Food isn't the best, but I would go there for just the experience & the bakery! We were in a group of eight and were lucky enough to get a private dinner room in the back. Super cozy! Our server was funny and honest and guided us to the best menu items. The building is historic & definitely a sight worth visiting even if you are not dining. read more

My sister and I stopped in for lunch after taking care of some family business in the area. I had the Turkey Reuben and it was very good with real turkey not the processed sliced kind. I cannot recall what my sister had but she was also satisfied. On the way out I made a purchase at the bakery for later. The food pricing was a great value and the historical seating environment was to my liking. Should I find myself out in this area again it will be on the top of my list. read more

Our evening at the Publick House was pleasant. We ate upstairs at the cozy, quaint, dining room. We were sat in spacious, cushioned chairs which made for a fun surprise! The atmosphere was authentic to the time period and it was relaxing, yet presentable. We enjoyed the corn bread and pecan rolls prior to receiving our lobster ravioli appetizer. Our mouths were watering! Finally, the warm chocolate molten lava cake with vanilla ice cream was the icing on the cake, no pun intended! The wait staff could not be matched! Our waitress Linda was lovely, sweet, and polite. Every employee greeted us with smiles and helpful advice. The young, handsome bus boy, Jimmy W., directed us to the dining room, which was somewhat difficult to find. He was swift, cool and bussed tables and trays with ease! We will be back for more! Possibly we will try lunch or the immaculate bakery on the ground floor. The smiley face cookies are a MUST! read more

Publick House - Hotels Near Me - Sturbridge, Massachusetts

We have been dining here for many years and love the atmosphere and the selection of comfort food on the menu. Yesterday we took our youngest there for her birthday as she loves their Shepard's Pie. We were shocked to see they no longer had this on the menu. This disappointment set the stage for what turned out to be probably our last visit to what was once our favorite dining destination in Sturbridge. My wife ordered the London Broil and it came to the table "Ice Cold", I'm not talking room temp, I'm talking "Cold". We asked our waitress Kelsey if this was intended to be served cold and she said no. She took it back to the kitchen and apologized for serving it to us. The acting manager of the evening came over and spent a few minutes with us attempting to justify why the steak was served cold, and why they no longer had the Shepard's Pie on the menu, and why the place was three quarters empty on a Friday. At no point did this person actually act like a manager, in fact at one point he was actually rude to us, asking if we had a background in food service! What a jerk. We have dined in some of the finest restaurants is the world, and dine out at least two to three times a week. I would say this qualifies us as knowledgeable customers. After listening to this kid talk I understood why the place was going down hill. I don't think we will be going back. read more

My review is on the wonderful bakery and it's staff. We called ahead today on our return trip to Long Island from bar harbor to reserve a key lime pie for my wife's birthday present. They set aside one for us on the phone call and we picked it us. It was perfectly beautiful and ready when we got there. Thanks to the staff so much for making it a great birthday! read more

We stopped to have lunch at The Publick House today. Ann, our favorite server noticed us sitting in a dining area that she was not covering and asked if we'd like to be relocated to her area, which was a great start to a fabulous meal. When she took our drink orders she mentioned that they just received a new red wine, which she thought I'd like, and she brought me a sample. When Ann takes care of you it's like having your own personal sommelier, the wine was fantastic! Ann suggested the cream of tomato bisque for starters, another of her spot on recommendations. My wife and I both ordered the open faced turkey sandwiches, nicely prepared with Coke slaw, cranberry sauce, cornbread stuffing, and a dill pickle spear. Unfortunately we didn't save room for dessert, but since it came with the meal Ann suggested several that "travelled well." Another great experience at The Publick House! I don't think most restaurant owners know the value of a friendly, knowledgeable server. Ann is one of the reasons I am the Duke at The Publick House. read more

The only thing that saved this experience was a lovely young waitperson named Kelsey. The rest of the staff, from front of house to waitstaff and desk reps are all ridiculously rude, inattentive and sloppy. The signage is extremely confusing to new guests - restaurant or inn. We were rudely told there wasn't any possibility of getting a table in the first banquet room, wandered til we found the upstairs dining room and were "helped" by the lackluster desk attendant. 20 minutes later we had a table! Kelsey hustled to get us drinks and take orders but there's an awful lot of staff standing around talking to each other - so she's got no help. And then the food...ugh. My burger was raw - straight raw - having requested a medium well. I'm not the guy who returns food or complains, but it had to go back. Kelsey was apologetic but not a single check in from a GM or head of staff after serving raw burger! The rest of the plates were all really poor - from the dry fish and chips, cold clam chowder and truly run of the mill Yankee Pot Roast. This place is resting on laurels from the 1770s and should simply be looked at as you drive by to any other restaurant in Sturbridge. read more

Where to start! You MUST dine here. We were recently in Sturbridge for a week due to the Brimfield Antiques fest. Our last evening in the area we chose to dine at the Publick House and we are so happy we did! When we arrived, we found there was a 1 hour wait. Usually we would leave, but the host warmly invited us to use the bar and stay indoors or sit outside on the deck. We grabbed a few drinks (best I've had in a long time) and chose to sat outside. A mere 40 minutes later, the host walked us to our table. The atmosphere of the Publicl House is warm and inviting. Within moments we had our water and were awaiting our server. Moments later, our server Kelsey cheerily popped over to introduce herself. She was extremely friendly and knowledgeable of the menu and came over with a bread basket that consisted of corn bread, banana bread and sticky buns...all DELICIOUS. We started with an appetizer: lobster mac n' cheese. Oh my goodness! It was the BEST we have ever had. It was brought to the table incredibly fast considering the volume of patrons. Next up was our soup. We each had the shrimp bisque and it did not disappoint. It was smooth, rich and creamy with a hint of smokey flavor. I highly recommend. For an entreé, I order the thanksgiving meal: roast turkey, stuffing, potatoes and cranberry sauce. My friends ordered the meatloaf. They are still raving about the meatloaf and I am still telling people that I cannot believe how well prepared my meal was. Every single item on my plate tasted as if my mom had been cooking for a holiday meal. The service from Kelsey was flawless through the entire meal. The courses came out quickly, but not rushed. She checked on us and gave us space. She is what ever sever should aspire to be like. When you go...ask for her! The restaurant was a bit cold, but management quickly adjusted the temperature and all was perfect. Please please please do yourself a favor and dine with Publick House in Sturbridge. You won't leave hungry or disappointed. read more

Booked a cheap couple rooms to snag a decent nights sleep on the way to Maine and walked into a mess. No, the room seemed clean, but everything else was too much for our family. Asked for quiet rooms- got stuck with a dark dingy motel-style building backing up to a major road. Wanted security- chain on door was broken. They did try to make it right at the front desk, but the options were somewhat worse- beyond-worn rooms in main property with wedding band on full blast just outside (till midnight they told us). We bailed. Lost our money, but got good sleep elsewhere. read more

We both had the cod. If I remember correctly it was baked. It came with butternut squash and mashed potatoes. Everything was good. The waiter was very efficient. We ate in the Tavern. My only advice would be that when the restaurant is not busy, don't put the 4 parties that all walked in 5 or 10 minutes apart from each other all in the same corner. The whole restaurant was quiet except the corner where they put all of us. Space it out a little and let your guests be more comfortable please. One table had 6 people with a very loud obnoxious man. I know it isn't the restaurant's fault he was obnoxious but if they had spaced the parties out maybe the 3 other parties wouldn't have had to be bothered by this guy! read more

Every bad stereotype of a Ye Olde Publick House was present. The food was gelatinous and bland. The filling of the butternut squash ravioli would have been too sweet for pumpkin pie. The steaks were brown and dry. The decor was seedy and smelled. I agree with others that the pecan rolls were great, though. Come for the bread basket, but leave before the rest of the food arrives. read more

I love this place...I go there every few months to meet up with an old high school friend and we have not been disappointed. First, they bring you a basket with incredible various breads from their bakery...pecan rolls, cornbread, dinner rolls, etc. and give you a bag to take home any leftovers. The lunches are great and there is a coupon you can clip for a BOGO. We just met up there last week for dinner with another friend. I had the haddock...cooked to perfection! My friend had salmon and loved it...we had a great evening and even used our BOGO coupon so only paid for two meals out of three. Love the fireplace that is going in the cooler months and the old colonial feel of the tavern. I have never been disappointed. read more

Last night my wife and I had dinner at the Publick House's Dining room. The food was OK but not worth the $100 price tag. The dining room on the other hand was terrible!! The noise level was so loud we had to shout to each other just to talk. We considered leaving but wanted to stay for the food. WE SHOULD HAVE LEFT. My wife had the scrod and it was good, I had the house speciality, scallops and I should have had the fish. Stay away from the Indian Pudding. In all fairness, we have eaten here before and enjoyed our dining experience. Last night we felt like we were at a birthday party at McDonalds with 35 eight year olds on a sugar high. I believe they are more interested moving people in and out than in providing a good meal. I would not eat at this restaurant again. read more

What a disappointment! We are in Sturbridge for only one night and were trying to choose where to eat as they were 4 seemingly good choices, We chose the weakest link only because they offered an online coupon. The restaurant has charm and character, New England style but the food is very bland and the menu does not allow for substitutions. They offer squash as a side dish as well as spinach but you cannot get spinach if your entree specified squash, again not horrible but not stellar,wish I had gone elsewhere. Definitely catering to one time tourists not repeat customers. Waitstaff not that friendly and not helpful with recommendations. So disappointed....was looking for a New England gem... read more

The public house is a nice place to do corporate meetings. I've been to a few and they are always done well and the staff is fantastic. It is a little dated, after all it is a Historic Landmark. So, it shows. Some of the rooms are absolutely spectacular, While others show the wear a little more. The food is sometimes average - for example The Breakfast Brunch on Sunday. However, at other times like during the Christmas season, they have a spectacular menu with things done right. Many years ago they did a small show at Christmas going through the history of the holiday in European tradition. That was followed by a spectacular buffet dinner. These people really do know how to do the holiday right. read more

The worst breakfast I have had in a long time. The omelet was actually burned--black on the edges inside--and the overlooked homefries were soaked in grease. It was inedible. I have had dinner here and it has been acceptable so i will give it a second star. Tthey often have a buy one entree get one free on their website so it's fine. But I would never order breakfast here again unless I knew they had a real breakfast chef. read more

I live in Newton, but my wedding was out in West Brookfield (Salem Cross Inn), so we decided to block off rooms at a hotel in Sturbridge for our guests. We decided on the Publick House, and it worked out perfectly. The motor lodge rooms are simple, slightly dated, but clean and comfortable. The motor lodge is nestled in the woods and feels really cozy. For breakfast, there are free muffins, rolls, tea, and coffee. We had our rehearsal dinner at the Publick House, and it was delicious. Everyone was really impressed. The pumpkin ravioli was fantastic. The place is HUGE so we had our own room. The only downside was that the day after the wedding, a bunch of us wanted to have lunch at the Publick House before going home. For some reason, they were *really* unpleasant and unaccomodating. It was really off-putting. Luckily, after a crock of some of the best french onion soup I've ever had, my anger waned. FYI -- someone also complained about the poor "continental breakfast"...Publick House does not claim to have a continental breakfast, but they do offer complimentary rolls, muffins, tea, and coffee every morning. read more

Came here by accident but good thing. This place looks like a haunted hotel with eery photos and old guns on the walls but thats what makes it interesting. The menu is not big which i didnt like. I ordered the meatloaf which was ok but my friend ordered the shepherds pie and loved it. We order two martinis which were good. The complementary bread was the best part, it had dinner rolls, cinnamon bread and cinnamon buns. read more

The Inn was quite lovely for a bridal lunch the day before the big day but I must say that the food was well below average. My portobello burger tasted fine but when I opened up the sandwich and took one look at the saddest looking portobello mushroom I've ever seen, I felt bad that the Public House thought this was even a little bit acceptable. All the burgers at the table were overdone and the chicken sandwich was 3/4 of the size of the bun. No one in ten of us talked about their food or shared their food. Redeeming factors: Pecan buns Service Atmosphere But you can't build a restaurant on those things. read more

As a drive-by, you are quite impressed with the property and setting. I'm Not sure why I still go back . Service from Micah was better than it usually is and was probably the highlight of the evening. If you're going for a fine dining experience, this is definitely not a place to go. It was only average, not a bit better. No salad is offered, just the entree and ok rolls and sticky buns. The ambience is charming however the cuisine is not delivering! read more

Mixed. I usually order the turkey dinner. It seems to have gone downhill. The bread wasn't fresh the past couple of times we came and the turkey dinner tasted flat. Was a "must stop" for us when driving through town but now we go to cedar grill. read more

Service was decent. Turkey dinner was good. The shrimp cocktail was delicious also. Cinnamon pecan rolls were yummy. The chicken pot pie was like soup with puff pastry on top. There we no potatoes and It seemed like the vegetables were frozen. The lighting was too bright. We had a better experience last time we ate there. read more

Unless you want to wait there for 20 minutes without even getting a drink order in, then be my guest. Food looked decent on other peoples tables but of course we walked out before ordering. Have not had that poor of service at a restaurant in years! read more

A favorite stop whenever we visit NH or Maine since our 1970 s college days. We stopped in today for a late lunch. Good food ambience and service as always. However unbeknownst to us they were comping veterans their meal. What an unexpected surprise for my Navy vet husband. Thank you Public House! We will stop by on our next trip up north as usual. read more

Was here for a wedding. Once the wedding was done 15 of us headed to the bar in the basement that was allegedly open till 1AM. Waited for 20 minutes while other guests who came after me where served first. I was then told by a manager that I hadn't actually been waiting that long and now it was past their last call mark. Last call is 12:30, this conversation took place at 12:30 on the nose. Horrible bar keep with no personality and no hustle, she clearly didn't care about serving the patrons of the establishment. The manager was no better and accused me of lying to him about how long I was waiting. Horrible horrible customer service.. read more

If it weren't so quaint I would have given it a 0. Never-/ I repeat-- never stay here if there are weddings booked. It's 11:40 PM and the party is directly under us with booming bass noises from the amplifiers. I even tried ear phones with white noise on top of the AC. Furthermore, I called guest services twice and begged them to at least ask the DJ to turn down the thudding bass, but I swear they just turned it up louder!!! Horrible experience. read more

Stopped by your restaurant. I was craving a beautifully baked chicken pot pie. I envisioned a flaky pie crust baked over a bubbly chicken stew with perfectly thickened veloute sauce and bits of sautéed vegetables. What I got was a watery chicken soup with a separately cooked circle of dough disappointment, added before service. Absolutely no flakiness was involved. The greatness of chicken pot pie involves the interaction of pie dough and stew during the cooking process. Tonight I ate a store-bought chicken pie that was far superior to the $17.95 bowl of thin soup , topped with a flour concocted hockey puck. The 3 for $1 frozen pot pies that sustained me in college was tastier, flakier and had a better consistency. An establishment of your reputation should be able to bake the crust on the pie. Mike read more

My husband and I met my parents here today for my father's birthday. We all had the turkey dinner and it was fabulous. The waitress was wonderful. She even accommodated my request for all dark meat. My husband and i split the lava cake, which was wonderfully rich and chocolatey. My mother had the raspberry tart which she really liked, and my father had the deep dish apple pie with a birthday candle in it. The only negative was the lack of crust in the deep dish apple pie. Other than that, we had great service and great food. The atmosphere was comfy. Reminiscent of old money as far as the building goes, but very friendly and welcoming. We left very stuffed and very happy. read more

Big comfy chairs in a wooded bar with a fireplace? Check. An amazing pastry and bread basket to start? Yep. Wonderful filet and stellar lobster potpie? You bet! What's not to love about this spot? We had a really nice dinner here as we recently wound our way through New England. read more

Please be aware that the restaurant is not ADA compliant. There is literally no handicapped access to the restaurant.

The dinning room is old colonial and the seating a little awkward, but the food is consistent and the bread basket is the hit! fresh and warm, this is were a chef goes when he is not over the stove! Besides the famous turkey dinner the baked cod is also a hit! read more

These guys make the most amazing blueberry pie. Definitely recommend stopping by for one.

Another "average" trip. My wife and i ordered the Fish and chips and Yankee pot roast. Both were decent but not worth $18 a plate. Service was extremely slow too. I waited for (no exaggeration) 20 minutes for the waitress to come back with my credit card after paying the bill. Kind of strange? Maybe she needed to do some shopping or something. read more

Went to Ebenezer's Tavern for dinner and was disappointed. The crab cake was barely warm in the middle. Thought seriously about settling the bill and going somewhere else, as our server didn't seem thrilled to be waiting on us, strike two. I've been a server many times in my life, so we are always kind and tip well. We persevered and ordered dinner and regretted it when our meals came. Reminded me of cafeteria or hospital food. Lukewarm at best, the "Old-Fashioned Chicken Pot Pie" had a yellow hue to the sauce which was off putting. It sat in a shallow dish with an over baked, crisp round pie crust on top. Not my idea of chicken pot pie. My Baked Scrod was just OK. Butternut squash and rice pilaf barely warm. The only redeeming quality was the wonderful bread basket. We took a few bites and brought rest home and we will most likely toss. Will not be going back!! read more

Living on the name....great ambience, food is ok at best. I would go 3.5 here if Yelp let me. If you're not from New England and want to experience a New England setting, I would swing by, otherwise been there done that and there are better food options. read more

My husband & I stopped to have a quick dinner, my husband had the turkey dinner which was plentiful & delicious , I had the filet which was awesome & perfectly cooked. Wait staff was great & attentive would highly recommend going read more

Can't tell you about the food because we were ignored by the servers for twenty minutes. Got up and walked out very disappointed. The place was about 2/3 full on a Wednesday at 1:30 so I'm guessing that they are really not too worried about loosing customers. read more

My first experience with the PH is a special one. I was taken there on our first Valentine's Day for the Sunday brunch buffet. Not to get too shmoopy over it, but it was extremely romantic. They put us in a smaller room right next to the large area where the actual buffet is served so that we would have more privacy - we weren't alone, but it was less hectic. The food was excellent, every single bit of it. They had a great selection, including a waffle & omelet station, and indian pudding. My favorite was the stuffed french toast! I've gone back a few more times, both for this same Sunday brunch, and most recently for a wedding reception. The reception experience was different, but still excellent. The cash bar seemed much overpriced, but that could be my ignorance as to what's normal. There was a cocktail reception held first with a selection of fresh fruit, cheese & crackers and vegetables & dips available, as well as passed hors d'oeuvres of stuffed mushrooms, maple-bacon wrapped scallops, and a few other selections. Butternut squash bisque started our meal, followed by a garden salad with a wonderful house maple dressing. The bread baskets carried not only fresh dinner rolls but cinnamon sticky buns and corn bread as well! My entree was a perfect match to a fall wedding in New England - roasted turkey, cornbread and sausage stuffing, red roasted potatoes, green beans, gravy and cranberry. The other choice was a fish dish (scrod or some such) which I heard was also very well done. The cake was a delicious chocolate raspberry number that was made in-house, and each piece was served with a chocolate dipped strawberry. Elegantly decorated and classic New England all throughout. If you plan on having your wedding reception at the Publick House, my one suggestion is to make sure your DJ compensates for the very large room. We were barely able to hear anything that was said. read more

The food was delicious, I had the grilled top sirloin which was cooked medium rare. It could have used a little more char for my liking but otherwise good. The breads were a plus as well. However, the waitress seemed distant and impersonable like she didn't want to be there. It took way too long for her to come to the table to take our order, but after that was better. And I understand it is a historic inn, but the place needs an upgrading so it doesn't feel as grimy. read more

Publick House - Grilled top sirloin - Hotels Near Me - Sturbridge, Massachusetts

I've been here twice and loved it each time. It's early American and very cozy. The bar is wonderful. Meals are very good and served in an Early American fashion. When in the area, this will be my first choice. read more