Three Wise Monkeys

Occupying the footprint of a former hardware store on the High Street, this venue stacks four distinct layers of nightlife into a single building. It operates as a vertical compound where the energy changes significantly depending on which staircase you take. The ground floor serves as the tap house, a high-traffic space pouring from over twenty lines of keg and cask. Much of what comes across the bar is pumped from Other Monkey Brewing, the venue’s own microproduction setup that started in the cellar before expanding into the adjacent building to keep up with demand. One flight up, the focus shifts to the Smokehouse. Here, the smell of slow-cooked brisket and pulled pork dominates, and the room is set up for heavy, tray-based dining. It is a loud, social space where food arrives on metal sheets, and the tables are large enough to accommodate groups. The top floor is reserved for volume – a dedicated hall for live bands, touring acts, and club nights that pulls crowds past the dining tables below. In the opposite direction, the basement houses a gin bar, opening only on Friday and Saturday nights. The interior throughout retains a stripped-back aesthetic – exposed brick and industrial finishes that nod to the building’s utilitarian past. Because the floors function independently, you often see different crowds filtering in for different reasons, from serious beer drinkers analyzing a flight at the bar to ticket-holders heading straight for the top stairwell.