Sunday 21st of December 2014 04:42:21 PM

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The place is very popular owing to their delicious food! The Publican is located in a three-story orange brick building with tall windows. Parking is free along the street. They have a black metal sign over the street corner, and along the front sidewalk is an outdoor patio area shaded by an awning. The interior design is quite unique, with tall wooden columns and a high ceiling lit with a grid of spherical lights. There are dining tables around the perimeter and several of the booths have a uniquely decorative wooden door that closes once you're seated. The place has an upscale atmosphere and the decor incorporates a porcine theme. In the center of the room are a few circular high-top tables for drinks service. The wooden bar is oddly designed, being low so that you sit at it like a table. The bar has six pairs of tap handles for craft beer. In addition to the dozen draft beers are over 50 bottles of well chosen crafts, as well as a variety of liquors. In the back corner is the large kitchen area which is constantly busy preparing interesting dishes. The food menu is exquisite with creative appetizers and entrees using a variety of enticing fresh ingredients. The service is cordial and professional, but I noticed was slow during their peak hours. If you're looking for some excellent cuisine and drinks in a fancy atmosphere, the Publican is an engaging experience.

Sunday 24th of July 2011 09:48:39 AM

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Stopped by here on a Saturday afternoon with the Mrs. We walked here from downtown, and it was a pretty good walk (through an old industrial district). But it was well worth the voyage.

We only had a couple beers and a cheese plate, but the beer selection was great and the service was excellent. The staff is all certified cicerones, and we could tell. It was the most information I ever got about the beer I was drinking and our server was happy to answer all my questions about the things on tap, it was great.

Tap menu was good and the bottle list was extensive. Ended up going with Rose de Gambrinus from Cantillion, of course served in appropriate glassware.

Worth the excursion!

Saturday 11th of December 2010 03:08:24 PM

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There beer list, especially from Belgium, was very impressive. The other reviews add more detail, so I'll add color in my review. There were $45 beers listed! I didn't have the stones to order one, but I thought about it.

I also sat next to Scott Ian and Rob Caggiano from Anthrax. There was a chef from Food Network eating there as well. So you do get a cross breed of different people eating there, which was pretty cool.

The waiters have full on waiter jackets, but are also wearing blue jeans. So you get high end food (and prices, but not terrible for the quality), yet there is no pretentious vibe which is really nice. So if you want a really nice meal with a great beer selection but don't want people looking down at you then Publican is a good choice.

Their bathroom is pretty crazy as well. Individual bathrooms for everyone with a communal 360 degree sink outside the doors. I saw someone taking a picture of the bathroom area last night because they liked it so much.

Beer. Bathrooms. Rockers. Publican.

Thursday 30th of April 2009 02:34:25 PM

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All I can say is WOW. This is a great place and I really hope they have a long and successful run.

Located the in the Fulton Meat packing district, there is plenty of on-street parking or you would take the Halsted Street bus and make the short walk over. Note that when we left there were plenty of taxis.

As you enter the vestibule, the hostess station & restaurant are to your left. The interesting bathrooms are to your right. Note that they bathrooms do not have sinks, but there is a very unique community sink located right outside the bathroom doors.

One of the neat aspects of the Publican is the large communal tables. While there are a few small tables, and few tables where your stand, the odds are that you will be sitting next to someone you don’t know. This is great though as the atmosphere is so friendly it really lends itself to conversation. Speaking of conversation, the only downside of this place is the steady roar of noise. I think they have bit to much wood and should get some damping material on the floor or walls. I loved the oil paintings of the pigs!

The beer list is expansive and well thought out. Big emphasis on beers from Belgium and Belgian inspired US & Canadian beers. Note that they have some exclusive options from Goose Island. Prices range from a reasonable $5 for a Jolly Pumpkin & Goose Island to all the way up to $70 for some rare large bottles. The wine list is impressive, but I would say 80% of the patrons are drinking beer.

The food is fantastic. They emphasis is on pork but they also offer good fish & seafood choices. I’ve been told that they get a whole organic pig every Friday and that this is what they use the entire week.

We started with the spicy homemade pork rinds and then had the three-ham sampler platter. I liked they way they brought out the entrees one at time so we could share. We had the smelt, a nice salmon, fantastic chicken and some of the best pork ribs I’ve ever had. Desert was waffles.

The tab for four with tip was $260. $65 per person is cheap considering the quality of the food, the excellent service and really great beers.

Do yourself a favor and make tracks to this wonderful restaurant/bar.

Edit ****

Went back again the week of June 22nd. Had another fantastic 2+ hour dinner. Note they had several new beers to try!

Monday 2nd of February 2009 09:59:15 AM

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Made a point to visit over the weekend, at 3:30 when they opened. Michael the beer director was there to talk beer with us the whole time. He was an encyclopedia of beer knowledge, and shared samples with us, which was fun. The main draw for me were the exclusive Goose Island "experimental" specialties, such as Madame Rose, Matilda Framboise, and various Saisons using single Brett strains. Service was very prompt, helpful, and sincere. They even offered complimentary still or sparking bottled water.

The beer list is very well designed (available online), and organized into the following sections: Draught, Trappist, Belgian-micro, Abbey Style, Methode Champenoise, Lambics (all traditional), Flemish Red/Bruin, Saison, Biere de Garde, German, Denmark, Norwegian, Finnish, British Isles, Swedish, and American. Drafts rotate fairly often, currently the highlights were Matilda Framboise, Hopsinjoor, Flossmoor Pullman Brown, and Cantillon Lou Pepe Kriek. Drafts ranged from $5-9, and bottles were $5 for Avery IPA, up to $50 for Deus and Lou Pepe Framboise. The list was eclectic and varied, but seemed to focus most on Belgian Saison/Lambic/Biere de garde. I was happy to see Jolly Pumpkin offered here, and look forward to the beer dinner planned for May.

We ordered off the "snacks" menu (available from 3:30-5:30), and not from the full dinner menu. Spicy pork rinds, frites with aioli, a trio of aged hams, and L'Etivaz, a Swiss Gruyere style cheese. The frites were a standout paired with the beer, cooked in beef tallow, and my favorite in the city. The menu was a perfect compliment to the beer, sort of high-end "deli/junk food" if you will. My favorite ham was la quercia rossa, the sample trio was $18...if you get a reservation for dinner here, expect it to be fairly expensive. Everything on the small menu was under $20, with the exception of the chef's selection of a dozen oysters ($30).

Atmosphere was clean and modern, lots of brass and wood, with shades of brown everywhere, even the staff's coats. The bar was low, with uniform wooden tap handles towering above. Taps were identified by small dangling engraved brass medallions. An army of globe lanterns above cast a soft light as the last bit of daylight ebbed from the front windows. There were giant illustrated canvas prints of equally giant hogs on the walls. It was an ultramodern shrine to the other white meat...