I was in town a couple weekends ago from LA and fell in love with this place! I love the location of it; great place to sit outside and people watch on a weekend night. Also the food was amazing as well! I did not expect the bbq carrots to be that delicious and could have easily eaten the whole plate by myself. Also ordered the sirloin steak which took awhile but was well worth it! The bouchot mussels, scallops and the yellow tail crudo were to die for as well. We topped it off with a bottle of rosé which completed my hearty dinner. This is easily one of my top fav sports in Chicago now, especially in the summer time! read more

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Happy Hour specials that actually delight, for example a beer+shot+burger for $19. What more do you need? These plates are made for sharing, though some of the mains are ample to satisfy a serious appetite. Consider a bread plate or charcuterie, perhaps paired with wine? You can class it up or do it dirt cheap. read more

Came by on Saturday for brunch. The restaurant has cozy rustic vibes. Got the side of crispy potatoes, aged cheddar biscuit, and chicken schnitzel! Loved the crispy potatoes, portion size was huge, we had plenty to take home. Definitely a must get. read more

The Publican - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Love this place. They make their own cold cuts, head cheese, pate, and mortadella are not to be missed. Also great meats and breads. And they put of with my elderly and sometimes difficult/demanding parents who are on their 80s read more

Vegetarian's need not apply here. This is for people who love to eat what was alive at one point. Period. That said, they do have some delicious veggies in the bbq carrots & beet salad. But come on, let's get to the point and that's the meat! Just do yourself a favor and get the short rib, country ribs, Publican Bacon and half chicken and then thank me later with a thumbs up here if you're so inclined. read more

I've waited since June to post this review in hopes that the Publican would be able to remedy the upsetting and violating situation that I experienced at this restaurant. I write this post as a warning for future patrons to reconsider hosting an event here, as the Publican treats their patrons with little respect and has completely shattered my trust. My friend and I were wedding guests at the Publican in early June. When we got to the Publican we asked the hostess and Publican events planner, Danielle, where the card box was to put our cards in. Danielle responded "I am the card box!" And so we handed our cards over to her as she told us that they would all be given to the bride and groom. I was a bit nervous to hand the cards over, as they contained more than $500 cash, but I unfortunately trusted Danielle. Fast forward, the day after the wedding, I asked the bride if Danielle had given our wedding cards to them. She told us that Danielle hadn't given them any cards, but that she'd follow up with the Publican to make sure that she got them. Several weeks later I again asked the bride if she'd received our cards and she told us that Danielle hadn't given them any cards still. Danielle even told us at one point she gave everything to the groom, but the groom confirmed that he had not received any cards at all. We contacted the restaurant right away to discuss the situation in hopes that they would be willing to work with us to remedy the situation: simply put, we wanted the bride and groom to receive their wedding gift. We spoke with the GM, Oscar, that took the situation seriously and was deeply upset that this occurred. He had us try to work with Danielle to rectify the issue. Upon countless attempts to contact Danielle via phone calls and text messages, she finally called several weeks later and acted like she had no idea what we were talking about, even though she knew all about the situation. She told us that it was "ridiculous" for us to expect that she would be able to do something about our stolen cards & cash that were in her possession. At first, we were hopeful that it was just a mistake. However, the Publican and Danielle continually dodged our calls and messages, leading us to believe that they had something to hide, which they clearly do. This should've been and could've been a very simple situation to find a solution for. Unfortunately, for the past 5 months, we've seen quite the opposite. We have not been unreasonable and in fact, we have offered multiple options for The Publican to make this situation right for us, but most importantly, the bride and groom. read more

We ate at the Publican in the O'Hare airport and it was some of the best airport food we've ever had. Highly recommend! read more

The Publican - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The first thing I noticed when walking in were the tables. They were long and I felt as if I were sitting at a King's table (which I was not). Either way, I adore communal seating. Lunch was tasty. This was my first time and I was very excited to try everything. I would absolutely recommend the Barbecued Carrot Soup. It was a savory surprise and the pecans added the perfect amount of crunch. I expected it to be sweeter (my bad), but was still very happy. The potted rillettes was a bit disappointing as it didn't give off much flavor. When hearing that it was a spreadable duck and pork mixture, my mouth was watering, but it missed the mark for me. The oysters were tasty. The mussels and frites were also good, but not amazing. The frites were great though. Crispy in the outside, soft on the inside. yum! Overall, I enjoyed my lunch, but wasn't blown away. However, I'm always down to try again. read more

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We recently enjoyed a great happy hour here on the patio. From 4-6 the prices are insanely cheap for the quality of the food. The burger was top notch as were the oysters. The real winner were the french fries fried in tallow, which makes a huge difference. Service was friendly. read more

This was our first time here but have heard only great things about it from friends. Sure enough, we had a great brunch experience. Table setup is a little wonky, there are large communal tables as well as other smaller tables distributed about. Our server was fantastic, he was very attentive and generally a great guy to talk with. The food was also fantastic and beautifully prepared, you can't go wrong anything here. Of note, the pork belly was very yummy, albeit a little overcooked, featuring a refreshing dijon endive salad. The smoked salmon dip was also special and flavorful. We overall had a great experience and will return next time we're in Chicago! read more

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We made a reservation a week in advance to avoid waiting in line for too long as I figured the restaurant with over 3,000 reviews would definitely be very crowded most of the time - especially, on the weekend.  We still had to wait about 10 minutes to get a table.   The restaurant has beautiful lightings and interesting seatings.  There are "private" booth tables available along in one side of the restaurant with a door you can close.  It is not that private-private because others can see you anyway but seemed very interesting.  In the middle, there is a huge table with highchairs.  One reviewer described it as a cafeteria-style seating.  If you don't get a booth table or a regular dining table, you will be seated with someone else from other group right next to each other.  As Chicago is a big city, people in Chicago seemed to be very used to it.  I like their openness! Back to food, we ordered Pork belly hash, Grilled pork loin, and Pork schnitzel.  Foods weren't really extraordinary.  It was something I could easily cook at home by myself except the schnitzel.  I felt it was pricey compared to the food served.   Overall, it was an OK dining experience but I probably won't come back again. read more

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Had an amazing time at The Publican for dinner! My absolute favorite thing about the meal was the 24oz Bone-In Pork Chop. My husband got the Butchers Steak and also said that his was phenomenal. Service was exceptional and I cannot wait to come back. The Happy Hour is pretty awesome too, great drinks and the Happy Hour Oysters were killer. A1 ! read more

The Publican - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

We were out with the puppers looking for a possible dinner location. Publican, on Fulton Market, looked welcoming with its large outdoor space and many tables. We stepped inside and asked about a table on the patio for dinner and if it was ok to have the doggo's with us. They were so gracious and welcoming to both us and our pups. After a short wait we were seated and in addition to setting two glasses of water in front of us they placed a large bowl of water under the table for the dogs! We looked over the menu and after some very helpful advice about the generous portion sizes we decided to order the Bread and Spreads, the Barbecued Carrots, and the Country Rib. We had been tempted to order more sides but when everything arrived at the table we realized our server was right. The portions for these dishes were very generous! The bread and spreads included 3 large thick slices of both toasted sour dough and seeded rye. The spreads were large scoops of pimento cheese and smoked salmon dip. The bread were tremendous with a nice crumb and perfectly crispy crust. The pimento cheese spread was rich, creamy, and had just the right amount of pimento goodness. The salmon dip was delicious with what we thought was a mild dill accent to the spread. Soooooo good! The barbecued carrots (we ordered ours without the pecans) were flame grilled to just the right amount firmness with a slight char. The creamy herb dressing with fresh dill accents were great accompaniments to the generous portion of barbecued carrots. Yum! The country rib was huge! Ok, maybe huge is an exaggeration but it was definitely big. The meat was well prepared with a "sauce moutarde". The stone ground mustard that was featured in this sauce gave everything an exquisite flavor. The meat was also very tender. This dish also came with braised cabbage and vidalia onions. Overall a wonderfully satisfying main course and plenty for the two of us. Afterward, we looked over the dessert menu and couldn't pass up the chance to try the Caramel Banoffee. We love banofee pie and this version was a little different than the ones we have had before. It was constructed with a pie crust crumb, banana mousse, and rum ice cream. Sort of a deconstructed banoffee pie. It was very tasty. Overall, our first visit to Publican was spectacular! The food was great. The entire staff we had the pleasure of interacting with were so friendly and welcoming. The outdoor patio was a delightful space to have a relaxing meal. Finally, they were so nice to our pups! We highly recommend Publican for a nice meal out! Yay! read more

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Now that this place has been around for some time and now that I've experienced dinner, I'd thought I would write another review. In short, while I thought brunch is still better, the dinner was pretty good. My table did the chefs menu which the 8 courses are up to what the chef wanted to make that night. I wonder how much it varies each night, but we got 8 dishes plus dessert. While the food was excellent, it was very fish heavy which was disappointing. However, the fish dishes were some of the strongest and we did get some of their famous meats in a duck filet, shaved procuitto, and pork "Chicago Beef Style". The side dishes were a little blah as well, but it didn't ruin anything. The desert was phenomenal with a rosemary ice cream and apple crisp. As for service, it was good, but not great. Nothing bad happened, but it just lacked the "wow" factor. It was also slow, but it seems to be their kind of jam. It's not a place to get a quick bite to eat and that's ok. I am certainly coming back for brunch, but I might wait awhile until dinner. read more

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Delicious. I went with a group of friends and we got a few entrees to share. All were tasty and filling, and the atmosphere was great. Service was great and quick, and our server was able to give us solid recommendations. We got a dozen chef's selection oysters, where we got 2 of each kind served that evening. Each I tried were fantastic. We also split the mussels; the broth they were cooked in was delicious, and we got extra bread to dip into the remaining broth after we finished the mussels. The brussel sprouts with ricotta were amazing, still crispy even with the ricotta on top. The bavette steak was tender and juicy, and I would absolutely have it again. The fame chicken was good, but the fries and sausage they came with were even better. The cocktails were great as well. I got the punctuated sharpness and spiced pear toddy. We also split a bottle of wine, which was okay, but I generally prefer cocktails. Will definitely come back! read more

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I've been to Publican for brunch and dinner a few times and have always enjoyed my experience. Most recently we had dinner here. We were lucky enough to snag a table as a walk in on a Saturday night. I think this is probably rare circumstance. They have a good selection of alcohol- cocktails, wine, and beer. I had the Jalisco Sunrise, which was sweet and did not taste like it had tequila in it. I would not order it again. My fiancé got the old fashioned and our friends shared a bottle of wine. Everyone else was very happy with their beverage. We got quite a bit for dinner, which is served family style dinner with shared plates, including the main meats and seafood entrees. One of my favorite starters is their bread. I loved the sesame seeds on some parts of the crust. We got the taste of 3. The pimento cheese and smoked fish were so good, I wish it came with more bread so I could eat all the dips up, but it's probably better that we didn't fill up in bread. The Serrano ham was great! I haven't had charcuterie from a legit place in a long time and it was so so delicious. It was served at the right temperature, thin and tender. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. For the mains we had the half chicken and pork belly. The pork belly was my favorite dish of the evening, amazing flavor and texture. Loved the crispy edges! The apple butter was really nice. Don't skip this one. The half chicken was also good. I don't know how they get the seasonings to sink into the chicken so well, but it's impressive! The sausage pieces were great as well. I may have liked the sausage a little more than the chicken. Every part of that dish was super enjoyable and it was sizable! We took some home as leftovers. For dessert we had the chocolate sassafras semifreddo. It was unique but also very comforting and satisfying (as every chocolate dessert should be)! We had a great meal and the service was exceptional. Definitely a solid Chicago restaurant! read more

You really, really want to be here as a group. A group that devours meat. That loves meat. Merely like it? I don't know if it'll be your thing. Yes, the sides are good, including the veggies. But that's not why you come here. Big long semi-communal tables, good service. read more

Long overdue review, but I went here for the first time during Chicago Restaurant Week this year! We went here to start off restaurant week on the first day and what a great start it was! Out of the places we tried during restaurant week, this was the best! Overall ambience is very casual; families were dining, couples on dates, friends having a good time over food and drinks. Our server was awesome, very tentative, cool, and explained to us what each dish we were given! Finally food--so, dang, good! Of course can't do restaurant week without doing their fixed menu, so on their menu we got 3 courses and dessert! We tried their Smoked Fish Dip with bread first as a starter--WOW. This alone was so tasty and simple, yet we'd come back just to order this with drinks, and we're golden! There were 3 of us dining, so we got to try both 1st course options of sweet potatoes and broccoli romanesco. 2nd course--bouchot mussels & we all agreed this was what we obsessed over the most. They served this in this butter/garlic sauce, along with French bread and even when the mussels were all done, we were soaking up that sauce with the bread because it was just SO DELICIOUS. We're coming back for that dish alone. 3rd course we all wanted the butchers steak and the meat was so tender, juicy, and very flavorful; cooked very well! As for dessert, it was a "toasted mallow", chocolate cremeux, graham cracker crumb, & chicory ice cream--essentially a fancy version of a s'more almost! It was good, but I think we couldn't fully enjoy it because we were so stuffed from the previous courses! Overall, food was amazing, and we would definitely come back again! Not bad for the start we had for restaurant week! read more

The Publican - Broccoli Romanesco (@jesstasteit on IG) - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Came for dinner on a Sunday night and it was surprisingly quiet. We ordered the taste of three bread choice, the beets, garden vegetables, bouchot mussels, farm chicken, and pork belly. I really enjoyed the beets and the mussels. The pork belly is melt in your mouth fatty and savory but it is a small portion. I thought the farm chicken plate looked really random (imagine a layer of fries with pieces of sausage and chicken on top). The chicken was really tender and juicy. I didn't try the sausage and the fries were soggy (as expected). On a hot day, I highly recommend the beets and garden vegetables salad. Very fresh and tasty! read more

The Publican - PQB Bread Taste of 3 - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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The Country Rib, the fresh plums are light and tasteful the basil is very interesting with everything else but the cheese doesn't do much for me! The pork belly was awesome with great flavors and the tenderness of the meat. The salmon entree was to die for. Speaking of fish the smoked fish that was served with the bread was really really good! The heirloom tomatoes were ok I was hoping for a little more wow from the tomatoes though! The general consensus from everyone in our party was that everything was great! I forgot to mention that the restrooms could use a little love and attention to cleaning. read more

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Great brunch on Sunday. All the food was great. It a little pricey but the quality was worth it. Really enjoyed the patio. Hard working fast moving waiters. read more

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After 15 years in business, this wonderful restaurant successfully maintains the highest quality of the meats and breads it is known for. Duck and pork rillettes were very tasty and accompanying bread was a delicacy by itself. My sweetbreads served with maple braised greens, bacon & caper salsa verde were outstanding. One of the most popular dishes, porchetta, merited all the acclaim. Our server was so nice that she even offered us a dessert on the house. I highly recommend this restaurant and cannot wait to come back to try the fish selection. Bravo! read more

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Between an arctic freeze and omicron the place was empty when we came on a Monday night for dinner. Literally only three other people in the place. Still, they took great care of us and the service and food was amazing. Glad we braved the 8-degree temps and howling wind for this amazing meal and great cocktails and service! read more

This was the absolute ideal place to eat some mouth-watering brunch dishes. My friend and I had 48 hours in Chicago and this place caught our eye because of the reviews of how fresh the food was. As we walked in, the whole place has beautifully large and exaggerated wooden chairs and family style dining tables. The whole restaurant bathed in sunlight from the high windows. The food was DIVINE. On top of that- the service was amazing, I love how the whole place felt like it was family owned and they never skipped a beat on filling our bottomless coffees. The decor and tableware was charming - a cross between barnyard chic and cottage core. I cannot say enough lovely things about the freshness of the produce and the quality of the meat! Every dish we ordered was delicious and well plated - the salad was well-dressed, the frittata was tender but firm, the bread was fresh baked and darkly toasted. Not a single detail missed. Wish there was more sausage but we will order another side of it next time. read more

The Publican - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Publican specializes in beer, pork, and oysters. It's menu and decor pays homage to European beer halls where you can gather and share food with your friends. I'm sitting at the chef's table, without asking for it. Guess that's an advantage of single diners. I love watching the cooks do their magic and getting my food delivered right from the kitchen. Having read the reviews for the Spicy Pork Rinds, I knew what I must order first. Although these were tasty, they weren't that spicy. I would have loved to hear them "crackling", like they just came out of the deep fryer. My Brussel Sprouts were a surprise. It came out almost like a slaw. I go for the signature Half Farm Chicken. And finish it! Like many great chicken dinners I've had recently, the secret again is the brining. Moist and juicy for sure. For dessert, the Blueberry Pie. Yum! When I arrived at 6pm for my meal, the restaurant wasn't a quarter full. But when I left 90 minutes later, it was packed! read more

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First timer here, and I probably won't return and not sure I'd recommend it. Confusing because I'm giving it 4 stars, but let me explain. Started with a glass of orange wine (also a first timer for this) and it was delicious. Could best be described as a sour apple juice sans the sweetness. Quite crisp and refreshing for a humid night out. Server recommended for two people a side, a fish, and a meat. We took that suggestion and raised him a side. They were out of the peaches and burrata which was a huge bummer so, we ordered BBQ carrots and the asparagus. Asparagus tasted blanched, and was missing the wow factor, almost like it tasted too healthy. Carrots were top tier. The creamy herb dressing gave a cooling effect and balanced out the smokiness. YUM, get these. Our fish was the rainbow trout. Loved the yogurt sauce and the crispiness of the fish skin. Watch out for bones! And the bavette. Tender, juicy and loaded with potatoes. The romesco was the highlight, I needed more to drown my potatoes in. Desserts were meh, and I don't feel like they deserve my time. SKIP. So why the 4 stars but not the recommendation? It was a good meal, not great. And at the price point, there's so many better options in the city. I believe for all the above, we spent roughly $200. Seems a bit steep. read more

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We showed up to The Publican knowing exactly what we were going to get...and that's everything lol. We've wanted to eat here for a while and once we got the opportunity, we went BIG: The Chef's Menu. The Chef's Menu is a multi-course meal featuring the best The Publican has to offer and most of the course depends on what the chefs feel like making that day. We figured it was the best way to try the most things, especially since they recommend you order to share. We ended up with 9 courses, including dessert (in order): * Hiramasa Crudo - this was a solid starter, preparing our palate. SUPER fresh. * Potted Rillettes - we liked this so much our waiter made sure to let us know they sell jars of it at their butcher shop/cafe across the street. It's indulgent but delicious! * Bouchot Mussels - mussels swimming in garlic butter and they went so well with their sourdough * Pork Belly - the MVP of the meal: the combo of pork belly, apple butter, apples and parsnip was the perfect bite * Apple - a salad so flavorful, it puts all other salads to shame. It was vibrant and the peppery horseradish cheddar complimented the sweet apples perfectly * Beets - a solid salad that allowed the beets to be the star of the show * Monkfish - the flavors are so balanced; the cranberries and broccolini were perfect with the firm fish * Country Rib - we were full by the time this came out but it was so good we stuffed our faces with an amazing combo of rib, blue cheese and pear * Chocolate Chess Pie - a rich chess pie with ice cream and pretzel pieces. You'll lick the plate....trust me lol This was a delicious meal with barely any faults; we strongly recommend the chef's menu so you can try the best of everything! All the fall vegetables and fruits paired so nicely with the meat and seafood; it's a super thoughtful menu. Try everything! read more

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Had a wonderful brunch after a beautiful Old St Pat's mass. The Pub required a deposit to secure the reservation which was ok but didn't seem needed given all the open tables. We had a party of 8 of mostly kids. Two constructive criticisms , no kids menu and very loud. Could not imagine what the noise level would be if fully packed at night. Otherwise, drinks , food and service top notch. Adults started with the beer mosa's and prickly encounter. Loved the beer mosa. We ordered waffles,poached eggs , eroque madame and shakghula. All delicious. Sides included hash browns, crispy potatoes and bacon and sausage. Good stuff. Food comes out from time to time which is different but it all worked out. I would recommend ordering less and if you need more they can make it happen. We all enjoyed the experience. read more

The food here is pretty good, but I do feel like this place is overhyped and a little too pricey for the flavor of the food and portion sizes. The dishes are meant to be served family style but most of them are too small to shared. We ordered lots of dishes to satisfy 3 people. We started off with the beets and "3 spreads and bread." The beets were good and prepared in a creative way with feta on the bottom. The 3 spreads and bread was a little disappointing and not worth the price since it's just a pretty standard bread plate. We got two pork dishes, the pork belly and porchetta. The pork belly was barbecued and so tender!! It was very flavorful and a great dish. The porchetta was a large dish; it was the only dish that felt truly family style. The meat itself was a little too salty, I wish it could have had some other flavor besides salt. It's served with sourdough at the bottom, which is nice to have soak up all the juices. We also got a halibut which was cooked very well and had a nice crisp on top. It was served with mushrooms which were very flavorful. For dessert we got a chocolate malt layer cake and raspberry milk bread. The chocolate cake was balanced and had the right amount of sweetness. The raspberry milk bread was decent, but it could have had more sweetness to the bread to really make it feel like dessert. I came here for my birthday so I also got an extra sorbet which was very nice! read more

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Still one of my favorite spots after years and years. Anything we get is delicious. The only negative from this past visit was finding a ton of shell pieces in our oysters. Disappointing for sure but we've had countless amazing meals at Publican that I don't even care haha Highly highly recommend. read more

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I came back and tried the half chicken with summer sausage and fries, Daisy day drink (lavender, cinnamon-honey, lemon & tonic water) and selection of hams. Much better experience this time. Loved the sweet, bitter and floral flavors in the Daisy day drink. Felt like royalty eating that peasant bread with different hams. Chicken was absolutely perfect - juicy and moist, including breast meat. Summer sausage good. Fries were too crispy, didn't taste much potato. All of this sitting in a pond of chicken juice - delicious. This updated review could have been 5 stars if the prices weren't so steep and brunch menu dragging them down.$28 for half chicken plate and $6 for drink. Geez read more

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Was finally able to try brunch here! and for the most part, did not disappoint! The staff was friendly and attentive and we were seated right away. The décor is pretty nice with lots of big block woods which fits with the farm to table theme. Started with the only negative of the meal, the sweet cheese danish. It didn't taste fresh...I could have had better from my local grocery. But after that hiccup the food was amazing! We had the Country rib-n-eggs and pork belly hash. I LOVED both dishes with the pork belly hash being my favorite. It was a bit meat heavy for the wife but perfect for me. My better half gives this place 4 stars because she felt that everything was a bit "heavy" for her. But for a meat lover like me? It was just perfectly satisfying so I'm giving the Publican 5 stars :-) Come here if you love meat! read more

The Publican - Country rib-n-eggs - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Had an amazing brunch here. Arrived right before opening and was seated right away. My boyfriend and I shared: + Swiss chard baked eggs - really inventive flavor combos here + Buttermilk biscuit - perfection + Publican bacon - ditto + Hash browns - basically the size of a plate, so good Only caveat was that they unexpectedly charged us $3 for milk (I just asked for skim milk in my coffee, which was $3.50 on its own). No one said anything beforehand. So that was kind of annoying to pay $6.50 for a cup of coffee, which by the way was mediocre, even if it had free refills. Still, the food was incredible! read more

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This is a spot I've really wanted to try especially since Chef Michael Symon, who I'm a big fan of, speaks so highly of it. As I've stated before, most of my travel companions are not adventurous when it comes to food so I took advantage when I made a solo trip. I was given a seat at the bar which I loved because it gave me a chance to see some prep and chat with the servers. They were very kind in pointing me to what would be good to try as a first timer. The entrees were large and built to share so I decided on a taste of their best and a vegetable plate. The half charcuterie platter was a plentiful array that showed off their skill of mastering nose to tail eats. On this day my plate included Cacciatore Salami, Pork Pie, Lamb Souse, Harissa Pate, Morteau Sausage and mustard. It was phenomenal to taste so much in many different forms and also the contrast was amazing; sweet, spicy, hot, cold, velvety, crunchy. Alongside I got the Japanese Eggplant, a huge plate of lightly battered and fried planks topped with cipollini onions, Shepherd's Hope (a sheep's milk cheese similar to queso fresco), mint and agrodolce. Again, another mouthful textures and absolutely stunning. After all of this there was no way I could order dessert but the couple next to me got a cookie jar full of all different treats so they passed it down the bar for all to share. I picked out a thin, chewy cookie topped with a mound of marshmallow and covered with chocolate. It was just enough, a sweet bite to end a spectacular meal. read more

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My second time here, the first time being in 2012. I honestly don't remember the first time I came aside from the fact that I liked it. This time I still felt the same! I came with my family and my best friend. The 5 of us ordered the brunch box, Ploughman's Board, Johnnycake, Weisswurst, Fried Chicken, Crispy potatoes, and bacon. My favorite out of all of them was the fried chicken. Chicken was juicy and tender, easy to tear apart, and the two eggs on top just made it even more tasty. My second favorite part was the pickled cauliflower on the Ploughman's board. They were crunchy and tasty and it also paired well with pretty much everything else that we ordered. I have a love and hate relationship regarding the seating here. I love that there's communal seating but also seating by party. There are booths on the side, high tops, and large connected tables everywhere else. However, the communal seating gets a bit crowded and it's hard to get in and out of your table. Moving onto the service, I thought they had the perfect balance of checking in on you and leaving you alone. We never had to worry about our water not being filled, but also never had to answer questions with our mouths full. read more

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Delicious and great for groups! We were there for a birthday and service was notably friendly and quick. Food was delicious and all our server recommendations were great. We were visiting from San Francisco and had a great time trying this restaurant out. read more

This is probably my favorite brunch spot in all of Chicago. Everytime my husband and I have visited the city, we always try to make a stop to come here for brunch on the weekends. All of their breakfast dishes have an eccentric twist that's not like your typical pancake, eggs, bacon breakfast - and we've loved all of them! The maple bacon is their signature dish - and the price is a little high but quality and heftiness of the meat is great, tastes delicious too. My personal go-to is their waffle. It's a must-have for me everytime I go there. They have the most light and fluffy, but also slightly crunchy waffle that has a light spread of powdered sugar. It comes with a side of their house jam and butter - and it is just heaven. This is definitely one of my top favorites - will definitely have to come here sometime dinner! I've only heard great things regarding their dinner menu. read more

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One of my favorite places in Fulton Market! I've only been for brunch but it has been great every time! The bacon is AMAZING, we got the waffle and schnitzel this time. The waffle was nice and crispy. Definitely recommend as part of any Chicago visit, but not the most vegetarian-friendly. read more

The Publican is simply an amazing place. When my buddy and I jumped out of our Uber, I thought the place looked like a deli. It turns out we were at Publican Quality Meats across the street. That deli looked amazing and we spent a few minutes walking through before heading over The Publican. A very classy looking place and seemed very similar, in many ways, to The Playground back home in Santa Ana. They had booth seating with swinging doors to add a bit more privacy but we were seated in the communal bench seating area. The place is pretty loud so be prepared. We got the corner two seats and the folks around us were pretty cool to be around us. Christopher served us with precision all evening. We quickly realized he could put together a suggested meal for us if we gave him a couple of hints of what we liked. He suggested some great beers and we each picked a few dishes until we had a belly full of suggestions. Eating family or tapas style is a great way to go if you are adventurous. The charcuterie plate was a great way to get several tastes of their specialty meats. Head cheese, sausage, salami, pickles, caper berries and a couple of mustards and their super crunchy baguette. Whole fried whiting (think large sardine) with fried dill pickles and a tangy rich sauce. Barbecued carrots, boneless leg of lamb with Brussels sprouts. Incredible taste, ingredients and presentation. Hot apple pie type of dish with sherry ice cream finished it off. Not overly expensive and certainly worth the price of admission. A real foodie treat. read more

The Publican - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I was excited to finally eat here because of the great reviews and longevity of it in Chicago. It wasn't as spectacular as we thought it would be. I had a tequila drink and my friends had old fashions. My husband doesn't drink and loved that they had non alcoholic cocktails with Kentucky 74. We wanted to start with bread, but they were sold out (Sunday night). The oysters were good, nothing different with them. The half charcuterie was pretty good. There was way more bread than meat. There wasn't a lot of variety-spicy, rich, the head cheese and pork pie were both rich. For mains we got the half porchetta and steak. There was way more vegetables than actual meat. The porchetta was rubbery and tough. The polenta, sauce, and vegetables were good. The steak was cold, but cooked nicely. The bitter chicory was great with it. The highlight of the night was the vegetables. The cauliflower had a nice creamy base with picked onions and pine nuts. The Brussels sprouts were also great. To finish, my friends split the bread pudding and it was super tiny. The ice cream was bigger than the bread pudding. Overall we were disappointed. We thought it would be more "meat focused." It wasn't bad, but we weren't super excited! read more

The Publican - Enclosed booths - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois