I really want to like this place. It has a lot of potential. But like many restaurants in Columbia, the execution is, well, off in some very basic ways. FTR I have only tried the tacos; there are other things on the menu, like burgers and ramen, that may not be as meh as the tacos but I'm skeptical. The taco fillings range from traditional (e.g., carnitas) to more unconventional (e.g., bahn mi pork belly) and they're perfectly edible but not exactly mind-blowing. Mostly, I take issue with the tortillas. They insist on using FLOUR tortillas. Gross. They seem to have good specials, like Taco Mondays ($2 tacos, $4 margs), and some less good specials (2 tacos and a side for $10) but it's a space that's good for groups and it has a decent bar and wine/beer list so there's that. But the service is kind of slow and the food isn't the most flavorful and (again) they serve their tacos on flour tortillas so don't say you weren't warned. read more

Was in a hurry looking for a quick bite and a refreshing beer. The place looked inviting so I took a chance. I told my waitress Sarah Be I was in a hurry. Food came out quick and food was delicious. I'll be back when I don't gave to inhale my food. Good environment and friendly staff. read more

The service is incredible!! Met at the entrance by the owner. Super nice guy!! The ambiance is amazing!! Nice sunny day, garage doors open and was able to enjoy the beautiful day!! Great beer selection!! Great taco selection and I hear the burgers are best in town!! Can't wait to try them next time!! read more

We ordered a vegetarian ramen (our mistake) and the mushrooms were inedible, still had dirt on them and were not cut on the ends. It was room temperature noodles with raw onion and bad mushrooms. We were understanding about it not being the best ramen, it's not a restaurant specialty. However, their managers response to us was insulting and their customer service is subpar. We were on a road trip north and had to stop very quickly to eat so we chose something w out meat or fried items. She said she'd refund our mushrooms - just the mushrooms. I told her that's unacceptable and we really don't need the two dollars, she brought back the same check..... our server was kind. Pecan beer was good. Place sucks. read more

Not bad! I lived in Texas so I set my expectations low since they have the best street tacos in San Antonio, but I enjoyed my meal! It's def worth a try. Wayyyy better than the tacos I had at Cantina 76. read more

Publico - Gochujang Shrimp, Tuna Poke, and sticky rice - New American Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

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I haven't been in ages, but I'm upping my previous review/rating from 3 to 4 stars solely because they now have an entire vegan menu! And if it blows me away, I may soon be updating my review again! read more

1. Guac appetizer needs more chips. 2. Tacos are small for the price, but well seasoned and balanced. 3. Nachos are huge, very good. 4. There is a gluten/allergen free menu at the back of the regular menu, before the drinks. I think they should offer this as a separate menu for those who ask. The items on it are exactly the same as the regular menu (with burgers minus the buns, though). 5. The atmosphere is fun, with lots of tall tables and some booths. The bar looks nice as well. Huge selection of beer. Good for after work drinks and social time, pretty loud music. Overall, slightly overpriced ($4-5 for a taco is a bit steep, with El Burrito right down the street), but a good neighborhood hangout. read more

Came in tonight with a group to celebrate my friends 21st birthday. The margaritas were amazing, but the service was even better. Bryce was our server and he did an amazing job! we've sat with him the past two taco Monday's and the next time we come back I'll definitely be requesting him as our server. hopefully next time we come it wont be raining so we'll be able to sit on the back patio. good job to the restaurant and to Bryce, keep it up! read more

Everything about this place is amazing!! The atmosphere, food, drinks, specials, etc. Everyone is super nice and welcoming as well!!

Enjoyed another great dinner out at Publico! Payton was knowledgeable with the menu and especially the beer menu and the season drafts!

This place is SO good. We got the 5 tacos for $20, and it was amazing. The only thing that would make it better is of they would heat up/cook their tortillas. Next time we come here o think we will order to go and take the tortillas home and heat them up ourselves. The pork belly taco is the thing to get. 100% would recommend. read more

Caroline, is the STAR of this place. Even if the food was awful, which it's not, I would come back. The food was great, service was better. Sticky ribs and gyoza were great for appetizers. Shrimp and grits and Diablo chicken sandwhich were great! read more

The food was decent. The bartender was extremely friendly. I will give it another try. I had the shrimp poke bowl but I wasn't impressed. It was poor choosing on my part, however. They have a great menu selection so I will choose better next time. read more

Great location in five points, friendly servers, very wide menu, awesome back porch with corn hole and jumbo connect 4 and other games. Their taco menu is extremely varied, and everyone ive had has ranged from good to great. Bar staff is friendly and knowledgeable, i have been here several times and gotten recommendations on food and drinks. I usually go with what I like beer-wise, but was directed to the Cooper River Orange Golden Ale with great satisfaction. In short, Publico exceeds expectations and is a great place to eat. read more

Went here today for the first time. The atmosphere & the service was excellent. They were out of the Baja fish tacos. I ordered the carnitas & the short rib taco. When they arrived, my plate was covered with meat juice and my tortillas were soggy. The tortillas weren't warmed or grilled & the meat was cold. Ordered the kids cheeseburger and my son wouldn't touch it. It was completely charred and even had caked on grill scraps. Also, they sprinkle the fries with a chili seasoning which was spicy..not sure why they would do this on a kids meal. The ketchup was watery. The overall flavors of the tacos were good, but the execution was lacking. I will try this place one more time to see if it was just an off day. read more

Went for brunch and the drinks and food are delicious! Payton was such a great server and joked with us. Would recommend

Very creative and delish food! Tried several tacos, the burger and several appetizers. Love it! read more

Publico - Ramen of the day! - New American Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

John and Katie, BEST BARTENDERS EVER! Fast service, excellent customer service! Me and my husband will be back so soon!!!

The service was great but the food was really disappointing. We ordered the spring rolls, which were not rolled fresh. The wrapper was hard and tough and the meat in the filling was cold. Also ordered a burger and a couple of tacos. The burger was average - nothing special. The tacos could have been decent had the filling been hot. Nice beer selection and cool space. read more

My family and I stumbled upon Publico while driving back from our annual beach trip and the experience ended up being a nice break during our six hour drive home. We visited around 1 pm on a Saturday for a late lunch. Although the place was extremely busy, the service was very fast and there was some great live music. However, I will admit that this place is NOISY!! At times the combination of the constant chatter and loud music was a bit overwhelming. To begin our meal we all split some chips, queso and delicious salsa. My parents ended up splitting a few tacos along with some sides, my brother got the BBQ chicken quesadilla, and I got the low country ramen bowl. Everything was really tasty and flavorful, but VERY spicy. Publico is a VERY lively place. The atmosphere is welcoming, but isn't ideal for a relaxing night out. All in all the food was good, the service was fast, and the space itself was clean and welcoming. Not worthy of five stars, but not too shabby! read more

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So proud of this wonderful and impressive restaurant for wisely choosing to shut down during the ongoing COVID 19 pandemic. I hope this very smart decision catches on to other businesses in five points who are also overwhelmed with numbers of people who are hard to ensure are keeping patrons and staff safe. On a food note, the tacos here and bulgulgi beef are amaze. Thanks Publico! read more

I loved the bartenders Liz and Carly! They were especially friendly and informative of the products they were selling. They even surprised me with a sparkler on my dessert for my birthday! read more

Great tacos. Not sure why the haterade from some folks. Place is cool inside. Great beers on tap. Good taco deal, 2 tacos and a drink for $10. Had the shrimp taco and sambal. Friend had carne asada and the shrimp. All tasted great and were good sizes. I got the Mexican corn for a side. Came out hot with cheese and butter on it. Delicious. Service was attentive. Will definitely go back! read more

Meh. Super loud, average tacos (kind of adventurous menu... kind of) with flour tortillas, unappetizing sides including mushy fries, few veggie options. Our server made very little attempt to scream over the din, and the bartender seemed overwhelmed enough that I didn't order a cocktail. Mediocre, but hopeful that they will improve the food to be on par with the beer list... Might give it another go in a few months. read more

Great for quick tacos and beer after work. When it gets busy (weekend nights) the service is a little questionable: I once sat at the bar island for 15 minutes without being able to get a server (I walked). Another time I was being served food & drinks at the bar and my bartender literally disappeared-no,wait-isn't that them having a drink on *this* side of the bar? Hmmmph..... If you go during the week more than likely you won't have these issues. The overall menu is nice. The two tacos + a side for $10 is a deal however the tacos can be hit or miss (Tofu tacos needs help-Avocado Crunch, Cilantro Lime Shrimp is good. Tuna Poke-what's the point?) The drink menu is varied but they don't have all the prices listed. I ordered a glass of sangria($7). It was a little weak; for $7 shouldn't it have more of a kick? I've been here about a dozen times and I'll return. I just have to be careful about what to order and when to go. read more

We just moved to South Carolina from Georgia & have been looking for some really good places to share with friends & family when they come visit and this is definitely on that list! The atmosphere is beautiful & everyone was so nice. The food was delicious! I got the shrimp & chorizo quesadillas that I HIGHLY recommend! The appetizer & our food came out at the same time & our waitress was so apologetic that it happened as such but we didn't mind or notice until she brought it up. Super sweet & attentive. We'll definitely be back!! :) read more

I'm a long time customer of Publico and every visit is always such a positive experience. With Covid, excellent service has been hard to come by. I understand many places are understaffed and the employees are doing the best they can. That being said, my experience at brunch today was absolutely top tier which was such a breath of fresh air. The servers were extremely attentive and many of the staff stopped by just to converse and make sure we were happy. Keep up the good work!! read more

Great selection of beer. If I had only gone with beer this place would be 5 stars. Sadly the food was lacking, nothing terrible, just not phenomenal. read more

Place is awesome for brunch and drinks. 50+ beers on tap, and Ask for Katheryn she makes a mean Bloody Mary. read more

Publico - Katheryn's Bloody Mary - New American Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

Dis place da shit. They got fancy ass dranks to impress da white women. I have not eat here yet but all da peeps eatin seem happy and shit. Four stars! read more

Publico - New American Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

Had a great time and enjoyed the environment. The food was good. I absolutely loved the cauliflower bites. I got the tofu tacos as well but the tofu lacked flavor. Overall though I had a great experience! Lenae, our waitress, took such good care of us and made sure we enjoyed our experience! :) read more

Our waitress, Lenae, was really accomodating, and she answered all of our questions. When we had a problem with our order, she looked into it promptly and came back with a solution we were happy with. The tacos were pretty good, and the drink selection was really big. read more

The place was pretty good in terms of food. I had the chilaquilas, which were absolutely phenomenal. The hot sauces were a nice addition, as there are many to choose from. If you are not into spicy, I would not recommend trying them. The problem I had with my visit, was my drink. I ordered a vodka cranberry and paid $6. It literally tasted like they added water to cranberry juice and served it up. There was no hint of buzz to persuade me that they did give me vodka. My friend got a jalapeño margarita, which was delicious. I could actually taste alcohol in that, but I couldn't in mine. It was a sad time to pay $6 for watered down cranberry juice. At least give me regular juice if you're going to leave out alcohol! I'll give this place another try, because the food was absolutely great. I'm just really disappointed to have that money taken away. Shame. read more

I really enjoyed my latest visit to Publico. I visited on a Monday and they were having $2 taco specials and $4 margaritas. My friend and I shared the fried plantain appetizer and it was amazing. It was my first time trying a plantain and I am a fan now. Especially when it's topped with pulled pork and a pineapple jalapeño pico. The tacos I tried were the carnitos, the pork belly and the green chili chicken. They were all good but the carnitos was my favorite. We also enjoyed the margaritas, the variety of house made hot sauces, and our friendly server. I give 5 stars because I can't wait to go back. read more

Publico - New American Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

Cassidy was the best server -- go see her! Food is good and very dog friendly out back.

My friends and I love coming here for Sunday brunch. They have buy 1 get 1 free drink specials and their steak and eggs tacos are amazing!!! I would highly recommend those for brunch. I went there last time for the first time for dinner. The service was great, but my food could have definitely been better. I asked for corn tortillas instead of flour. Most places will grill the corn tortillas so they are a little crispy and will hold the filling in the tacos. My tortillas were not at all grilled and it was hard for me to eat my tacos. I ended up just eating the inside, which was great!!! Overall, a great place for a quick bite to eat and drinks! read more

Great tacos. Decent atmosphere. Good prices. Would go again.

Great casual place with a tremendous beer menu. The taco deals are tasty and affordable. Though in Five Pointsit doesn't solely cater to the college crowd. It's one of the few places that finds a balanced mix to offer both the students and non-student crowd. read more

I like this place it's fairly popular my favorite day of the week is Monday where they have taco Tuesday and their tacos are absolutely delicious read more

A good taco goes a long way. Ambiance was great. Beer selection was plentiful and menu was inspired. Muy bueno. read more

Publico - A good taco goes a long way. Ambiance was great. Beer selection was plentiful and food menu was inspired. Muy bueno! - New American Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina