The Public House

A friend and I went to Public House for dinner before catching a movie at the North Park Theater and we were looking for a fairly quick meal and a couple drinks. The atmosphere is nice; I can definitely see myself going there for drinks after work for happy hour.
The food was rather… disappointing. I ordered a cup of the beer cheese soup, which had beef and mushrooms in it as the daily special, along with the grilled cheese sandwich. My soup came out barely lukewarm, so I asked for it to be heated up. When it came back, it was barely warmer and the bowl was very messy. My grilled cheese was burnt and, despite being a «three cheese» sandwich, it had barely any cheese on it. Thankfully my friend’s chicken wrap was very yummy and the fries were also extremely tasty.
All in all, it was an underwhelming experience. I probably won’t eat there again, but I will definitely go back for drinks.

Tried this place for the first time tonight with my man, and we both loved it. Extensive beer menu. The garlic parmesan wings were ordered on a whim, and they were so delicious that blue cheese was not even considered. The beer cheese soup, a seemingly simple soup, was packed with flavor and spicy!!! We never order stuffed peppers, because we make them so delicious at home, but oh my goodness these were a cheesy treat! Finally my crab cake entrée was made with real crab meat, huge and so amazingly perfect. Service was attentive, atmosphere was dimly lit and trendy. We will be back.

First time here, wanted a Bloody Mary & some lunch. Atmospheric is chill, good music playing-​always a plus. Bloody Mary is delicious! Bartender is attentive. Fish Fry is yummy! Crispy, large and fresh. Beer cheese soup also is tasty. I’ll be back.

I really like the concept of The Public House: a simple, customizable sandwich menu, and a comprehensive craft beer list. Each time I’ve been here, I’ve had a good experience, and good service. The last time I was there, I ordered the grilled chicken avocado wrap. After I started eating the wrap, I noticed there was no avocado mixed in. The waitress was very apologetic and brought me out a small plate filled with avocado, so I was grateful for that! The wrap itself was very good.
I think the atmosphere at Public House is kind of confusing– it sometimes feels like a college bar, and other times feels like a restaurant. I don’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing, but just something I noticed each time… the constantly changing vibe. I would come back to Public House, especially when it’s warm enough to enjoy their patio. I’m still waiting for that «wow» moment here, but overall a nice option in the Hertel Ave. area.

Stopped in after work for drinks and food and sat at the bar. Was surprised how much space we were able to get for it being a Thursday… It was quiet. This worked out great because the bartender was able to answer our questions on the different beers and was offering us drinks right away when ours started getting low.
I had two Utica Clubs (the first because I never heard of it before and the second because it made me feel super holding that hip can). I also tried their chicken fingers. I normally don’t order fingers for dinner but I couldn’t pass these up because the description made them sound delicious… «Buttermilk marinated, panko breaded, served with pesto aioli & blue cheese». They were in fact delicious. I’m normally a blue cheese person but that pesto aioli was irresistible. Pablo breadcrumbs were a great touch too.
Had a great experience and will definitely come here again for beer and those chicken fingers!

My wife and I came in for dinner and drinks and it was pretty good. We got the stuffed peppers for an appetizer and they were pretty good and different from most others. For dinner I got the pastrami rueben on rye it was really good, I also had a bowl of the beer cheddar soup with Buffalo chicken, the soup was so good. My wife had a chicken and Avocado wrap which she also liked a lot. Our favorite overall was the fries, they were perfect. The service was perfect and very quick, our waitress was a sweetheart, I don’t remember her name though.

Great atmosphere. Great service. Our waitress was friendly and answered our annoying questions without any display of irritation about it! The food was good. The only reason I didn’t give a 5 star was because our food came out at room temperature and while it was good, it would have been great hot or even warm.

I really loved this place. The first thing you notice upon walking in is how amazing the space is – very open and quaint. The menu is simple and nothing short of FREAKING AWESOME! My gf and I each ordered a pour over & a raspberry muffin. The coffee was fantastic – rich and velvety, everything I love in a cup of coffee. And the muffin was to die for, as in, it seems like they had just came out of your grandma’s oven & were served fresh. YUM!
There is a lot of seating and there’s also wi-​fi, which is great. The only thing I didn’t love was that it was a bit on the cold side, so I left my coat on the entire time I was there which was fine, but I wouldn’t have wanted to stay any longer than I did (an hour maybe) because of that. Or maybe that’s a tactic they employ so you don’t stay super long, in which case is brilliant.
All kidding aside, this place is great and I will definitely be back!

I know people who have had terrible experiences here but every time I go it’s delicious. I strongly recommend the French Onion soup and steak sandwich and you have to try their extensive beer list. One complaint that I do have is that the seating is weird. You have to stand awkwardly at the entrance until a waitress seats you. But other than that this place is great.

Drinks were really good and the bar was awesome. Fills up for games apparently. My sisters wings, ordered medium, were plain with a dash of hot sauce and not crispy at all which sucks. My Turkey Reuben was kinda mushy because the cole slaw was mushy. Not my deal. The only good thing apparently was my husband’s beef on weck. I wouldn’t know. I may never go back.

Went to Public House for exclusively drinks as a group of five. We were «greeted» by a bartender who asked what we wanted. When I inquired if we could sit in any of the nearly 20 open tables without getting food, the bartender said we could sit at the bar. However, there were no seats at the bar, so we stood. When we got to the bar, the bartender gruffly demanded identification for my entire group before serving me, which is understandable because we’re all between 22 and 24, but then intensely stared at me until I ascertained that he was prompting me for an order, almost as though he was angry that we were there. He could use a bit of communication skills. He also stared at us for nearly the entire time, even after we tipped the expected amount, which was odd, unfriendly, and off-​putting.
The drinks were reasonably priced. That gets them a star. On a strip crowded with bars, Public House doesn’t really distinguish itself in any meaningful way.

As teachers, it’s nice to find a place that is open at 2:35 PM on Friday. Public House on Hertel (there is also one in Hamburg) is right near our school, so a bunch of us started coming here on a whim. We kept coming back for the fantastic food and Happy Hour specials. When the weather is nice, they also have a small patio outside to soak up what little sun we Buffalonians are allotted.

Came here with Bradley on a whim for dinner.
The bar was dark, but inviting. We liked chatting with the bartender for a bit. I ordered the Pink Buffalo and it was delicious!
For food we split a cup of beer cheese soup, the Caesar salad, and chicken fingers.
The beer cheese soup was the best I’ve ever had! I almost ordered another cup for dessert! It was very thick and creamy. I’m drooling now writing this.
The salad was huge and delicious too! A few days after we went Brad was saying that he wanted some of their home made dressing. I definitely recommend the salad!
The chicken fingers were great too! The best part of these, though, was the dipping sauce! It was pesto-​y and very good!
Safe to say, I’m a fan! I definitely will come back here!

First, this is a very loud space. It’s hard to hear what people across your table are saying when the restaurant is busy. The vibe is great, though. Friendly people both serving and dining.
The food ranks with most of the other go-​to burger bars in town. It’s a streamlined version of Coles, Colter Bay or Bullfeathers; smaller restaurant, smaller menu, lots of beers (the current trend).
Three entrees: burger; chicken wrap; grilled cheese. All came with pretty good fries. All fine bar food, and decently priced. The beer selection is plentiful but nothing really called my name.
They have oysters and mussels on the menu. I love shellfish but I am just not confident enough to order that stuff in a bar.
So, it’s a Hertel Ave version of Elmwood standards. I would go again for the scene and simple fare.

Coming from Albany, hearing a name like public house immediately brings to mind a brew pub of sorts. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was wrong. Not that the décor was screaming high class. But, the paintings had little placards. That’s a nicety you don’t normally find at places like this.
We were sat at a table with a brown paper table cloth (?). Which had me hoping crayons were on the way. They weren’t. Luckily, our server (who’s name I never got) was fairly attentive and the wait wasn’t bad.
The menu was just three columns on a page, and that’s okay with me because I don’t like getting overwhelmed with choices. I got a pastrami reuben, my date got the chicken fingers in panko. I wish that the menu was a little clearer on which food items came with sides, we may not have ordered the side fries if we knew ahead of time that my sandwich would come with them. Our server did notify us, but, at that point we just wanted our food and proceeded with the order anyways.
The food didn’t take too long and when it got there it was amazing. Everything about the meal had a little twist to it that most places won’t be able to replicate. Even the 2 slices of pickle I had on my plate were filled with unexpected flavors, I had to reluctantly give up my 2^nd slice so that my date could try it. My reuben was great! I get them every where and this is one of the better ones for the price. I did steal a chicken finger to try out the pesto dipping sauce, and I wish i could bottle that up and take it with me everywhere.
This was a great place and I’d recommend it to anyone. It didn’t look like much from the outside but give it a shot, you won’t be disappointed.

Visited for lunch on a Saturday afternoon with my wife and 1 year old. It wasn’t too busy but there was only one low table available that fit a high chair. This table was right next to the back door and it was very very cold. Turns out the table next to us was available but one of the workers stored his jacket there making it look like it wasn’t available.
We ordered two wedge salads. One with chicken and one with scallops. It took extremely long for us to get our salads. The chicken was not edible. The waitress did take the salad off the bill though.

Based on previous reviews I expected a menu with only a handful of items, but it was standard bar menu length. Everything looked pretty good, too.
The house made veggie burger was tasty. It’s a bit mushy, but to be expected with a bean based burger.
As a warning, the pulled chicken in the buffalo chicken mac and cheese is pulled off of chicken wings and has the skin on (which gets flabby once it’s baked in the dish).
We went for lunch to avoid the crowds and noise and I think that was a smart choice.
All in all, a pretty good meal with friendly service.

As someone whom loves to go out to a restaurant and have some drinks on a random night of the week, this place is it.
The atmosphere is hipster meets young professionals with a splash of the older crowd.
I first set foot in the place about 2 months after they opened. It helps that I know one of the bartenders and he suggested I stop by to check the place out. So I did. Their beer selection is phenomenal. They have some of my favorites Anchor Steam, EBC BlueBerry and Lindemans Raspberry Lambic.
I’ve had the burger with bacon, cheddar and bbq sauce. It was delicious. Cooked just right at medium well and came with a side of fries. I love that they are hand/​fresh cut but I’m not a fan on the seasoning they use on them. I’m the odd one out apparently! Now I want to try their brunch next!
Note: BOGO on Blue/​Blue Light during Buffalo sports.

This place is great! It’s still pretty new, but they seem to have things under control. The drink options are listed on the wall far and wide with a huge variety of beers, a few wines, and mixed drinks. I went there with a bunch of friends and we had a light lunch and tried a few beers on tap. The bartender was very knowledgable and happy to let us taste some brews before settling on one.
The food was fantastic, I had pan-​seared scallops in a lemon butter sauce and my other girlfriends had sandwiches which they all loved. One of them is even trying to cut back on bread, so they grilled up her turkey sandwich straight up with no bread and she absolutely loved it! She was also pretty pleased because they have high chairs available, and while I wouldn’t call it a family friendly restaurant, it will be a nice pub for her and her husband to bring their one year old with them for a nice afternoon bite to eat.
I’m so happy this place opened up, it’s going to be a big hit in the Hertel Ave area! I’m thrilled to have it so close to my house!

My cousin and I happened to be walking down Hertel yesterday evening, and couldn’t help but notice the amount of people pouring in and out of this place. Naturally, we had to go in to what the buzz was about. Upon entering, a hostess handed us a drink ticket for a free drink at the bar — how awesome! (Later, I found out that it happened to be ‘friends & family’ night — which explains the massive amount of people).
We headed to the bar and ended up trying a couple of different concoctions beyond our «free drink». The first thing I noticed: the number of craft beer taps! Plenty of great choices (see photo). They also have a fully stocked refrigerator/​cooler behind the bar with plenty of bottled choices. We graciously received a «Smoky basil lemonade» cocktail, from Frank who was behind the bar. It was delicious!
All of the bartenders and staff we encountered were friendly, welcoming, and made the ambiance a fun place to be.
We can’t wait to return and check out their menu selections.
What a wonderful addition to the Hertel neighborhood!
ps– for all of the «Resurgence Brewing co.» lovers — they have their ‘smokey the beer’ on tap!