PUBLIC Kitchen & Bar — Restaurant in Kitchener

We arrived at close to 6pm on a Wednesday night. We didn’t think we’d need a reservation on a Wednesday but …guess again. The host/server hesitated, then said he could seat us at a table of six but we had to be done by 7pm. They started shifting things and we said we didn’t want to have to rush. The other girl said we’d have plenty of time to eat before 7:30. “Oh, in that case”. We decided to stay and we were so glad we did. The party of six whose table we hijacked ended up calling and cancelling. Even better.

Our tapas plates were as follows (+ or - if we recommend):

Oysters +1 Good. They’re not something we eat very often, but they had some nice (and spicy) condiments and they slid down nicely!

Smoked Salmon +1 To be honest, this could have been smoked salmon from anywhere, but what really made it tasty was the rosti and chive sour cream. Tasty, tasty, tasty. Three on a plate.

Fennel Salad -1 You could have this kind of salad anywhere. It was a little oily for our liking, but that could have been just our plate. We should have said something but didn’t because the side-salad with everything else (salmon, sliders, chicken) was fine.

Sliders ++1 OMFG. So good. We discussed afterwards that when we go back we’ll both get separate sliders. These were amazing. Two sliders per plate and a small side salad.

Tacos (pork shoulder) -1 Kind of disappointed in the meat selection for the taco. These would be WAY better with something like shrimp, or a fish taco. The meat was a little tough, and rather dry. The cabbage slaw was a great taco topper though. Three tacos in all.

Patatas Bravas +1 These little deep-fried potatoes were amazing. They were the last tapas to come out for us (before re-ordering). They were piping hot and we couldn’t eat them right away. The server said that deep fried stuff usually took a little longer. It would be great to order the sliders and patatas – that would be an amazing meal just right there. There were so many of them too!

We took a breather, I ordered another drink, and then we had:

Southern fried chicken +1 It was good, two full pieces of chicken plus two wings. The breading wasn’t too heavy and it didn’t have that Fast Food Chain greasy-ness to it. Probably wouldn’t order again, but that’s because we tried the sliders.

Scallops -1 Rather bland. Wouldn't order again. Maybe it’s just because it was the last thing we ordered…no, it was something I could easily have made at home, so I would pass on these.

My husband and I will be going back. There’s a few things we didn’t try that we’d like to as well.

The ambiance is quite nice. The music selection was great and the volume was perfect. It’s a small place with only about eight tables, and most were deuces. The bathroom could use a very tiny make-over. The fifty cent peel/stick tiles in there could be drastically improved for less than $100. Aside from that the décor was perfect.

Definitely make reservations. Definitely try this restaurant if you’re in Kitchener. Definitely try as many plates as you can. Definitely save room for desert…we didn’t and we wished we had. Oh well…definitely a reason to try this...

One of Kitchener's hidden gems! I went, expecting a lot based on the high reviews they have and yet I was still surprised by three things.

The Service

I've been to many "fine dining" restaurants that do not even come close to the level of service we received here. The wait staff was not only very observant and efficient but they managed to be quite engaged with our table while still managing to be unobtrusive. Quite a trick!

The Food

The "tapas style" of dining can be a little daunting at first if you're unfamiliar. But once you understand how it works, you will be surprised at how pleasant the experience can be. The wide variety of small dishes means there is a lot of excitement that comes along with each new dish that is delivered to the table. Dinner truly becomes a social event as you and your table discover all the new flavors together. Without exception, each dish we tried was of a quality that inspired us to pick the menu back up and "play again" while we were "up on our luck". Before we knew it we'd ordered roughly half the menu and we were still winning. Not one bad dish found its way to our table over the course of two hours.

The Drinks

I've ordered many a Manhattan in the KW area and haven't found very many places that I'd recommend for cocktails. Public's take on the classic was both refreshing and well balanced. More importantly though, (as it is a tapas restaurant) the wine list is just as eclectic and carefully constructed as their food!

My only minor complaint with this place is that our table was a bit flimsy which just happens to be a particular pet peeve of mine. But not something that I will let stand in my way of returning to this...

I'm impressed by unassuming exteriors with cool insides: Gene Hackman, VW Golf R, the Beatles' White Album, and Public Kitchen & Bar (corner Lancaster and nowhere). Public's front facade has the charm of an H&R Block office. But don't let that fool ya. For hardcore foodies and trendy wannabes, this place is a find.

Carnivores have a hard time finding decent raw flesh in this town (we carpaccio- and tartar-lovers prefer our Sushi to be made outta cow). Public's beef tartar ($15) is a puck-sized delight, delicately seasoned, served with skinny blonde house-made crostini, and garnished with caperberries (aristocratic cousins to the neighbourhood caper) and a Jackson Pollack of oil and balsamic. The world is as it should be.

The donuts ($8) are to Timbits what Lamborghini is to Camry. PK&B serves them sensuously warm, with a drizzle of whisky caramel and an iniquity of whipped cream. I've had sex that's not as good as these donuts (er... long ago, I love you, Dear).

If you hate red lights, you'll love this place: no waiting. I don't know what kind of wizardry Mama and Papa have got going back in that [Public] Kitchen, but every round of tapas seemed to arrive, freshly made to order, precisely 15 seconds after this Muggle ordered it.

Public's stools were designed by a frugal Swedish architect who's never actually seen a human being. They're a visual match with the Hipster Fusion interior (IKEA meets well-curated thrift shop), but also cruel and unusual punishment for any posterior aged more than four decades. But hey, if torturous seating is your only beef about a joint, you know you've found a great one.

Just like Momma always said. it's what's on the inside...