Not worth the (over-inflated) price. Positives: nice venue and good service. Negatives: in a basement. Host seemed to be completely overwhelmed finding a table for 2 in a half-empty restaurant. Oh, don't get the clam chowder...I've had better at Red Lobster...and they don't charge $12 for a cup-sized serving. read more

Great Atmosphere. Appetizing food. Bar with variety. Formerly Temple, the newly opened Public Kitchen and Bar, is a great addition to downtown Providence. Connected to the Renaissance Hotel, Public has easy access from the hotel lobby or to the general "public" from their main entrance on Francis street. Public had a great atmosphere with three distinct areas allowing for guests different preferences to enjoy between a dinner scene, bar dining or a suave lounge area. I ordered the Three Pack of soft shell tacos bar side (Baja Fish, Braised Brisket, and Korean BBQ) - the Korean BBQ was my favorite. The beer glasses almost reminded me of thin mason containers which I found interesting. Sitting bar side I was able to catch some football on their HD TV above the liquor shelves. Overall I enjoyed Public, it seemed like a nice place to unwind from the evening - possible after a show at the Vets - or as a place to catch up with friends. read more

So excited to find a brunch restaurant that wasn't in the mall or my hotel. Walked over (outside the mall) to discover that Public Kitchen is in a hotel after all (boo hoo). I ordered the Avocado and Spinach Benedict, which was beautifully plated, but lacking on the spinach, and had no trace of sun-dried tomatoes (maybe I selectively read the menu description?- it's been known to happen). My spinach needs were remedied by my server. She promptly brought over a bowl of sautéed spinach w tomato. My breakfast was decent, but this will probably be my first and last time here. Also Sunday prices are different than posted online. I might not have chosen to come here if the menu was accurate. read more

Public Kitchen & Bar - Beautiful but stingy on the spinach, and missing the sun dried tomato (unless it was part of the pesto). - New American Near Me - Providence, Rhode Island

I don't know where they get the popcorn but oh.my.god. Members of my party seriously couldn't put it down! The drinks were strong and tasty, the service was great and the menu was plentiful. It was a big loud on a Friday night-- people were in the bar and had been partying a wee bit longer than us- but it was super nice for a fun ladies night! Highly suggested the prosciut pizza and calamari! read more

Good: food is AWESOME. Try the lamb burger. Always a seat or two at the bar or a high top if you're not into crowds or need to find space for a small group to meet out. Meh: Portions are relatively small for the price. Drinks are expensive. Not often very busy so not the best ~vibe~ when you're looking for a night out. read more

Got the pad Thai. Noodles were more like Italian noodles than rice noodles. Or maybe they were over cooked. It was buttery and had loads of scallions which were a takeover flavour and unpalatable since I had to pick some out from my mouth because they were not dense and reedy. And? Under seasoned and no salt on the table. Service was decent. Nice atmosphere and great decor. And my colleagues liked their meals. Valet parking was free for my boss who was not staying here but was having dinner with us. Spends for the quality. Unlikely to return. read more

There are so many cool, fun places to explore in Providence - take a pass on this spot. The food is fine, but nothing special, and the drinks were all very, very sweet - and quite expensive too. To get more specific about the food, our group had the charcuterie board, mediterranean plate, and fried calamari. The only dish that seemed to satisfy anyone was the calamari. The other two plates were pretty unimpressive, except for the house pickles, which were tasty. For the cocktails, it is certainly subjective, but even the supposedly not-sweet drinks were much too sugary tasting for me and my husband. If you're here for drinks, I'd stick with standards (i.e. gin martini) rather than selections from the 'Crafted Cocktails' menu - or just go with beer. The upside is that the bar doesn't seem to get terrible crowded, even on the weekend, so it does allow for conversation. The atmosphere is kind of cheesy. We were in the lounge area, which is stuffed with square ottomans for seating and has a kind of early-aughts design showroom vibe (if that makes any sense.) Again, not a deal breaker, but not enticing either. The good news is that the service is solid. All of the folks we interacted with while here were very pleasant and helpful. Overall, it certainly isn't a bad place, just not worth a visit when there are much more interesting bars and restaurants in the area. read more

Yikes... don't even bother. Came in around 10:30 ish - website says it's open until 1 which is great!! Especially on a weekday. Sat at the non busy bar and was greeted by the bartender with "what do you want?" Which was off putting, already. Ordered two waters to start and that was that, he didn't give us menus or anything. Nice. After about 5+ minutes we spoke up and asked for a menu.. "can we get a food menu?" "Ya.." so we look over the menu and order wings and a beer - hopefully the wings come with a side of personality for this bartender JD. Wings and beer came shortly after we placed our order - but it doesn't really matter because there was a whole 4 people in the whole place anyways. Wings - no taste whatsoever. In reality they were fried bones with only a little bit of chicken on them and minimal sauce on the "spicy" ones. Oh and 2 clumps of caramelized onions on top of the other ones and a drip of balsamic. The best part about the whole experience was the celery.. and that's sad. Half way through the wings we were asked if we wanted anything else because "it's time to go"... at 11:00? So we paid our bill and left and are NEVER going back. Go to Applebee's or McDonalds instead, anything but this poor excuse of an establishment.. it's too bad because this is a nice spot and has a great ambiance. Where's management???? read more

Things seemed overpriced for what they were but I guess that's the way of hotel restaurants in general, right? I got the sriracha chicken flatbread and it was really delicious and right on the verge of being amazing, the only thing holding it back was that they put it on flatbread instead of pizza. Well, that and the prices. But they were open on Christmas, so they've got that going for them. read more

This Hotel needed a restaurant like this. This place is amazing. Taco's are the thing to get! Staff is ultra friendly - Can't wait to go back :) read more

1) Food. Had the chicken and waffles. Kind of a strange mix. Jalapeño waffles- interesting, but they weren't cooked all the way through. Chicken was just a breaded chicken breast. The whole thing was kind of bland. Wouldn't get it again, but wouldn't say I hated it. An interesting menu, though. 2) Service - okay. Waiter kind of unconcerned with us. Expected a little bit more excitement/friendliness. 3) Atmosphere - This place is beautiful. Of course, its brandy new so that's somewhat expected. Nice semi-private booths line the walls, with tables in the center. The worst part about this restaurant is the location. It's really close to everything (a five minute walk from water place park), but its elevated location next to the state house makes it seem very disconnected from the hubbub of downtown. read more

Food was good, but lacked in a full flavor profile. Wine list and cocktail list was good and ambiance is nice. Definitely the best hotel restaurant I have been to. read more

Just don't, at least not for breakfast. Waited more than 20 minutes (and asking three times) for a mimosa. Tried to let the waitress know about an allergy and she walked away before I could finish talking. My omelet came with about six potato chunks ("home fries") and it took another 10 minutes for me to flag someone down for ketchup. Once my mimosa came, there was no apology. The table beside us tried to get their check for more than 20 minutes, finally flagging down a manager to get the process rolling. Even after that they were told the computer ate the record and it all needed to be put in again. Five minutes later they learned that it was actually in the computer the whole time (surprise!). Now we've been waiting to even see our server for the past 10 minutes, because getting our check would be nice. Unless of course the computer ate it. I should mention it isn't busy. There are five tables with people at them and multiple servers. Seriously, just don't. read more

This place is cool. The design of the building is brilliant, the menu, liquor selection, wine and beer list are thoughtful and creative. Rockstar bartender Steve made me some of the best drinks of my life. I've also met the owners and they were so welcoming and friendly. Good people have good places :) check Public out, and if Steve is working- have a chat before you order a drink. He'll make something that will blow your mind read more

Decent and flavorful sirloin steak with some grizzle running through the cut. Cod ok, light but no tartar sauce. Kind of inexcusable for restaurant. No relish either. A bit pricey for what was delivered, dessert mediocre. Convenient if staying at hotel. read more

This place. This is the place that is google linked to everything in the vicinity of the Veterans Memorial Auditorium. Any time you go for a search for a Veterans Memorial restaurants nearby this place its linked. It is part of the Renaissance Hotel. There is nothing amazing about this place maybe some drinks are good. Honest-to-god , the beet salad comes out with something that looks like pink frosting some kind of cheese blended with beet juice. I requested dressing on the side. , its fully covered and a side of dressing- it's not hard. Asked if I could just have a side of butternut squash raviolis that came with the steak. The raviolis come out on a plate lined up with no sauce barely cooked not even lukewarm. So if you're going to send this out, wouldn't you try to make it taste good? Do they have a chef? Or do they have a crew of monkeys. I think it's the latter and our waiter as nice as he was with so over-enthusiastic and would draw out all his words as he was talking to us so it was the longest affected heyyyyyu guyssssss. I was done before I even got my drink. I can't say anything decent about this place find somewhere else to go go to a chain in Providence Place don't go here. read more

Overall while the food is decent this place has a lot of nerve charging $18 for a ham and cheese sandwich with fries you can get at Friendly's or Newport Creamery for $5.99. Don't bother with this place for lunch it's a total rip off. read more

My boys and I had breakfast here. The French toast was cinnamon sprinkled and tasty. My boss loved the large order of blueberry pancakes they split the order and still had food leftover. Service was quick. read more

Nice bar and restaurant. Interesting ambiance, cool cocktails. Food items are standard, with big portions. Worth a try.

Fantastic food and service, Nice little gem and atmosphere!! I'm glad we found it.

We ate both dinner and breakfast here while staying in the hotel. Both meals were very good and worthy of the 5 star rating. But, for dessert, my daughter ordered the Chocolate tasting. I can't even remember all of the different items that it included (cookie, brownie, ice cream?) but my daughter LOVED it!! I think it was her favorite part of the entire trip. I had a tiny taste and it was so decadent. A very delicious way to end our mother-daughter college tour vacation. read more

Such slow service. Sat at the bar for dinner and had a hard time getting their attention to place an order between the bartender's selfies and taking shots. I had a salad that was good, but then I sat with my dirty plate for 20 mins before they set down their phones long enough to clear it. Not recommended. read more

I can't say I tried the food. I went here this morning for brunch and this review is solely based on my entrance of the restaurant. I had a feeling there was going to be an issue when I walked down the stairs and there was no one manning the omelette station. I showed up around 10am and waited for 10 minutes with still no one greeting my party. There were other parties standing around and I have no idea if they were greeted or even waiting for a table. There were several wait staff who walked by and also a staff person dressed in all black - none of which bothered to say hello! After about 10 minutes of standing there with no sort of greeting at all - we all left and went somewhere else. It was not terribly busy in there so there is no excuse for this type of service! This non-service truly deserve a one start review! I am going with a two in case the kitchen staff knows what they are doing but its hard to get past the front waiting station. read more

Probably one of the worse bar experiences I've had. Ordered an Old Fashioned and brought me some horror show with Tequila and hot sauce. Took one sip, gagged, and asked politely if I can replace the drink with a real old fashioned. Waitress came back and said 'no'. About 10 minutes later I get the tab and I asked to speak to the manager about the issue with the drink. The waitress asks if I want a regular old fashioned free of charge. Are you joking with me, that's what I had asked for 15 minutes before! What an insult. Make it right the FIRST time, this place is a joke. read more

Heard great things about the bar and kitchen but had a dismal experience. The bar staff were nonattentive and I was oblivious for 15 minutes standing there waiting to order a drink even awkwardly holding cash in sight. I eventually left and went to a better situation. read more

Stopped in this morning for brunch. Didn't look busy, about 1/4 full at the most. Waited over 10 minutes for someone to acknowledge us at the host station only to tell us it would be a 15 minute wait. Another 15 minutes, they did not earn that time from me. I've eaten here before, it was decent, but not worth being treated like this. It's amazing what a simple "someone will be right with you" does. Your staff should take that into consideration. read more

Finally! This restaurant is in the Marriott Renaissance Hotel. This hotel needed a good place to eat! It got it and so much more!! The food here is amazing!! Fresh, creative and delectable!! The staff is beyong fantastic (shout out to Bartender Mike!!) and the new decor is beautiful. The burger is the best I EVER HAD!! And I LOVE Burgers! The fried rice is too good for words. The Mac and Cheese is crazy good!! GO! GO! GO!! You won't be sorry! Providence is known for great places to eat. Well, the bar has just been raised!! I wish I could give it six stars!!! read more

I'll admit...I was seduced by the image this place portrayed on it's website (kudos to you, web designer!), and the brunch offerings on the menu. Yes, I know, it's a "hotel restaurant"...which doesn't always bode well for a great dining experience...but I have found exceptions to this rule, so Iwas willing to give it a try. My friend and I went for Sunday brunch, and things hit an immediate sour note when the hostess brought us to a 2 top right next to a large party on the shared banquette...and the place was maybe 1/4 full...plenty of tables in a spacious room. The pause and hesitation when we politely asked if we could be seated at a table across from this one, that offered more "personal space" was our 2nd sour note...we were unenthusiastically brought to the table I had suggested, and quietly seated. We were greeted immediately, and offered coffee (yay...things are looking up!). Our server approaches us with a carafe of coffee, and as she is pouring some into my cup, she mentions that she is going to need more because her pot is pretty much empty...sure enough, she goes to fill my companions cup, and barely fills the bottom...then walks away, saying she will be back for more. (!) She did eventually return with a fresh carafe, which she used to fill the empty mug. Insert sad face here: the coffee was not very good. Things continued to go this way...our server casually informed us, as we were asking about the accompaniments of the French toast and waffles that none of them were available, as they usually came with blueberries, and the place was completely out of them. So clearly not ordering the blueberry pancakes. I will say this...the French toast (served plain...completely plain), was actually quite good...but the side of potatoes was served cold. Getting back to the fact that this is, in fact, a hotel restaurant, it was surprising how apathetic the staff was towards the guests. The lack of professionalism was probably the most discouraging part of the experience. OK, I realize this is a pretty wordy review, but the string of disappointments were so extensive that I felt that I had to mention MOST of them (yes, I left a few out). The best part of my meal was the company I was with (and the kiss I got in the lounge after we ate)...good thing he didn't mind that my pick was a dud. read more

Public is such a great restaurant and one that you definitely have to visit! The restaurant is right in the Renaissance Hotel and very easy to get to! Parking is not an issue since they valet (coming from the girl who can't parallel park)! The vibe is really cool and has a Restoration Hardware feel. The menu itself is so good! Both times my husband I went we completely over ordered because we wanted to try everything! We have never been disappointed and I think the dishes are definitely something worth comparing to some of the high end restaurants in Providence. We love the chef's bite board appetizer. It's different every time but if you're having a hard time choosing what to order, that will satisfy your hunger! Both the fig and prosciutto and the brussels and bacon pizzas are awesome! My husband even tried the clam chowder which was even better than something you can get down at the beach. We also tried the lobster sliders. You definitely get more food than you're expecting! It was a big roll stuffed with great lobster salad! It comes with kettle chips that are so delicious. If you like smokey flavors, you should try the paella. It's much different than your typical saffron type dish. It's a huge dish loaded with seafood and chorizo. The short ribs are a great dish and you don't even need to use your knife. It came on a sweet potato puree of which I could not get enough. I've also tried the lamb burger. Even if you "don't eat lamb" you should try this! The tomato jam and yogurt feta spread just gave it something extra that I loved. My husband had also tried the lamb chops. He could not come close to finishing (probably because we ordered a bunch before but still, it was a really loaded dish!) The cocktails are great too. I do wish they had a more "summery" drink menu for this time of year. Most of them have a "fall feel". I tried the Steppe One and it's basically like apple pie in a glass. I could suck it down, which could be dangerous. I also tried the Russian Roan. If you like the spice from ginger then you should definitely try that. They mix the drinks perfectly and never over pour so you can actually enjoy it So, needless to say Public is definitely worth a trip! Make a visit next time you're in Providence! read more

Very nice restaurant connected to the hotel. The bartender was super friendly and helpful with drink and food selections. The decor is modern with a nice sex appeal. I loved the lounge room! We ordered a sampler from the starter menu and it was very filling and yummy. There are lots of restaurant options in this area, but if you're staying at the Renaissance this is one to try at least once. read more

My boyfriend and I went here on whim. We are from California and didn't realize it was a "fancy" hotel bar. Our mistake. The bartender didn't say a word to us after getting us drinks. He sat there on his phone half the time and left our drinks empty. Didn't even ask us if we wanted a refill and slid us the check.. Its thanksgiving. Apparently you need to be dressed in super fancy clothes like the three other people in the bar to be paid attention to. We even left a tip though he didn't deserve it. read more

There's the good and the not-so-good. I'll start with the good - KRISTEN the bartender!! She is so friendly and energetic and even comes up with her own drinks - be sure to ask her what her special for the night is!! Tbh, all the bartenders are super awesome The not-so-good - the music is kinda weird (lounge music for a hotel bar? I don't understand..) and the food is blah. TL;DR - I've stayed at this hotel for 6 months now on business, and Kristen and her drinks are incredible, the food and music is blah. read more

I had heard really good things about this place and after looking over their website I was excited to see what they had to offer. Honestly, I wasn't entirely impressed with the place, mainly the food. I went in with high expectations and expected to be blown away but it was just alright. I could've got much better food for way less money anywhere else. We started with a few cocktails, my mom ordered a gin gimlet which she loved and I got a whiskey concoction called the Country House. I enjoyed the drinks the most, mainly because it was strong and gave me decent buzz by the time I left. We decided to share a few things and decided on the Chef's selection Taco plate and the Fig and Prosciutto pizza. The taco plate came with six tacos: two shrimp, two pulled pork and two brisket. Each were about the size of a toddler palm and not too groundbreaking in taste. Almost bland and basic tasting, actually. I actually had a brief thought that "Cilantro makes better tacos than this" as I was eating. The fig pizza was interesting, but again I wasn't thrilled by it. The fig paste they used was tasty and but I felt the execution of the thing was lackluster all around. Thin crust, with some fig jam, arugula and prosciutto thrown on top is pretty much the best description I can give it because that's all it was really. The coolest part was that everything was served on a wooden plank. We decided to try some desserts because we were still hungry. I got the smore's and my mom ordered the whiskey apple pie. Again, tiny with all its flair based on presentation. I got a snake of chocolate ganache with 3 marshmallows and tiny graham cracker triangles. The chocolate was good (can't go wrong there) but the ratio of marshmallow and graham cracker to chocolate was off and I just ended up finishing off the marshmallow and graham cracker bites first and eating the chocolate last. It was just too fancy for my taste really; It's smore's and smore's should be simple enough. The apple pie was pretty good but it wasn't out of this world as you would expect it to be at a place with such elegant and trendy decor. The grass isn't always greener folks. Maybe it was just the food I ordered in particular but I wasn't thrilled and it was a little expensive for the amount of food we got. Feel free to try it to make your own judgement, just don't go in starving. Just remember, fancy and expensive doesn't always signify better. read more

Absolutely horrible. Taco platter...awful combination on the shredded beef, what is that awful cheese you put on there?, the chicken one was really bad too, and the fried pork one, tasted cold and hard. Sirloin steak...came to us cold, fatty and flavorless. Even my 9 yo didn't like the hamburger. The beet salad...no flavor. read more

Very disappointing breakfast. Not sure where to begin. The food was poorly prepared (overcooked) and did not taste good. For a "high class" Resturant the service was worse than what you'd get at a dennys. They don't have enough bust boys and the hostesses is not very welcoming. Dirty tables sat uncleared, water was never offered and coffee was never refilled. Extra flatware wasn't removed from the table we sat at (which isn't a big deal unless you have an 18 month old who likes to grab knives). read more

Overpriced mediocre food and drinks with very poor service. Our waiter delivered half of our table's food (One of which was wrong) then took the order for two other tables before going back to the kitchen to get the rest. When informed that a meal was wrong he said I know, and we had to wait even longer for the meal to be delivered all without any sort of apology. This place should go the way of its predecessors in this space. There are too many great restaurants in Providence to settle for this place. read more

Don't be fooled by the atmosphere, price, high-end menu descriptions, and promise of "craft cocktails." This is a mediocre hotel restaurant. I ordered a Bottom of the Barrel from their cocktail menu while we decided what to eat. It promised to be a tasty bourbon cocktail. Didn't realize I should have taken the name literally. It arrived with a layer of froth on top indicating it had been shaken to within an inch of its life and tasted as if someone had scraped the bottom of a simmering potpourri barrel. I couldn't even taste the bourbon. It was so sickening sweet I didn't finish and ordered a glass of wine instead. Despite the prices and elaborate descriptions of the food ("cognac aioli" that tasted like thousand island dressing with garlic in it) the food was highly mediocre. On par with an Applebees, or TGI Friday's. Not disgusting, just not worth $85 for dinner for two people. If you're staying in the hotel and really don't want to go out its ok, but keep your expectations low and stay away from the cocktails. read more

We had such a lovely meal. I highly recommend the the mushroom and arugula pizza. Everything we ate was delicious. The service was fantastic! Our server, Jeff, was a pleasure. He was so attentive and friendly. We were a table of 4, with one child. I was very impressed with the food and service. read more

Booked a table for 4 weeks ago and arrived today and forced to sit at the bar because excuse was "we overbooked". No empathy or apology from host- won't be back. read more

Don't waste your money. Food is extremely average for the price. Hummus was terrible, as were Thai noodles and fries. Under seasoned, under cooked. Very underwhelming. Hard pass. read more