High value. Solid ingredients - creative, but unoriginal.

Overall a nice place. Food is a bit overpriced for what it is. There are better options in the area.

It was great! A little loud and hard to hear at times but that’s nothing that can really be changed.

It was a great experience for celebrating our anniversary. It was just fancy enough to be a special occasion place but down to earth that I did not feel out of place in jeans and a polo. Food was amazing and nothing we ordered disappointed.

The beer, the vibe, the bread and the mussels!! So enjoyed my dinner and the service was superb.

Very very good food, the chicken was a bit too salty, as were the French fries.

The food was nothing short of amazing and out server was so nice.

Such a cool spot with incredible food. We will definitely go back when we’re in town again.

While the food was definitely the highlight of the meal, there were unfortunately a few negative aspects as well. Let's start with the good:

1. Went with a big group, and we all shared, so we got to try many of the menu items:
Beet Salad = 9 - Perfect!
Avocado Salad = 6 - Nothing special
Califlower Salad = 8 - Little too much Tahini, but great flavor regardless
Mussels - 6 = Mediocre at best
Full Chicken = 10 - Best chicken I've ever had
Fluke = 5 = WAY WAY WAY TOO SALTY

2. Our waiter was sarcastically friendly and rude! This was fun at first, however when we started getting our food, before our drinks had even arrived, and then the food just sat behind the bus boy counter until our food arrived, it was became rude (unsarcastically)!

3. Being put at the very first communal table, every time the door opened, we would be overwhelmed by a huge draft of cold air

Overall, the highlight was definitely the food. I would order out from now on!

Very loud and difficult to converse. Great service and food.

Great brunch. Enjoyed Bloody Mary mix, biscuit and spicy pork rinds especially.

Food was just okay, community seating was different, overall an okay experience but nothing I would rave about.

Great food and drink.... but be sure to ask for a barn door booth! Amazing!

One of my favorite restaurants in the city. Each dish is dependably excellent.

AMAZING Chef’s tasting menu, and beer pairing. Highly recommend this!!

We have been coming to the Publican since they opened many moons ago. We love this restaurant and they always deliver. We love the high energy, fantastic food and incredible service. We'll be back, over and over and over again.

We had a wonderful meal sharing delicious plates !

Have not been back to the Publican for over a year, and it’s just as good! Service was attentive and friendly by not stuffy. The food was delicious. Highly recommend the chef’s menu!!

Very loud, meat was hard to cut

excellent simple food, stellar service, average environment. you definitely feel special eating there and i will always visit when in chicago.

This is my third time here and the food never disappoints.

Bustling, bright, energetic ambiance, so good place for groups - including long community tables. High quality food with some unique menu items. Oysters, beets were excellent. As was the Porchetta. I had a nice smokey taste. Good sharing/tasting potential if you want to approach meal that way. Service was excellent. Booths around the walls have interesting door that closes you in like an animal pen, bringing another dimension to "farm to table" dining.

Great food, and not identical to every other New American eatery. Genuinely different. The country ham was excellent, as was my mackerel. Great beer list. Very, very crowded and loud - this was fine with me, but there would be better places for quiet dates and/or conversation with friends.

Loved it.
Fun place for food sharing or individual dishes. The whole experience was terrific

Great waiter. Great food. When I mentioned to hostess that I was concerned about sitting near the door because of cold breezes she was very quick to say it would not be a problem . It was drafty and it would have been nice if she had offered our party a seat away from the draft - there were many open At the time. Always love this place.

Delicious food & great service. We felt the portions were nice and big, which is always a hesitation of mine for tapas / family style. Our server was really great at talking us through the menu and what we can expect from each dish. The timing from her and the kitchen was great, the meal had a good flow to it and the bus staff was extremely well trained and kept up with fresh plates and silverware as the dishes came out. The seating arrangement is a bit unique with most guests sitting at long tables shared by any number of parties and the rest being booths along the back wall that had little swinging doors. The doors were good for separating the flow of traffic from our meal but also created a bit of a crowded feel within (note the four of us all had coats as well as a relatively large gift bag to keep inside the booth). This is definitely not a reason to skip the Publican! But it's something some may want to be aware of before coming. Overall we had a really great meal and felt the food and experience was a good value.

Fantastic! Would go again and get one of their cool stall tables. Service was excellent.

Good place to eat, but not to converse. Noise level too high.

Always a favorite! The food and service are outstanding. The fried chicken is a must.

The food was good but not great. The Skatewing was too rich and salty. The Charcuterie plate was good but the pate lacked taste. The pate at Trader Joe's is better. The peach salad was fantastic as were our drinks. The Mezcal drink was very good so we had two. We won't return as the price and quality of the food was out of line.

The communal dining is a turn off....you are literally on top of your neighbor (if you don't know them, it's just weird). The food is decent, but the menu is very eclectic and if you are a picky eater, the selection is not great....I received a gift card for dining there and have been there twice and still have not used it all....and I have to still go back a third time to finish using it.....or maybe just cut my losses

Easter Dinner. Was an amazing meal.

Always fabulous

The waffle is to die for

Our brunch experience at The Publican. Both the food and the drinks were very good, and our server was excellent. We cannot wait to get back and try their dinner menu.

Fantastic food and service. The amount of flavor in even simple dishes was incredible.

The brunch homemade biscuit , bacon and asparagus scramble food were delicious! We return!

My favorite restaurant in Chicago!

It's got a very tangible Midwest feel to the dishes they put out that makes it something that's rather unique to Chicago.

This was out 3rd time back at the Publican and it did not disappoint. Food is great as is the service. The family style dining works although it can get a little loud. Definitely worth checking out. Two thumbs up!

Wonderful charcuterie plate and Wine from Herzegovina! Our excellent waiter Gio made this a great first experience here. We will definitely be back.