LOCAL Public Eatery Henderson — Restaurant in Dallas

Be advised, the happy hour drinks/foods are only Monday - Friday

The service here is less than ideal. Everyone working needs to be trained in customer service. The atmosphere is nothing great. The food is overpriced. They do have tvs showing the games. Other than that, I'm not really sure why this place is trying to gatekeep. Requiring reservations for both tables AND bar seating? This is neither an exclusive club nor Michelin star restaurant, my guys.

There were 4+ bar seats open and 3 tables seating 4+ or more when I walked up. There is absolutely no reason to have patrons standing around waiting for service. I waited in line outside (at 9:30pm) for nearly 10 minutes before cutting and asking the hostess if bar seating was open, to which she replied, "no, but let me check if there's anything open." Cue an additional 3-4 minute wait when she came back and started chatting with the 2 other workers standing up front, who continued to do nothing about the line of people waiting.

After finally being seated at the bar, the bartenders were then too busy to even serve water and ask for my order for another 5-10 minutes. And then proceeded to splash me with various liquids for the remainder of the time since the hostess seated me less than a couple inches from the bar mat.

We ordered both the salami and spicy pepperoni pizzas, which would have been priced correctly at $25 for 2 pizzas during their happy hours (9pm to closing m-f). However, we went on a Saturday without realizing the happy hours didn't apply. When it came time for the bill, I asked about the happy hour pricing. The bartender didn't know what I was talking about and asked me to show him proof - I went online and pulled up the menu, realizing my mistake. The bartender didn't offer a discount.

The pepperoni is a level 1 or 2 spiciness out 5 for non-white people - get extra jalapenos if you're wanting any kick. There was no spice on the "spicy salami."

At this point, I just wanted to close out my tab and get out of Dodge. I paid literally double what I was expecting for subpar service and a crappy experience.

Roy is the only good bartender out of the other 4 working behind the bar that night. If it weren't for him, I would've given this place 0 stars. I have no desire to go back.

UPDATE AS OF 10/25/24 I emailed per the owner's request - I'll continue to update this...

Let me start this by saying I normally only show love to anything I review and I understand they just opened but this was egregious so I’m compelled to tell my experience. My friend and I ordered one cocktail each and waited 35 mins for them. We even ordered a couple apps while waiting. We then put in a second order of drinks because we realized the bar was backed up. While we waited on the first round, she gave us a free PBR each and apologized for the wait, coo. She then comes back and says the first order never got put in and asks if we still wanted the drinks? We were like of course yes 2 each. The apps come out cold. Then we get the first drink, watered down, and enjoy it quickly. We wait another 30 mins while the waitress is checking tabs out and cleaning tables, and no 2nd drink. We ask to tab out and inquire about the 2nd drink. She goes to check and come back to tab us out, and says “I didn’t charge you for the 2nd round” so we think okay thinking we were still going to get them. We wait another 10 mins and she said oh I canceled the drinks and the bar can’t make drinks since there isn’t a ticket. So we just got up and left. The weirdest service industry interaction of my life. I’d like to men in black erase this memory from my life but I might think about it for years to...

First time stepping into this spot, and I’ll say, the staff knew how to set the tone. The hostesses were welcoming and made sure I had a booth with enough privacy to get some work done while enjoying my meal. Simple gesture, but it spoke volumes.

My waitress, Sami, was the highlight. Genuine energy, great attitude, and she actually knew her menu. Gave me solid recommendations and checked in just enough to keep things flowing without hovering. That’s how service should feel, natural.

The vibe overall was clean, comfortable, and well-lit, though the booth setup was a little awkward; too high with an odd ledge under the seat instead of space beneath the table. Small detail, but worth noting.

I went with the regular pizza, dumplings, and loaded potatoes. Flavor-wise, everything landed somewhere in the middle. Edible, but nothing that’ll make you lean back and say “damn.” The dumplings were the biggest miss; more salt than soul. For the price point, I expected a little more depth from the kitchen.

Still, Sami carried the experience. Her service alone made it worth the visit, and because of that, I’d come back to see what else the menu has to offer. Sometimes it’s not just the food, it’s the people who...