Public House Restaurant — Restaurant in Chattanooga

There are a couple of things on the menu that I think are really good (smoked trout spread), but it seems every time I go to Public House there are multiple issues, so I don't feel inclined to return. I think it has declined a bit over the years. I feel like they decided instead of raising prices for inflation, they would just lower quality and portion size, and so now it is a really disappointing experience.

I hadn't been in a year or two and a few weeks ago we decided to order takeout. One of the items we ordered was the salmon club sandwich with no bacon, cooked medium-well, since my wife is pregnant. Not only did they put the bacon on the sandwich, but the fish was undercooked (more like a medium or less). And the bacon was really lousy quality. Additionally, we waited more than 30 minutes longer than the wait estimate of 25 minutes given. So after waiting an hour for our food, we arrived home to find that we couldn't even eat the sandwich due to the bacon. We did speak to a manager who sent us a gift card and encouraged us to return. So tonight we decided to give them another chance. This time we got the smoked trout dip again as it was a highlight of our last meal. The portion of this one was half of what it was last time, very skimpy and definitely not worth the price ($10), and was served with literally 3 pieces of carrot and 4 slices of radish (however, the portion of toasts was good). We also ordered the fish sandwich of the day, a grilled mahi mahi. The piece of fish on the sandwich was laughably small (see picture)--I think the bun is slider size and it didn't even fill the bun--and not even a particularly good quality piece of fish. It was also extremely salty, almost inedible. Much of our food tonight was very over-salted. The fries that came with it were so soggy I find it hard to believe they were ever crispy (and much less good than the last time we had takeout fries from here). I was also disappointed to see that the delicious rolls (complimentary) served with dinner are no longer available. Added to that, their takeout system is terrible--I first had to wait ten minutes at the front hostess station to be told to pick it up at the bar, where I had to wait even more time for the bartender to be available. I figure any restaurant can have a bad night or make mistakes, and that's why we decided to return again. But after two experiences like this, I have to conclude that they are just inconsistent across the board, and not worth returning...

I dined here with my wife and children. In the reservation we made mention that we were celebrating her birthday. Upon arrival, we were told our table was not ready and that they were waiting for the previous party to finish. The host made no mention of our occasion for being there.

The dining room has an odd shape and in the interest of maximizing tables to turn, the host station has been placed between the set of doors that serve as the buffer between the entrance and the dining room. Every time someone enters or leaves a blast of cold air rushes inside. We were sat at the table adjacent to these doors and immediately asked if we could be seated at another table. The answer was simply 'no' without any other alternative given, not even waiting longer. About five to ten minutes later, the table next to us cleared and we asked if we could move again. Again we were told 'no', with no other options given. There really is no excuse for having a table where we sat other than trying to maximize table turns. Where we sat should be the location of the host stand, not another dining table.

About half way through our meal, the rude host returned with an note card in an envelope and said curtly "This is for your table." It was note card wishing a happy birthday. It was signed but we never met the person who filled it out. Not a single person we encountered actually said happy birthday to my wife. Not the host, not our server, no one. I have had better service at a Cracker Barrel or Waffle House. Seriously, if you can't train your staff to be warm and welcoming to guests why should they come back? Our server also seemed to have way too many tables to tend to without any help. Service items were not cleared in a timely manner. The food was good. Main plate portions were large and shareable. Nothing especially memorable though or worth going back for again.

It is weird to me that this place is called "Public House" and serves mostly Southern style American food. This place lacks a real identity. The interior design is watered down mid century modern. It looks nice but seems to lack any connection to the concept. The staff clearly isn't trained to communicate with each other except to turn tables as fast...

Unfortunately, my family and I did not have a good experience here. We went to Chattanooga for a day trip and happened to be passing the restaurant and decided to try it out. We were dressed for walking the city (so sneakers and lite clothing). We were asked (on a Monday during lunch hours, if we had a reservation...we didn't see online that we needed one...and less than half of the restaurant had people sat at the time). But the host made it a point to "check if there was open tables". Our waitresses was very friendly when we were sat, and got us water and drinks promptly. We ordered our food and watched as the people around us got sat after us, but got their food before us. Finally, my husband had to go find our server to see where our food was and she came back to explain that "she knows it looks bad, but the food the other tables ordered...was already pre-made and that's why it came out so much faster for them." She then went onto explain that my grilled chicken (which was 3 tenderloins that were literally flavorless and just grilled) was the reason it was taking so long and that everthing was being platted at that moment (but didnt come out for another 10 plus minutes). About an hour after being sat (maybe 55 minutes), we finally got our meals. The chicken I ordered (that made the whole table have to wait so long) was dry and had no flavor whatsoever...so much so that our waitresses came back to ask if I needed any sauce for it. Luckily, I had ordered a small salad with dressing and was able to cut up some of the chicken and add it to the salad for flavor. Clearly, there was some sort of mix up with the ordering process or the kitchen...which would've been fine...if that's what they told to us from the beginning! Rather, we were forgotten and then told its not their fault. We paid in full with no interaction from management. A simple apology from management or maybe had our waitresses checked on the kitchen to follow up with our order...things would have been much more tolerable. All in all,...