Wild Monk Gastropub

The butternut squash special is amazing as well as the crab cakes! I live close by so was hoping this place would live up to its expectations. after a couple of visits now, I can say it def has. to add, their beer selection is great!

Lobster Mac and brussel sprouts with bacon jam are the bomb! I will be dreaming about the sprouts for weeks to come.

We only had beer here, but they have a good selection and the ambience in there is really cool. It’s like being back in the city. Nice place to go for a drink.

Gastropub in downtown STC. W’e’re coming up in the world!
The space is open, rustic, loungy bar. Love the huge booths.
The menu looked promising. Brussel sprouts?! I love those things! Here they are crispy and served with sea salt, lemon, and bacon jam ($ 7). Unfortunately all I tasted was the jam, too sweet. Ordered the rustic flatbread with Crispy duck confit, quest fresco, adobo, rosemary balsamic $ 10. Duck confit felt flat in terms of flavor and texture, where was my crispy crunch?! I’ve had better at CPK.
Wild Monk’s saving grace is its beer selection. Come for craft brews at a sophisticated bar setting.
Still must try: Pork belly with housemate applesauce, care mealies carrot, beet reduction

This is only a review for the bar because we didn’t order any food. The beer selection is insane. I could easily drink myself into a coma here. The bartender was friendly and went out of her way to give great service. I loved the space and thought the bar was comfy. The only thing that keeps this place from getting 5 stars was the strange smell inside. Maybe I’m the only one that noticed? It smelled like a dirty fish tank to me. Either way it was one of my favorite bars in St. Charles.

I was looking for a fun place to go on my birthday that I hadn’t tried yet. My husband and I settle on Wild Monk. I visited thier website to check out thier menu and it said «Sign up for our Rewards Program and get $ 10.00 Off a purchase of $ 50.00 or more. You’ll also receive a Free Small Plate on your Birthday & Anniversary!» Since we were already going I decided to sign up.
First off the place is very fun looking. My husband and I were excited. We ordered the brussel sprouts and the beef jerky as an appetizer. The brussel sprouts were fine but the jerky was terrible. The flavoring was bland and the consistancy of cardbord.
I ordered the Braised Brisket sandwich. The brisket was dry with very little flavor. It came with a fried egg on it which was over fried. The shallot marmalade was sweet and went very poorly with the horseradish (I think with a different horseradish it might go nicely).
My husband ordered the So Cal Tacos. These were virtually tasteless. The fish was underseasoned and the slaw didn’t taste like anything. My husband NEVER complains about his food. But it he hated it. It has been four months since we’ve eaten there and the only reason I’m writing this review is my husband has mentioned several time how bad this place was since then.
Our service was good though. The beer menu is good and my husband liked that. Now when we asked for our bill they refused to honor the 10 dollars off or the free plate. I thought this was not very nice of them and the way they handled it was weird. I asked my server if it would work since I had it on my phone. Instead of giving us an answer they just brought the bill with nothing taken off but did not mention it. Then after we put our card out a different person came over and said sorry about the coupon. Because they said it needed to be printed out, rather than me showing it to them on my phone. But no one had actually said anything to us until after our bill came which we thought was strange. We won’t be going back there are way better places in Saint Charles and Geneva.

DO NOT GO HERE ON THE WEEKENDS!!! And if you do, DO NOT SIT AT THE BAR!!!
My friends and I would come in almost weekly either on Mon. or Tues. nights, sit at the bar and we loved it. Great food, great bartender, and most importantly… Great beer. But then due to changes in work schedules and the fact that Wild Monk decided to close on Mondays we started to come in on the weekends every now and then.
Yes I understand that weekends are busy, and I understand that I might have to wait longer than normal. But this place is ridiculous on Fri and Sat nights, and its not because they are overly busy (theyre not). Its because the bartenders are ALWAYS drunk. And again, I know its normal for a bartender to take a shot here and there, especially on the weekends, but I have actually witnessed them poor themselves a full beer or a drink and just sip it like they were customers. They are making themselves drinks while we, paying customers, were waiting to order ours. ALSO, last time I was there on a Sat. I found out that the guy bartender was also the General Manager!!! That explains a lot! I dont know if he has ever been a manager before, but he seems clueless. Everytime I am here on the weekends after 9pm they are both visibly intoxicated while the restaurant is pretty much in chaos. The General Manager/​Bartender runs the place like a 16 year old whos parents went out of town. Then you can ALWAYS tell who the female bartender is friends with because those are pretty much the only people she helps, absolutely rude to anyone else. When she wasnt elbows deep on the bar talking to friends she always seemed to be leaving the bar for some reason, then if you flag her down you WILL get attitude from her.
Ive been putting off this review for a while but after my most recent experience I couldn’t do it any longer. I hate being negative but I also hate being treated terrible at a place I actually go out of my way to visit. Ive heard friends and other customers make the same complaints and I actually read the other reviews on here about the Bartender/​General Manager drinking. Also, who do you complain to when the place is so unorganized that one of the people you want to complain about IS not only the person in charge but also intoxicated?!
I will most likely come in here again because the food IS great and they have great beer I cant find anywhere else… BUT if either of these two are bartending I will be sitting at a table.

Go for the beer. Do not order any food or wine. Food was terrible. Red wine served in a coke glass. wtf?

I’ve had several trips to Wild Monk now– all of them very successful. A few of my favorites are the brussel sprout appetizer (don’t even really love brussel sprouts– but do love how they make them taste), the bakalava dessert, and the burger. We have gone for dinner or to watch a game– and the atmosphere is good for both. Great drink menu– only complaints are sometimes slow service– and that not every single thing has been delicious– but I will definitely be back to try out Wild Monk again.

This was a cool place to grab some dinner and a couple beers. I went here with my boss on a work trip and it was a nice deviation from the normal italian or steakhouse you’re usually wrangled into on work trips.
We had a delicious coconut carrot soup to start (vegan) along with the «vegetable» flatbread which was really poached figs with blue cheese arugula and balsamic glaze. That was fantastic as well
For my meal I got a beet salad which I usually love, but the dressing on this one was too tart. Too much vinegar.
Our waitress could have been better. It was tough to get our check, and she actually anti-​recommended (that’s not a word) the soup saying it wasn’t very good. Luckily, we are brave souls and ordered it anyway and it was great. She also didn’t know if they had baileys or jäger and had to ask… I thought that was strange at a full bar.
Either way, I enjoyed my meal and would come back next time I’m in town

Great craft beer list. My burger was really good. A solid choice for beer and a burger.

I stopped in here on saturday to burn some time between appointments. This place has been on my Unilocal list for a long time to check out.
Walk in and its a hip looking place. I like the décor, I like the style. But I was immediately put off a dozen large tvs blaring the blackhawks game at top volumn (at 5pm). The place would be better served without the tvs, hip place disguising a typical sports bar.
Saddle up to the bar, flip through the food menu and nothing bites my attention. I look around and for the hour I was there, I don’t see a single plate brought out of the kitchen, for a weekend dinner time, that is not really a great sign so I pass entirely.
Get to the beer menu, holy jesus, this place is in the know on beer geek. They have a stellar line-​up. Mikkeller on tap, yes please! (actually I settled on Beer Here’s Dead Cat, which is far better than the name would imply). OK major grip time, they store all their large beer formats on their side in the fridge. Most bottles when you store them on their side develop a metallic very quickly. I understand bombers are difficult to fit in fridges but I certainly am not going to pay 20+ bucks for a top shelf beer that is the equivalent of sticking 2 pennies in my mouth. Please rectify this, you had quite a few that I would love to try but will flat out not waste my money.
Lastly, the service in the place was non-​existant. Handful of bartenders and waitresses all floating in la-​la land. You were very difficult to flag down and not busy in the slightest.
I’m coming back because your beer lineup is top knotch.

Good choice for a quick appetizer and drink, but not dinner. Great selection of beer. Great appetizer = brussel sprouts. Tried them on a recommendation for another Unilocal review and they are very good. Had pork tacos and they were very fatty, lacking tenderness, and generally very disappointing (my girlfriend had them as well and agreed, in fact she didn’t even finish them).
Would only come back for a beer and appetizer.

We really wanted to like this place but unless I’m going for beer, forget it.
The good: The atmosphere of this place is great. We walked in and were happy to find that this was a very comfortable place to hang out. The menu was very unique and had many things we wanted to try. It took us a while to choose because everything sounded great. The beer selection alone is amazing.
The bad: (We really wanted to like this place) First off, the menu is a huge clipboard. Interesting concept, but these things were so huge and clunky they just got in the way. We ordered 2 appetizers. The Nachos and Chicken Lollipops. Nachos were decent. The chicken lollipops were RAW. I bit into it and was completely grossed out as I had just eaten raw meat. Disgusting. Sent that back right away and chugged my beer in hopes the alcohol would save me from bacteria. They apologized and offered to get me more. Not doin that again. I passed.
Next we ordered the Burger and Braised Brisket sandwich. Then we waited. FOREVER. Finally our food arrived, and of course it was ice cold. They weren’t even busy. We were one of about 5 tables. Insane. If the fries weren’t cold, i’m sure they’d be good. The rest was just OK.
So long story short, atmosphere and beer is all this place has going for it. if you want food, eat before you arrive.

After a few times here, I’m comfortable with giving this place 2.5 to 3 star review. It has a decent atmosphere (but can have be overwhelmed with middle-​aged folks– if you’re into that) and unique and tasty bites (literally just a few). It’s also important to note that the service can be sooo slooow and the prices are too expensive for the meal portions and for the location, in my opinion.
I say, slice the prices in half! Because let’s be honest, what you get is basically a snack. No wonder the server highly suggested getting a side. You’ll need to order one if you don’t want to leave hungry. But price aside, the food’s presentation and taste was spot on. As for the drinks, they too are on the high end but then again, Wild Monk does have a large inventory of micro-​brews which can’t be found in the surrounding bars/​restaurants.
So long story short, if you’re in the mood for quality beers and can splurge on expensive snacks (brussel sprouts all the way!!!), go ahead and try it out. But buyer beware of the meal size and off service at times.

Wild Monk has been a great new gastropub to open in St. Charles — even though its a little bit of a drive for me, I find it is worth it! I have been back many times, and have not been disappointed.
The main reason we go here is the beer. The tap selection is one of the best in the suburbs. No generic beers on tap at all, I have no problem finding something interesting that I’ve not had before. The same goes for the bottle list — I typically stick to the draft selection, but on out fist visit, our bartender Dan pointed out some interesting items in bottles, and I had to try a few of them.
Secondly — the food is great. They mostly focus on small and medium sized plates, which we treat tapas style. They have a decent selection of things to nosh on, all with a bit of gastrobpub flare. The must have item on the menu is the bacon jelly brussel sprouts — they are amazing. A great combination of sweet and salty, with a great bit of flavor from the charred brussel sprouts.
All in all, I try to make it out to the Wild Monk at least once a week, I don’t want to miss any beers that might pop up on their taps!

Came here after friend, fellow Unilocaler, and bride-​to-​be Bernice Y. wanted to have a dinner with all the bridesmaids and I was SUPER excited to try it out after looking at the menu online, but I was HORRIBLY caught off guard by the portions.
I ordered «scallops» which came with risotto and asparagus, all priced at $ 15. Now, I’m expecting a nice hearty serving, but was slapped in the face when LITERALLY only two, TWO scallops came out on a tiny, tiny bed of risotto. For $ 15? NO, THANK YOU. The taste was great, but Wild Monk is absolutely ridiculously priced.
Also, if you’re in your early 20s/​30s, I’d say go elsewhere for a good weekend night out. The crowd is moms/​dads who are dressed in their blinged out Ed Hardy shirts and jeans, desperately looking for a night away from the kids.

Second visit, with out of town guests… Had the nachos, very disappointing — pulled pork and what appears to be chopped carrot/​cauliflower giardinera — meh. Pork was fattty, chopped veggies added nothing, cheese was also very lightly added and had almost no taste.
Flatbread was also undercooked. Still an okay beer selection, here’s hoping they get some consistency in the kitchen.

I have only been here once, but this place has a lot of potential. Great beer list and an inventive menu. Try the corn bread; you can’t go wrong. It might sound odd to rave about corn bread, but you are going to have to trust me. This will be the best corn bread you have had in your life. Warm, moist and paired with jalapeño butter and caramelized onions.
I plan on going back to try some of their other entrees. The pork belly taco and chicken sandwich were both good, unique and flavorful, but I have a feeling that this place has better.

From wikipedia (aka the bible): Gastropub refers to a bar and restaurant that serves high-​end beer and food. Wild Monk is a gastropub to the T!
In the west suburbs filled with sports bars offering the usual «miller light, coors light, bud light, blue moon» paired with greasy, frozen, typical bar food this is a much needed, and welcomed, breath of fresh air!
Knowing that their beer list was lengthy before walking in, I suspected that I’d like the place. (Had the Dogfish Head 90 min IPA, followed by Arcadia Black IPA!) But, it was the food that won me over! My bf and I ordered a few things to share– carmelized brussels, wicked burger, lobster mac, and bacon wrapped dates– all were quite good, esp. the lobster mac! The menu was a fun, fresh spin on traditional bar food– a foodie haven for sure. The chef even came out to our table to talk to us (totally impressive, right!!!), really excited to see what they will add to the menu as they expand it in the next couple of weeks!
The service was exceptional– server was really knowledgeable about the menu (all the meat is ALL NATURAL and sustainable) and helped guide our way to picking the perfect beers, even brought us a taste of a couple to try! so neat! Both of the owners (or managers? can’t recall their names, possibly were Greek?) came by to talk with us as well, the passion and energy they have for their restaurant is contagious! What a cool place.