Last night I had the veggie soup and the strawberry salad. I am vegan and was told these dishes were safe. I've been experiencing severe nausea, diarrhea, head aches, cold chills and all over body pains. I have experienced this before and know it to be food poisoning. Either your server was wrong, the food contaminated. I mentioned upon order I had not ate all day. So I am sure it was from your food. I live in Novato and sadly will share this story with my friends. With terrapin and sweetwater as options of clubs with attention to detail and a caring opinion for their repeat customers. I expect your restaurant to continue to lose patrons. I have seen several pathetically attempted concerts at HM novato. You do nothing to support bands who are already apprehensive to play your venue with stiff competition down the street and no advertising  or perks other than your crappy food. I never get served at the main bar.. which is a joke. The two tone haired female bar tender inside the venue is good but her co workers seem to work against her. Ex. Closing my tab when she was busy but not returning my credit card.
Annoyed, puking, and pissed off to have your disgusting food in my body.
Really good beer. Really good. They have a nice selection of their own brews and some great guest beers as well as a full bar.
The food here is also pretty good--definitely a step beyond your typical bar fare. There's something on the menu for everyone--salads, burgers, pulled pork sandwiches, jambalaya--a southern menu with a few twists.
The atmosphere is nice too. On warm days, there is a beautiful outdoor patio that makes it feel like a backyard barbeque. The interior dining room is like an upscale sports bar. There's also a separate room that they open up for live music and dancing.
Come for the drinks, and you won't be disappointed with the bar bites.
When we went to Hopmonk when it first opened the portions were very small and the service was very slow. They have completely turned it around, and this is now one of our favorite places to go on a night out! The best thing for us is that they have several vegan options, which is difficult to find at the breweries in Marin. If you want a selection of great brews and a delicious meal, this is the place.
Review Source:I'm going to be writing 2 reviews for this place because I've had experiences as a performer there and as a regular, everyday customer. Â
I've been to the Hopmonk in Novato several times since it has opened. Â I started by playing the Open Mic there on Wed nights. Â First of all the detail of the place is great and it is a room that every musician wants to play.
The Bartenders were friendly and accomodating and very helpful in selecting the right beer for you. Â My wife and ordered a couple of appetizers on a very busy night during the open mic. Â They were about 5 minutes late getting them to us (I mean it was really busy) but they comped our drinks and food. Â Not many places in snooty Marin pay that kind of attention to customer service. Â They made me a return customer immediately. Â I even offered to at least pay for the drinks and they were insistent to comp us.
This kind of service is rare. Â If you like friendly staff and great food Hopmonk Novato is a great place to go.
This place is really a great place for lunch, dinner or happy hour. Love the casual rustic atmosphere. Everyone is friendly and consistently great! They staff is great and understanding with children, which for us is nice. I recently hosted a party there and everyone was so accommodating from decorations to menu, just about everything was an a+. I had not one bad thing happen and for a big party thats usually unheard of. They have music on friday nights in their beautiful beer garden. Will be going here alot this summer!
Review Source:Ok the decor is nice. Â Fun to sit outside when the weather is warm. Â Service is o.k. Â When asked about wines server was not very knowledgeable. Â The calamari was fresh and tasty. Â My s.o. Had the sausage plate. Â The sides were good but the sausage was so spicy that he could not enjoy it and he loves spicy food. Â I had the chicken Caesar salad. Â The dressing was good but the chicken was severely dried out and the croutons tasted like they came out of a box. Â
Overall good atmosphere, o.k. Â service, Â poor food. Â I would go back for drinks but not for dinner.
Finally a cool place to hang in Novato, Vintage Oak Strip Mall area. Great on/off exit from freeway. Â Was there last nite for the music, "CRYPTICAL" "Grateful Dead cover band, but decided to first get a bite to eat, My friend ordered the Shittake Mushroom burger(?) & me: their regular burger, big, juicy & cooked medium rare as I requested, good fries too. Services was spotty but a sweet male waiter came to the table after I waived him down to take our order instead of our waitress. Another gal brought our bottle of wine to the table so a small confusion on who was the buser, our waitress & sommelier(doubt they have one but I like the fancy name)
Service was fair and the buns they use on the burgers are anemic looking,a toasted dark bun would do on a burger meal. I give them kudos for the beautiful evening patio, super cool with the string of lights & roaring open fire pit. The music venue is really nice too, Just add some fans for better ventilation on the dance floor, excellent bartender in the club, she was attentive & friendly. This place has lots of potential. "Go people" so this won't be another failed business at this location.
The food is actually pretty good. Â The service was truly horrific. Â We waited about 20 minutes to be seated. Â We did not get anyone to take our order for over 45 minutes...nothing. Â Finally the waitress took our order, served our food and was never seen again. Â I would have loved to get another drink as mine sat empty for most of the meal. Â Nothing. Â It is disappointing. Â The excuse was they were busy but there were still empty tables so really no excuse.
I am so impressed with the management at Hopmonk. Â They actually read this review and fixed the problem. Â I am very impressed.
Have been here a few times early evening during the week
They have a decent happy hour (the sausage poppers are great!)
Their in house beer is decent and have a good variety of everything else
The food is good for brew house
Service was good as well.
Have not been able to check out the music or outside area, but look foward too
Over all a decent new player in the brew house market in Novato
The food was better than I expected it to be, and service was fantastic. Â Overall, pleasantly surprised and would definitely return.
I ordered the burger and the Hopmonk pale ale. Â Both were wonderful. Â Really good. Â I'm not a big red meat eater, but the description of this burger made it impossible to pass up. Â Tomato chutney, lemon aioli, crispy shallots, white cheddar cheese-- YUM. Â It was juicy, flavorful and delicious. Â I ordered the garlic fries and they were decadent, with a ton of fresh, chopped garlic poured on top of hot fries. Â Don't order them if you're on a hot date, because they are super garlicky, but so good. Â My husband ordered the slow roasted pulled pork sandwich and he thought it was delicious. Â He got the sweet potato fries, and I might have liked those even better than the garlic fries. Â They are crisp and complimented by a lemony aioli. Â We also split the citrus salad with strawberries and balsamic vinegar, which was good but not terribly special. Â Overall, elevated pub-style food, much tastier than I had anticipated.
A special word about our fantastic server. Â She was great! Â So cheerful, accommodating, helpful and generally nice. Â This kind of service really makes a dining experience better, and it's much appreciated.
Hopmonk has changed things around a bit since taking the space over from the Smokehouse. Â The entrance is on a different side, the decor has changed just a bit. Â Overall, it's warm and welcoming. Â The patio is a great place to hang out in the summer, with plenty of tables gathered around fire pits and heat lamps. Â I do wish they'd put in an actual floor instead of leaving the dirt, though. Â That's just a bit too casual, for me. Â It was a good experience, though. Â I'm sure we'll be back.
I love the atmosphere there. I have stopped in late night and peaked in at a concert and their concert venue- Stunning barely hear a noise when in the rest of the place so great sound proofing! The staff has always been friendly. Brought a group here for a bday party (I DD'd) and we sat around the outdoor firepit for a couple of hours just enjoying the warmth and our group.
Review Source:Brought my six-year old son here for our lunch date on a Monday (we homeschool, so we can do that).
He ordered from the kids' menu - chicken tenders and fries - very generous portions and delicious...I know because I ate over of half of it, thanks to letting him have a sprite which filled him up! Â
I had the famous grilled ham and four cheese sandwich. The bread was like garlic bread. It really doesn't get any better than that. Except it does...when you have a crisp sour dill pickle to go with it, so I asked for one, which our server gladly brought me, along with mustard that I used to dip, though it didn't really need that.
The tomato soup that it came with, while good, was (as other reviewers have noted) on the tart side. I prefer a milky subtle sweetness to offset the acidity of the tomato, thereby avoiding the flavor of tomato sauce. But if you're using it to dunk the aforementioned sandwich and going for a more pizza-like flavor, that could work.
We arrived when it opened and it was quiet, but by the time we left, it was bustling. We actually didn't leave after we left our table, because my son insisted on going into the bar to watch the soccer match on the big screen TV. He even asked the bartender if he could sit at the bar, but alas, minors are not permitted, so we stepped back about three feet and sat at the tall stools for a few minutes.
The cost was reasonable and I would say even on the inexpensive side - our meal, with tip, was about $25.
The service was excellent - friendly and fast. Of course it wasn't the busiest time of day, but that's probably when we'll make a habit of coming.
The ambiance was pleasant - we also enjoyed the 60s tunes, especially since I recently introduced my kids to Simon & Garfunkel and they played a couple of their songs while we were there.
On a sunny day (but not the scorcher it was when we went), the large (huge actually) patio would be a lovely choice - it has umbrellas and fountains (my son asked if he could take some of the coins out, as he wasn't yet familiar with the whole wishing well tradition).
Being a huge fan of the Hop Monk in my home town of Sebastopol we just had to stop in here while coming back from a group ride. 14 of us descended upon them and in they same fashion I am used to in Sebastopol the folks here got us seated and drinks in hand quickly. Great food quickly followed. Love the place.
Review Source:Finally tried the HopMonk last night with dad and hubby. None of us were impressed. I had fish and chips which were decent nothing spectacular. I got it with a side of garlic fries which they placed underneath the fish and became extremely soggy immediately. My husband had the Ruben and my dad had the jambalaya. The meat on my husband's Ruben was dry and the bread over toasted. We all tried the tomato soup which our friends had suggested as the "best" tomato soup and we all found it to be much too sour and had MUCH better elsewhere. The patio area looks cute with a nice large fireplace and heaters. I would recommend this place maybe just for a beer and appetizer and dinner elsewhere. Prices are also high especially for what you get which is very poor bar food at best.
Review Source:I've been here about 3 or 4 times now since they've opened this location.
I think the food is pretty good, but nothing to rave about.
Service varies from good to slow/messing up orders.
I enjoy their house pale ale and order it every time. The bloody mary is also tasty, so I'd order that too, if you like them.
While, I don't think this is the best Hopmonk in the area, it's convenient when in Marin, so I'm sure I'll be back again and again.
I went with my family to celebrate my birthday this week and had a tremendously positive experience. Â The food was AMAZING (I had the portabello mushroom with sweet potato fries) and the service was great. We stayed late for the Kevin Russell show and had a great time. Great place for live shows and awesome food.
Review Source:Fabulous food, excellent remodel, great music, and superb staff.
I was so hoping the former restaurant would liven up Novato, but the food sucked, and nothing could save it. Then, Hop Monk takes over, tweaks the interior layout just a tad and viola, a hit is born!
It helps of course that the food is awesome, but we already knew it would be from their other locations. The music venue is amazing, great date night hot spot for sure! Sitting outside in the summer will be awesome too! Can't wait!
45 minute wait for a popular spot on a Friday night, no problem. Great atmosphere with a happening bar scene. We were seated and greeted by our server promptly. My date order the portobelo mushroom sandwich with sweet potato fries  and I ordered the beet salad with goat cheese and walnuts. Our waitress informed that the kitchen was out of goat cheese and offered to substitute it with feta cheese, no problem. The portobello sandwich came to the table and it was served with potato  french fries. I told the waitress and she immediately brought us the sweet potato fries that we  had ordered.
Great place, fine service. Very reasonably priced. I'm willing to come back
Yay! I'm a super fan.
And Ashley and CJ are the best....really.
As I'm trying my way through the menu, I've settled on the BBQ Pork (no bun and quinoa salad over fries).....ya see, they work with ya!
Great selection of beers and they really want to help you find what you like. Â Lots of tasting. Â Lots of choices. Â What's not to love?
Went there for a bite and some music and was not disappointed. Will be back for sure. The food was great and reasonably priced. Huge selection of beer served in a giant glass. The music room has great sound, there could be more places to sit to watch the show. A bit confusing getting into the music room from outside the building. You can take your food from the restaurant into the music room, but you will probably have to eat standing up. Better to get there early and eat first. Getting a drink from the bar is difficult when the show first starts, buy it in the restaurant before going in. Service in the restaurant is excellent, staff will give you a pager so you know when your table is ready if you did not make reservations while you wait in the bar. You can do this online days in advance which is recommended.
Went back again last weekend Feb2nd to see the Roy Rogers Band. I purchased tickets for the show earlier in the week and bought them from the bartender. This saved us $3.65 each for a service fee. After dinner when we went in for the show, I had forgotten my ticket at home, left it on the table! The manager was so cool, he let me in anyway so I didn't have to go back for the ticket. That was awesome. We had a good time, food again was very good. We all cleaned our plates. Music was not too loud.
Ya know, I wasn't a fan before when it was Southern Pacific Smokehouse, but I have to say they won me over. Â We went on a Sunday afternoon to try it out. Â Sat at the bar and ordered the pulled pork sandwich. Â It was very good. Â Much better than its predecessor. Â The people are very nice and the service seems to be much more personal and attentive. Â
The drinks were a bit pricey at ten bucks each but we really enjoyed them so it was worth it.
I've been to HT twice now since it opened. The food is good, no complaints - calamari, Philly cheese on naan, grilled cheese and tomato soup, fries. Â The atmosphere is casual and comfortable. Had a decent Moscow Mule (though not served in the traditional copper mug). Â Service was fine. Nothing to complain about.
My one negative is the desserts. Had their cheesecake and Injury by Chocolate Cake. The cheesecake was overdone (dry and crumbly) and the cake was clearly either old or not defrosted enough (which if it was defrosted, how about looking for a baker or bakery to supply fresh dessert?) Â Both were terrible. Â As for the selection, all desserts are on the heavy side - think bread pudding, carrot cake, cheesecake. Â After a meal of heavy bar food, we - both sweet freaks - couldn't bare the thought of ordering a dessert.
I've been here twice now and both times the service sucked. I did sit and eat in the bar section so maybe the dining servers are better. Â Both experiences with the bartenders there left a lot to be desired, I felt like I was bothering some of them for a drink.
The food is good, I would say high end pub food. The pulled pork sliders, calamari and spring salad were fresh and well prepared. I would have liked to have tried the meat and cheese plate but our server forgot to bring it out.
For all you beer aficionados; proceed with caution towards the bacon beer. It sounds tempting but...ick.
I'll pay them a visit again but will make sure to sit at a table and steer clear of the bar area.
For lunch at Hopmonk, I enjoy their Philly cheese steak sandwich on naan bread. Â A solid lunch sandwich that was really delicious. Â I noticed they have a large patio area that will no doubt come into use when the weather improves.
Hopmonk also has some incredible Happy Hour specials on both food and drink. Â Their happy hour is 3-6pm, Monday through Thursday. Â
They have 3 Dollar pints on their house beers; the Hopmonk Kellerbier, Tavern Ale, and Dunkelweizen. Â Â They also have deals on wine, spirits and a happy hour menu that includes:
-2 Fish tacos
- Hamburger sliders
-Pulled pork sandwiches
-Brat-dogs
-Fried sausage
Be sure to check them out!
I'm not sure this is a 4 star, but it's def not a 3 star. Â It was very very good. Â We wanted to try it out since it's new and there aren't a lot of options in Novato. Â We were a bit concerned about the bad reviews but we had a great experience.
We started with the pumpkin soup, the veg soup and the calamari. Â All were fantastic. Â Really well done. Â I would go back just for that pumpkin soup! Â Then we had the steak frites, a burger, and the fish and chips. Â All were great and cooked perfectly. Â The service was spot on. Â Our server checked back with us many times. Â
We only tried one beer - the Porter - but it was really nice.
I like how they changed the decor and it does have a tavern-y feel. Â That wallpaper is a mystery however. Â What designer's bright idea was that?! Â It's insane. Â But otherwise, the decor is warm and rustic but also modern.
We were too full for dessert. Â We'll be coming here again for sure.
I stopped by the new Hopmonk Tavern to grab a drink with some friends during the holidays. I can't comment on the food, but the beer was pretty good. I was surprised that the draft list is rather small - but between the three of us, we all found something we enjoyed. They did have one pale ale for the non-hoppy beer drinkers. All of the bartenders were congenial.
Hopmunk is a welcome addition to the very limited selection of "bars" in Novato. I'm glad that there's another option to choose from that doesn't involve some heavy cougar action (Finnegan's, I'm looking at you). The crowd was fairly diverse and everyone seemed to be having a good time.
Been here 3 times already ... once on opening night, and then two more times both on Sundays. Â Love the bartender Adonna - quick, friendly, and great drinks. Food came fast all 3 times - even amidst the craziness of opening night. My friends and I really enjoyed the outdoor firepit area. Very warm on these cold nights!
The vibe inside is lively, but not too overwhelming or loud. The big screen TVs are perfect for the football games or whatever else is on.
I'm very happy that Hopmonk has come to Novato (even though I live 40 minutes away in San Pablo).
You guys will be seeing much more of me and my friends.
Good luck!!
For a business that has only been open a very short time I was impressed with the organization and efficiency of this place.
We were there for a Sunday morning football game after waking up to a power outage. The staff was friendly, it's a great place to watch a game and they have a good beer menu.
I would highly suggest they do Sunday morning brunch because there were a lot of us there watching the game at 10am that had to wait until 11am to order food from the lunch/dinner menu. Also, more vegetarian options would be great!
It's great to have a new food and especially music venue in Novato!
In one word..."outstanding"! Â Especially being in its fist week of operation. Â We came up from San Diego this weekend to visit my daughter, son-in-law and grandson. Â We spent the morning fighting the crowds at Costco, working up a considerable appetite. Â
We remembered we saw a nice looking establishment on our drive in, so instead of the pocket friendly Costco "dog and drink" for $1.50 we ventured over to Hopmonk.
It was lunchtime so or 20 minute wait was reasonable, because there was not one seat in the house and 4 couples ahead of us.
Our waitress was a little slow (not too bad, just slower than usual) when taking down our order...which once I found out they were in their first week since opening, he was still familiarizing himself with the computerized order entry device all the waiters use, which transmits the orders directly to the kitchen (impressive).
The food took a reasonable amount of time to arrive at our table, which was acceptable as it was a packed house.
Our tabled ordered 1 house burger, sliders, fish & chips, roasted beet/spinach salad and a side of mac & cheese and sausage bites. Â The mains were all above average but the 2 stars at the table were the mac & cheese & the sausage bites.
My only criticism is, the sliders were medium when I ordered them medium rare. Â Not a big deal, but I am a burger snob.
The owner Dean Biersch made his way over to our table and asked how everything was. Â This was NOT your generic PR appearance "schmoozing" customers without paying attention to what is said. Â We could all see he had intent in our communication and was seriously interested in the feedback. Â We discussed San Diego's growth into the micro brewery beer market and he offered us some samples on the house", which he brought without delay.
Overall, we were well taken care of, the food and service were good and the prices well within reason. Â Our bill was $99 for 4 mains, 3 sides, 1 beer and soft drinks.
We WILL be back.
I'm giving three stars even though I had one of my worst food experiences in any restaurant. Â I really want this place to succeed.
Let's start out the good points:
-the staff is very nice
-our server was excellent
-the place looks great (which is understandable given how nice the old place was)
-it was pretty darn busy (I'm happy to see that)
-the house brew Ale was excellent
Sounds like a 5 star review right? Â Umm.. No. Â I ordered the burger. In fact, I ordered it Well done. Â It arrived raw. Â Not rare, RAW! Â Like dangerously raw. Â Of course I didn't know this until I took a big bite. Â I couldn't even eat the fries on my plate because they soaked up the blood from the raw burger. Â So.... I had a good beer for lunch and went back to work very hungry. Â
I'm certainly coming back but only after they sort out the obvious kitchen issues.
I was seated next to the "spies" in the first review. Â When I heard they couldn't make a sidecar "because" I went o.O then asked for a Singapore sling - same reaction. Â It was interesting to have Irene keep asking me questions - and then read a review that had a chunk of what she saw happen to me in it.
For opening day things went relatively smoothly. Â The exhibited the tired Marin trend of firing your entree with the appetizer. Â In the future I'll ask them not to fire anything until I ask.
I started with the sausage bites. Â It seemed there were two different sausage types in it as well as fried onion rings/bits. Â One of the sausages was rather unremarkable, the other had a nice smokey flavor to it. Â Perhaps the unremarkable one would stand on its own rather than battered, fried and mustard dipped?
About 3 minutes after my appetizer arrived my entree showed up. Â I had their grilled ham and 4 cheese sandwich with the tomato soup. Â The soup had a nice tomato flavor and a slightly chunky texture (I prefer a creamier version - but to each their own). Â The sandwich was a wee bit on the greasy side, it turns out one of the cheeses is in or on the bread.
For dessert I had their bread pudding. Â I was served a Rock of Gibraltar looking thing that I expected to be a dry nasty failure. Â It was moister than I'd anticipated and had a nice buttery aftertaste. Â However like the sausage appetizer this really should be shared. Â Or eaten as meal on it's own.
Beer selection was great. Â They seemed to have more on-tap than Moylans, and a full bar (even if they won't do requests :( ). Â They have even more bottled beers in the cooler adjacent to the bar. Â Great selection. Â Their simple syrup could use a little help - it's a cross between a bartenders and a cook (hint: 1:1 sugar/water mixed in cold water for a bartenders version)
Overall it was a nice change. Â A micro brew place that has a full bar and food that tasted like it was fresh. Â A modern menu rather than something mirred in the mid to late 80's. Â The last time Marin had that was Noonans? Â Another comparison with Moylans was what I saw and heard the servers doing. Â They appeared to be working - no grab ass games behind the wall that separated the kitchen from the dining room.
Happy hour I was told, would be forthcoming.
It was also nice to talk to Dean (one of the owners) and Bill (the GM) - hopefully they remain a visible presence.
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