For the past several months, Monkless Belgian Ales has been hard at work renovating a restaurant and pub space to open its Monkless Brasserie, and this week the brewery held a soft opening for lunch and dinner. Up until now Monkless has only operated a small tasting room out of its northeast Bend production facility, so this is a major step for owners Todd and Robin Clement. Here’s the press release that was issued back in June:

The Brasserie at Monkless Belgian Ales will be a highly curated restaurant and taproom that fuses the delicious tastes of European Cuisine and intentionally pairs them with Belgian Beer. With Monkless’ award-winning Belgian-style ales, food presented by a Michelin star trained chef from San Francisco, and accompanied by some of the most impressive views the city of Bend has to offer, they expect the new space to dazzle and delight.

“We’ve been looking for the ‘right’ space to come along for an expanded taproom and restaurant for months, and when the historic Greenchain Building in the Old Mill District opened up, Robin and I knew it was the right fit,” said Todd Clement, founder and head brewer of Monkless Belgian Ales. Their existing taproom, located at 20750 High Desert Lane on the Northeast side of Bend is planned to remain open 2-3 days a week once the restaurant opens.

The Brasserie will be located at 803 SW Industrial Way with sweeping views that overlook the Deschutes River, Les Schwab Amphitheatre and The Old Mill. The newly expanded 1,200 sq. ft. deck off the rear of the restaurant is impressive to say the least. The space was renovated recently to include a covered deck, exposed beam ceiling and gabled front entrance. The Brasserie at Monkless is expected to open late summer/early fall and will undoubtedly be ‘the go-to spot’ to take in views of the river, watch the goings-on at the amphitheater and, of course, drink Belgian beer.

The new Brasserie space is located in the same spot formerly occupied by now-closed Old Mill Brew Wërks, and Craft Kitchen and Brewery, among others.

We stopped in yesterday for lunch during the soft opening, and have a first look at the new restaurant in pictures. Additional notes below the photos.

There are 11 Monkless beers on tap, served in either 12-ounce or 10-ounce pours. There are some specialty guided bottle flights as well, in which you get to pair two bottles of classic Belgian brews with a matching bottle of Monkless alongside. Wine, cider, and cocktails are also available.

The menu is European-specialized with local inflection, and ranges from around $8 to mid-$20s. My wife and I split the Chicken Schnitzel Sando and the German Onion Tort, both of which were good and interesting. The Tort is prepared something like a flatbread, only with flaky tort/pie crust.

The whole space is open, light, and airy, and quite a change from its previous incarnation. The tables are gorgeous walnut, and the Chef’s Table is crafted from a split, hand-carved old growth Ponderosa pine tree that once stood in Bend’s Drake Park (it had to be felled in 2016 for safety). It’s a unique centerpiece and the light fixture above it is crafted from the other half of the log.

The outdoor deck is spacious and expansive, with terrific views of the river and the Old Mill District. (To be fair, the views were always there.) Monkless installed garage-style doors to be able to open the restaurant up to the deck. And out in front, there is a firepit feature, seating, and a small bar as well.

Today (Friday, November 1) is the first full day of the Brasserie being open, just in time for the weekend. Hours are 11am to 10pm daily.

I’m not clear on what the status of the tasting will be moving forward, if the Brasserie will be the primary outlet of Monkless beers so the tasting room space can be reclaimed for the production brewery, or if it will remain open. But for now, the Brasserie is a great-looking new space in which to enjoy your favorite Belgian-styled local beer.