new favorite spot, thanks to Anthony the bartender ! super welcoming, made the upstairs bar feel VIP red carpet treatment , royalty ambiance, DEFINITELY coming back . read more

Elgin Public House - Mango tango, Anthony special ! - Pubs Near Me - Elgin, Illinois

Really good food with really friendly staff we go here alot with family even to celebrate birthdays

We enjoyed our visit at Elgin Public House. I loved that our waitress took time to give her opinions also- it helped with navigating the giant menu. The pork belly burger was such a beautiful experience with the sriracha mayo!! read more

Went for brunch and had very poor service. Took several requests to get water coffee. Upon finishing, asked for check and server proceeded to take their time even after mentioning we are going to catch the metra. Server proceeded to avoid my table 10 minutes after asking for check. I went to the bar to pay and bartender was quite helpful. In the meantime the manager came up asking the problem. It was explained I was pressed for time. He was quite unfriendly and did nothing more to provide service other than say "Oh, ok. We will get you out soon". Bill has gratuity added to my bill and nothing was compted. That $8.00 tip was not deserved. Management needs to reconsider how to rectify a negative experience rather than blow it off. I will not be recommending to attend the brunch at this establishment. read more

The staff was friendly but my food was ok, I could see this place be fun on Friday or Sat night. Most of the staff we're hanging in the kitchen area, our bartenders was nice but I don't think I will go back for the food. It's a great place to have drinks. read more

I really want to like it here but this is the 2nd time we have tried it and its just not for us. This time we stopped in for lunch and had burgers and beers....and some cheese curds. The curds were by far the best thing we ate. The curds were crisp and still squeaky and it's a nice size order. I go back for beer and curds! I got the Bacon and Egger and my wife got the Bleu Horse (Blue Cheese horseradish and onion crisps) the bun on the bacon and egger was a disaster its was called a toasted dumpling bun it was really a pale untoasted white mush bun. No flavor and no texture it ruined the otherwise ok burger. The whole burger was just there, no flavor, with all those elements something needed to pop. My wife thought the same, it was all just OK and with the plethora of good burgers out there ...OK just don't cut it. The other big issue I had is the vile coleslaw....I love coleslaw and yes there are many different ways to make it but this was the absolute worst thing I have eaten in a long time. It was shredded nappa cabbage with gave it a weird texture and the weird much to light sauce didn't help. Maybe it was just me but that was bad bad bad. I love everything else about the place and so want to like it, I like the look the location the menu is a solid B but I just haven't liked anything we have eaten. read more

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Food was amazing and service was great and always a good atmosphere. Drinks are good and strong

Good BBQ along with other menu items. Clean place and friendly staff. I really like this restaurant.

I'm sad to report that the Sloppy Joes are just not that good. Way too tomatoey. The fries were very good, though.

Had a nice dinner at the RPH. Ate a Kobe burger special that was made perfectly. Service was pretty quick except when we wanted to pay. I think there was a problem w a waitress getting a large table. Was hardly a complaint. It's way bigger than you think when you walk in. Perfect for large groups. This is more of an informal place. read more

Elgin Public House - Scene from the table - Pubs Near Me - Elgin, Illinois

Now I admit, the food here is pretty good. The overall bar gives a very racist vibe, especially the white Bartenders and staff. Very old and historically significant placement in Elgin. They assume every brown person is doing something bad in Elgin. They have a pretty decent Sunday brunch. I cannot get over their racist service. Avoid it if you can, if you can't do takeout. Reply to Greg (Elgin Public House) after my original post. Hey Greg, yes it's been over a year for the brunch. since before Covid and thanks for respecting my opinion after being asked to leave by your bartenders when we simply asked for something other than hockey to watch while ordering a beer. You didn't even wait to hear our side just was kicked out though we had supported your business infrequently for 3+ years living in Elgin area. To be fair I don't think YOU were there that day. There was a heavy set older white lady (brunette) who identified as the manager and asked us to leave. We are Latino by the way. We never came back and yes I waited this long to write this review. Thanks Yelp for this platform for consumers to SHARE their REAL accounts. read more

Good food and very friendly staff. Their chili is amazing, great place to bring the family.

Went here for dinner with my husband and my daughter. We all had a different hamburgers and we all loved it! I have to recommend trying any of the appetizers & their soup it was phenomenal. We Will definitely be going back! read more

Excellent meatloaf melt sandwich and great mashed potatoes. Great service and a good vibe to the place. Highly recommended!

Been here a few times to eat or just to have a beer and every time I'm underwhelmed. I keep trying to give them another shot hoping they come around since I live 10mins away but they just can't seem to do it. Went in yesterday because Maplewood Brewery was having an event there. Being that Maplewood is one of my favorite Craft Breweries, the wife and I HAD to check it out. Advertised on the Untappd App as having free gifts and samples. (more on that later) When walking up to the palace, it seems that it would have "Old world Charm" but in reality when walking in it's underwhelming. You're hoping for an antique type experience but it's nothing like that. Dark, dingy and doesn't seem super well kempt. Passable. Not something you would be tripping over yourself to go back to on ambiance alone though. The bar for the place is in the back so you have to walk through the restaurant to get to it. Always feels kinda awkward as there's no direct entrance to the Bar area...My wife asks the Hostess about the Maplewood event....she has to go back to ask someone about it.?? Strange, but ok. Anyways she confirms that there is an event and shows us to the Bar. Bar area is cramped and limited seating. Like 8 cramped chairs? No high tops to sit and they don't offer for you to sit in any of the booths as those are for the restaurant?? Either way no one really guides us so my wife sits and I wind up standing mainly because the open seat was right up against some dude and his girlfriend that were all over themselves at the bar. No biggie but I didnt need to be involved. ‍ Bartender seems disinterested in us. Gives us a half hearted greeting...which is the usual experience I have when I've come in here one other time for a beer and a couple other times to pick up food to go. Not sure if it's because we are in our late 30s/Early 40s or what but we certainly don't feel welcome. After looking over the beer list I notice a couple things. 1. They have A LOT of beers available. Most of them though are in cans. 2. The beer list is missing a lot of great local craft Breweries. Didn't see any Noon Whistle, HalfAcre, Mikerphone or many others on the list. 3. Not sure how the beer list is formed but I didn't see one trending area beer on this list. The STRANGEST thing to me is that they are having a Maplewood event but they only have two Maplewoods on tap and one can available. Which, considering it was A Maplewood event I would expect to at least have one of their great IPAs ON TAP. Not sure who's fault this was, but it was VERY disappointing. THANKFULLY the Maplewood rep heard us asking about the event and came over to us after my wife sat down and talked about the Brewery, the beers on tap and was super nice. WAY NICER and welcoming to us than anyone who actually works for EPH...she mentions if we order something that she would give us a free pint glass each, some Pins and a Sticker...which she did. So we order through the Bartender. He was so disinterested in what was going on, he couldn't even look at my wife long enough to take a 2 beer order. Turns his back on her halfway through her speaking. Not the end of the world, but rude. I mean you're so nonchalant that you can't even look at someone for 2mins?? Very strange. Meanwhile the bartender is dropping/breaking glasses all the while he's not that busy. Seems like the other few people there were regulars. So we finish our beers and the nice girl for Maplewood gives us our stuff. Very nice of her and thanks us for coming in. She was honestly the only positive thing about coming in. Maplewood beers were solid, but not the best I've had from that brewery. The one thing that bothered me is that no samples of anything were offered and it didn't even seem like they were set up for any sort of sampling. So it seemed like false advertising TBH because it said specifically on Untappd that there was going to be samples. In the end I was reminded ONCE AGAIN why I don't frequent EPH even though I live close by. I won't be returning anytime soon. Maybe I'll try them again in a year or two and see if they get better staff/management and/or spruce the place up. read more

My husband and I usually love coming here but we recently had a really horrible experience that left us with little motivation to come back. Everything started great up until we got our food on the service end of things. We were left with no server for a very long time and then noticed after 30 minutes that she was sitting at the bar drinking. I understand that servers need to end their shirt eventually but she didn't mention anything to us about her shift ending and we were left there with no service. We grabbed our own boxes from the server station and had to go ask the bartender if we could please just pay our tab and leave. What kind of service is it to just disappear after we get our food and leave us to figure it out ourselves. Really disappointed in this kind of service. read more

Never did I think in a million years that I would be writing a rave review for bar food. That is until I discovered the Elgin Public house. Upon first entering, I thought ok just another average bar. But this place exceeded expectations. For starters, I highly recommend the baked goat cheese in marinara sauce. A true harmony of sweet tomato and creamy goat cheese. For soup of the day I highly recommend the Wisconsin cheddar soup. Just a few high lights from an excellent meal. Keep up the great work! read more

Went with another couple on a Friday night. Had a Groupon. Hate when the server asks what you want to drink when we don't even have our coats off! Drink prices are good. Appetizers and sandwiches good for bar food. Big menu. Lots of tv screens that no one really watches. Servers want to get you in and out and ask you to pay bill so they can go home. Seemed rushed. Location in Elgin in an older building. Not sure if we would go back . read more

Went in for lunch, parking was hard to find we had to park about a block away for lunch. Place was a lot bigger than I thought it was going to be but there was probably about 15 people maybe seven tables service was really really slow food was good. They put my sandwich which was a hamburger in a small bucket which was hard for me to get out I think they should use plates or something else the bucket is not a good idea but the food was good service was slow beer was good when I go back if I was ever in the area possibly I would have to see what else is available. read more

The service was awesome.. the food tasted good, I got the pulled pork but on my way home I started to feel sick, which led to unfortunate events.. my thinking is that maybe there was something wrong with the pork itself read more

Great food served in generous portions. Really liked the ambiance. And it is close to home.

What a great find! While exploring our neighboring towns, we decided to check out some spots in Elgin. My sister and I were yapping on the phone trying to plan our day out when one of us (I can't remember who!) found Elgin Public House. After scrolling through the pictures and checking out some reviews, we decided to give them a try. Off to Elgin with my husband and son to meet the sis and bro-in-law and we find a free parking garage immediately across the street. This was perfect! As we approached, we commented on how the street view really doesn't do this place any justice. Nothing would have made me stop if I didn't know this bar/restaurant was here. Once inside, we end up having the nicest server and sit in her area toward the back of the restaurant. Kinda behind the bar area. This was fine for us as there were plenty of TVs and lots of football to be watched. Our guys were happy. There's nothing fancy about this place, but the service was great and the food was fresh and tasty. I stepped outside my comfort zone with a meatloaf sandwich and chicken chili. Oh yeah! I'd order both again. The meatloaf was a little light on the actual sandwich but it tasted really good. Around the rest of the table was more chicken chili, regular chili, a chicken sandwich with pineapple, a chicken pesto sandwich, a burger and an avocado turkey wrap. Everything was good. There were absolutely no complaints about the food. We were practically planning our next visit in between bites! I think we better get on that soon... read more

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Josh is 1 of the best servers you have on your staff he gos above and beyond to give you greatest service. thank you

How does EPH keep getting better when it was already fantastic?! Their entire menu, which is quite extensive & has many elevated options compared to regular "bar food," is great and their Sunday Brunch is excellent - not to mention a huge list of great beers & other spirits. But how on Earth had we never come for their Friday night Fish Fry?? Some friends told us how good it was so we all went there this past Friday and it did not disappoint. It's not AYCE but it's still the best fried fish I've ever had. Tilapia in a beer batter w/some fresh herbs added to the batter (I think it was thyme), and it comes w/hushpuppies, fries, a small coleslaw & a small Guiness black beans side. Delicious! The Friday Fish Fry is year-round, too! The service is always just right as well - we love this place & it remains our favorite local casual place to eat out. They have a Sunday brunch buffet every Sunday and the price is quite reasonable. On special holidays like Easter, Mother's Day & Father's Day they also have an even bigger Sunday brunch holiday buffet...it costs a bit more than their regular Sunday brunch but they have a very big nice selection of items and some really nice upscale offerings you don't normally see at other holiday buffets. read more

Everyone, I have decided to start writing reviews on Yelp because, while I use the site frequently to read others reviews, I have found some times that the reviews are not reflective of my experience. My own imposed rules for any review: 1. Must visit at least three times. Two of which must be distinctly different formats; i.e. one weekday night and one weekend night. 2. Must order something unique each visit. 3. If they have any "signature" items on the menu, you must order a "signature" item at least once. 4. Ratings are based on a 10 point scale with 5 being average, which does not mean bad. What a score of 5 means is that the category meets expectations for that establishments format. Thanks. Elgin Public House aka EPH Location/Layout - 6/10: Located in a decent section of Downtown Elgin, with ample parking in a free garage across the street. Inside, while the restaurant is clean, you can tell that it was two locations merged, which has an odd feel with three distinct dining areas, two bars (plus an additional one upstairs) one of which is not used and unsupportive seats in the booths. The Pub 217 upstairs is a great space and offers a more intimate and unique experience. Menu - 7/10: the options are good and range from standard pub fare to almost pretentious with certain items. Ultimately, there is something for everyone. Except a battered or fried chicken sandwich? Prices are average to slightly high for pub grub, but the ingredients taste fresher and lesser processed justifying the cost. Service - 7/10: the service is friendly and fairly knowledgeable. I have yet to visit and had a server know the "side of the day". There always seems to be more servers/bar staff than necessary for the number of patrons, which leads to questions as to why you always have to ask for refills? Although they are quick with any requests and even had a particularly exceptional server create a custom chicken sandwich out of chicken fingers, see note above about battered chicken sandwich. Food - 6.5/10: the main courses (almost always a sandwich) have always been good to very good. With the "signature" meatloaf melt and Sunday brunch being standouts. The Kobe line leaves a little to be desired when compared to their standard burgers and when compared to Kobe that I have had elsewhere - frozen maybe -. The sides are where my companion has loved EPH's several options with the exception of the Cajun Fries. She raves about the mashed potatoes and mac and cheese. I on the other hand did not care for the mashed, which are actually "smashed" and flavored with a cheese or cream that left a bitter aftertaste for me. I suggest sticking with the fries, they are solid and hardy. I will note that our orders have been wrong several times, but always quickly rectified. Drinks - 7/10: this category is hard for me because I want to rate EPH much higher but there are strong reasons for a 7. First they have all the standard mixers. But were EPH excels is the list of both import and domestic including great craft beer options. Moreover they offer an above average whiskey selection. The problem is that the beverage costs especially the beers are high and they have next to no options on tap. Overall Experience - 7/10: this is just a good local bar. I have enjoyed my time, the food, the beverages and the company every time I have visited. I do wish that they had more TVs with different sports options, every time I go in there is a huddle of bar/wait staff around a soccer game, while we needed refills and pined for baseball, American football, hockey, horseracing, boxing, Nascar, etc...our views on soccer had no affect on this categories rating... read more

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I went on a date here and food wasn't the best but it was kind of pricey. Decent place to go! Staff was nice.

I've never been here other than for one of the spectacular wine dinners but the food is really impressive.

I found this place because of Groupon and I am glad I did. The entrance was a little weird because you walk in and no one is there so you have to walk the bar area to ask for a seat. Once seated, everything was awesome. My boyfriend and I could not decide between the fried pickles (him) and the cheese curds (me) so we decided to order (and finish) both! Both were pretty good. I prefer my fried pickles in slices rather than spears, but that is my own pickiness. The cheese curds were okay, but I have had better. I had a Blue Iris to drink and it was incredible. For dinner I ordered the saltimbocca burger (which bumps my review to four stars) with a side of mac and cheese that our waitress was raving about. The burger was huge and fantastic. The mac and cheese was a bit watery and just average. The owner came over and greeted us which was nice. I will return for half price burger night on Mondays. read more

This review is for the Sunday brunch. So very mediocre. The service was fine. They had a bloody Mary bar. Which had several kinds of stuffed olives, hot sauce, and some bacon. Period. The brunch was not good. An example, the eggs Benedict had spinach and tomato, almost no hollandaise, and scrambled eggs. There was a lot of food, but not a lot of customers, so mostly cold food. Brunch for 2, with a bloody Mary each, before tip was 42.00. So not worth the price, and so disappointing. read more

Back for late Saturday lunch The food is always excellent I had Chicken po-boy sandwich with Asian slaw My companion had buffalo chicken sandwich (again) Tap craft beer selection and thin but good. They just tapped a Bells Mars Imperial double IPA. Excellent. Waitress KAITLYN also get 5 stars read more

Every time we have gone here, I have been disappointed at their beer selection both on draft and in bottles/cans. Their food is pretty good. Love the goat cheese and marinara. Never had a burger I didn't like. They had a special drink, which was Jameson, Sprite and basil--so good! Any time we have gone here there has been no wait and usually quite empty. If you're in the area, it is def worth a try! read more

First time in the 217 area of the pub. I loved it. I've had the food before and am never disappointed. This room upstairs seems to be a hidden gem with low lighting and jazz playingt the back ground. read more

Elgin Public House - Pubs Near Me - Elgin, Illinois

I dropped in around 10:30 pm on a Friday. The front room was reserved for the cast and crew of a local theater production, so I headed towards the back rooms. It felt like a dimly lit dive, but with a surprisingly extensive menu. Their beer list is quite extensive, including 4 different Three Floyd's. When they told me they had Zombie Dust, that was all I needed to hear. The waiter poured it from the bottle into a glass at the table, and I appreciated the service. He could ahve been a little mroe active in keeping our water glasses filled though. For food, I just had the Cajun shrimp appetizer, which had a pretty strong lime and garlic flavor. Ten shrimp came to the order, which was a nice sized portion. Despite living 15 minutes away, I rarely venture into downtown Elgin. But when I do go back, I would probably go back and I imagine I'd have to try one of their burgers. read more

Love love love the food. Best burger I had in months probably. Service - 5/5 Loved our server. I forgot her name, but we were immediately greeted by a hostess and sat down. The ambiance of the restaurant is pub/casual - very laid back and chill. Kind of lacking to be honest, but the food makes up for it. Our server was chip and very attentive to detail despite how busy it was. Our food was hot, fresh, and fast! Food - We started off with the cheese curds ($7). There wasn't a generous amount, but these came out piping hot. The coating on the curds was crispy and crunchy... mmmm. There was a good string on the cheese when you bit into them. Probably wouldn't order it again, but it was good to try. The chipotle ranch sauce they had going on was crack. EPH Bison Burger ($17) was seriously so great. It came out perfectly medium rare, and it was still juicy inside. The duck bacon was a great added touch (crispy), and the arugula cut out all the fattiness/oil. It felt lean but packed full of flavor. The mac 'n cheese was good (it was a side) but didn't care much for it. EPH Kobe Burger ($17) was great. The burger was juicy and flavorful. The only down side was the asian slaw had large chunks of onion which got really overwhelming. Otherwise, it was a delicious burger! The cajun sweet potato fries were good! Definitely on the pricier side if you want to try these options, but the best burgers you'll eat in the suburbs! read more

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I love this place. Pre pandemic and now mid pandemic. Their food is amazing, and I'm so glad that they were able to stay open!

The food is always good! The staff is always very helpful and always serving me with a very friendly attitude. Love this place!

I've been going here for years and love this place. I always go for the Prime Rib special on Saturday it's SO good! but I decided to try the family style carry- out yesterday and it was FABULOUS its a complete package...I got the Saturday Special which is BBQ ribs. Sides were delicious big fries , Cole slaw (my favorite is the bacon jalapeño) and delicious brownies. I added the guacamole because EPH guacamole is my secret addiction. I can't praise this meal enough. I ordered on the phone and it was ready in 20 minutes. All packed up in a shopping bag. The generous amounts mean I have serious leftovers for today. And as with everything at EPH--delicious. The cost was $48. Including my guacamole for a 2-person order; it was a bargain for that price. HIGHLY RECOMMEND read more

The Elgin Public House is a very welcome addition to downtown Elgin. Good food (more than just pub-grub) at respectable prices, a solid drink menu, and an appealing renovation of this downtown space makes the Elgin Public House something of a model for the type of urban renewal that downtown Elgin so desperately needs. The menu features some delicious sandwiches -- burgers, chicken, melts, traditional -- and the specials board seems to be longer and more diverse each time I've eaten there. read more

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Service was good, food was OK, but overpriced. Beer obviously was good and atmosphere ok. Will not be on my favorites list, but went due to a group on discount. read more

(4) ~ very good overall food & service & the Kobe Burger is well worth the price;) DRINKS: ** Water(tap) = (4) very good, must be filtered;) * Watermelon Wheat Beer = (3.5) good FOOD: ** Boursin Kobe Burger = (4.25) Very good & the Kobe patty tastes better than their regular beef burger;) ** Cajun Pub Fries = (4.25) Very good ** CYO(Create Your Own) Burger(Beef) = (4) very good, but the Kobe Patty is better than the Beef, so I would do this one again, but with the Kobe;) Got mine with Soft-fried Egg; American Cheese; Avocado; Grilled Onions; & Green Chilis. ** Pub Fries = (4) very good, but the Cajun were better;) *** Holy Cow Pie = N/A....They were out:(....so maybe next time... read more