There were two wedding receptions at the same time we were there. Regular diners were crowded in a room not quite large enough to accommodate them comfortably. The noise level, accentuated by the bare floor, made conversation a little difficult. The food was good, though- pleasant New England fare. Service was a bit spotty; our very pleasant server disappeared for long stretches. Great martini! A pretty venue and generally a nice place for old fuddy-duddies to enjoy retro repasting. But check ahead regarding large events.

One of our favorite spots! Food is great and service is good!

I am vegan and the selection of vegetarian entries is very good. Mushroom ravioli was excellent.

Thought the place is outstanding given the historical age. The food was just average. The server was a little odd. We asked him what the soup of the day was and he didn't know. He found out and when he reported back to us, he made a face and said "you don't want to order it". While I appreciate him telling me it wasn't very good, wouldn't it make more sense to alert management that diners reported not liking it so the item is removed from the menu and not repeated? At time of payment, we gave him two credit cards to split the bill, even explaining that. He returned with two receipts telling us one was for each of us to sign. Upon further examination, one receipt was for the merchant copy and one was the customer copy for just one of the credit cards. We told him we needed the other credit card run through and that the other credit card was missing. He told us there never was a 2nd credit card, which made no sense based on his first explanation, stating the first two receipts represented a receipt for each of us. At that point, they couldn't tell us where the 2nd credit card was. Eventually another staff member indicated they had found a credit card on the floor and the matter was resolved but it wasn't a very professional transaction.

Meeting a friend

Meals and service were terrific! Only complaint, the dining room was too bright, even for 2:30 pm lunch.

We had a wonderful dinner. The waitress was patient and accommodating since my friend and I don’t see each other very often. We felt happy to be back at the Publick House and will be back agoan

The ambiance and history added to the healthy lunch.

We met for a late Christmas gathering. Location is perfect. An hour commute for all of us. Ambiance great. Food very good.

Great place for a holiday dinner!

Not completely pleased with experience from waiting for a call back from the hostess (which phone call was returned 2 days after I left a message)to actually being rushed off the call. Hostess clearly did not have time to talk. Waitress had a problem with splitting our check. Just didn’t want to take the time. Nice to us at the end when she thought it would help her tip. No can’t say I would return

Same as it's always been - wonderful. Good food, service and not too loud!!

Owen our waiter was excellent.
Our dinners were as always, delicious!
The atmosphere is beautifully decorated, and very cozy.
Don't forget to visit the bakery for a few amazing treats to take home.

Our wait person, Lori was outstanding. Professional, friendly and attentive. I will ask to be seated in her station when I dine again.

Excellent service, food and atmosphere. Brunch on New Years day was excellent and loved the atmosphere.

The main dining room closed early because of the ice storm so all the guests were seated in the tavern which was full and noisy. The staff was short also because of the weather so service was slower than usual but understood. We didn’t receive a roll basket but didn’t want to bother our waitress who was over booked. The food was great. Will come again hopefully in better weather.

A favorite place to meet for lunch. The food is always excellent- their turkey is delicious. It’s cozy and comfortable and it’s almost always noisy with conversation but that just means people are enjoying themselves

My food could have been warmer. But overall quite enjoyable.

AMAZING! Great food, great service. This place at Christmas is like no other!

I made reservations yesterday for a party of six for my employees. We were very disappointed with the service, quality of food and terrible attitudes of the staff. For an establishment that wants to portray class and quality it is a far cry from that. It took over 38 minutes to get our first round of drinks , our waitress looked to have a terrible cold and actually rolled her eyes when we asked her to take back a seafood dish that was burnt and the green beans were cold and not fully cooked. One of the six meals we ordered actually tasted good. I don't mind paying for a quality meal and I do understand getting good help is hard these days, but having a friendly staff would have made the experience much more tolerable. We will definitely not be back , nor will we ever recommend this business.--

The food was fine and the setting was just what I was looking for. Unfortunately, the staff attitude was not very friendly in fact, openly complained about how busy they were, voiced how much work Christmas was going to be, not very enthusiastic. Too bad their expressions were so transparent, and really put a damper on the experience. Not enough ho ho ho or jolly smiles.....probably won't return for same celebration next year.

For about 20 years now, we have made it a tradition to stop at the Publick House on our way to Christmas in Boston. Everything about it is perfect, starting with the atmosphere and certainly not ending with the service or the quality of food. It’s one of our family’s longest continuing traditions.

After 60 years, had to return for a prime rib dinner. It was huge, about 3/4 inch thick and almost plate sized. The best was it was tender and truly tasted wonderful! Used to stop in when taking my great aunt to Maine every trip in the late fifties. It was her must. Now, I guess it is mine.

We go there every year as tradition. Unfortunately, the building needs some repairs which are easy. The wallpapers are ripped here and there, waste basket was full in the ladies room. Small inexpensive things. They should also invest in a bar tender in the dining room instead of making their wait staff mix drinks. Many of them aren’t good at it and it’s obviously stressing them out and taking away from dining service

Always love Publick House. We got married there 30 years ago this past July. Wonderful dinner once again. :)

I always make it a point to have dinner at the beautiful Publick House when I visit the area from Maine. As usual the food, staff, and service was excellent. I wish I could remember our server's name but she was extraordinary and we will definitely ask for her next time we visit.

Such atmosphere, especially at the holidays! Food was delicious! Generous portions, enough to take home! Specialty, seasonal drinks to toast the season. Will return!

The restaurant was beautifully decorated for Christmas. It was warm and inviting and our server was Julie and was just wonderful.

Little overpriced for quality of food
Beautiful atmosphere at Christmas

Our waitress was great. Young girl in main dining room atmonday at 430. Upstairs. Wish I got her name

Cute and cozy, good food. A few staff members seemed to be new but they were friendly so that made up for it.

I was pleasantly surprised by the food, staff, wait, and price. Everything was better than I expected . I would highly recommend and will definitely go there again.

From the coming in to the going out , EVERYTHING and EVERYONE was wonderful.
Publick House is always on our 'go to' list!

Went there with friends to celebrate pre-Christmas. Loved the lights and the decor and the special areas with Christmas trees and decorations. Used a coupon for one free entrée. Looks like that coupon is quite the draw as there were many dining there that night. The Caesar salad was excellent. The bread selection was quite nice and assorted. I got the steak which I ordered medium rare. It was a bit overcooked and tough. My husband got the scallops which he thought were a little on the small side though very tasty. Our two friends got the scrod dinner and were very happy with the fish and the sides that accompanied it. We had a very enjoyable evening.

Birthday celebration...

Quaint old inn. Rooms are very spacious and clean. Decorated up well for the holidays.
Very nice and full f historical charm.

Our most recent visit was to celebrate my husband's birthday. Both of us thoroughly enjoyed our meal. My husband opted to not have dessert because he was full - believe me that is a first! However, we did manage to polish off the cupcake Charles, our server, brought us. His service was also excellent.

This will certainly not be the last time we celebrate a birthday there!

Lovely place for our family members to meet and reconnect. Unhurried, great meals all around and friendly service. Beautiful old historic building. If you go, try the Indian Pudding!

Loved the Turkey dinner. Peanut butter meringue was way sweet

I was very disappointed because we have been to the publick house in the past and loved the ambience. I went in a Sunday night, it was fairly empty and would’ve expected the service to be great seeing they weren’t that busy. Our waitress rarely came to check on us and we had to ask for her after an hour and half went by and our food still hadn’t come. The food was ok, nothing was wrong with it, but for the price I was expecting more. And to change the sides was a $3 upcharge even though I was asking for sides from a cheaper menu item to go with a more expensive dish, and shouldn’t cost more. Not likely to drive an hour to go here again.