This homage to beer, pork and fish from chefs Paul Kahan and Brian Huston proffers hand-selected, sustainably harvested fish and seafood as well as sustainably raised heirloom pork in a rustic menu of simple, eclectic fare. The pub itself is also simple, rustic and very, very loud.
Aesha E.
Really nice space. The food is not for my palate, so we were only there for dessert and drinks. We had the chocolate cake and it was pretty good, but......
Dmitriy Simonoff
Make no mistake about it, the food was phenomenal. Absolutely wonderful. I have one nit about the service, the food came out in a very weird order and definitely hampered my experience. I was there with myself and my son. We ordered: bread/pimento appetizer, steak, side of fries for the steak, and half chicken. The order the food came was: fries -> appetizer -> steak -> 15 minute wait -> chicken. Nothing actually came out together and the 10 year old had to wait the longest for his food. Unacceptable. The fact that food was not coming out together, and in such a wrong order would make Gordon Ramsey's head explode.
Cynthia N.
I've been to Publican for brunch and dinner a few times and have always enjoyed my experience. Most recently we had dinner here. We were lucky enough to...
Josh Banfield
Been walking by here for years and glad we came. Large open restaurant with communal tables and really good food focused a lot on meats. Food: 5/5 Beer: 5/5 Service: 5/5 Cocktails: 0/5 Grab yourself a mug of some of their German beers and order the prosciutto, butter the bread and put it on top, amazing way to start your meal! (Pic attached) Also get the carrots and try some oysters, with the main being the pork belly or mussels and you'll find yourself leaving super full and satisfied. Only thing I'd avoid is any cocktails, I had one of the worst old fashioned I've ever had, so stick to beer here.
Marcus Stemple
Went for restaurant week dinner with my wife and we enjoyed the experience. It’s nice that they allow customers to order from any of the menus (happy hour, normal dinner menu, and restaurant week menu), and we enjoyed the variety of dishes in the restaurant week menu. The food was good, but nothing really special. The mussels were over-cooked (so a bit mushy).
John B.
I dined here with a group of 5 for brunch. We ordered our drinks and they came out quickly; however, the waiter did not ask us if we were ready to order...
Jonathan Goetz
An amazing, open spot for happy hour or dinner. It has a beer hall feel, and features a great drink list, including German favorites. We came for happy hour (till 6:00 on Friday). There was a lot of seating available, and service was quick and professional. Great prices on drinks and their amazing appetizers. Strongly recommended for drinks or dinner!
Aaron Gruenthal
My wife got extremely sick from the oysters, I found a worm/bug in my oyster (to be fair, it's a raw bivalve from the ocean, yeah there's going to be some funky stuff in there, but still...), and the host (manger?) spilled half of my beer on the table and did not offer to replace it. I used to love this place; great beer selection, amazing food, cool atmosphere. Honestly, those haven't changed, but the staff is just not what it used to be, and, unfortunately, we got unlucky with the oysters this time. I let our waiter know that my wife was extremely sick from the oysters (she was literally in the restroom; I won't go into detail), and that he should check the kitchen to make sure that everything was kosher back there. Their response was to tell us that their oysters and beef had just come in that morning so it couldn't have been them. Then they "generously" comped us a $10 burger... Again, not trying to be a Karen; I know that we're not their only customers and that they have a lot on their plate, but we really left feeling like an afterthought for the waitstaff. There are a lot of great restaurants in Chicago. I never need to go back to this place again.
Charlie Fox
Not what it used to be and is not sure what it wants to be. Music was awful. It ruined our experience. Constant hip-hop, but you’re also a German beer hall? The ingredient quality was high but that’s where our satisfaction ends. The food was all savory with no balance despite having ordered much of the menu. Service left something to be desired. Dishes came out too quickly, the waiter was short with us and never came by to check on the table. Mix in a required non-refundable deposit and the price point...This place is teetering on 1-star.
