The Publican

Awesome menu and friendly staff - my buddies and I loved it. The lamb and pork belly were next level.

The food was quite good, beer list is outstanding, and the service was good, but we won't return not recommend, at least not as a party of 2. Parties of 4 get seated in nice booths or hightop tables. However parties of 2 are seated at tightly crowded community tables - which would be fine if there was some sense if space, but here, guests are elbow to elbow. Moreover, the dishes are meant to be shared, and with multiple items coming out, there's literally no room at the table. And conversation is impossible in this setting.

Great food. Service was very good but slow.

This place did not disappoint. Unique pairings and flavor combinations made our meal very memorable. The slab bacon was divine. We will be coming back next time we are in Chicago

We had a great evening. Fun and lively atmosphere - sharing plates (pork shank, rillettes, mahi mahi) were excellent. Good selection of beer and wine. Thoroughly recommend.

Lotta hype going into it and recommended by so many. Was just overall disappointed especially for what we paid. Got about 10 dishes, was only impressed by 2. :(

Tried this place for the first time. The food was ok, no wow factor. The prices were way too high for the quantity and the quality of the food served. Not worth the money spent!

Went based on a recommendation and it did not disappoint. Food was flavorful, service was very attentive. Will definitely be going back next time I’m in the city.

The kitchen’s unwillingness to substitute for vegetarians was a major detractor. Plus, the famed publican bread wasn’t available for lunch. Disappointing.

Great food and great service!!!

Our experience was wonderful, the server made great recommendations

Great food — creative and interesting.
Great service — Gio was attentive and knowledgeable.

We were not disappointed!!!

This was my second time at The Publican and it was amazing both times. The first time my group did the chef's tasting menu, and it was so incredible I wanted to go back and try it again.

This time, I dined in a group of 4. Unfortunately, they weren't offering the chef's tasting menu, but our server said it would be coming back soon. We ordered 7 dishes, pork rinds, chicken liver pate, peaches and burrata, shishito peppers, mussels, lamb tagliatelle, and the half farm chicken. Each dish was incredible and the portion sizes were large in comparison to other restaurants that specialize in "small plates" (with the exception of the tagliatelle - way too small).

The service was excellent. Our waitress made great recommendations and came by to check on us frequently. The Publican is just a great restaurant with amazing food and a great atmosphere. I will be back, and I will recommend to anyone who asks.

I love this place. Been here so many time and brought so many friends. Never disappoints.

Lucky to get our favorite server, Gio. He's hands down the best. Love him, love Publican!

Great food as always, but drinks took a long time to arrive, and were infrequent.

I loved this place. The food was delicious. It was so good we just kept ordering stuff. I couldn’t believe it. The wine was unique and very good. I’ve had two great meals in Chicago and neither were at a steakhouse.

The vegetable plate was custom-made by the chefs and was incredible. So many diverse flavors on one plate. We had the veggie plate, the chicken, and lamb. All were excellent. Server took great care of us, and particularly made sure there were no nuts in any of the dishes for one of our guests. A really superb experience. Next time in Chicago, I will return to Publican!

We had oysters, the chicken liver pate and the steak. ALL of it was delicious. And the little pickles they have are stellar. It's probably the best liver pate I've ever had. The bread was great. But could only be made better by being challah rather than crusty sourdough (I think). The pate was bright and citrusy rather than heavy and bacon-y. The chairs are huge, like thrones. We were there EARLY on a Sunday evening so it was quiet then but I could see it getting very loud. And were it not chilly and windy, it would have been great to sit outside.

We’ve been coming here since they first opened and usually love it, leaving stuffed. Today was an off day for sure. No pork skins to be had - which is 50% of why we go! Brunch menu was tiny and uninspiring. So much onion on everything too - even the Johnny cakes, which is just weird. The best item was the avocado and boiled egg - seasoning was like an everything bagel! $80 for two of us and we both were still hungry when we left.

Just amazing. Great caring hosts that give you up-to-date info about the wait. A fabulous server Gio with excellent food tips and pacing, and just a great ambiance all around. You owe it to yourself to try.

Took us a while to get noticed by our waiter. Slow service. Delicious food.

Great, authentic food- fresh baked bread, delicious ham, wonderful roast chicken. A special place for a great night out.

We told our waiter we only had just under 1 hour to dine, in order to get to the theatre, and she didn’t miss a beat making our dining experience amazing. Everything was perfect, food & wine delicious, and she checked in with us at 5 min before we had to leave to remind us of the time and give us our bill. Service at its best! Love this place and can’t wait to go back.

I love go to the Publican. The food is fantastic, service is friendly and ambiance good. I try to visit everytime Im in Chicago.

Great food, and great value. Music was a bit off and pretty loud, which drove up the dB level quite a bit.

Restaurants are often noisy but this took it to new levels. We couldn't even send short messages -- even shouting and ssitting right across a small table from each other. Our server similarly misheard part of our order. The food was very good and the service was great -- although OHSA should investigate for noise violations to protect the servers. I would do take-away in a flash from The Publican (and may from the store across the way) but wouldn't take a free meal if I had to sit here. I actually like being able to talk at least little over a relaxing dinner. Not possible here.

It is very loud. There is mixed seating - with some communal and some tables and booths. Wait staff is friendly. The menu changes daily, but some dishes like bbq carrots and pork rinds are staples. Wine is served in a drink glass, which is very casual.

Too high noise level. Food is good, but value for price not fair.

A great place for dinner. I will definitely return again.

Fantastic brunch, and a great spot to sit outside. We especially loved the AMAZING biscuits!

Food was okay

Hip atmosphere in the Fulton Market area. Accommodated our large group of 10. Food was delicious however the portions were small for a brunch. Egg dishes only had one egg. Biggest negatives were that it was extremely loud and very warm everywhere other than the restroom.

We went on Sunday morning and, while I saw there was a brunch menu, I did not realize that the rest of the menu was not available at all. We wanted things on the main menu and brunch was underwhelming to say the least. That being said, our waiter was excellent and the drinks were really good. I'm sure it is amazing if you are not eating brunch.

Hard to hear even if the person was in front of you

You will always find unusual food combinations here and the flavors never disappoint.

Food and service was fantastic but be prepared for some noise. Overall, great experience and would highly recommend.

This may be the best meal I've ever had. Can't say enough about the service and the quality of the food. And you have to get the chicken! It's amazing!

We were recommended to Publican and we were not disappointed by the food. Everything was delicious and presented beautifully and portions were generous. Our server, although very nice, was a bit remiss first with our drinks and then with the food. We love to dine and of course don’t like eating in a rush, but we thought there were times that she might have forgotten to put our order in.
Also, my husband was a bit surprised with the spirits list. He is a vodka drinker and there were two offerings, neither of which we ever heard of. I was very pleased with the bourbon selections.
But
We would absolutely go back, we really loved our meal.

Flavor bombs in every bite. Don’t overlook veggies which are outstanding and paired in complex tasty arrangements. Half portion of entrees enough for one diner and full portion best for sharing. Helpful friendly service make good recommendations and team approach guarantees prompt attention. I seek this spot out whenever in town.