The Publican

beerwolf77

Wisconsin

3.35/5  rDev -25.9%
vibe: 1 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3 | $$$

One of our many stops while hanging in chi-city.

First off everyone in our group hated the atmosphere in this place. The long communal tables and the booths with doors on them. WTF? We joked it looked like some sort of brothel where people could get hand jobs while they eat. So weird. The high back chairs were obnoxiously high. The biggest kicker was having to stand and drink. Seriously? No option to sit unless we were eating. Seemed rather douchey.

The beer list was decent an well put together. We ended up ordering the house made gueuze and lambics. Both were pretty good considering the source.

We weren't there to eat but the menu looked like they had some great options.

Honestly I would only go back here to eat. Not as a beer destination. I'm sure this is where the high marks come from. Otherwise I just don't get it.

10-16-2011 19:27:10 | More by beerwolf77

WOTO97

California

3.88/5  rDev -14.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4 | $$$

First off, the quality of the food is very high. The focus is pork, oysters, and beer. The first two categories are well-represented. The food is designed to be shared at the table; no traditional entrees. The food, generally, is considerably more upscale traditional pub fare.

The beer list is okay. Without a doubt it contains some very great beers. Nonetheless, The Publican has made a point of advertising how much time they spend on integrating the food and beer menus, but, based on this, the beer menus definitely lacks any cohesiveness. Some of the rare beers that made an appearance on the list seemed to be there to be there and not for the purpose of complementing the food.

Still, if you are looking to spend a nice night out with friends and drop some money, you could do much worse than The Publican.

03-02-2010 00:09:06 | More by WOTO97

jrallen34

Illinois

3.88/5  rDev -14.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$$$

I finally made it out to Publican, a Friday night for drinks and snacks. A typical West Loop joint, meaning modern looking, new and clean, wide open space with adjoined tables. Cool place for having dinner probably not exactly what I want out of a place for drinks. The booths are awesome though as they basically look you in with wooden doors like your in a horse stall...The beer list is organized pretty good, draught then countries and styles. About 10 draft and probably 50 or so bottles. The selection is pretty decent, a lot of base staples, some stuff I've not seen before. Fluxus on tap is nice. The service was decent, talked to 2 people new basic beer stuff and things about the beers available, suggestions were not spot on...The snacks we had were good, nothing special though. The fries were very disappointing, guess I was expecting something Belgianesque. It was not crowded at all for Friday, making me wonder why its impossible to get reservations. Way too expensive for the beer and good.

A cool place to go, would go here for dinner for a special occasion because they have decent beer but I wouldn't come back to just drink. Paramount room is close enough, if downtown head there for cheaper beer with similar quality.

10-09-2010 17:54:09 | More by jrallen34

Yetiman420

Ohio

4.09/5  rDev -9.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | $$$

I should have known what I was getting in to when I saw The Publican in Food & Wine magazine, a Zagat's feature, and the WHERE magazine in my Chicago hotel room. I should have known better than to show up at 9:30 on a Saturday night. Would have, should have, could have.

We drove five hours from Cincinnati to Chicago for a weekend of good beer and food. The Publican made its way to the top of our list. Not much information in BA or online and an untimely, day-after response from RadioFlyer who was posting The Publican's beer list the prior week to regional forums...

"Not sure if you were here this weekend, or if its next, but the best thing to do is go as early as you can on a weekend. We just started taking reservations so this may be of help, but to be honest we get so crowed on the weekends. If it were me I would go as early as 4:30 get a beer and snack, then at 5:30 the full menu is available. Monday through Wednesday is normally safe and Sundays are always fun, but on sundays we have a prefixed family style menu. Unfortunately our bar seating is small and maybe not ideal, if you'd like more private dining ask for a booth or a separate table for two. if your fine with communal dining ask to be seated at one of the long tables. Hope this help cheers and happy holidays"

The reservation policy hit us hard. Website says no reservations except Sunday. We got shut out. Should have went with my gut and arrived early - like when they opened. The staff handled our contained displeasure well. Someone even got the chef to write out the Sunday prix fixe menu.

I'm dismissing all of this as growing pains. I'm extremely excited to see this type of beer-forward movement. It's on our list for dinner during our next biannual visit to the city.

Located in what I believe to be the (old) stockyard area of Chicago. Very much like the meatpacking district in Manhattan. Not much from the outside except cabs and cars coming and going. A block or two to the east is major, upscale residential development. Inside is a wide open, light-colored space crowded and very noisy. The Allman Brother's and Gratfeul Dead as house music? Listen close. Nice.

We stopped the Friday night before at Flossmoor which tapped Surly Darkness on Thursday. They were out when we arrived around 6. The Publican tapped the same thing earlier in the week and it was still flowing. I mention this because the clientele, and the restaurant for that matter, is more food than beer. Smartly-dressed, successful professionals dominated the crowd on this Saturday evening. The people and place are atypical of the hundreds of BA-reviewed establishments I've visited. In my book, this is a good thing. Just know what you're getting in to. Also keep in mind the bar area is comprised of standing stations with no seats.

On with the beer. The beer menu is categorized by draught, trappist Belgium, micro Belgium, abbey style Belgium, methode champenoise, lambics, Flemish red/bruin, saisons Wallonia, biere de garde france, german, Denmark, finnish, Norwegian, british isles, Swedish, and American. Ninety beers in all.

They provide complete, formal descriptions of the beer which I got a kick out of.

Brasserie de Rochefort [Abbey de Notre-Dame de Saint-Remy], Rochefort, Belgium
Trappist Rochefort 8 [11.2 oz] - 9.20% - $13

Might someone be confusing their Rochefort 8's? How did the majority handle this? It seemed as if most were drinking the Trappist varieties. I would have preferred less focus on formal descriptions and more guidance with characteristics and pairings. I also like books with color pictures.

Draught
Monchshof Schwarzbier - $5
Alpha King Pale Ale - $5
Alpha Klaus Xmas Porter - $6
De Koninck, Brouwerij De Koninck NV - $6
Matilda - $7
Gulden Draak - $7
Surly Darkness - $7
Scaldis De Noel - $7
Wiesen Edel-Weisse - $8
Saison Claussenii - $9
Cidre Bouche Brut Dupont - $10
Kriekbier - $10

I had the Surly which was about 10 oz.

American bottle varieties from Avery, Great Lakes, Founders, North Coast, Three Floyds, Two Brothers, Ommegang, Goose Island, New Holland, Great Divide, and two of my favorites - Jolly Pumpkin and Allagash.

12-17-2008 22:28:09 | More by Yetiman420

shadytony

Illinois

4.2/5  rDev -7.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | food: 5 | $$$$

The atmosphere of this place is awesome. Very "beer hall" and the chefs employ a "head to tail" philosophy (cooking and serving every part of the animals on the menu - usually pig). You will be hard pressed to find a better selection of food at any craft beer establishment in Chicago (especially if you are a pork lover). The beer selection is typically solid but service can be spotty, especially if you are standing at one of the community tables by the bar. I gave selection a solid "4". I would recommend having a reservation and getting a table if you plan on being there for a while. The selection is usually awesome (e.g. I visited for a tapping of K.B.S. which lasted until long after I left). This place may not be for everyone as it leans very much toward a 'high end' dinner spot (this is not a casual bar) and can be very crowded on evenings and weekends.

07-06-2012 15:06:17 | More by shadytony

malcontent

Illinois

4.38/5  rDev -3.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 5 | $$$

Ah, Publican. What's left to say? Of Paul Kahn's places this is neck-and-neck with Avec (hey, that rhymed!) for me.

The room is a long, family style (read: shared tables) set up which has become Kahn's go-to lately. There are a smattering of tall, standing-only tables in the middle of the room for the a)hardy diners or b)folks who only intend to have a beer or two and munch on some snacks. The kitchen is exposed, which seems to be de rigeur these days but a move that is right in line with the open layout of the dining room. Side note: the restrooms are bizarrely fun. Yes, that's an odd thing to write in a review but go there and see if you don't agree.

The service is excellent with an impressive command of multitasking considering the size of the place. The knowledge of the menu is outstanding and only once did I have a server with just an OK grasp of the beer menu.

The beer menu, while constantly rotating, still places a heavy emphasis on the local. There have been some who quibbled with the lack of cohesion for the beer selection but I think this has far more to do with making sure each of the myriad food items has at least one ideal pairing.

Yes, it's a beer site but let's not kid ourselves, Publican is a food establishment and this is where it should receive most of its attention. I've had nearly everything on the menu over my visits (although this is an evolving seasonal menu) and standouts include the sweetbreads with pecans and pink lady apples, the spicy pork rinds, the selection of pickles (always different), crudee of fluke and a shockingly simple heirloom tomato salad.

If you're a beerhound with only semi-adventurous food tastes this might not be the place for you. If you worship at the altar of food porn this is a must.

08-20-2011 19:07:12 | More by malcontent

RayYanks23

Connecticut

4.4/5  rDev -2.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$$

The first place we went to, based mostly on BA reviews. It was a short walk off of the metro stop. Definitely a fancier place, the food was not your basic bar grub. The beer list was excellent! They were promoting their Zephyr collaboration with Lagunitas and Big Star.

The wait staff was excellent and very helpful in going over my bar list for the rest of out trip. The one draw back of this particular bar is that you will definitely need to cab it out of there because it is not that close to anything else, but I would recommend stopping in.

Don't expect to do hot wings and burgers...we ended up with a cheese and mixed ham plate, but the beer prevails and I am glad I stopped in. We went to the Map Room next and were very happy there for the rest of the night...

07-13-2011 14:53:11 | More by RayYanks23

Florida9

Illinois

4.43/5  rDev -2%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$$

The Publican reminds me of a modernist's interpretation of the great hall in Beowulf. The mood is lively and festive, with a good mix of foodies, beer lovers, and the trendy. The space itself is nothing more than a rectangle of a room, with large communal tables in the middle, boxed-in booths to the side and a gathering on two-tops near the front. Tall, stoic, boxy timber chairs sit with their wooden table counterparts. Earthen tones and wood dominate the structure, while globe lights hang from the ceiling in compact, orderly rows.

More impressive than the room itself is the beer list. There are 8 or so taps, about 10 times as bottles, and a cask ale, all representing a fine mix of the local (2Brothers, FFF, Surly) and the not so local (Germans, Belgians, French farmhouse). These are all quality beers and while there may be some offerings which are little more commercial than others, I spotted some true rarities and the menu even listed a bottle of New Glarus. For the most part prices are reasonable (between $5-$7 for a draft), but some of the prices were exorbitant (JP Bam for $23, and FFF Behemoth for $36!).

The food is retrospective, with a focus on old-school charcuterie, shellfish, and pickles. Simply put, the food is excellent, though I did at times feel it was somewhat redundant and lacking in creativity. For example, we ordered both the charcuterie plate and the potee, which turned out to be very similar dishes, even down to the addition of gherkins in both. However, since the food itself was so damn good, its hard to complain when you're getting more of a goof thing.

My only qualm with Publican would be the service, and even that was very good. However, my issue stemmed from my server being spread among too many tables, resulting in me having to continually ask for items, most notably beer, which I had to request on three separate occasions during my meal. Maybe if the restaurant itself added another server or two during busy nights, they could head off this inconvenience. Otherwise I will say my server exhibited quite the beer knowledge, was overtly friendly, and, when he was available to do so, attended to our needs without complaint.

Prices are not cheap, but in consideration for the quality of both the beer and food, I still felt they were very reasonable.

10-06-2009 02:40:12 | More by Florida9

stercomm

Ohio

4.45/5  rDev -1.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$$

Took my son and daughter-in-law to dinner here, we had a most enjoyable time. The atmosphere was very nice, with the long tables you end up sitting next to folks and get to have some very nice conversations with those around you.

The beer selection is very nice, had a couple of Three Floyds offerings which is always good. The wait staff was very knowledgeable on the beers as well as being very friendly. While our waiter was very busy he did take the time to chat a bit

The food was outstanding albeit a bit pricey. The pork belly was out of this world. This is a family style menu, you order a bunch of stuff and everyone shares and the selections come out when they are ready.

Will definitely go there again.

08-27-2011 19:58:37 | More by stercomm

robbyc1

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev -0.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$$$

Been there a couple of times now, it does rival Hopleaf as a beer and food place to go.

It is a big open location, described nicely by others below, I just want add that there is a bar where you can eat and drink, also standing tables, then long Europe type tables, think of Octoberfest in Germany, then there are finally closed door tables where you can have a bit of privacy. It is not so loud so you can have decent conversation, I don't even remember music playing which is fine. Overall a rowdy and fun place to eat and drink, and people watch.

Upscale food, including fish (excellent oysters), meats, interesting vegetable choices. Everything was top quality, including the beer. My mate had a Hanssens strawberry from 2001? 3 different servers came over to comment on how great this beer was, and all food and drink was greatly enjoyed.

Sevice is attentive, a bit sloppy at times but they really focus alot of people on your needs. The best one there is Michael, the beer sommelier, who has deep knowledge of the beer list, and I believe put it together. He also orders the drafts. Unfortunately he is only one man, and the waiters try to know the list as well but sometimes come up short. Do ask for Michael if you go, or ask something very esoteric (what kind of hops are in this IPA, I really like Challenger?) and they will call him over.

Selection of food is great, of beer very good, many unusualities from the 80+ bottles. They now have 12 taps plus one cask of great selections as well. Assume 1/2 craft, 1/2 Belgian, with a few Germans, British, with a Jolly Pumpkin, full slate of The Bruery, and Matilda to boot. I put Hopleaf's 30+ taps plus 100 plus bottles above this but no other restaurants (certainly many bars, e.g. Maproom, Local Option).

Dishes come in variable sizes, many to share. The value is decent given the quality, but expect food to run $40 - $50 per head plus beer here which is rather pricey. For true Chicago gastropubs you must consider this and Hopleaf a tie at the top.

01-10-2010 18:29:18 | More by robbyc1