Bexley Monk Restaurant & Bar

I was looking forward to dining at Bexley's Monk. I had heard nice things about it, but the reviews were from at least 2-3 years ago. Apparently things have changed. I always go into a new dining experience with an optimistic attitude. I WANT to enjoy the food, service, and atmosphere, and add another restaurant to my list of ""must returns"". This is not on that list. I went with a party of 6, and it seemed to take quite a while for our food to arrive, considering the lack of other customers in the dining area. Once the food did arrive, I was anything but impressed. The meal was lack luster. It sounded good enough on the menu, but the flavors were that of a TGI Friday's or Chili's. A couple of us ordered the same items, yet our portions sizes varied. We ordered dessert, and again, it seemed to take quite some time. My cheesecake was tasty, but not made on premesis. Overall, a let down from a restaurant that was once held in such high esteem. I would not recommend nor return to this dining establishment. Pros: Inviting dining area Cons: Mediocre food at best more

Where to begin? This restaurant is a mess. What a shame, it used to be so nice. My wife and I used to go to the ""Monk"" years back. Hadn't gone there for many years and decided to give it another try. We had high expectations for a really nice evening out but boy were we dissapointed! We tried to make a reservation but couldn't get anyone to answer the phone, we called three times and got a voicemail, no live person! Finally on the fourth time, a woman answered by saying ""Hello this is W**** speaking"" and then proceeded to hack and cough into the phone. We said we wanted to make a reservation and were told that they really aren't that busy anymore so that reservations aren't needed. We said we preferred to make one and she put us on hold for about 4 minutes, then someone else came on the line and asked us if we were ready to place our take out order! Then a man came on and asked if we were their beer distributor. Finally, another woman came on the line and took our reservation. Nearly 8 minutes to make a reservation and we talked to 4 different people. This should have been our first clue. Upon getting to the restaurant, a very well dressed man with a beard greeted us warmly and took us to our table, which was dirty and he had to brush crumbs off the seats all the while muttering about how lazy the servers are and that he was going to fire half of them. Our server, came right over and took our drink order which came out wrong, he brought us vodka martini's on the rocks when we had asked for Tanqueray martini's up with stuffed olives. He then proceeded to argue with us that we had ordered vodka martini's and was pissed off that we said we wanted them replaced with the correct drinks. It took the server 15 minutes to get the drinks to us (without the olives). We got waters after the third request, and the server apologized by saying the busser had been fired recently and it was the bussers job to get waters! Our order for steaks came out wrong Well Done instead of Medium Rare (had to send them back which took 25 minutes, the salads were skimpy (asked for ground pepper to which our server left the table for a couple minutes to find a pepper grinder) and the bread was stale (we were told it was baked yesterday and that was all they had although the server did offer to either bake it more or put it in the microwave!) We asked for butter but were given a margarine blend in a cup and were told that that was all they had. What restaurant doesn't have butter? At this point the a lady manager came over and asked us how things were and when we said not very good that we weren't pleased with things, she got flustered and a little defensive and said that they had had some changes in chefs and management and that they were ""working on it"". When I told her that I had had a long day, was tired and now was very dissapointed, she proceeded to tell me that she had neck problems herself. Besides all of this, there was a server who went past our talbe several times who stank of cigarette smoke and another server was busy telling a table full of elderly ladies that he was HIV positive and that he was taking a class on HIV at OSU. Another two servers were talking near our table complaining about the lack of money they were making and that one had gotten ""only a 10% tip from those douchbags at table 12"" To summarize, the place is dirty, the servers are a strange, dirty looking bunch, it's not well run and the food, well, it's over priced for what you get, oh and by the way, if you want a vegetable with your meal....be prepared to pay extra. Pros: Nice wood paneling, Nice greeting when we came in Cons: Rude server, Stinky servers, Bland food, Smells like mold more

I could write a novel on all the things that went wrong at this restaurant, but I'll try to keep this brief. I made a reservation online, however, it did not go through to their system. The manager told me ""That is why I hate our online system... Oh, and by the way it's been down for a day and a half"". Wow. Thanks for putting a disclaimer about that on your website and not offering an apology. We later overheard him arguing with the table next to us after they complained that there food was cold, bland and they had been there for an hour and a half. He did eventually offer them an apology, but not without being a defensive jerk first. So, the manager was clearly clueless. Our waiter exhibited rude and odd behavior the entire time. 1) It took him 15 minutes to even acknowledge our presence. 2) I was finishing my salad (which came at the same time as our appetizer and took 30 minutes) when he came up and said ""Wow, it looks like you are actually going for that last piece of lettuce, so I'll wait here to take your plate"". I was in such shock, I put my fork down and handed him my plate without saying anything. 3) He threw 3 loaves of bread on our table when we hadn't finished the first one. 4) When he brought the paid check back, he said ""which one are you"" while waiving the check back and forth between my husband and I before finally put it down in the middle. He didn't tell us to have a good night or even say goodbye after that. Not to mention that he never checked on us or asked how our food was. He'd throw something on our table and literally run away.The bread, salad and shrimp cocktail were good, but the entree (a simple tomato and basil pasta) was ridiculously bland. Bottom line: It is shocking that this long-standing Columbus institution is, in fact, a long-standing Columbus institution. DO NOT GO HERE. We certainly will never go back. Pros: Good Bread, Salad and Shrimp Cocktail Cons: Horrible Service, Rude Management, Overpriced, Bland Entree more

Mussels, not bad, tomato sauce little burnt. Salad dreadful, no ""blue"" in the blue cheese and smoother in oil, just avoid. Crab cake, if there was crab in them, had a dominant herb flavor that was soooo bad no one at the table could eat them. They were substituted for raw scallops which were also sent back. There seafood stew was essentially the mussel dish with pasta and shrimp thrown in. The lamb amazingly after, such a long wait were on the rare side of really rare. The problem, they were very fatty, which doesn't work well when you don't cook them fully. Pros: Close to my new home Cons: food and service more

We have eaten at Bexley Monk several times over the years. Once upon a time it was outstanding. It then deteriorated to dreadful. I have not eaten there since new ownership/management/chef has taken over. Pros: Free parking Cons: Overcooked food and lack of butter more

The 3diningdivas started their culinary quest tonight at the Bexley Monk. The appetizers (Garlic Hummus with flatbread, and Mushroom Medley) were awesome! One diva had Lobster Ravioli, another had Rib-eye steak with garlic mashed potatoes and asparagus, and other other had Veal Farfalle. The dinners were great, but we thought they were a little high priced for the amount of food you get. The desert was great! The carrot cake was to die for (very moist) and the Porchette was heavenly. Overall the service was good (our waiter was real nice at first but soon forgot we were there), the food was awesome, but the prices were a little high. Overall, we would go back. Look out Columbus, we are on our way to tasting all of what you have to offer us! Pros: Great food, free parking, and beautiful atmosphere Cons: A little too expensive and noisy more

My extended family and I had a very disappointing experience at Bexley Monk. Upon my suggestion we decided to try the Monk for Sunday brunch. Throughout the meal we found the food to be average and the service to be adequate. When we got the bill we were surprised to learn that we had been grossly overcharged for our meal. We had been careful to take part in the scaled down version of the buffet style brunch (versus the more expensive full meal version). When we raised this issue with our waiter he indirectly accused us of helping ourselves to the more expensive meal. Attempts to clarify our position were ignored. Not only were we overcharged for a very average meal but we were insulted in the process. We left shaking our heads at the idea that any restaurant could treat customers in this way. Pros: Only Bexley destination with full service brunch Cons: Average food+poor customer service+expensive=poor value more

I've been coming to the Monk for years and have always loved it. Great food, great people, great prices. Now they've added a fabulous Sunday Brunch Buffet. I just want to thank them for adding this wonderful new reason for coming to the Monk - you've made Sunday mornings in Bexley much, much better. Pros: Great food at great prices. Love the brunch. more

It had been awhile since my last visit when things seemed a little so-so. But what a change there has been in the old Monk. Some new folks have revved it up again and now it's better than ever. Food is fabulous, wine list much improved and wait staff are actually smiling and helpful. They have a Sunday Brunch that's to die for - eat out on the outdoor patio and enjoy the gorgeous flowers and plants. Put the Monk on your - Must Visit List! You won't be sorry. Pros: Great food, live music, beautiful patio Cons: None - I loved it! more

having grown up in Bexley and dined at ""The Monk"" since it opened it's doors over 20 years ago, I am pleased to say that it is returning to it's former glory. The bar staff is openly friendly and mix a mean martini, the wine list is also top notch. The food/menu is also coming around again. I say try it if you haven't been back in a while. There is a reason it keps getting a Top Ten nod every year! Pros: friendly staff, wood fired oven, steaks more

I have been going to Bexley's Monk for years, and have never been disappointed. I have ordered pan-seared tuna and wasabi mashed potatoes (it's a special) on my last two visits....it's fish that actually melts in your mouth! I would also recommend asking the chef to make his steak topped with crab meat (which he has done for my husband when it hasn't been a special), which is heavenly! Lovely atmosphere, and a great cocktail/ bar area. Pros: great value more