(Image: @mmitgang)
While CHS is helping one neighborhood beer hall mark a decade of business on Capitol Hill, another with an even longer brew bloodline has returned to providing its part of the neighborhood with a rotating stock of Belgian beers amid nondescript decor along E Olive Way.
With the looming departure of the neighboring Glo’s Cafe from its 35-year home to a new location on Broadway, 23-year Capitol Hill mainstay Stumbling Monk has quietly gone about its beer-y business along with neighbors fellow bars Captain Blacks and The Doctor’s Office.
Following a temporary closure of Stumbling Monk amid the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, the modest E Olive Way bar has been in survivor mode.
“It was expensive. It cost me money and business,” Stumbling Monk owner Rob Linehan said of the toll the pandemic took on his establishment.
The bar reopened its doors in December, serving customers Wednesday through Saturday instead of daily hours like the pre-pandemic times. Linehan said he is unsure when the bar will return to being open every day.
“Not being open every day of the week, that’s obviously not ideal for any bar, but a lot of old regulars have returned, which is really nice,” Linehan said.
The bar doesn’t bother with a lot of promotion. Things like Google still list it as “temporarily closed.”
Meanwhile, things are slowly returning to a more normal state. Mask mandates ended earlier this month. Accordingly, Stumbling Monk is currently not requiring customers to wear coverings, though many customers choose to continue wearing them.
“I’d say probably 60 to 70% of people that walk in are wearing a mask anyway,” Linehan said. “I’m still wearing a mask, anyone behind the bar is still masked.”
Last day in the #emeraldcity #capitolhill #seattle #the #stumbling #monk #Goodtimes #good #beer pic.twitter.com/XH8LB7SEy5
— Hemanth (@Hemanthsyn7) March 20, 2019
The pandemic and the departure of Glo’s is not the only change these E Olive Way businesses face. Linehan said a potential buyer has recently made an offer of $3.3 million for the shared property, which last year was briefly placed on the market with a higher asking price of $4 million. The sale has not yet been finalized.
“There’s a good chance we’ll know here within the next month or so, we might have a lot more information, but we’re just kind of playing [a] waiting game right now,” Linehan said.
Stumbling Monk is located at 1635 E Olive Way.
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Thanks for reporting on the reopening! I gotta wonder though… what’s the psychology of people who walk into a bar wearing a mask (now that the mandate is over)? You’re clearly going to have it off for the other 99% of your visit… I doubt many patrons are masking between sips.
It’s been said that there is no such thing as a stupid question. There is, however, such a thing as sardonic and wry commentary disguised as a stupid question.
I agree completely. There’s a lot of wishful thinking going on with masks. It’s also worth noting that the CDC has come pretty close to saying that most cloth masks are useless against omicron.
Right and n95es are widely available even for free. Many of them don’t hang on the ears either.
I do think it is silly to only wear it walking in. Either wear it the whole time while using a straw or something or don’t wear it at all.
Hopefully more restaurants purchase air purifiers.
Stumbling Monk is extremely dated and could use a total refresh. Like do much of Seattle it is stuck in the 90s
It has old Seattle charm which Capitol Hill is losing rapidly. Commercial spaces below luxury apartments have no soul. Stumbling Monk has been serving good beer on the hill since before it was cool. How long did sterile shithole World of Beer last for? Or that Taphouse on 10th which I forget the name.
Word. I’ll go to a sh*thole with something to say and a personality over a bland, sterile drinking spot any day of the week.
That’s misinformation. The CDC has consistently said that K95 masks are superior to cloth masks, but they have never indicated or even hinted that cloth masks are “useless.”
This is tremendous news! Thank you so much for sharing!
So stoked about this, I’ve really missed Stumbling Monk (which is perfect the way it is with its 90s ambiance and folks wearing masks, seriously people, get a grip.)