Loved the Bhan Mi Pork Belly soooo good and the best fries I've ever had. We shared the fries and Thai salad. The service was friendly and attentive. There was a wait and we ordered drinks. Great atmosphere. read more

Love at first site and love at first bite! Amazing food with lots of flavor and beautiful presentation. Super casual atmosphere with friendly service. This type of food you will pay so much more in any other place, we felt that the prices here are way below average so decided to try many different dishes. Highly recommend their chicken wings, mussels and baby Caesar's salad. Brussels sprouts were very good as well. Carrot curry soup excellent ! We consider this place is one of the top restaurants in San Clemente! Definitely will be back ! Thank you chef/owner of MRK and thank you to great servers !!! read more

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Came in for a quick bite. Food was super tasty, venue was very clean, and service was fast & pleasant. Chef Logan is the best! read more

MRK Public - Sweet & Spicy Wings - New American Near Me - San Clemente, California

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revised review: Gave them another try and enjoyed it quite a bit. Definately a great resturant and will be back for sure.

I come to San Clemente quite often in summer time for surfing and I'm always looking for something new and different, so I decided to try this place out. This place is a super casual vibe, beer and wine with some yummy food and friendly service. We sat outside and the people were cool and friendly, I asked the couple who were having big juicy burgers how's the burger, the guy said he's had many burgers but this burger is the best, I'd like to try their burger next time.(they only have one type of burger) This time we got amazing Japanese style brussel sprouts, tuscan toast, thai salad with poke that 2 of the servers recommended and vanilla bean panna cotta as dessert. Everything was so amazing, but especially the thai salad was shockingly good, and you have to try this dessert so yummy! read more

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This is a regular for us. If I'm going to eat fries, this is the place. I always get the Thai salad with Tofu. Also, the staff is super friendly as well as the owner! read more

$17 Fried chicken sandwich, $7 fries and a $4 can of coke. No fountain - no refills. $28 and small portions. Place is drab. Big Pass!

I think that coming here is a great idea because the food is so delicious and unique from any other restaurant and everyone that works here is so polite and welcoming. *In the words of my 10 year old and I 100% agree. read more

I loooove this place! Everything on the menu es soo good. Their thai salad and the toast appetizer thing with roasted garlic, tomatoes are my favorite. read more

The wait for a salad (no protein) just lettuce is as long as a full meal Definitely NOT the place for grab and go if you're in a hurry But.... The taste of the food (including the protein) is divine! I've only ever had the Thai Chicken Salad Yummmmmy!! read more

Great survive and great food! Wow, what a wonderful find on our way home, this will be our new go to when in the area. The waiter was nice, fun, and efficient. The food was worth the wait. The Bahn Mi was exceptional, the tofu was crispy on the outside and cream on the inside, with delicious sauce. The brussel sprouts were crispy and tasty, one of the best I have ever had. The Thai salad was light but full of flavor. read more

Great food. Great service. The wait is usually long due to how popular this place is but also due to the limited amount of seating. Always please when we come. read more

Update your hours. 4/4 on trying your restaurant and it's been closed during your posted hours. You've sent us away twice because you closed early when we were walking in. We drove there today at 6pm and again closed when your website says your open Sundays 6-9pm. What's up?! read more

Cute, unassuming little spot that from the outside looks as if it could be a third-rate burger joint. It's not. I went solo, was greeted by friendly staff, sat at the bar. I had a glass of an amazing Paso blend, and a steak frite that might be the best west of Paris. France. World-class dinner in a little OC beach town. Who would have guessed? read more

MRK Public - man working in a craft beer shop - New American Near Me - San Clemente, California

We love everything about MRK Public. Delicious food, great beer choices and terrific service. Fun and relaxed atmosphere. One of our favorite go to spots. read more

Small but reliable and tasty eatery. Chill atmosphere with good seating outside and inside. Menu is delicious and drinks are seasonal, with good beer variety as well. Consistently flavorful food every time I have eaten here. Good for all types of dining needs. It can get busy so come early and you're good. read more

Love this place. When we're in San Clemente, it's the first restaurant we scurry to. Burgers are great. don't get me started on the pastrami (wow!). Great chicken sandwich and some really nicely crafted upscale dishes. Great combo. Nice variety of beers on tap, and lots of rotation in case you like trying new ones. (Please don't order the pastrami; there's usually limited supply and I want enough for me.) read more

This place is INCREDIBLE if you like flavorful food and good beer/wine. We've been here twice (live up the hill) and haven't ordered anything yet we didn't like. Friendly customer service and cool diner feel. Music is old school hip hop too if you're into that (Tribe, Eric B & Rakim, etc.). The Bahn Mi, Brussel Sprouts and Poke Thai Salad are our favorites so far. read more

I love this place! I've never gotten a bad dish, but my favorites are the pork belly banh mi, Thai lemongrass mussels, chopped baby Romain salad with fried chicken, and the lemon yuzu beignets! Dine-in service is always great. Ordering to go from them is the best. Such great, chill vibes. read more

This place might be my overall favorite restaurant of all time. This place is unbelievable. Everything is made fresh daily, the menu spans from staples and interpretations of many different cultures, the service is amazing, the prices are not only fair but low for the quality of the food they provide (they do it by prepping from 10am to 5pm and are only open 4-5 hours a day except Sunday and Monday which is closed which keeps the place always full,) the tap list is always changing and perfectly curated, and they gave me multiple free things for my birthday since I am a regular. Everything on the menu we have tried has been delicious. Make sure to get an entree with a bread or buns because they make both in house daily. read more

Great friendly service. Delicious food. Very good beer selection. Open patio seating! read more

MRK Public - Tuscan Toast and Castelvetrano Olives. - New American Near Me - San Clemente, California

I'm writing an update because I honestly love the food and service at MRK, and the d-bag owner of Landers pointed out that I usually only complain on Yelp. I think it's important to also give positive feedback, when warranted, and MRK definitely deserves it. The wife and I have gone for dinner multiple times over the last few years, and we always enjoy it. The bahn mi is excellent. The fried chicken sandwich is delicious and not burned to a crisp (looking at you, Landers). The beer is cold (Landers, are you paying attention?). We went for dinner tonight and were reminded of how good it is. On the way out we actually talked about coming back in a couple of days. It's that good. read more

Probably the Best spot in California Food is cooked with nothing but love. Staff kills it everytime beer wine always route new things to try. A must is the Poke. The best Poke ever. I got the Pastrami special sooo good . Honestly they do it right check them out. Came from Oceanside to them never a bummer. Much love to them and there Great business read more

Ok, I swear to God that you will not find a restaurant in California that has better service or a staff that genuinely cares mores then these folks. And did I mention the food is killer too?!?! And they have lots of different cool beers and wines, I don't drink so I can't really say, but they have cool names! But the fried chicken sandwich? That's life changing...with a side of fries. Love ya guys! read more

MRK Public - Yummy fried chicken sandwich to go!! - New American Near Me - San Clemente, California

Clean restaurant, great food. Made from scratch and super flavorful. We love everything on the menu especially the desserts! Friendly staff.

Very good food. The people who work there are very kind and welcoming. Also the ambiance is great read more

Always a great meal and wonderful folks who work there. This is like our "Cheers Bar" we always see neighbors enjoying MRK too!

MRK did not turn out to be as great as I had hoped. For one, the location is strange, used to be a fast food place and the transition did not quite turn out, I expected it to be a bit nicer. Service was great, though it did take awhile for our food to come out, they were very friendly and helpful. The pork belly poutine is a pass, missing the brown gravy and the meat was pure fat. We had the short rib, the chicken bahn mi and the fried chicken sandwiches with fries and salads. Sandwiches were tasty and flavorful, the salad and fries forgettable. Portions are on the small side, also a bit pricey for what you get. In all, we had a descent meal, I would just not rush to return here again. read more

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MRK Public has been on my radar for their selections of craft beers and wings, so it was a great opportunity to drive down before hitting up another beer spot on the way home. Exiting off El Camino Real, the restaurant is within a few meters from the freeway entrances/exits. It's a super easy find and there's plenty of parking in their private lot. Since we headed in for a late lunch around 1pm, we decided to sit in the outdoor patio while the weather was warm and sunny. Beer menus are displayed inside and outside, so you get visibility anywhere you sit. The selection is a small list, but there's variety so there's a bit of coverage on every type. Unfortunately, the stouts that day were pretty minimal, so through a recommendation, I settled on Oskar Blues' Old Chub on nitro.  For lunch, my brother and I usually split all our meals family style. I mean, we family and all, but it allows us to try more things as well. We started with the Bacon Blue Salad. Baby greens tossed with chunks of Point Reyes bleu cheese, applewood smoked bacon, five-spiced candied cashews, green apples and a cider vinaigrette. I really enjoyed how the dressing was light, but enough to coat the greens and provide some flavor. Everything was on point and this would work well as a stand alone meal as well if you'd like to add any protein. Since the wings is what I had most anticipated, we definitely got an order of the Vietnamese sticky wings. Tossed in a roasted chili caramel glaze and fried garlic, the wings had a nice caramelized crunch on the skin with a sweet chili flavor. Served with pickled vegetables to cleanse the palate, the wings were phenomenal and I most likely would order it again. To round out the rest of the meal, we also got the pork belly poutine. Crispy fries layered with gravy, fried pork belly, pickled Fresno chilies, pickled red onion, queso fresco, scallions and horseradish crema. We had asked how large this portion would be and our server mentioned it would be a bowl, but when it came out, it was much larger than I had expected. Very filling and can get a little heavy. Luckily, the salad was nice to break away from the gravy, cheese and cream.  Overall, the meal was fantastic and the weather was on our side to enjoy the patio seating. The ambiance is laid back, inviting and relaxing. Service was superb and would love to come back for those wings and more. read more

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Back again - can't get enough. MRK had become my local hang - love it!Short Rib SandwichPoke SaladHouse BurgerFried Chicken SandwichBanh Mi SandwichBahn Mi Pork Belly RollAhi Poke Plate read more

We love this spot! The food is amazing and the atmosphere is so great! Everything we have tried is so good! Allll of the staff is amazing and makes you feel like you have been a local forever! read more

we stoped here one evening not wanting to go home and cook i had the pastrami they prepare from scratch not always on the menu and i must say it was right up there with the best of them the service was good we were very pleased a lot of locals go there we were lucky enough to get there right as they opened and got a table by the time we left there was a line out the door not a fancy place but the food is really good read more

Comfortable locals spot with great food and super friendly servers. Upscale but reasonably priced American/Asian comfort food with outstanding rotating beer selection. read more

Limited menu. Good. Beer. Good drinks. Good food. Good for kids if you get there at 5. Maybe too good for kids because some patrons make no effort to stop their kids from screaming at the top of their lungs for a full hour. read more

Food was fantastic. Their pork belly sandwich was amazing and i understand why it's a customer favorite.

My family has been eating here since they opened. They have friendly service and thier food is amazing . Try the chicken wings and soups . But their sandwiches are a man's favorite. Their food is bursting with flavors . So unique . Eat out side in thier heated patio or inside. Enjoy thier large choice of beers or have some wine. A must try. read more

Six years ago we lived in San Clemente. Played golf and stopped in to MRK for lunch. They were only open during the day, so a group of us made it a lunch regular. Now we live in Laguna Woods and they are open only 4pm-9 or 10. Finally got 3 generations of family together at MRK in the evening. I always complain when menus age...not here. Five of us had p.e.i. mussels, steak frites, chicken tenders (3rd gen) pork belly bahn mi, no roll, tuscan toast, chicken salad, wine, wine, and desserts. Prices, understandably have risen, so the above w/ tax and tip was $280.00. Know what? worth every penny, from the service (she's been there 6 years,)to the food:, all 5 of us agree..5 stars. read more

The service was friendly but a little slow. The food took a while. It was definitely worth it. The food was excellent. Everything was unique, fresh and delicious. Just leave yourself a little time and enjoy the atmosphere. read more

Favorite place in SC! From awesome quality food to amazing service! I've tried everything on the menu and you can't go wrong with anything!

Amazing food and great staff! Our favorite place to eat in San Clemente. The Spicy Chicken sandwich is amazing as well as the fries.