Driving through Wichita on vacation. Looked for somewhere close to the freeway that took reservations on a Friday light. Public delivered! Beer choice was great. No flights but they did offer 5oz pours at a discount. Food was excellent, main course wise. The fries, both sweet potato and house were a little limp but great flavor. We'll come back!! read more

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Had dinner on a Friday evening, kind of early (6:15 pm). It was pretty full, and the noise level was readily apparent. Ordered drinks and dinner, and the drinks arrived about 1.5 minutes before the food. The server was polite, and checked back a couple of times, so no issues with the service. I ordered the large wedge salad and the blue cornbread. Let me say the cornbread was fantastic; I would order it again. The wedge salad, not so much. I my considerable dining experiences, a wedge salad consists of chilled iceberg lettuce, red onion, bacon, tomatoes, and usually blue cheese crumbles and dressing. It's usually served on a chilled plate. What I got was a bowl of bib lettuce, bacon, tomato, onion, and dressing. I'm not a fan of bib lettuce in salads, and would have sent it back except we had a show to get to. I appreciate culinary creativity, but calling it a wedge salad was a misnomer. read more

The filet was amazing. And the Tasso appetizer, was full of various flavor: Pickles, goat cheese, and ham, w cornbread. A very nice relaxed environment. We are looking forward to our return visit to try a few more dishes read more

Had a party there with about 40 people and let me tell you what they handled it great the service was wonderful and I can't say anything bad about the place that's wonderful these days to have owners who actually care about their establishment... read more

If you're ever stuck in Wichita, this is a great go-to gastropub. The other night I had a unique duck with tagliatelle fish that blew my socks off! Great beer on tap. Great low key atmosphere. read more

I was excited to try this place because it has really good reviews and came highly recommended by some local friends. The food actually wasn't anything special, but the underground dive bar vibe was kinda cool and the beer list was good. read more

Cool decor! Love the underground building setting and architectural flavor. The food and drink selections are great! Definitely a great lunch spot (assume same for dinner but haven't been there for dinner). Getting the dinner ticket in an old book is a unique touch. read more

Their seasoned fries are some of the best I've ever had! I'm a picky eater but I actually liked the rosemary fries and all the dipping sauces it came with. read more

I just LOVE Public! First, I'm originally from Dallas, TX, but I've also spent many years in Washington, DC, Honolulu, HI, and Tampa, FL. As a foodie whose eaten at a variety of 4-star restaurants within several major U.S. cities, I've found the majority of restaurants in Wichita to be very disappointing. Wichita is highly dominated by commercial chains and/or restaurants who use low-quality ingredients in boring menus lacking in flavor and creativity. So when I heard about Public and their farm-to-table concept, I got very excited! Also, if you're also a bibliophile, you will be pleasantly amused by their lunch/dinner check presentation. The first time I ventured to Public was for dinner with my sister, who had come to visit me from Oklahoma. We had such an amazing experience that I brought my husband a few weeks later. The food on my second visit was just as delicious as I remembered! I was extremely pleased with their consistency in presentation, taste and service, all of which I found to be top notch. My third visit to Public was a few weeks ago in Sep 2018. My aunt flew in from Korea to visit family in Oklahoma, so I brought her up to visit me in Wichita for a day. Public is the restaurant I chose to take her to for both their spectacular food and beautiful patio area! TWO TAKE AWAYS FROM MY VISITS TO PUBLIC: 1) They're well known for their crème brûlée, and often make it in a variety of exciting and unique flavors: I was greatly anticipating tasting their Fruity Pebbles version of Crème Brûlée (my absolutely favorite dessert hands-down) during my 2nd visit. Unfortunately, they were out of it by the time I got there. So come EARLY if you're wanting to order this delicious dessert! 2) They have complety DIFFERENT menus for both lunch and dinner: You will still find Public's lunch menu to be prepared with the utmost care as to taste and presentation as their dinner menu. However, lunch time at Public is much more casual in menu selection, overall atmosphere, and service (which you may find to be a little slower and less refined than during dinner hours). Personally, I prefer Public's dinner menu which I found to be on par with the offerings at any 4-star restaurant in any major U.S. City! So... *I HIGHLY URGE you to try them for dinner if you have only ever visited Public during lunch hours. *HINT: If you don't know what to order, try the dinner menu from the top down as selections seem to be listed in order of their best-selling items. *Alternatively, if you have only tasted Public's dinner menu, I also enthusiastically recommend them for a much more casual (and wallet-friendly) lunch date! read more

This place was really cool. Set up a little like a speakeasy, the restaurant is underneath a building. The food is amazing! Especially the sliders, fresh and delicious. Perfectly cooked! We had the hot sauce cauliflower as an appetizer and I loved it (normally can't stand cauliflower). The husband got the biscuits and gravy, and it was amazing! The addition of chicken in it was different, but I added a great texture.Sunday brunch was lovely, staff was great! Loved the Parmesan Rosemary fries too. Wish I lived closer so I could go more often! Also, would have taken a photo of the sliders but they disappeared too quickly! read more

Public - Gastropubs Near Me - Wichita, Kansas

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Hipster paradise but no hipsters to be found. I had the brisket tacos. Awesome. I gave 3 stars mainly for service. Awesome food. Awesome beer. Awesome decor. Wait staff not so happy. I thought I was a nascar driver because they were rushing us. One wait staff member came into work crying. Use a personal day next time. I will go back for food but I will sit at the bar. Boo hoo read more

Public - Tacos - Gastropubs Near Me - Wichita, Kansas

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Took my sis here for dinner last week. This was her first visit. I was slightly disappointed to see that the menu had changed,especially after hyping it up so much. To be fair, it's been quite a while since I had visited Public. I really missed the chicken and waffles. Although, I know many restaurants have had to shorten their menu due to supply chain issues. That said, we ordered the charcuterie board which was very good. We both ordered the Crispy Chicken dinner. Chicken was fall off the bone tender...maybe a little too tender. I have to say that the star of the show was the cocktail! We both ordered the Widowed at 20 and was fantastic. Perfect fit for holidays and was not watered down. Atmosphere was great and love the basement feel when you walk in. Very cozy. Staff were friendly but busy! All said, I would visit again! read more

For those who claim Wichita has nothing to offer by way of good eats, I present to you: Public. When your best friend comes into town and you're looking for a few hotspots to show off, this should make the list. Here's why: Character. From the Old Town location to the underground (literally) speakeasy vibe, there are no other venues in town that can emulate Public's feel. It embodies the highlights of Kansas and captures the essence of the ICT from top to bottom. From the dim, unconventional lighting and prairie rustler-esque furnishings down to the ingredients and brews on the menu. Ah, menu. The other reason this is a can't miss. As I mentioned, Public incorporates Wichita flavor in many of its offerings. At play are the area's Mediterranean influences, inclusion meat-centric barbecue and comfort food staples. Even the very ingredients lend themselves to regional familiarity; bison, locally cured meats, and area-baked buns and breads populate a vast majority of the edible options. There are some oddities, but whatever you choose you're sure to get an honest tasting of the town. My recent order of Prairie Sliders certainly earned endorsement. A pair of mini brioche rolls, butter toasted, acted as bookends to a smear of house-prepped honey dijon, melty sharp cheddar, thick, bison blend patties, and an onion jam spread. The dynamic duo struck all the right chords. Bison tends to dry out easily, but here the meat was seared and cooked to a perfect medium after being crusted with a seasoned mix of salt, crushed black peppercorns, and roasted coffee beans for an earthy undertone. The accompanying zesty mustard and faintly sweet onion jam melded with the meat harmoniously, each offering an element of complexity and enjoying a moment in the spotlight while allowing the meat its rightful place at center stage. On second thought, perhaps center stage was a bit of an exaggeration. The fries, the fantastic, double fried, rosemary seasoned, parmesan dusted FRIES, are a spectacle worthy of an auditorium. If you've never had a deceptively ordinary looking, hand cut style french fry with an outstanding crispiness nearly all the way through, you've never had a french fry the way God intended them to be produced. This may very well be the best realization of potatoes in Kansas; stop what you're doing and get some. And bring me some. Not necessarily in that order. My point here, put quite simply, is that Public is a worthy allocation of your funds and appetite, and those of any who you care to impress. So show your true feelings and treat me to Public already. You can even bring that out of town friend if you want. read more

Public - Prairie Sliders, seasoned fries - Gastropubs Near Me - Wichita, Kansas

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I arrived in Wichita Tuesday afternoon, hungry, and looking for non chain food choices. My BFF brought me here. LOVE IT! The pickles were amazing, the spicy Bloody Mary was great ( could have used more heat in my book, but I enjoy very spicy food daily in New Mexico) ..and the Bon MI sandwich was outstanding. The wait staff were friendly, the place was comfortable and inviting, and I will be making Public a regular stop in every time I visit. read more

I'm so happy to see a place like Public open in Old Town, it is exactly what the neighborhood needs. My wife and I had dinner there the other night before heading to an event at Intrust Arena and I was pleased to see the reviews online matched the quality and service of this great addition to Wichita. Our server was fantastic, the atmosphere is relaxed, the beers were crafty, and the food was delicious. We have already begun plotting our return and who we want to bring with us. I've given Public 4 stars which may beg the question what could it do to be 5 stars? To clarify I think it is 5 stars at what it is, a relaxed gastropub where you can get great food while supporting local businesses, not a 5 star restaurant with fine dinning. Though currently in its infant stages, Public is absolutely knocking it out of the park and in order to continue doing so needs Wichita to come down and try it out. Once you go you will want to come back again and again. Old Town is lucky to have a business like this and I can't wait to go back with friends and family for more delicious fun. I highly recommend. 5 stars service 5 stars atmosphere 5 stars food and specials read more

I'm not going to lie - Public was about the last place I expected to find in a town like Wichita. It was only half-full when we went for dinner on a Thursday night and I was shocked - in Cincinnati, a place like that would be packed all week long. I found the beer menu to be excellent, as were my sliders. The service was attentive, if a little rushed. But really, the prices here seal the deal on Public. You'd pay nearly twice as much for this food in a place like DC or NYC. Public is definite a diamond in the rough. read more

After reading Brad S.'s review I had my sights set pretty low walking in. Needless to say I was pleasantly surprised by this little gem. I was there for lunch, and it was delicious. The first rule of bar food is that it must go well with beer. This I can say Public has down. The "Public Pickles" was something I might have in Germany, with upscale meats and spicy cheese and bread along with homemade pickles. The turkey panini was good, my only qualm was that it was listed as having cranberry chutney on the menu, but I could barely taste it. My advice, triple the amount of cranberry chutney you lay on this sandwich otherwise the ingredients were top notch. The service was excellent; my waitress was friendly and knowledgeable and made me feel extremely welcome. The owner was there and gave out some advice on which beer I should try. The seasonal imported from Washington, I forget its name, but I've never seen it at Old Chicago... Considering the price (extremely reasonable), the atmosphere (very cool), food and drink quality (excellent), Public is hard to beat, especially in Wichita. It is a casual gastropub, not a bar that serves food. I've been to those too and they don't hold a candle. read more

Public - Gastropubs Near Me - Wichita, Kansas

Place is really cool and nicely decorated. The staff was courteous and our food did come out fairly quickly. I will say, however that the food was bland and lacked flavor. The Cuban sandwich was an interesting twist on a typical Cuban sandwich but the pork was dry and over-cooked. The fries were pretty good though. read more

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We have kids. We don't get out much. When we do get out "The Public" is at the top of our list. We had to take our littlest one (1 yr old girl) with us the other night because all of our babysitter options were sick. What did they do when they ran out of child seats? They went upstairs and found a vintage child's high chair. Then a group of jerks in blazers and jeans showed up who (let's be honest) did NOT belong at a place like The Public. They all congregated around the back of my daughter's high chair. The managers moved us to a booth. We each had the Brisket Tacos and they were delightful. To top things off they did not charge us for our drinks and gave us their amazing pastrami and pickles dish to go. Look. We are normal 30 somethings with kids who have our own style. There are no clicks at The Public. The food is great. The atmosphere is great. The service is fantastic. Love The Public! read more

If I had to give you one reason to eat at Public this is what it would be: The best chicken and waffles I have ever had the pleasure of glutinously stuffing in my mouth, week in and week out. If your looking for a place to eat with good beer, better food and a atmosphere that you cant find anywhere else. Public is the place for you. I would also highly recommend the brunch. The salmon Benedict was rich and well balanced. Every meal has a twist or a hint of something extra in the food. It shows attention to detail and a love for food. read more

This place is amazing. The environment and decor is wonderful, you can definitely tell how much work the owners have put into it. The food is beyond astounding. The ribs and chicken wings are my favorites. The cooks do a great job down to the finest detail. The butter should be on the side of everything. Strongly recommended! read more

I've only been to Public for their brunch and only three or four times, but every experience was a good one. The food has a simplicity to it, but every bite is delicious since you can tell they go out of their way to use fresh, quality ingredients. The last time I was there, I had an egg scramble with goat cheese and they catered to the fact that I didn't want carbs and gave me a decent amount of fruit instead of bread. They didn't skimp on anything. It was perfect especially for how demanding I felt I was being with changing a special. The customer service is friendly, the atmosphere is charming, and the prices are fair. Tip your servers well! read more

Awesome rotating menu items alongside a great everyday menu. Interesting cocktails. Great service. Cool atmosphere.

I didn't think Wichita had much, but Public is all you need. As soon as we walked in I was sold on the decor and the vibes. It's in a basement so lots of exposed brick, low lighting. Love it. The menu is small but almost everything sounded delicious. They use all local ingredients. I had the prairie sliders with potato salad and my hubs had the Cuban with golden fries. We demolished our plates in less than 20 minutes. I though the portions were spot on, we had room for dessert. Baileys creme brulée. Yes. If I'm in Wichita I will come back here no question. read more

This restaurant is a known spot in Old Town. I was having dinner with a couple friends. Unfortunately, this wasn't my greatest dining experience. The drinks were good. The food service was mediocre. The environment uncomfortably warm in the summer. read more

Outstanding food and the atmosphere is awesome! It gets packed on weekends. Great place to take a date or meet with friends for a couple drinks or twelve.. read more

Public - Gastropubs Near Me - Wichita, Kansas

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The food was lack luster and service was terrible. I ordered the special which was a beer Sausage pizza and it was probably the worst pizza I have ever had. Instead of a savory treat it tasted like a Mars bar. Overly sweet and cold when we got it. The server ignored us and stared at the ticket while we were righting out the tip?! When is that ever okay!!!! I liked the idea of getting your check in an old book but ours had some rather obscene pictures drawn inside. I am not usually bothered by that stuff but these were pretty graphic. They should probably check that stuff out before handing the ticket to a family. The other thing that kind of annoyed me was the server refused to speak to me and only spoke to my husband. She even asked him if I needed more water! I'm right here!!! She ignored any request I had until my husband brought it up. It was outright rude. Then I was coming back to the table from stepping to the ladies room when I saw her leaned across the table on her elbows talking to my husband about how much she liked his shirt. It was a plain white shirt!!! Are you flipping kidding me!!!! We won't be going back. The food sucked and the staff was unprofessional to say least!!! read more

I just love this place.. The ambiance.. Good for kids or not. Great patio and the inside seating is so interesting. Plus the live music. The staff is always so nice.. And the lavender lemonata is great! However the food is even better.. Oh did I mention I love this place?! read more

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We were surprised by most everything. A popular eatery in the "basement" of Old Town? A very cool, bordering on cult, hangout for a variety of ages..even seniors like us? And what do you call the menu? It was all great. The food was clean, fresh, inventive... maybe a couple of vegan/vegetarian items would have pleased us but we managed. Food was locally sourced, wait staff helpful and knowledgeable. It's fun. read more

Came in on a Tuesday night for our first visit and left unimpressed. The decor is nice. We didn't have anything to drink and didn't look at the beer & wine menu, so I can't speak to that. But I will say the food was not enough to bring me back. I had a side Caesar Salad with the Brisket tacos (with rice & beans) and my wife had the Cobb salad. The tacos were fine (bite for bite), but for the price, I expected more than 2 tacos on 5" tortillas. The $5 side Caesar salad was just sad. Packaged croutons, too much dressing, small bowl. It's what I'd expect at a poorly managed chain restaurant. If they had charged half that amount, I'd still feel cheated. For a restaurant with a pretty limited menu, they were out of ribs and could not make the banh mi sandwich. Who knows what else they were out of. The 1/2lb burger special was $13. It may be a nice place for drinks, but there's far better options in terms of value and menu selection at other Old Town locations and places like AVI Seabar & Chophouse. read more

I rounded up from 2.5. Food was not bad, just mediocre. One ordered the sliders with sweet potato fries; fries were great, burgers and toppings underwhelming. The other had a Caesar salad with roasted veggies; bland dressing, stale croutons, veggies were very al dente but fine. Atmosphere was great - would be a great place for drinks. Service was just fine too. read more

Came in for a group dinner after a long day at work. The team and especially our server were awesome and. Very attentive. Several of us ordered the chicken and waffles, they were all absolutely delicious. We had the pickle appetizer which I loved as the pickles were swept and a little tangy. For dessert we had the Nutella creme brûlée which the only complaint is that we wanted more. ;). Excellent dinner and ambience all around. read more

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Great food, beer and service. We have been searching for a laid back restaurant with great food, and we've found one in Public. Perfectly cooked scallops, homemade pickles, and a really good craft beer selection. Can't wait to go back. read more

What a treat it was to stumble down into Public this afternoon. An impromptu lunch date placed us in a booth for two at 1230 on this Friday afternoon and I was skeptical. Having never experienced Public before I was concerned with the amount of big top tables around us on their hour lunch breaks, figuring mistakes would be made either in the Kitchen or from the serving staff at such a high volume time. I had high hopes for the place and didn't want them diminished by a long ticket. I was wrong to worry. We were seated immediately, greeted immediately and told the specials (which is never fun for the server but she did it very well.) I settled on the Banh Mi sandwich with sweet potato fries, both were phenomenal! The pork was juicy and tender with a sauce that never over-powered and a fresh crunch from the veggie fixings (yum yum, cilantro, fresh peños) on top, it's killer. The babe got the Cuban with the rosemary garlic fries... Words can't describe those fries, even if I could of gotten a word out of him with that sandwich taking up all of his attention. I finished with a lavender lemonata, the refreshing zap I needed to get back out in the heat. The atmosphere is relaxed with a ton of old charm. The space is utilized really well as to not seem clastrophobic. Basement establishments can get stuffy if not worked out properly but I could sit and drink in here for hours! We are crazy impressed, compliments to the kitchen and all the staff on a great job. We will be back (weekly?) and can't wait to see what late night looks like here. read more

Good speakeasy type of vibe. The brunch is good and the bloody Mary's are a good addition. My only negative remark is; the dinner meals are pretty pricey and the sides don't seem to be that comparative to other restaurants nearby in size. Wine and beer list is very eclectic. read more

This was out first time to visit. Tre service and food were fantastic. The food serving were excellent Definitely going to go back

Wow, this place is great!! Tried breakfast last Sunday (a limited menu to choose from) and had lunch this Saturday (quite a bit to choose from, sandwiches, salads, pizza and yummy appetizers)!! It's five stars all around..food is great (I had an asian sandwich called banh wa or something like that and it was served with yummy home made french fries which were piping hot!) and so is the atmosphere. The location is in a basement and going there after being at the FARM AND ART MARKET in 100 degree weather was quite a relief. We checked out the patio and it looks like it would be a fun place to hang out in the FALL. I'm not much of a drinker but the beer and wine menu could make me become one. All the drink descriptions sounded lovely! Oh, one other thing I purchased their $10. for $5. which is an incredible deal but you can only purchase one coupon! read more

Popped my Chicken and Waffles cherry at the Public. The best sweat and salty combo EVER. The food is great and the staff is super friendly! read more

Highly recommended the Cuban. Great pickles. A little noisey. Bananas foster quite good, interesting spin.

great food and very accommodating chefs to those with dietary restrictions! love the environment and drink variety!