pork belly, will round out the menu.


Coming Soon
Blue Monk
727 Elmwood Avenue
Buffalo NY