The Monk’s Kettle — Not Just For Mr. and Mrs. Moneybags

No matter how hard I try, I can't resist the glory of these fries.

You’ve probably heard of The Monk’s Kettle, the 16th St. Mission bar/restaurant with arguably the best beer list in San Francisco and the notoriously long wait to get in for dinner, but you may not have stopped in because it’s not exactly broke-ass friendly.

Or so I thought.  Though I’ve eaten here many a time (usually on someone else’s dime, of course), I hadn’t really thought much about the plethora of cheap stuff here.  For example, a huge basket of the deliciously crisp french fries I’ve ever had in my life (pictured above) that come with sides of herbed aioli, chipotle ketchup and curry aioli only cost $5.75.  That’s barely more than the limp-ass fries at McDonald’s down the street!  And the portion size — it’s big.  It’s really big.  It’s a big basket of yum.

As far as the beer goes, Monk’s has an ever-changing cycle of draught beer and they’re all top notch — and not all of them are super expensive.  Usually about 1/3 of the draught beers on the list fall into the category of $6 or under, and this is for higher-alcohol-content-by-volume-than-usual beer so you’ll get tipsy quicker.  Also, there’s plenty of bottled beer that’s decently priced, and if you want to get REAL classy,  just order a can of Olympia for 2 bucks.

And hey, be nice to the door guys.  They’re the sweetest people on earth and it’s not THEIR fault the wait to get in is longer than your last relationship.  Plus Sayre from the Stagger Swagger works there too.