Brookline’s Publick House is one of the best bars in Boston. And recent years have seen the size of its crowds reflect that. But set aside from the bustle of that beautiful, breweriana-bedecked main room is a redoubt, relatively speaking, of quiet solitude. The smallish MONK’S CELL Belgian tap room, offering seating for a couple dozen or so, is dark almost to the point of menu-illegibility. It’s low-lit by candelabras and a gothic stained-glass window, its walls are decorated with paintings of cowled monks and framed photos of musty monastery beer cellars. And, of course, there are innumerable glass chalices hanging above the bar — the better to be filled with Trappist and Abbey ales. The menu is extensive: Piraat and La Chouffe are there, as are countless others you’ve never heard of; there’s a lengthy list of Belgian Browns and Flemish Reds and every color in between. Best, the food is well-matched, from heaping helpings of moules frites (prepared five ways) to a hearty cassoulet. As the menu says: “Eat good food, drink better beer.” God wouldn’t want it any other way.

PUBLICK HOUSE | 1648 Beacon Street, Brookline | 617.277.2880 | thepublickhousebrookline.com