The Belgian Monk in Norwich

Lovely pub, excellent Cherry Beer on offer, good food, great staff, just a bit too dark upstairs for dining.

Great mussel dishes in particular the rest of the menu is very good. a must try is the cherry beer.

Mussels and beer all varieties available

Always nice food, nice beer and good service.

Great Belgian beers. Nice atmosphere.

Love the Bush Amber at 12% z delicious

If you're a fan of Belgian beer and food, The Belgian Monk is an absolute must-visit! This gem offers one of the best dining and drinking experiences I've had outside of Belgium itself. Whether you're a seasoned lover of Belgian cuisine or a newcomer looking to try something special, this place won't disappoint. First, let’s talk about the beer selection. It’s genuinely incredible. The variety of Belgian beers on offer is vast, and the quality is on par with what you’d find in Brussels or Bruges. Their Kriek Terdolen cherry beer is absolutely sublime—perfectly balanced, fruity but not overly sweet, and refreshing in every sip. They also have a range of other beers, from rich Trappist ales to lighter wheat beers. The depth of flavor in every glass is a testament to their dedication to authentic Belgian brewing traditions. Each beer is served in its traditional glassware, which adds to the authenticity of the experience. Now, onto the food. The menu is filled with Belgian classics, and everything we tried was cooked to perfection. The highlight for me was the moules (mussels)—absolutely fantastic! They offer several preparation styles, and I tried the traditional garlic and white wine sauce, which was so flavorful I ended up dipping the complimentary bread to soak up every last drop. The portion sizes are generous, and the mussels themselves were fresh, tender, and delicious. You’d think you were eating them right by the Belgian coast! The other food offerings are just as impressive. Their range of dishes includes authentic Belgian specialties that are rich, hearty, and packed with flavor. The accompanying sides and sauces are all thoughtfully crafted to complement the main dishes. It's clear the chefs know their craft and are passionate about delivering the best. The atmosphere at The Belgian Monk deserves a mention too. The interior has a warm and cozy vibe, reminiscent of a traditional Belgian brasserie. The staff are friendly, knowledgeable, and happy to help you navigate the menu or recommend a beer pairing. It’s the kind of place where you can relax, take your time, and savor every bite and sip. In short, The Belgian Monk brings an authentic slice of Belgium to town. Whether you're here for the beers, the food, or the full experience, you'll leave with a smile and the kind of satisfaction that only exceptional hospitality and quality can bring. I can’t recommend it enough! If you’re craving great Belgian beer and food, this is the place to be.

Great service considering the large group. Staff went above and beyond.

I have had so many recent visits to The Belgian Monk and I have to say that the food and hospitality are second to none. Always a warm welcome and I cannot fault our welcoming the team have been. Looking forward to my next visit very soon.

A great place to start an evening, staff alway helpfull and cheery . The tall bar man with an accent is exceptionally helpfull and funny which puts you in a great frame of mind to make the evening a great time all round

Friendly knowledgeable service. Great advice on beers and wines. Tartiflette is a must but will fill you up. First ate mussels here 10 years ago. Clive is one of my top 3-4 front of house/management to ever work in Norwich. Courteous and committed to service and even when human errors happen always correcting them to keep clientele happy, I've witnessed that in several places he's worked over 15 years. The human touch.

Lovely food but my favourite remains the Cherry beer 😇❤️

Visited yesterday lunchtime with friends, service was not good, the waitress had no knowledge of the beers or wine. Worst of all my husband's mussels were served warm but my friends were stone cold, completely uncooked. How can a 'chef' send out a dish like this or a waitress not notice that it is not even hot! Plus we ordered a side of broccoli to go with the two tartiflettes - we were served yet another plate of potatoes with cauliflower, apparently broccoli was not available so this was their best substitute without asking us!!!! We will not be returning.

Went happily cos recommended by friends. Had a bit of hiccup with mussels ( not open enough). Just want to say the whole situation was very nicely taken care of. I have many years of experience in hospitality and was well impressed! Well done Belgiam Monk...

Went in to try the cherry beer 🍺 which was actually very nice. Overall atmosphere from bar staff wasn’t great unfortunately-There was a particular older man who was quite abrupt and rude to customers - I know you can get quite a lot of rowdy customers especially on a Friday evening but there was no need to take that out on sober people. Beer garden could use some TLC tables are wonky and a bit out of date

It was atrocious we'd booked a table and subsequently found out that there was missing items on both the food and beer menus. After waiting for an hour was told that the food would be possibly another 15 minutes we walked out. And I for one will never enter the premises again.

What a great place, can't recommend highly enough. Fantastic range of beers, including some gluten free and fruit beers, and the food was delectable. The wild boar sausage was good, but if you're in the area you should stop in and try the tartiflette! It's the only place I've ever seen tartiflette in the UK, and they really do it justice. The pub is great, a really nice venue, and the staff were so friendly and helpful. I will be back!

Great bar in the city, always a brilliant selection of Belgian beers, lovely service for the young lady whose name I didn't catch.

A cold day you have to drink outside half the heaters not working , Not allowed to drink at the bar or sit inside without ordering food

I wouldn’t call this a pub or ale house as we were turned away as we weren’t eating, not even able to stand and have a drink at the bar. Seems to operate more as a restaurant.

Excellent pre Christmas 'Sunday Roast', great beers, very knowledgeable staff!

Really enjoyed this Pub/Restaurant. The service is excellent, very friendly, and the food is delicious. The beer is traditional Belgium beer, so watch out for the alcohol content, it packs a punch. The decor is also very traditionally Belgian. Will definitely return.

Got told to F off on phone as too busy to discuss a booking for the next day. Horrifically unprofessional and then made the meal awkward by bringing out food for people not able to make it despite being told pointless to do so

Cancel your booking without letting know. Booked our table in 6th December. For the 21st December we got bumped for a party of 50! Showed up to be told our table was cancelled. Unprofessional

Our booking was cancelled with no contact. I have just returned home to search for an email I was sent regarding my booking today dated 21.12.2024 at 1.15pm which was cancelled! I found the email in my spam folder it had NO SUBJECT, the information in the email is very limited no detail with no sign off information or contact number to call you. This seems a simple case of get an email sent you've done your bit! I received a text message from Open table on 20.12.2024 asking me to confirm my booking and that we were still attending which I did. I then received confirmation that I was all set to go and the Belgian Monk were updated we were attending. We arrived at 13.05 to be told that our booking was cancelled due to a party of 50 being booked in and you no longer could accommodate us. This booking was made on the 6th December, I'm sure you were aware if you had a booking of 50 people at the time of my booking. Considering you had not heard from me, surely this would alert you to contact me, you had my contact details, why was I not given the curtesy of a telephone call or a text message? You use a booking system which confirms by text message, adds it to your diary and then contacts you the day before to confirm you are still attending. This seems a simple case of you have bumped us to accommodate a larger booking. You had no consideration as to how this would impact our day and if this was a specific occasion we were celebrating. This is very unprofessional and I will not return to the Belgian Monk or recommend you to anyone. I look forward to your comments. copy of their email On Thursday 19 December 2024 at 14:47:52 GMT, The Belgian Monk Bookings wrote: Good afternoon please could you give the pub a call in regards to your booking thank you

I came here with some friend from work and what a great experience, we’ve was very friendly, and the food and drink was amazing! I had the gravlax, mussels and a cherry beer and it was beautiful! Worth a visit to this unique building and menu

We came a few weeks ago had pork belly which was disappointing couldn't cut the crackling and was worried trying to eat it would damage teeth. We decided to visit again and try the pork belly again sadly they had no pork belly available. So picked another dish. It took a while to get our drinks , food took a while to arrive when it did the onion rings were missing from the burger it also took a while to get the bill. It seemed like the people downstairs didn't matter and the staff were only focused on the Christmas party upstairs. To say the whole experience was disappointing is putting it lightly. Really was not impressed and we won't be going back anytime soon. In general food and staff were really poor. One lady in particular was rude , abrupt and not hospitable. Wouldn't recommend going here. Has really gone down hill recently.

I had a query with the bill which the waiter had to talk to the manager about, who when I spoke to was very rude. it seems like the same person mentioned in previous reviews. I should have paid more attention to previous reviews. Food was good but there are better places to eat and with far better customer service.

I have been there a few times. They have a very nice selection of beers. The food is decent, they have limited vegetarian options. I have tried the Français tartiflette. That was nice. I have also tried a few other things including the moules, that was an interesting experience. I think it is worth a visit.

Very (extremely) busy pub/restaurant/pub. Glad we booked as they were turning customers away for drinks and food. Atmosphere at first felt stressed as staff were being snappy. Calmed down as the evening went on. Amazing selection of beers. And the food was very tasty.

Not sure where to start but it was a very disappointing experience. The food took ages to arrive , and when it did the chicken schnitzel had to be sent back because it was RAW! Mistakes can happen sure, but this level of mistake for a professional kitchen is difficult to forgive. Although we were partially compensated with a free round of drinks, overall the food was disappointing. The burgers were dry, the meat platter utterly tasteless and lacking in imagination, the tartiflett the least authentic I've ever seen, and mussels swimming in an ocean of wishy washy liquid.

We had lunch at this restaurant recently, and unfortunately, it was a disappointing experience. The wait for our food was unbearably long, and not a single waiter bothered to apologise or check on us during the delay. When the food finally arrived, it was nothing special for the price. On top of that, the restaurant itself feels outdated and neglected. The decor is old and unappealing, which only added to the overall unpleasant atmosphere. It’s clear this place hasn’t been modernized in a long time. Definitely not a spot we’ll be visiting again.

Staff could do with some lessons in customer service. Paid a deposit before attending, which they were unable to find a record of and therefore not taken off the bill. Showed payment on online banking, which clearly stated the amount in question and was told ‘I’ll see what I can do’. Not the answer we were looking for…. Then got questioned by another member of staff (rude woman, blonde hair in her 50s) in an accusatory way, who said we couldn’t have paid the deposit based on their dates. Was shown the bank statement again, then told us her colleague had told her the wrong dates. No apology at all. Like we were being held hostage at the end, whilst we waited for them to see if the bill could be reduced to reflect the deposit. Took forever! It’s a shame as up until that point the other staff had been very helpful and they ruined it at the end. Food was nice, but took an hour to arrive. Not as good as it used to be. Obviously asked to remove the 12.5% service charge and was told ‘yeah, well we are busy tonight’…..what, too busy to be polite?!

Just popped in for a cherry beer , very nice 👌 😋

Great atmosphere, Great authentic Belgium food and GREAT Belgium beer and a good choice of draft and bottled - Dave was a great server with a smile on his face and most helpful … Will make sure to visit again next time I am in Norwich 👍

A great range of Belgian beers, excellent food, ambience, and friendly staff.

Had a very hearty meal and a couple of lovely beers,will most definitely be returning soon hopefully.

Great place, their selection of stouts is unlike anywhere else, all very delicious, would love to sample every one!

To walk in and the manager to say only bookings and we make anoth money anyway is to say we dont need your custom...used this pub for years...never again off to st andrews bar...nice welcome friendly...unlike your pub..or restaurant...hope you make it good luck..

Fantastic food and beers - lovely place for lunch.

Nice pub with good choose of nice Belgium beer and food

Excellent range of beer. You should open a bar, maybe a cellar bar I don't want to eat with my beer.

Stumbled across this gem of a pub on our weekend away. Fantastic selection of Belgian beers all served in beautiful glasses. Lovely warm atmosphere and the wonderful South African proprietor made us feel so welcome. A definite hit for us and we will be back to sample the next few beers on the list!

Been a long term customer of Belgian Monk and this time (November 2024) sadly received awful service. Waiter was brusque, seemed upset to be here, refused dessert as they had another table coming (7 empty tables at the time- see pic) . Shame as food was not bad (although ironically took ages to come!)

Great beer .. food.. disappointing

An elderly lady alone - I used to live in Belgium so I was happy to find the restaurant and they made me feel very at home and comfortable. Food and beer/wine was excellent! Staff exemplary. Thank you so much.

Excellent selection of beers in a beautiful historic building

Last couple have been truly dire, I'll start with most recently, our table for 2 was seated right by the permanently open front door which is also the most high traffic area on a crossroads of the entrance\bar\outdoor seating\toilets and stairs, so constantly interrupted by varying degrees of traffic and unable to interact with my partner sat opposite me, then comes the food... Tough raw pork belly in a child's portion that was genuinely bleeding when I cut into it... Will admit that the waiter was apologetic and my meal was removed from the bill and replaced with a cooked version, being said it wasn't great and I felt ill all evening thereafter. Secondly, hearing the staff audibly snorting after every sentence and in and out the toilets makes for an uncomfortable atmosphere, and the previous visit our waiter was clearly still pissed from the night before, laughed in our faces whilst taking our order and had to ask what we wanted several times in the same interaction... Shame to write this review as I've been a loyal customer for years now but have to be honest on this one.

Lovely interior and great selection of beer. However I left feeling very underwhelmed with the food and service. I had been looking forward to trying out this place for a while but not sure what the hype is. Overpriced food for small portions. And beer is overpriced at average of £5 for a half pint. Left feeling hungry but didn't want to pay any more for dessert.

Amazing beers, very friendly and knowledgeable staff, thank you!

Great mussels, plus a vast variety of beers. excellent lunchtime.

Great simple food, great beer and convivial atmosphere. Chapeau!

Awful place don't bother trying it

I tried three excellent beers from the huge range. I hope to return soon to try some more and perhaps have a meal as well next time I am in Norwich.

Loads of choice both for the food and drinks is a great place to visit gir just a drink especially a beer so many to choose from and got a meal

Superb food, a fine range of beers and very friendly and attentive staff, a superb experience!

Nice beers but VERY expensive. They don't serve pints, only halves, and at £4.55 for half a draught white beer it's ridiculous. Barman was very condescending to the customers.

Great atmosphere and good service. Food was delicious but one of our party had liver and it was over cooked, tough and dry. All the other meals were lovely. Disappointed that plastic single portions of UHT milk were served with the coffee and the hot chocolate was served in a coffee cup not a mug as you would expect. Apart from this it was a lovely meal, love how the restaurant converts to a pub after service, keeps the atmosphere although the decor is looking a little tired.

We are all friends who have connections to this Fine City and decided to meet up at the Belgian Monk. We had to pay a deposit and pre order (8 of us) which seemed a bit odd but hee ho.. Staff were friendly and helpful but food was mediocre to say the least. The chicken seemed to have been cooked hours ago, kept under IR lamps but still cool and very dried out. We mentioned it to a staff member as we left who, to be fair, said we should have mentioned it at the time - (true but we are British!) as they'd have taken it off the bill. Even better, might be not to serve almost inedible food. Isn't that part of a chef's job?

My friends and I, all in our 40s and longstanding patrons of The Belgian Monk, had a deeply upsetting experience last night. Within moments of our arrival, the owner baselessly accused one of my friends of being on drugs, refusing us service and effectively throwing us out. We are not, nor do we resemble, the sort of people who engage in such activities. After years of patronage and thousands spent, this unfounded accusation was both shocking and insulting. We will not be returning and strongly advise others to reconsider their support for an establishment where the owner displays such irrational and disrespectful behavior.

My friends and I, all in our 40s and longstanding patrons of The Belgian Monk, had a deeply upsetting experience last night. Within moments of our arrival, the owner baselessly accused one of my friends of being on drugs, refusing us service and effectively throwing us out. We are not, nor do we resemble, the sort of people who engage in such activities. After years of patronage and thousands spent, this unfounded accusation was both shocking and insulting. We will not be returning and strongly advise others to reconsider their support for an establishment where the owner displays such irrational and disrespectful behavior.

Me and the wife where first time visitors to this place and will be the last, and we there with friends, and found the food rather bland and tasteless, presentation was nothing special at all, staff abrupt !

Great selection of Belgian beers

Great place for Belgium beer funnily enough 😁. Big selection of bottled beers.

Fantastic food and choice of beers.

Unique to Norwich. Always fantastic mussels- the excitement of the huge mussel pots adds theatre and the Belgium beer menu is out of this world. Hosting and service exceptional.

Great little pub, wasn't expecting to walk into such an amazing little place. Staff were attentive and sociable and gave great recommendations on drinks. All the beers were of Belgian origin and although we didn't eat, the food on other people's plates and the menu looked amazing. You forget where you are until you leave the pub! Would 100% recommend this pub.

Stopped here for a couple of drinks, really good variety of beers and cider, can definitely recommend the elderflower cider. Staff were very friendly and talkative. The atmosphere of the pub makes you feel like you’re on holiday, however when you leave sadly you are still in norwich

Had no food but beer garden good atmosphere a buzz..thriving pub good range of drinks..favourite being the cherry beer..a hidden gem of norwich...

Great choice of beer however I’ve been here three times and each time found the bar staff to be rude and unwelcoming. Felt very uncomfortable and not valued so won’t be back.

Cannot praise this highly enough. Food, service, ambience - all amazing. Added to which, tremendous value for money. The staff were incredibly kind, and extremely knowledgeable about their range of beers, giving us really helpful suggestions of which ones to try.

Friendly and good service. Excellent food. Mostly baby friendly (met a friend for lunch, only mostly due to no changing rooms but that's expected) highly recommend!

Nice pub, we would have liked to try some of the beers and possibly eat something along the way. However, the lady wasn't very friendly when we didn't want to eat something right away. We didn't feel welcome.

Words are inadequate to describe this wonderful venue. Terrific selection of Belgian food, but the beer... oh wow. Died and gone to heaven. So many amazing Belgian beers, of every type. Glorious.

Great, tasty, delicious meals, service is prompt, and staff are quick to help you. Prices are quite good considering the location is right in the heart of the city, totally recommended 👌

Um...well the beers are good (though expensive) and lovely sitting in sunshine but don't bother with food if you are a vegan...not good. And, despite being a bar that services food (NOT a restaurant) they add service charge to your bill so watch out! Having said all that, the staff were lovely and very helpful.

Nipped in for food, Had burger which was beautifully cooked and very tasty. Service was quick and very polite.

Such a friendly pub, serving great beer (with recommendations from the staff) and fabulous Belgian dishes. Can't wait to return!

This place has a great atmosphere and an excellent selection of unusual beers, all served in half pint measures so that you can try a wider variety without getting too drunk. Just make sure you pay attention to the alcohol percentage when you order as some of them are really strong!

Such a wonderful find in Norwich and finally somewhere with brilliant mussels! The service and hosts were exceptional and food was tasty. Definitely coming here again!

Best place in Norwich for a nice cherry beer 🍒

Lovely little place, don't do many soft drinks, I had orange juice and only had about half a small glass given to me, mildly disappointed with that, but again, it is a pub, and everyone else enjoyed it so can't knock it :)

Charging full pint prices for half pints (£9 for 2 half pints) Beef roast dinner was very dissapointing the meat was full of fat and gristly the potatoes were stale however veg was good and gravy was meh. For starters we yhad the olives gerkins and pickled onions with tomato soup, both were great but agin seemed overpriced for what we recieved. Muscles were great but cant really go wrong there. All in all 3/5 lots of room for improvement but wont be returning till it does. oh and to add there was a discretionary service charge of 6.50 to be asked if food was ok 2/3 times per course...

Lovely place. Food is excellent beers r amazing as u would expect altho no Kwak Holder's n others same as glasses stolen or broken acc to the owner. Only downside was Toilets were worst seen in a while tho ! Sadly as love going there.

Had the roast. Undercooked and fatty beef, no potatoes, roasted vegetables which had been microwaved to warm up, a shared cauliflower cheese which was overcooked and where the cheese sauce had been microwaved causing the oil to separate and it looked like an oil slick. Zero seasoning and vastly overpriced. Dreadful

Casual and relaxed, friendly knowledgeable staff and a friendly atmosphere. Perfect if you like Belgian beers or just wish to try some.

Lovely place to enjoy beer. Pancake is awesome!

This is now the last time we use this pub Although we love Belgium beer's and food the service is dier greeted at the door by I think an employee who said and I quote beer or food no hi welcome can I help you After being shown to a table with a grunt I went to the bar to order drinks as obviously Mrs personality of year, couldn't be bothered only to be showered by drink from a soda syphon as the so called barman attempted to pour it into a glass under a hail of foul language Not a sorry sir kiss my butt nothing needless to say we left what's happened to this onetime favourite venue of ours

Great place to eat and drink, great beers.

Went on Saturday during the mayors parade around Norwich. Went into the entrance and was met by a abrupt man standing behind a host podium stand. Thought I was a contestant on a game show it's so out of place. . He greeted me with a stearn " can I help you" I asked if I was allowed in for a drink and he awkwardly said yes. I was told that I was not allowed to sit on any of the empty tables apart from the ones in the outside area or 4 seats opposite the door. I made my way to the bar ordered and then did as I was told and sat in a billy no mates seat opposite the door. The place had lots of vacant table apart from what I could see was 3 table were being used by customers eating. Later a large party of drinkers arrived with the same cold welcome and was told to move away from the bar and go in the outside area. Unfortunately the outside was full and therefore this group had no wear to drink the beer they just bought. Don't get me wrong. I understand that they need to make money from food. But stopping people drinking at tables when the whole indoor restaurant table area is empty appears to be sheer madness or just bad management. As I was leaving more drinkers (no food eaters were entering the pub) were entering. Beer was fine have no complaints, but will not be returning. despite the fact I was in there to check out the restaurant anyway. There a many bar/ restaurants that provide a warmer welcome.

Good selection of craft beers and fast service, the thick menu has about every great belgium beer around..

Good beer, good atmosphere, interesting place, though drinks a tad on the pricey side

Interesting range of on tap to try. Nice little place to meet the girls before hitting the shops.

Had a great Sunday lunch at Belgian Monk today , went for the Pork roast and it was delicious. Big portion too, so you won’t need breakfast beforehand! Service was top notch as well.

Food here is nice and the variety of drinks and food is excellent. Service is great too with friendly personnel! The atmosphere could do with some more cleaning and maybe some new furniture! Nice touch having a TV screen in the garden to watch football!

Just popped in for a drink. Overpriced and staff were quite abrupt and unhelpful. Shan't go back.

I do not go out to restaurants expecting to face abuse, but that's exactly what I got on my visit to the Belgian monk last week. Older lady shouted at me and my party and made us feel very unwelcome. Interior is dark, drab and depressing. Young lad who served us did his best to resolve how we feel but we will not return

Nice sharing players and lovely beer. Amazing selection!

Great variety of Belgian beers and some favourite meals in a historic old pub. For some reason when we tried to book in person we were told there were no tables, however we managed to book online for the same day/time with no problem. Staff were friendly and attentive during our meal.

The atmosphere is lovely, enjoy the different beers, but the prices are expensive, but nowadays everywhere is.