Brought to New York City by the AvroKO Group, PUBLIC embraces the spirit of NoLitTa and is trendy and fun, and like its sister Saxon + Parole, it is one of the best restaurant bars in the area. To top it off, the food is incredibly unique! I love the atmosphere and vibe of PUBLIC, but I will admit, the menu is a little tough for the nobread crowd. Not to worry, on the two occasions I have been to the restaurant, the staff was happy to accommodate my allergy and there are several ways to make the gluten filled entrees be gluten free…
PUBLIC is most popular for brunch. My favorite nobread brunch entrees are the tea smoked salmon with spinach and poached eggs and the fry up which is two eggs cooked to your liking with blistered shishito peppers, buttered mushrooms and bacon. Both of these dishes are served on top of toast, but they can easily be done nobread, and they are just as delicious without the gluten! Portions are small, so you will definitely want to supplement whatever you order with a side. At brunch, the chorizo, bacon, and mushrooms are all nobread approved, and the root vegetable chips and quinoa hash are naturally gluten free, but they are cooked in a fryer subjecting them to cross contamination. For dinner, unique food pairings and ingredients make it difficult to tell whether or not an item is gluten free. The steamed edamame, salad of herby lentils, mushroom ceviche, scallop entree nocrisps, kangaroo carpaccio nochips, butter poached sea trout nocrisp, and the tilefish are all nobread approved and calling my name for when I make it back to PUBLIC for dinner.
Yes, the food at PUBLIC is great and attracts foodies form across New York City, but PUBLIC is most popular for its bar! Last weekend when my friend and I went to the restaurant for brunch, neither of us had a drink and we were probably the only table in the restaurant without a cocktail! The drink menu is extensive and filled with lists of cocktails, wines, beers, champagnes, AND non alcoholic drinks for those who don’t wish to have any alcohol. PUBLIC is definitely a good time and whether it is for food or for a drink at the bar, I’ll be back soon!