Union Public House — Restaurant in Pensacola

So me and my wife were supposed to eat it the union public house however it ended up just being me.

Service was fantastic, very attentive by the maitre d as well as the waiter. Coming by every so often to check to make sure I was enjoying my meal and I decided to order a cocktail and make sure I was enjoying that. Not overly attentive however, I've been to places where they seem to bother you every 3 minutes to make sure you're enjoying the food, this was much better, more like as soon as you had the idea to yourself that you possibly needed something they were there asking how they could help.

The cocktail I got was five a.m. nights and it was very bright tasting, but not overly so and very fresh tasting as well with still having the ability to enjoy the rum flavor in the drink,highly recommended.

While I had originally thought to get a seafood dish I decided to get one of their chicken sandwiches the bramble, instead. You can get it one of three ways, fried, blackened or grilled, I chose grilled. The chicken was perfectly moist and tender and exactly how you'd want a piece of grilled chicken to be. The real highlight to the sandwich though was this mustard kimchi that they put on it which had just exquisite flavor and truly complemented the flavor of the chicken. The only criticism I can levy was for whatever reason I could not really get a taste of that mustard kimchi until the last 1/3 of my sandwich, shame because it was truly the highlight of it.

As a side I chose to get an order of their coleslaw which I have to say was just magnificent, basically just imagine the perfect coleslaw, one that's not overly heavy on the mayonnaise and just has this delicate lightness to it while still maintaining the subtle sweetness and saltiness that you want from a good coleslaw. I mean it's not hyperbole to say that it was perfect.

I wasn't going to have a dessert however I figured no meal is complete, especially when eating at a place you haven't eaten at before, without trying their desserts, and to that effect I just had to try the corn crème brûlée. Ultimately while the idea of corn in a creme brulee may not sound appealing initially, however it was quite good. You got the Sweet rich creamy texture of the creme brulee offset or maybe highlighted by just the tiniest amount of corn flavor. It truly came across better in execution then you may believe. It had the perfectly textured crunchy top and was a fine overall dessert, however while eating it there were times that the flavor reminded me of something of a cold sweetened corn chowder. While that could be taken as a criticism it's not, because again on paper it doesn't sound quite extraordinary but in practice is fabulous.

Highly highly highly highly highly recommended, especially if you've never been but more especially so as to continue to journey through their culinary...

My wife and I have been meaning to try Union Public House for a long time. We like "pubs", and we like Fine Dining, so a GastroPub should be great for us. We read reviews, had menu items picked out, and finally got around to visiting for an 11AM lunch in Nov. 2024. Unfortunately, we found it not so great FOR US.

So, I'll take a little time to explain, so that others can decide if this is a good choice for THEM.

NOT LIKE A PUB. The bar is more like what is found in a 4/5 Star Hotel Lobby, featuring mainly cocktails and wine. They have only a few draft beers, none from major brands. My wife liked the False Season cocktail, which is a dry tasting, gin-based medley.

NOISY. There are speakers hanging from the ceiling over the tables, and although not loud, it became annoying for us for not being quieter.

APPETIZERS. The Scotch Egg and Tuna Tartare get good reviews. My wife liked the "avocado mayo" with the scotch egg, myself not so much. The Tuna Tartare is supposedly refreshing and supposedly has a Truffle Vinaigrette. We did not find it refreshing, and we think it lacked the vinaigrette. It also came with some hot jalapenos hidden in the lettuce topping that left my tongue uncomfortable for several minutes.

ENTREES. The Crispy Pork Shank gets a lot of good reviews. I'm not sure why. Perhaps the size? It tasted like pork! And, it lacked a sauce/gravy. After checking the menu online it should have been served with Jus and an Orange Marmalade. The Duck Confit was also supposed to have a sauce. My wife asked for the sauce to be served on the side, but no sauce was delivered. A single duck leg is small, adding a second leg is recommended, but makes for a very expensive entree. AVOID!

SERVICE: We were the first customers, others arrived over an hour until the restaurant was about half full. The drinks and the appetizers seemed a little slow to arrive. The wait staff member talked to us about entree specials when the appetizers were delivered, which was poor timing. The worst thing was when we finished our entrees the wait staff asked if we wanted a dessert. Then left us hanging for 15 minutes before checking back and bringing the check. Like: the customer's time is of NO importance!! Should customers deduct their wasted time from the tip??

TIP: this restaurant adds a "Restaurant Fee" - which we understand compensates wait staff ?? We discussed tip, and went low due to the lack of sauces (the wait staff should have noticed), the times waiting, and the Restaurant Fee.

We wish our experience had been better! Pensacola has other pubs with reliable fine...

I've never been to a gastropub before but I can tell you that I will return to eat here again. Unassuming locale. Street parking. Has a rustic, eclectic vibe to it. You can either dress up or casual and still feel comfortable. Wooden decor. Wooden shed for that opens for outside seating. Looks small inside but enough seats. Might be a little cramp for huge parties though. Tv's mounted on the walls and a bar. We did make a reservation since it was a Friday night and we were seated immediately. Friendly server and was prompt on refills and clearing table. Clean inside. Hubby got some drinks which he stated were good. Since hubby and I have been watching cooking shoes recently like iron chef we felt we had a decent knowledge of what done if the dishes were like - tartare, fois gras, etc. We did a full course meal. For starters we got the scotch egg and pimento cheese pups. They both were delicious. The scotch egg had a meaty outer layer which we later found out was battered andoiulle sausage. It was served with avocado mayo. The pups were drizzled with local honey and served on a bed of pimento cheese. Tasted like a little spiced up version of hushpuppies. For entree I got the pork shank, Mac and cheese, mashed potatoes and cornbread. Hubby got the open faced brisket. My goodness they don't skimp on the meat. Humongous serving sizes for all parts of the dish. My meal alone could of feed about 3 people. Everything looked and smelled good. The pork shank had crispy skin which tasted really good. It was served with bacon and onion marmalade but I didnt really notice any bacon flavor. The mashed potatoes and Mac and cheese tasted mediocre. The cornbread was huge and tasted really good. A huge dollop of honey butter was on top. I didn't even make a debt in my meal, it was too much. But I enjoyed it. For desserts we got the creme brulee cheesecake. It was drizzled with blueberry sauce. I wish it had more sauce to go with it. It was rich though. I would definitely recommend this place to try out. Different kinds of feel and new tastes. Kind of pricey but expected for nice sit down dinner. Our total was$100. I asked and they don't have military discounts just FYI. So great prompt service, not a loud sports bar, cool drinks, new foods and very generous portions. If you don't line the standard meal you can alter it and create your own meal. I wouldnt say this was a place to take kids. Not really a kid friendly place...