I honestly don’t know what took me so long to dine here. If you like good German beer and a hearty meat forward meal, do yourself a favor and head to the Publican.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Elissa Rodriguez Hadac
Delicious does not even begin to do this place justice
Anthony Pompano
This is actually more of a statement post. I went here on a business trip with about 8 other people. I will say the staff was very friendly, helpful and prompt but the food taste/quality was subpar, especially for the price.I would have certainly expected more from a place that had 6 james beard awards. All meals were considered "family style" but would barely be enough for 2 people in most cases.The burrata, asparagus salad, and charcuterie were laughable how small they were. If any of them were good I might feel different but splitting 1 vinegar soaked gherkin pickle is just a joke.The only family style meal was the chicken and sausage. It wasn't bad but wasn't great. If I was to give one item on the menu a good review it would be the beef fat fries but I wouldn't be going back just for those.Overall, you are paying for the 6 awards that hang on the wall and nothing else because the food quality and taste is poor. It's as if they hired the cooks and their only training was watching 1 episode of Master chefExpect to pay an average of $75 per person, still be hungry, and make a taco bell run after
Recommended dishes: Beef Fat Frites
Kinga Magiera
Amazing happy hour! $12 burger, $12 cocktails.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Daniel Pino
Est. 2008Layout/atmosphere*Beer hall; long, wooden communal tables; bar & open kitchen in the back; paintings of pigs on the wallsService*GoodFood/drink*Island Creek (MA) oyster - OK*Summerstones (WA) oyster - good*Ham Chop in Hay (24 oz pork chop, collard greens & maple braised turnips) - very good; flavorful jus, flavorful greens, sweetness of the turnips nice change of pace*Chocolate rye cookie - very good; salted, soft*Brasserie d’Orval Belgian Trappist ale (bottle) - good
Melanie Riley
Four of us shared late night nibbles - the half charcuterie plate and the bread plate with pimento cheese. Food was fabulous. Pimento cheese better than my own homemade! I never would have dreamed that I'd like pate (was delish) and esp head cheese. I had an Old Fashioned which is made with Four Roses. Good drink, decently strong.Service for such a nice place was just "meh". Our server barely spoke to us, never cracked a smile, hardly even cordial.We were seated in a booth - which are super strange. They have solid wood doors on them, like gates. They open them up, you scoot into the booth, then they close the doors behind you. We all felt claustrophobic. To make things worse, the servers then have to serve food and pour drinks over the gate, which is super awkward because they can't reach far enough to put the food in the proper places on the table. When water glasses are refilled, water splashes all over the table.I understand the food is mostly sourced from IL farms, but the prices are crazy high. Shocked when we opened the menu and saw the prices.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Half Charcuterie Plate
Carol Lee Collins
Wow, bad value at this overrated and overpriced restaurant!
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 3
Chuck and Jeanne Westholder
Wow! Unbelievably delicious! Vegetarian options.Parking: We walked about three blocks (great exercise) to obtain free parking.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Oysters on the Half Shell, Sprouts
Ashley S.
We had a great time at brunch at The Publican. The potatoes were an amazing side to share. Our server was really helpful and friendly. I wish they had more gluten free options.
Mfk F.
Great drinks & the oyster happy hour rules. Service was also very good, but food was a bit mediocre and I would have been a bit disappointed had I paid standard price instead of happy hour prices. Beef fat frites are good but really really rich, schnitzel & sausage were just alright
The food was amazing, highly recommend the Brussels sprouts. Service was quick and friendly, and our waiter made great recommendations. However, it was a bit loud so made it hard to hear each other while eating and to hear the server.
K B.
My goodness, the sunchoke dish was an absolute stunner. I've never had sunchoke like that before. Usually you barely taste it in a dish, NOT here. Imagine a small baked potato, but it just tastes like fresh artichoke. I could eat 5 plates of it in a sitting. Easily. I went in for at least 3 helpings of the brussels sprouts, so creamy and flavorful. For being a meat place, they really do the veggies right. I am not a sweets person but they brought the dessert cart by the table after dinner and yeah, it worked. The carrot cake, heavenly. Hint of spice, cream cheese drizzle. Kept some leftover and had with coffee the next day. And the bread. The BREAD. Thick, soft slices slathered with butter. I need a couple more baskets of that, too. Tried the lime lager (Half Acre). Why don't I see this beer everywhere?! It's refreshing and tasty. Service was great, fun seating for smaller parties. I finally see what all the fuss is about.
Ingrid Schwartz
Food is great! Vibe is very casual and a little loud at first but then you get into it!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 3
Niklas Kühl
Food way too salty and overpriced.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 3
Tatiana Velandia
I had a delightful dining experience at this restaurant. They offer an extensive selection of food and beverages, all served family-style, encouraging a shared dining experience. While the service was friendly and accommodating, it did slow down significantly due to the crowd. Similarly, the delivery of our food was a bit delayed. The ambiance was pleasant, however somewhat noisy. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my visit. Despite being pricey, I believe the quality and experience justify the cost.For my meal, I ordered a Margarita, six portions of oysters, Brussels sprouts, bouchot mussels, and steak, which culminated in a total bill of $187.
I honestly don’t know what took me so long to dine here. If you like good German beer and a hearty meat forward meal, do yourself a favor and head to the Publican.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Delicious does not even begin to do this place justice
This is actually more of a statement post. I went here on a business trip with about 8 other people. I will say the staff was very friendly, helpful and prompt but the food taste/quality was subpar, especially for the price.I would have certainly expected more from a place that had 6 james beard awards. All meals were considered "family style" but would barely be enough for 2 people in most cases.The burrata, asparagus salad, and charcuterie were laughable how small they were. If any of them were good I might feel different but splitting 1 vinegar soaked gherkin pickle is just a joke.The only family style meal was the chicken and sausage. It wasn't bad but wasn't great. If I was to give one item on the menu a good review it would be the beef fat fries but I wouldn't be going back just for those.Overall, you are paying for the 6 awards that hang on the wall and nothing else because the food quality and taste is poor. It's as if they hired the cooks and their only training was watching 1 episode of Master chefExpect to pay an average of $75 per person, still be hungry, and make a taco bell run after
Recommended dishes: Beef Fat Frites
Amazing happy hour! $12 burger, $12 cocktails.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Est. 2008Layout/atmosphere*Beer hall; long, wooden communal tables; bar & open kitchen in the back; paintings of pigs on the wallsService*GoodFood/drink*Island Creek (MA) oyster - OK*Summerstones (WA) oyster - good*Ham Chop in Hay (24 oz pork chop, collard greens & maple braised turnips) - very good; flavorful jus, flavorful greens, sweetness of the turnips nice change of pace*Chocolate rye cookie - very good; salted, soft*Brasserie d’Orval Belgian Trappist ale (bottle) - good
Four of us shared late night nibbles - the half charcuterie plate and the bread plate with pimento cheese. Food was fabulous. Pimento cheese better than my own homemade! I never would have dreamed that I'd like pate (was delish) and esp head cheese. I had an Old Fashioned which is made with Four Roses. Good drink, decently strong.Service for such a nice place was just "meh". Our server barely spoke to us, never cracked a smile, hardly even cordial.We were seated in a booth - which are super strange. They have solid wood doors on them, like gates. They open them up, you scoot into the booth, then they close the doors behind you. We all felt claustrophobic. To make things worse, the servers then have to serve food and pour drinks over the gate, which is super awkward because they can't reach far enough to put the food in the proper places on the table. When water glasses are refilled, water splashes all over the table.I understand the food is mostly sourced from IL farms, but the prices are crazy high. Shocked when we opened the menu and saw the prices.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Half Charcuterie Plate
Wow, bad value at this overrated and overpriced restaurant!
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 3
Wow! Unbelievably delicious! Vegetarian options.Parking: We walked about three blocks (great exercise) to obtain free parking.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Oysters on the Half Shell, Sprouts
We had a great time at brunch at The Publican. The potatoes were an amazing side to share. Our server was really helpful and friendly. I wish they had more gluten free options.
Great drinks & the oyster happy hour rules. Service was also very good, but food was a bit mediocre and I would have been a bit disappointed had I paid standard price instead of happy hour prices. Beef fat frites are good but really really rich, schnitzel & sausage were just alright
Restaurantji Recommends
The food was amazing, highly recommend the Brussels sprouts. Service was quick and friendly, and our waiter made great recommendations. However, it was a bit loud so made it hard to hear each other while eating and to hear the server.
My goodness, the sunchoke dish was an absolute stunner. I've never had sunchoke like that before. Usually you barely taste it in a dish, NOT here. Imagine a small baked potato, but it just tastes like fresh artichoke. I could eat 5 plates of it in a sitting. Easily. I went in for at least 3 helpings of the brussels sprouts, so creamy and flavorful. For being a meat place, they really do the veggies right. I am not a sweets person but they brought the dessert cart by the table after dinner and yeah, it worked. The carrot cake, heavenly. Hint of spice, cream cheese drizzle. Kept some leftover and had with coffee the next day. And the bread. The BREAD. Thick, soft slices slathered with butter. I need a couple more baskets of that, too. Tried the lime lager (Half Acre). Why don't I see this beer everywhere?! It's refreshing and tasty. Service was great, fun seating for smaller parties. I finally see what all the fuss is about.
Food is great! Vibe is very casual and a little loud at first but then you get into it!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 3
Food way too salty and overpriced.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 3
I had a delightful dining experience at this restaurant. They offer an extensive selection of food and beverages, all served family-style, encouraging a shared dining experience. While the service was friendly and accommodating, it did slow down significantly due to the crowd. Similarly, the delivery of our food was a bit delayed. The ambiance was pleasant, however somewhat noisy. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my visit. Despite being pricey, I believe the quality and experience justify the cost.For my meal, I ordered a Margarita, six portions of oysters, Brussels sprouts, bouchot mussels, and steak, which culminated in a total bill of $187.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4