189 Public House

We had an amazing experience tonight. First, we ordered a Manhattan and Kentucky Mule at the bar. The Mule was excellent. My hubby reports that his Manhattan was pretty good, ‘a little watered’. We grabbed a table and ordered tempura asparagus, sweet potato salad and fried chicken. Nick, our waiter, split both the salad and meal for us– which was awesome. Everything was delicious. We walked out having an amazing, delicious experience. What we couldn’t understand is why people were packing into Bar Bill next door and not this restaurant. We will definitely be back to 189– like maybe tomorrow.

I stopped in with my beau when the Bar Bill was overly full and I am so glad we did. We didn’t eat and only had drinks at the bar, but my boyfriend is real serious about his burbon and this place did not disappoint. Great atmosphere, super cozy, the kind of place in drawn to, looking forward to going back for dinner. The food smelled delicious, the poor wait staff has to shimmy past the bar patrons to get to the dining room.

Foods looks awesome. BUT I’m sitting here being ignored by their staff for 15 minutes. Got my own menus and no drinks ordered. People coming in after us getting waited on. Hire enough wait staff. Thought it was us but just watched another couple waiting for service walk out and then another ask twice for check and leave without paying after about 25 minutes
Update– it took an hour to get food but it was very good. That service though pushed me to the never again side though

Giving them 2 stars because of the service. Got here at 6:15 pm, didn’t get served until 7:40. Took another 20 minutes to get the check and then another 10 to finally pay! Food is good but honestly not worth the extremely long wait. They would have much more business if they got customers in and out faster. It’s a really awesome building and atmosphere but they need more wait staff and a faster kitchen.

Surroundings: I loved to eat in places with charm and character and this one had it. The old brick, and wood just gave a homey feel to compliment the food. They have a few tables on the lower level that face the stage for their nightly entertainment. There is a massive TV visible from both levels. Upper level looks more like bar only but I did not go check it out
Substance: The food by far exceeded my expectations. This one is definitely good for another round. We started out with the basket of bacon, plain. They offer a candied but with Cayenne I was a little leery. Bacon was perfect and what can be better than that. I had a glass of cupcake Red to start and they had an extensive beer list as well.
For dinner I opted for the fried chicken with Brussel sprouts and corn pudding. BONUS, they were great about substituting sides with no complaints or upcharges, I love when places do this. Makes me want to return. The corn pudding was fantastic, from the flavor to the texture, highly recommend. The hubs had the bourbon onion burger with their hand dipped onion rings. The burger was cooked perfect at medium rare and the combination of toppings was killer.
I noticed the giant meatball sandwich go by during our stay so that is next on my list.
Service — It was Halloween night so they were busy but the server apologized for the wait which was not much. Some of the best service I have had at this type of place, Kudos to the girls for working their butts off.
Shekels — Very reasonable for the quality, portions and atmosphere
Selection — They menu was limited which for me is a good thing. Even better for the hubs so gets overwhelmed with a big menu and then takes for forever to make a decision They have apps, salads, sandwiches and entrees. Varieties were plenty though within the limited menu.

Food and service were great! I highly recommend the pulled pork sandwich. Nice beer list too. Thumbs up.

Food was very good. We ordered the fried chicken and it was amazing. It was made just right with the right amount of spices and was crunchy and not dry. The hot sauce that they make was a great match for the chicken. The mashed potatoes were great.
The corn pudding is more like a chowder but was very good. Lots of ham or bacon and I wish it had more corn.
The bacon cheese biscuits were top notch. For a local place they have a limited menu but it is clear, they specialize in the food they offer.

189, what a find! This year old restaurant is owned by the same people that run the Bar Bill next door. It was recommended by a friend for their cocktails and southern influenced food. I am definitely glad we gave it a try.
We arrived around 12:30pm on a week day for lunch. It wasn’t crowded, and we were seated immediately. In the middle of the dining room sat a man playing acoustic guitar. A nice treat to hear live music during lunch hours.
The menu was fairly simple offering salads, sandwiches, and a few larger entrees. I chose the fried chicken with mashed potatoes and corn pudding. My companions opted for a salad and a pulled pork sandwich. The corn pudding was enormous. It arrived hot in a skillet. I had 3 pieces of fried chicken with a large portion of mashed potatoes. My only complaint about the food was the temperature of the mashed potatoes. they were not very warm. Everything else was sizzling hot!
I noticed the cocktail menu offered many unique drink combinations. I had to try the Indian summer cocktail which was light and refreshing. My companions tried the ipa brewed in house and loved it.
My favorite thing about this place is the décor and ambiance. It had a rustic feel with exposed brick, wooden and steel beams, and the vintage bar signs. It really is a neat looking spot. I loved the second floor that overlooked the stage. Check out the old jukebox while you are up there. There is also a large screen that must be great for watching football games.
Overall I really enjoyed this place. I could picture myself stopping by for a drink and some light food on an evening after work. Or better yet having a drink in the lit alley. We had no trouble with the service. Although I can’t say how this place is when it’s busy, it was sure lovely for a quick lunch. Two thumbs up!

Showed up for music– had several «maybe» friends coming. Told the staff that I didn’t know how many– they made sure I was taken care of (even told me they’d keep me company if no one showed) while I waited. Food was wonderful, staff was wonderful. We had a little of everything and a great time.

Delicious entrees, rather pricey and slow service. Bread given with drinks was dry, but juicy burgers made up for it.

We ate at 189 tonight for dinner. My husband had the fried chicken with the corn pudding. I had the Chicken Cordon Bleu which was a special tonight. We both enjoyed our meals very much. Everything was done to perfection.
Kaylee was our waitress, and she was very accommodating.
We also, had the Bourbon Apple Pie with a side of Ice Cream. Don’t think that it was ala mode. You have to pay $ 2.00 more for the Ice cream. This dessert was $ 7.00 plus the ice cream ($ 2.00).
We were disappointed with the Pie and the ice cream had big pieces of ice. Like it might of been sitting around for awhile.
We will return and try different dinners next time.

Best beef stew! The mussel app is soo good! Love the atmosphere! We have gone several times and have never been disappointed. Food was always delicious, service always friendly and love their cocktails!
Can not wait to use the outdoor seating !

Nice, new unique place to eat and enjoy a pint. The Bullet is my new favorite sandwich. Movie nights and bands make this even better. Unlike other reviewers, I have found the service to be prompt and friendly.

Such a disappointment.
Tried to go here for dinner last night and actually failed. We arrived around 7:30 or so on a Saturday night, and expected a wait, no problem. The hostess (who looked to be about 15 years old by the way) told us there were no tables available on the main level but she would seat us at a table upstairs if that was okay. We said it was fine, so she took us upstairs and sat us at a raised table. There were several other tables being served near us, so we figured it would be okay.
15 minutes went by, of watching 2 waitresses serve their tables upstairs, and no one acknowledged our existence or came by to take our drink order, or even nod our way. My boyfriend went downstairs to ask the hostess if she could get our waitress, and she said she would «double check» for us. He came back upstairs, we waited 5 more minutes to no avail. No waitress came to take our drink order, not even to say «I’ll be right with you.» We left and went next door to Bar Bill’s, right after aforementioned 15-​year-​old hostess attempted to seat a party of 5 at the counter upstairs (definitely not something you should even try to do in food service), all the while not even looking our way to see if the waitress came.
You’re a brand new restaurant, open for about 6 months, trying to be upscale with some pricey options. We were ready to spend about $ 60-​$ 70 for a nice meal out for just the two of us, and you actually lost out on some customers who won’t be back. We have lots of friends in the Southtowns and we will definitely recommend not going to your restaurant. Hire some more experienced hostesses who maybe aren’t 15, or at least train the ones you already have. If you’re going to seat people upstairs, you might want to check on them. And the next time a customer comes down the stairs to tell your hostess to send a waitress up because we had been waiting 15 minutes for anyone to come by, you should probably have a server on his or her tails, following them right up the stairs. It wouldn’t surprise me if you don’t even make it to your year mark.

These bad reviews for this place are baffling. Everyone I’ve talked to loves this place, so we decided to check it out. The inside of this place is beautiful, a huge projection television, and really a relaxing environment. We had no problem getting in and out fast and our server was very friendly and helpful. The menu is short, but I was impressed with the lack of typical, some very unique dishes. I ordered the Shrimp and Grits, and my girlfriend the Cornish Hen. To my surprise it was easily the best Shrimp and Grits I’ve had outside of New Orleans, and her Cornish Hen was very good as well, except for the rice. The rice was a bit undercooked, and for that I dock it a star. Otherwise fantastic, and we’ll definitely be back!

So disappointed!
Asked a friend out for a quick dinner and some drinks. I mentioned this new restaurant in town, that I had been meaning to try.
We arrived and decided to head to the bar. We wanted just a quick dinner, drinks, and some nice conversation. Walking in I noticed a few open tables and a open bar. So I thought perfect, not so busy.
We arrived to two stools. A blonde bartender who was okay. I tried making conversation with her and she seemed to busy. Which is fine. We ordered our drinks and food. I ordered the fried chicken and my friend the ribeye.
We waited 30 minutes for our food and decided to get it Togo. Although we had planned to have some drinks and a few bites of food, we didn’t plan on being there all night. We couldn’t find the bartender for over 15 minutes. We finally waved down the bar manager or possible owner. We asked to have our food boxed, he said not a problem. We waited another 15minutes and then asked for our check (during this time my wine was never refilled, and couldn’t seem to get any help). We then asked how much longer it would be, this manger checked and said two minutes. 10 minutes later we demanded to hear why we still had no food. We stated we ordered the food 50 minutes ago. The manager checked and came back to say the ticket time was 45 minutes. I asked if that was a normal ticket time for two entries on a Thursday night (8pm). His only response was filled with excuses: well those two items take the longest, the restaurant did have patrons here before you. He finally brought our food out, no bagged, just put it on the bar.
So frustrating!
He obviously knew we were bothered by the long wait. Didn’t do anything to make up for the obvious kitchen issue. And seemed bothered that we had an issue waiting 50 minutes for food.
I get home, thinking well at least if the food is amazing I will forgive the horrible customer service and long wait time. I was again disappointed!!! The mashed potatoes were under cooked. Chunks of potato were still hard. The fried chicken was extremely dry! And the crust was hard!
Again I’m so disappointed. I have such pride in living in East Aurora. I constantly hear from visitors how friendly everyone is. This restaurant is a completely disappointment.
If you are visiting East Aurora there are by far better restaurants: Brothers, Arribas, Medici, and Elm Street Bakery!!!
To the manager/​owner/​dude behind the bar! Know when your kitchen and staff mess up, and own up to it. Don’t make up excuses. And offer a free app or drink or something. Waiting 50 minutes on a slow Thursday night is unacceptable! And if there are three people at the bar, there is no reason for an empty glass, and no reason for us to have to wave a bartender down.

Even though it was a bit cool in there, its got a warm atmosphere. Most of the tables are high-​tops so if you don’t like those, you may not like it here. The food was great, we actually had as an app, a basket of bacon, yes, a basket of bacon. Four thick cut slices of bacon coated in a sticky candied coating, it was VERY good, but then again. its bacon. Service by Maddie was great and the Moscow mule was one of the best that I’ve ever had. Located right next to and sort of connected to Bar Bill, its a bit confusing which place you’re walking into and there is parking on the street or in a lot on the other side. I wpould recommend the pastrami sandwich or the fried chicken, both excellent.

Not a horrible place except for the fact that the floor plan was laid out by someone who has never left their bedroom. The space between the bar and the wall is 3.5 feet. Patrons are expected to sit at the bar while the waitresses go back and forth to the kitchen. I’ve been bumped into more than a dozen times already. Most annoying bar I’ve ever been in

Interesting place. Really nice looking building, seems like it’d be a great venue for live music. stopped in here for a business lunch. The menu is really varied and interesting. I chose to try the pork belly po boy. I really want to say it was better than it was, but it was really just Ok. Great bread, could have been straight from ‘nawlins. Unfortunately, it was kind of downhill from there. The pork belly was awkwardly cut in thick cubes that were more chewy than flavorful and kept falling out of the sandwich. The Vietnamese slaw on top was sloppy and surprisingly bland. On the bright side, the black bean succotash side was flavorful and good. The place showed enough promise that I’ll definitely be back but I can’t give it more than a mediocre review for now.

So glad we tried 189 Public House today. Got here right when they opened at 12 on Sunday afternoon. Colby and Kaylee were so helpful. We grabbed a seat at the beautiful bar, surrounded by tons of rustic looking wood. Even though it’s a new building, it looks and feels rustic and old. Very Cozy.
We started with Colby’s recommendation of the Grilled Shrimp App. So delicious. 9 HUGE grilled shrimps served in a bacon vinaigrette with chucks of bacon and tomatoes. $ 14.00
For our lunch choices, I went with the Bullet (eggs, hot sauce, fries, black beans, corn, and grilled pineapple in a burrito shell) and the homemade German potato salad, $ 9.00, my husband had the pastrami on rye with the black bean succotash as his side $ 10.00.
The food was served hot and fresh. The portions were perfect, we could not finish all of our meals, I think with out the app we could have.
We are looking forward to coming back to try the entrees.