Mono, Falmouth

Looks crap from the outside and is worse once inside. The bar faces in a oblong shaped room,there is tall wood bench seating in bays and one table in the middle of the room with benches,there is a DJ rig to the right. There were no real ales on the bar and they have ditched the craft keg crap at probably £6 a pint. We had a drink of keg Doom Bar in at first an empty room,but another couple came in and we all probably wondered why we were in here. The background music was decent though. Pub visited 14/8/2016

With its prime town centre location and extensive beer range, Mono appears to be leading Falmouth’s foray into the world of craft beer. The bar is presented as a trendy, modern single room outfit with a live music venue upstairs. The bar has a bare boarded floor and some rather rough hewn walls made from cheap wood that looks particularly unattractive in places. The ceiling is a thing to behold, made from what looks like pressed metal, formed into a flower pattern, creating a unique, if rather odd look. The servery runs down the rear wall, with a nice glazed tile counter and a fairly simple mirrored bar back, where all of the taps, cask and keg, have been mounted. A series of sturdy, if rather uncomfortable, wooden bench booths run around the three other walls with a single long canteen-style table and benches set up in the centre of the room. A set of pump clips runs along a beam and there are a lot of funky looking light fixtures and other bits of detail throughout. Lots of live music was being advertised and there was a good soundtrack playing throughout our stay, with an ‘Album of the Week’ displayed on one wall. I did note a TV screen as well, but this remained turned off throughout our stay. I came here twice during my time in Falmouth and on both occasions I found the place completely empty, which makes me wonder if they do much business at all outside of gig nights and the weekend trade. The pub supports four cask ales, which on this visit were Harbour Pale Ale, Sharps Doom Bar, Driftwood Spars Louis Lou’s and Dynamite Valley Belgian IPA. The barman was very friendly and helpful, taking me through some of the beers, giving me a taster and explaining what beers they had coming on next. I ended up with the Belgian IPA but I have to say I thought the beer was in fairly poor condition and had it not just been a half, I would have probably taken it back. The keg offerings included standard stuff like Guinness and Estrella, but also craft beer staples from the likes of Beavertown, Brewdog, Brooklyn and Left Hand Giant, as well as some cider options. I thought I would really enjoy this place, but I actually found it very difficult to warm to. I thought it was quite ugly, uncomfortable and lacking in any kind of atmosphere, although the service was a definite plus and I’m prepared to put the poor beer down to bad luck. It’s certainly worth a look in passing and would work well if combined with a gig, but as things stand, it is Falmouth’s traditional pubs that still have the upper hand of the craft beer bars.