The Monk's Kettle Bar / Gastropub

Mission, San Francisco –

Though it’s named in honor of Trappist monks who brew some of the finest craft beers in the world, The Monk’s Kettle is far too busy to pass for a monastery.

The cozy gastropub’s carved hardwood bar, Beaux-Arts booths, and vintage lighting give it more of a classy European café vibe, setting it apart from the dives that dominate the block.

Steins and chalices lie ready on the racks behind the bar, as is befitting an establishment whose beer menu runs several pages, while detailed food specials are scrawled across large chalkboards above the open kitchen.

Given the venue’s size, regulars expect the place to be busy, and patrons often wait an hour before they can tuck behind the marble dividers that separate the window booths from the bar.

Rabble-rousing party types tend to eschew the joint, especially since nothing harder than champagne is available, making it an ideal stop for refined foodies and cultured groups of hip but low-key friends.

Menu items include everything from higher-end snacks like fried oysters to full entrées like braised short ribs, each paired with a recommended drink that can run the gamut from a $53 bottle of Bøgedal to barebones domestics.

With a divine selection of beers and sophisticated grub to match, The Monk’s Kettle is a drinking and dining den even the Trappists would enjoy – at least once they got past the mustaches on those Mission hipsters.