I feel the need for a long overdue review of this place. Unlike many other sterile restaurants and bars in and around Orange County, this place has a very warm, welcoming environment. I just feel comfortable here. The servers are always great and willing to converse with you about their beer selection. I dig a place that allows you to sample beers (within reason) because hey, if you're considering a 10 percent Imperial Stout you need to know what you're getting yourself into. Likewise their food selection while small, is pretty solid. You can't lose with their Vietnamese sticky wings and the banh mi is right on. Overall between the beer selection, music, helpful servers and above average food, this place really hits the mark. It's the type of place I always like to come back to, sip a few beers, and contemplate why it is I don't live in San Clemente! read more

Stumbled upon this on the way home from Los Angeles to Encinitas. The four of us all had different dishes - all lovely! We had the chicken sandwich, lentils, mussels and chicken wings. And don't leave without having the lemon beignets. Nice welcoming staff and seriously delicious flavors. read more

Horrible service! Walked in waited in line while the person at the register talked to their friend. We tried sitting at the bar and WE said hi to two employees with now service. After 10 mins with no help we left. Small menu, but looked good. Too bad we didn't get to try it. read more

Checked this place out last night with my girlfriend. We started off with the Tuscan toast which is a great starter! Flavorful and complex, but won't ruin your appetite since its fairly light. For dinner, I had the house burger w/ fries and the lady had the braised short rib sandwich. Both were spectacular and I highly recommend both. Plenty of meat and flavor to fill you up. Overall this place gets 4 stars due to a nice ambiance, tasty food, and attentive service. The only reason I'm docking a star is due to the fact that French fries are $3 extra which I think is too much for a basic side. A burger/sandwich should already include this. read more

I could not have been less impressed with this place. I've been living in San Clemente for about 3 years. I had driven past the place a bunch of times and decided to give it a try. The food was absolutely awful. And I'm not a complainer at all. I can't think of the last time I had a meal this bad. Let alone one that cost me $100. Myself and my girlfriend left after each only having a few bites of our meals. The server was super nice. The atmosphere was cool. The food was gross. Beers are way overpriced as well. Good luck if you decide to brave this place. read more

Always, always, always and good experience and quality of food here as well as service. Can't go wrong with the Banh Mi sandwich.

We finally got a real date night out and this place was on top of our list. We walked in and got seated right away with the view of the ocean, love the vibe it was casual yet fancy. I order the protein bowl with a glass of wine and my husband order a sandwich forgot the name. But to our surprise the bill came out to $97! Turns out the waitress gave us another tables bill and we paid for it. read more

MRK Public - Protein bowl one glass of wine and water - New American Near Me - San Clemente, California

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We've been coming to this place since it opened and it never disappoints. I took my friend the other day and she was so impressed. My bunless burger was juicy and the fries were crispy on the outside and soft inside and their scratch made ranch dressing was the best ranch I've ever had. It tasted so fresh I probably could have drank it. My friends Thai beef salad was so full of flavor, she can't wait to come back. read more

The house burger was the best burger I've ever had! My boyfriend got the pork belly sandwhich and I'm getting that next time. So refreshing in taste and the bread cooked that day is phenomenal. I will be back not only for the food but also the exceptional service I received from the staff. read more

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The Thai salad with marinated beef is one of the best salads I've ever had. My husband had the short rib sandwich which was also delicious. What do you put in your ketchup? It's phenomenal and I'm not even a ketchup person. We ordered our food to-go and the presentation was so nice. Thank you! Great food, we will always come back when in San Clemente. Well done! read more

Unreal-Great The burgers are the best in all of Orange County. The spicy Chicken wings make anyone want more and more, as long as your not a wimp for hot food. read more

From the minute we pulled up, we new we were going to like this place. We had great food, interesting but refreshing beers, and excellent service! I'm not sure I've ever seen beers with coffee that aren't stouts. Definitely fun to try! The atmosphere is laid back typical of San Clemente and comfortable. read more

MRK Public - Also had canned cider, which was delicious and better than it sounds!! - New American Near Me - San Clemente, California

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Very impressed with this restaurant! My husband and I were in San Clemente for a short trip, so we walked here seeing the good reviews. We were not disappointed! My husband ordered the Banh Mi Sandwich, and I ordered the shortrib sandwich. Both sandwiches were so flavorful, and it was a pretty large sandwich (enough that we didn't want a side order of fries with it!). Their food was also priced very well. The food was so great, and all of the staff there was extremely attentive and friendly! I would definitely come back, as well as recommend it to anyone! read more

Delicious food, beer, and great service. Had the mussles, the chili cheese fries, and the pork belly bahn mi. Everything was excellent. I was surprised to find out that this place had 5 stars as we were looking for a place to eat - but completely understand that now! Will be going back soon! read more

Was referred to MRK today for lunch. GREAT Hamburger and Frys. Loved the aioli's, especially the Rosemary. Will be back. read more

I went here with my Doctor and some coworkers. To celebrate his birthday, i like the view outside you could see the ocean from far, their big windows let you see outside. I like that. There serves is great also. He checked on us every 10 minutes, i like when they check on you. The only thing i didnt like about it was that we were a big party that we sat in 3 different tables but the food is great. The wings are to die for! Sweet n sour taste. Maybe it has mango? Or barbecue? Or spicey? And everything good? Ahah i would go back for those any munchie time. Ahah. Order a chicken sandwich, with fries. Great food! read more

MRK Public - Chicken Sandwich - New American Near Me - San Clemente, California

Good location, tasty food with good craft beet on tap selections. They could stand to expand their wine selections and have the wines climate controlled. Nobody likes warm reds. Overall great place to eat and kid friendly! read more

What very pleasant surprise, one of those "Real Beauty Is within" most people would take a quick look and move on, not my style I was intrigued, I didn't even know what they were about, I had the Bacon Blue Salad, and after the second bite, (first bite I was stunned with the taste and flavor) I Realized this little place has found it!, everything tastes perfect, looks perfect, perfect portion, etc... Hats off to you and your staff, you are in the top 1% of all restaurants I have dined in. Great Menu , everything's fresh, interesting food combinations, this is a must eat place in southern Orange County, hurry up and try it before it's too late, I can easily see this place booked for reservations weeks out, once the word is out on this little gem. read more

Made it down to San Clemente on a day-trip from Disneyland a few weeks ago. What a wonderful break from resort-area food! We each got one of the Bahn-mis' with a beer then Beignets with a lemond-curd cream for dessert (which were insanely good!. Flavors were big, fresh, and highlighted not only excellent ingredients, but creative and talentend chefs. Service was great as was the small, but well-balanced and local beer list. Would spend entirely too much time here if I was a local. Check it out! read more

Excellent burger and fries. They make their own catsup and it is good. This place hit the spot after a day on the water. They have a good variety of beer and one cider offering. I will definitely be back. read more

This place makes ridiculouslay good food with exceptional service. Love local San Clemente business esp when they do it so well!

My friends and I loved eating here for lunch. The place wasn't too crowded on a Saturday afternoon, and we liked sitting outside. And the service was great! We loved all of our food, except for the house ketchup. We ordered a plate of fries to share and barely touched them because none of us liked the ketchup. And they don't have regular ketchup... What restaurant doesn't have regular ketchup? We had: Tuscan Toast (delicious, but small, only enough for 2 people to share) Thai Basil Mussels (very good) Pork Belly Banh Mi (5 stars, so delicious, I can't wait to eat this sandwich again) Carnitas Sandwich (good, but I liked the Banh Mi sandwich better) I can't wait to eat here again for lunch. But next time I am going to bring my own ketchup bottle :) read more

Absolutely delicious! 5 stars all the way. We are locals in San Clemente and stumbled on this place last year when the Christmas tree lot was set up at the vacant lot across the street. We forgot about it until recently. We started with the red sangria, which was so awesome. The fruit was crisp and fresh, great flavor. We ordered the bone marrow and pouting fries - delicious! I had the chicken sandwich and my husband had the shorten sandwich. Both were off the chain. Price point is reasonable, deco is nice and casual and very good service. We will be going back for sure! read more

MRK Public - Fried chicken sandwich! - New American Near Me - San Clemente, California

Updating my review after a year - still love this place. Beer is now 6 bucks a glass, but still worth it! This time i had Red Wine Braised Angus Shortrib sandwich and it lived up to all my expectations. Service is excellent. Business seems to be steady but not overcrowded. Will be back every time I'm in SC. read more

MRK Public - Red wine braised Angus shortrib sandwich - New American Near Me - San Clemente, California

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This restaurant is spectacular! A great place to go if you want to experience great food, great staff, and great service. The cooks do an awesome job of accommodating your needs and making sure you have what you want on your dish. The hosts and rest of the staff are wonderful and will definitely put a smile on your face! Will continue to return. (: read more

Really enjoyed the food at this place. It has become a local hot stop for dinner on the weekends, so parking is a concern. A little pricier than I would have expected, but the food is a step up from local American pub food. I enjoyed the Chicken Banh Mi and sticky wings. The service was a little slow, but we weren't in a hurry. I think this place has a great, fun vibe and the food is excellent. read more

Decided to see what all the fuss was about today and we were pretty impressed! We tried the burger and fried chicken sandwich. I would give my dish, the fried chicken, only 3 stars, however. It's hard to impress a girl from the South with fried chicken unless its true Southern fried chicken! The breading wasn't what I was expecting. My husband's burger was delicious and juicy. I liked the homemade ketchup and my husband requested BBQ sauce which was more of a tangy teriyaki sauce. He loved it. The staff and servers were 5 stars- very welcoming and attentive! read more

First visit yesterday, I was both REALLY impressed and slightly under impressed, the place was packed...Sunday afternoon. Love the atmosphere, simplistic but really beautiful. Great bottles of water for the table, love glass bottles for filtered water. Service was nice. Corey was intentional, and very friendly even though it was clear she was really busy. We started with the Fries with house sauce, its like Ketchup with a spicy kick. SOOOOOOOOOOO amazing. For lunch my little guy had a grilled cheese that looked fantastic, cheesy0, crunchy... he was a member of the clean plate club for that. Mom and I both had an Ahi salad. The Ahi was Poke style, small dice and raw. The salad: Napa cabbage, carrots, snap peas, green onions lots of peanuts and a peanut vinaigrette...I think I'm missing a couple items... I REALLLLY wanted to love this salad...I eat ALOT of poke and Ahi all over SC... The ingredients tasted fresh. I loved that. But the main issue was flavor... TOO much... too much spice, TOO much vinaigrette...VERY heavy ginger.... Ginger is an aggressive flavor, It felt a little like my senses had just been assaulted. I swear if the flavor would have ben taken down just a wee smidgen on the salad I would have 5 starred with place. Maybe seasoning the PROTEIN more with a really nice marinade would have helped? Little less kick in the dressing. I hear the burgers are bomb too!!! Over all keep up the good work MRK!!!!! You beat the crap out of the last place that was there! read more

Excellent Thai Beef salad - spicy - which is great. Nice flavor from the dressing, not too overwhelming. I also tried the Pork Belly Poutine - absolutely delicious! Crispy pork belly on some perfectly crispy fries with gravy and nice garnish of green onions and mild peppers. A little goat cheese too. Wonderful low profile place to have lunch. Replay friendly wait staff as well! read more

Outside they have a beautiful succulent wall and this is the start of the MRK Public experience. We sat at the counter which was a treat, watching the chef's create masterpiece which you get to first enjoy with your eyes then your tastebuds, which will get a explosion of flavors. The beer selection is awesome, service was outstanding. The dessert lemon ricotta beignets was such a treat. I would eat here as often as I could but I don't live in the area. But when I'm down in the area this will be the place I will be having my meals. Congratulations on your restaurant MRK! read more

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We dropped in after a surf session for some dinner. The staff was super friendly from the time we arrived to when we left. They've done a nice job on parking lot dining and we were there on a especially nice, warm night. The food was very good: my pork belly and my daughter's tofu banh mi sandwiches were excellent! The flavors were layered and the French rolls they were on were wonderful--a light, crispy crust, and soft inside! A friend's cheeseburger was super good. However, another friend's housemade pastrami, while tasty, surprised him as it wasn't like "regular" pastrami at all. "Sort of like a BBQ taste", as he put it. He did happily chow down the whole thing. The sides we had were nice--fries were described by my daughter and her friend as like In n Out's but crispier and more flavor--the seasoning is really good! My mixed green salad with house vinaigrette was delicious. I was a little disappointed that they don't do anything for special occasions like a birthday, even something simple. It was my daughter's 16th b-day weekend and our server Curtis could only suggest I order some beignets. Oh well. They were good but a little overdone outside. The yuzu curd they were served with was a nice surprise. As far as service, the staff as very friendly but the food took a very long time to arrive considering how empty the place was. One of our party had to wait for his pastrami while the rest of us had been served--it's always a good thing for all the food to arrive at the same time. Lastly, their beer board has an excellent, varied selection of brews. Overall, it was good and we'd visit again. read more

This place looks like it took over an old fast food restaurant. But looks can be deceiving. You have to order your food & drinks at the counter and its open seating. Not at all a problem, it reminded me of a restaurant in Pasadena. The food menu wasnt overwhelming with choices, it was mixture of new american and asian cuisine. There some choices that you would probably never see in South orange county. I mentioned to the server that Bone Marrow is not what you see in orange county, you would see that particular dish in LA or Portland. Compliments to the chef for being ambitious and a risk taker on bringing this down to south orange county. Plus $5 draft beer, I'll take that!!. Overall, the my experience was great. The atmosphere was unique, service was friendly and the food was excellent. I will definitely be back. Cheers! read more

Another AMAZING meal at MRK! These chefs take special pride in their offerings. Tonight we had the Vietnamese Chicken Wings, Tuscan Toast and Fried Chicken Sandwich with Applewood Smoked Bacon. Every detail is explored. Flavor abounds at every level. This is a MASTERPIECE in San Clemente putting it on the Gastro-Pub map! read more

MRK Public - New American Near Me - San Clemente, California

I love this new restaurant in Southwest San Clemente! It's in walking distance from my house, so we'll take the baby & dog and enjoy a family dinner together. Great atmosphere, delicious beer, and yummy food. -1 Star for taking off the matiake mushroom! I loved this sandwich and really disappointed you didn't replace it with another vegetarian option. :( read more

Great food! Even better beer selection! We went as a family of four and had great experience. We had a fantastic server, who recommended the basil mussels and it was delicious! Definitely will be back! read more

Hands down our favorite restaurant in OC! Every item of their small, attractive menu is taste bud bliss! The beer and wine selection is limited but delicious and all craft. Every night at least one of the owners are cooking and greeting all the customers! The decor is simple and cozy and the vibe is relaxed. Our visits are always a great pleasure! *Personal favorite - Calamari Frisée!!! read more

This is my favorite dinner spot in Orange County. Incredible food, amazing service, and a fantastic array of beers! Highly recommend fried chicken sandwich, banh mi sandwich, and their burger. Their daily special was this amazing pastrami sandwich last time I was there, and it was fantastic too! read more

Enjoyed meeting up with friends in a safe environment outdoors with social distancing. Our favorite waiter,Toby, was back serving. Food is always delicious. A regular favorite! read more

Love this place! My husband and I , tried this place out on a Friday night. We came back that Sunday , and brought friends on Wednesday of the same week. One of the best in San Clemente ! read more

MRK Public - Thai ahi salad & bahn mi - New American Near Me - San Clemente, California

I used yelp! to find this place. We needed a place for food and brews after playing (suffering through) 18 holes at San Clemente Muni. This place worked out very well. It has easy access to/from the 5. The food (fried chicken sandwich and rib sandwich) was well prepared with some unique flavor combinations. Brews were excellent. Seating was casual but clean. Service was prompt and friendly. read more