The Library at the Public

The Library at the Public is a terrific place to have a lovely meal downtown. I normally go before a show at the Public Theater, but I also choose to eat there if I'm in the neighborhood. Food is delicious and very fresh. The service is terrific.

I have eaten here several times, but this time was a bitter disappointment. We should've taken the server's hint that what we both ordered was quite small, and maybe we might also consider an appetizer? The agnolotti with peas was the smallest portion of a main dish I have ever seen. An outrage at $28. Buyer beware.

We enjoyed this restaurant. It was like dining in someone's home. Food was very tasty.

A great pre-theatre choice inside the Public Theater itself, with great service and nicely-spaced tables in a wood-paneled "library" setting. The food, however, is inconsistent. Our salad, although fresh, was in a pool of watery dressing. The ravioli special appeared to be made with frozen ravioli; the pasta was undercooked. And the portion was much too small for the price. On the other hand, the fish and chips was excellent. Stay with the "basics," and you'll be fine.

The reservation system accepts and confirms reservations starting at 5pm but it doesn’t open until 6pm ??!?

Came here for dinner. The ambiance was awesome the dim lighting made the atmosphere feel cozy and welcoming. The food was great, steak was cooked to perfection.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

The Library restaurant is an elegant and warm space—perfect for enjoying dinner before a performance at the Public Theater, conveniently located in the same building.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I’m surprised Andrew Carmellini would attach his name to such a restaurant. Perhaps he needs to try his own menu. The first time we came here was for a private event and the lights were dimmed so the ambience did look nice. However, the food was not good. Since it was a private event I wasn’t expecting much. We came back recently, not realizing it was the same venue. The lights were very bright, so you could see that the furniture was not very tasteful, and didn’t look anything like the photos online. The service was very friendly and kind, however, for some reason our server would never pour wine for us, but he was very generous with pouring water. That’s fine, my big issue was the meal and the fact that the staff was setting up tables moving furniture around directly in front of us, disrupting our meal as they were very loudly prepping for an event the following night. Someone came over to apologize and I appreciated that, however, it didn’t take away from the horrible experience we had. The server never asked about dietary restrictions or allergies. I had no idea the center of the hummus was spicy so I couldn’t eat that, the cheese platter tasted like stinky feet. It was disgusting. The burger was OK, fries were good. I had only one bite of each dish and realized I couldn't eat it. It’s not worth forcing yourself to eat something that you cannot enjoy or that would make you sick. Thankfully, the blue cheese was fresh and tasty. This was one of the most disappointing meals we’ve had in a long time. Very shocked because the night before we were at Cafe Carmellini and it was a completely different experience. Obviously it’s a different type of restaurant caliber, but for this restaurant, I am surprised that they are OK with serving such mediocre food and lack proper hospitality.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 2

Service: 3

I loved this place and can't believe more people don't know about it! I took my parents here and they loved it

Had dinner there during the dinner break for seeing Gatz. there was a fixed menu with choices. Service was vey efficient & food tasty. I had worried about getting dinner during the break, but they handled it very well!!

The Library is a terrific place to eat and drink, especially before shows at the Public Theater. The wait staff is first rate and there is a lot of good teamwork in play here.

Our server, Michael, was wonderful.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 5

Tucked away upstairs inside The Public this is a real gem: good food, great ambiance, standout service and the cocktails are on point!

Hidden gem with delicious food and a truly special atmosphere. We’ve seen celebrities here enjoying themselves just as much as we were.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Very cute hidden gem!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5