The Publick House

12/19/09

I love this place

by CSheps874 at Citysearch

One of my favorite places to have dinner in the neighborhood. I am hard-pressed to find another beer menu that compares to the Publick House, both in scale and variety. I'm surprised to read bad reviews of the food here, but to each his own. I've been eating here pretty often for several years, and I can't think of any bad meals ever. The mac and cheese in particular, is great.

My only advice to anyone who wants to try this place, don't waste your time on a weekend night. It's crowded, and loud, and not nearly as pleasant. And good luck getting a table. Go for dinner on a weeknight. You'll be much happier.

• Pros: Excellent beer menu and knowledgeable staff
• Cons: Can be loud and seating on busy nights is nighmarish

11/26/09

Bad service, Food was out of date, Still had to pay!

by Louis1982 at Citysearch

Last night we ordered the whole evening different kind o Belgian beers, until we got 3 of them which obviously weren't fresh anymore. Even though I asked gently, the bar tender didn't want to give us a new beer and started a pointless discussion with us about taste. He insulted us by saying we had no experience. I can tell you I'am from Belgium, I know the taste of beer since I was a kid.

Finally we got the bill of 140 USD including the 3 beers we refused. Bastards. 2 thumps down for this bar/restaurant!!

• Cons:  2 Thumps down!

11/26/09

bad smell

by John1982 at Citysearch

bad service, food and drinks weren't fresh.

06/11/09

Great Food. You totally need to try it out

by anonperson at Citysearch

Great Food. You totally need to try it out

Great Food. You totally need to try it out

Great Food. You totally need to try it out

Great Food. You totally need to try it out

Great Food. You totally need to try it out

Great Food. You totally need to try it out

Great Food. You totally need to try it out

Great Food. You totally need to try it out

Great Food. You totally need to try it out

Great Food. You totally need to try it out

Great Food. You totally need to try it out

Great Food. You totally need to try it out

Great Food. You totally need to try it out

Great Food. You totally need to try it out

• Pros: Great Food
• Cons: Lots of people

06/10/09

HORRIBLE!!!!!!!

by Chester1 at Citysearch

went for a simple bite to eat on 6/9/09. The beef stew was overly salty and cold. The mashed potatoes were also cold and very salty. The waitress could have cared less.

I should have sent the food back and not paid.

Horrible dining experience. thank God there are other restaurants in the area.

• Pros: atmosphere
• Cons: food, cleanliness, staff

05/15/09

Great beer, good food, wrong attitude

by KJC at Citysearch

I've been to Publick House many times over the past few years. It has in my opinion the best beer menu in town and some very decent comfort food to compliment. I've never been impressed with the staff, who are less than attentive and often arrogant, but I had two experiences recently that are worth highlighting.

About a month ago, I ordered a draught beer and was brought a bottle (an honest mistake). I informed the waitress and asked for the draught version. She brought back the same bottled beer that had been poured into a glass (the wrong glass I might add) behind the counter. I told her I knew what she had done and she finally came back with what I had asked for, but the staff at a place like this should know that the clientele will know the difference between a draught and a bottle, and I was quite surprised to find that she would even attempt to trick me.

The second problem I had at Publick House was last night, and it's the reason that I won't be going back again. I was in a group of five; we ate and drank for a couple hours, and then were met by four other friends. We asked our waitress to close our tab. Our friends ordered a round, and not surprisingly she brought the tab for the five of us with their four drinks on it, which is what we wanted to avoid. We told her what had happened, and she walked away. We took that to mean that she refused to split the tab up, so we asked our friends for cash for their drinks, and then I paid the balance. When she came to collect the check, I informed her to take off the 18% gratuity for parties of 6 or more. My reasoning, which I gave her, was that we were a party of five, we had asked her to provide our tab separately which she did not do, and she refused to split the tab when we identified the issue. She said that she would get her manager to take off the 18%. The manager brought the tab back over, and of course, it's still on there. He dropped off the tab and fled, never to be seen again, so I asked the waitress what had happened. Her response was "I don't have time for this." At this point, I'm irate, I pay the tab and leave. Now I have to file a dispute with Visa and have them collect my money for me. How annoying. I have never been treated like that by wait staff anywhere before. The funny thing is, if she had done what I asked I would have given her 20% at a minimum. Now the restaurant won't be compensated at all for my entire meal.

I would recommend going to the bar at Publick House. I can't say the same about the dining room. You will find more polite and attentive service at the RMV than at Publick House.

• Pros: Beer
• Cons: Staff

03/05/09

Awesome Beer Selection and Great Comfort Food

by NigelMM09 at Citysearch

Awesome Beer Selection and Great Comfort Food. Get the mac and cheese or the fish 'n chips. The bartenders are usually very knowledgeable about matching beers to your tastes.

• Pros: Example: best croissants in town
• Cons: Lines, lines and lines

12/30/08

Food is great. Poor service.

by roseytulip at Citysearch

The Publik House is always very crowded and they don't take reservations. The atmosphere is relaxed and cozy. They have great food, especially the mussels, fries, and mac & cheese. The waitstaff are unattentive and generally seem to not really care so much about their customers. This makes for a mediocre experience overall.

• Pros: Great Food
• Cons: Poor Service

12/14/08

thanks for the great veggie burger.

by alex51 at Citysearch

we vegetarians love to have a burger with our beer like all the rest and this place offers a scrumptious veggie burgers - they're not frozen and flat like alot of places, but are thick and juicy and you can actually see the veggies in it.

such a cozy place - you definitely wanna be here on a cold snowy night.

11/16/08

Hands-down a GREAT Boston experience!!!

by JJtheFoodie at Citysearch

The Publick House is going is a new favorite. The food and beer were DIVINE! It was super crowded when we arrived at 6:30 but we managed to get seats at the bar after a bit. It took a while to get a table, but the beers were so great (Mojo IPA and another IPA) that I didn't mind. The calamari salad was incredible. The mussels were awesome (although they come with a VERY small amount of fries), and the lamb chops and lobster mac and cheese "surf and turf" were ridiculously good! My dining partners loved it too. We will go back.