Public House — Restaurant in Springfield

Update: they just opened a new location on the corner that’s much nicer and has what appears to be an excellent menu… but they only have four top tables in the dining area and when I went in recently to try out the new menu, I was told I could only sit at the bar as they were saving the tables for parties of four or more. That would be understandable if they were having live music and this was dinner service time but I had gone in around 1:30 after lunch and there was practically no one at the tables. I am short (5ft), which is why I asked for a table - the bar is just too high to comfortably sit at.

Im guessing they probably ask parties of two to do the same thing as they just don’t have any tables for two available. All the tables are for parties of four or larger.

Interesting little place. Total hole in the wall - which I usually love, but this place is just different. The server I had on Tuesday night (8-20-24) is not the most welcoming and hospitable gal (5:40pm). I couldn’t tell if that was just her personality, it she’d had a long day, if she was mad at the kitchen, or what… the parm fries are pretty heavy so either know what you’re getting into or ask for them the way you like them best. The hamburgers are quite tasty and the younger kid working in there on Thursday night (8-22-24) is a gem. He’s a natural at hospitality and serving. The menu as a whole, has a lot of weird things on it and then it’s limited on top of that. I have a feeling most people do this place for the bar scene. The guy running the bar tonight is pretty cool and they do have some great alcohol to choose from.

I’ve been to a lot of gastropubs and there’s usually a lot more recognizable items on the menu. I’d sure love to see them do a goat cheese burger with pepper jam or bacon jam on it. Maybe a black and blue burger (blue cheese burger). Sounds like their French onion soup is pretty amazing- I haven’t tried it but everyone raves about it.

I don’t know that I would consider this place to be a true “Gastro Pub” by definition… the food, interior design, staff, and atmosphere leave a bit to be desired. Owners might want to consider doing some “research” and “product knowledge” field trips and go to some of the more well known ones around this area and maybe even over in Knoxville (quite a few really good ones over there) and see if they can’t change things up a bit and create more of a full experience for their guests.

That god awful royal blue everywhere needs to be repainted too. Lol. Yikes.

LOVE LOVE LOVE the American flag pick in the sandwich!

Bathrooms are well done and clean. You just have to climb over things in the hallway to get to them. (Not really but close…)

One thing I loved was the photography on the walls of places around town. That’s super cool but those fake flowers need refreshing or they just...

I've been to Public House a few times before they moved and had decent experiences, but after tonight, I honestly don’t know if I’d go back. My friend and I stopped in for dinner, and what we were served was a real letdown.

He ordered the Bodega Chopped Cheese, and I had the Shrimp and Grits. His sandwich was honestly one of the worst I’ve ever seen passed off as chopped cheese. The meat tasted like it had been dehydrated and then rehydrated without any care — overly salty, with a strange texture and flavor that reminded us more of beef bouillon than real beef. It was closer to dog food than diner fare.

As for my Shrimp and Grits — a Southern classic I absolutely love — it missed the mark completely. I’m all for creative takes on traditional dishes, but if you’re going to veer that far off the original, it has to be executed really well. Unfortunately, it wasn’t.

The romesco sauce they used was actually great — just not for this dish. It clashed with everything. The grits were dry and crusty, like they’d been sitting too long, and not in a “crispy on purpose” kind of way. They weren’t fresh, and it showed. The shrimp were bland, and the mini crab cakes that came with the dish were just okay.

Overall, it was a 1 out of 10 meal, and that’s being generous. At this point, the only thing I can really recommend is the spicy crab dip. Everything else needs serious rethinking. Very...

I decided to give this place one more shot. The first time I ate here, I had two fantastic cocktails (even though my waitress told me they ran out of rosemary sprigs for my rosemary features cocktail) and fish and chips that included mostly inedible fish. I still don’t know if it was overcooked or undercooked. All I know is I was trying to saw through it. Either way, they took it off the bill, so they did me a solid there.

Tonight was a first Friday night. My husband and I decided to give it a try. No water, and when they did bring us water, they only brought out one glass for two people. The menu listed citrus dressed greens with my burger but the waitress said that was just a garnish. Okay, fine. My burger came out. No dressed greens even as a garnish. Bun was stale. Burger was subpar. The Parmesan balsamic carrots-weird. Nothing was great. I’m just disappointed in the food and service. Sure, it was busy, but the waitress acted like I offended her. Not my intention ever. The atmosphere is cute but I wouldn’t eat or drink here again.

I think having a chef in the kitchen would improve things, especially for the prices. Also, they should have been bett prepared for more business on First Friday. Busy should not mean...