Publico

Reviews 6

ET

Ethan Knight

Less than impressed. We (a group of five) came in a bit before noon, and though we ordered food and a lot of drinks (two pitchers of margaritas at $25!!! a pitcher), we didnt get our food until after one oclock. We were on a schedule, and had to be back to the university for meetings at one; when told our food was almost out at 12:53, we had to ask for it to be boxed up immediately. Other tables with groups at least as large and larger got their food before us, despite the fact that they came in after us. I personally had a $30 bill for food I didnt get to eat in the restaurant, and my friends were in the same boat. Chips were stale in our chips and queso, and for simple Mexican food--tacos and pre-made margaritas, it was crazy that it took over 30 minutes for food. I can accept stale chi[ps when theyre provided with each table or meal, but not when theyre charging $3.99 for them. Our waitress was very nice, but clearly was stretched too thin-- the place was not ready for lunch on a Tuesday. Unfortunately, I will not be going back. The place has promise, but is clearly not well managed, understaffed, and overpriced. When we made it clear we would not be able to eat our meals in the restaurant, we werent approached by management-- a more respectable place would have at the very least apologized and offered a discount. So, at the end of the day, I had a couple sub-par margaritas that were overpriced, some stale chips, and a $30 bill for food I had to box myself and take out because we waited over 30 minutes for tacos and corn, while others who came in after were served sooner. Id suggest avoiding this place, because Cantina 76 is nearby and has better service and cheaper prices.

---

JO

John Brown

I really, really wanted to like this place: fusion tacos in sleepy Columbia? Sign me up! Sadly its a disaster, with sub-par prepackaged ingredients and poor execution. A few low-lights from a weeknight trip when it was bursting at the seams: Started off with chips and salsa, since they claim to have freshly fried chips. They were not freshly fried, and Im 99% certain the chips are from a bag... though I guess it is possible they set out to replicate chips you can get at the grocery store? The salsa tastes like a puree of tomato, sugar, and salt. There is no spice whatsoever, not even a hint of cilantro. Again, Id be shocked if this wasnt from a jar. The assortment of tacos was a complete bust. Not only are the proportions for the various fillings off, the corn tortillas were awful: weirdly chewy and cold. Cold tortillas. At a taco place. The side I ordered was the Mexican street corn. I grew up in California, and love corn on the cob doused in spices and crumbly cheese, dripping butter and piping hot. At Publico its served ice cold, straight from the fridge. Ever had ice cold corn on the cob? Me either, but it turns out its disgusting. Weirdly the place also does burgers and fries (as if Five Points need more of that!). Cant comment on the burgers, but saw the fries come out for other people a few times and they were limp and clearly from a freezer bag. The beer list is extensive, but could use some work. Theres really no excuse to have 11 of your 50 taps be IPAs/double IPAs: when youve got Stone IPA, Hopsecutioner, and Bells Two Hearted, having another 8 IPAs is a waste of lines.

---

DA

Dave Roe

Atmosphere = A Beer Selection = A+ (great representation of local and regional brews) Service = A+ (knowledgeable and helpful) Food = B A good variety of tacos and burgers and bold choices of flavors but I found that some were a little on the bland side for my taste. We started with the jalepeno poppers which were very good. The waiter said that the peppers could run the gamut on the heat level randomly and the ones we had were mild but on the whole they were tasty, especially with a squirt of siracha. I then tried a pad Thai and a gochujang shrimp taco while my girlfriend tried a fried avocado and a poke taco. It was kind of the same with each taco. Great idea, good texture, but the flavor just wasnt bold like I expect Asian food to be. I didnt pick up much sesame oil or soy sauce in the poke, the pad Thai taco did not remind me at all of pad Thai. Couldve used peanuts, bean sprouts and a lime wedge. The gochujang shrimp couldve used a squirt of gochujang and the avocado taco was just under flavored. They did have sriacha and cholula on the table, and it helped, but I think they couldve done well with some salt and soy sauce there too. I know Im being overly critical but only because I really like this place and I think they are only a small step from being great.

---

TA

Taylor Hicks

I never post but this is ridiculous and I want everyone to know they should never waste their money at Publico. I thought Publico was an ok restaurant until a few days ago. My family was at Publico for a bit in the afternoon and we were informed there was a private party at 6pm. Understanding this, we paid our bill around 5:15pm and were just finishing up when the partial owner, Mike Duganier, started screaming (actually screaming) that we needed to leave immediately due to a reservation. We explained that we had just paid, were told we could stay until 5:45pm, and were just finishing up what we paid for. The partial owner became extremely irate and began grabbing drinks away from us. I have never in my life experienced something so immature and horrifying. The behavior of this partial owner was extremely unprofessional and uncalled for. You should never treat a paying customer that way. Never go to Publico. The attitude and disrespect is not worth the sub-par bar food and drinks. Mike Duganier should never be allowed near a customer again. If I could give zero stars I would. Furthermore, they had this same review taken down from Facebook, skewing and manipulating their ratings. If Publico was a good place to go, the honest reviews would speak for themselves.

---

ER

Eric Collins

Our table had a delightful Sunday dinner at Publico. The decor is "shabby-rustic chic", and the lighting is warm and glowy. We were greeted with genuine smiles, and our waiter was friendly and cheerful. We started with bacon-wrapped stuffed jalapenos, which were quite good. I got the $10 taco platter (2 specialty tacos and hot Mexican street corn), and it was all delicious. The Publico burger was a carnivores dream, stacked with more than one savory meat off the grill. The burger with the egg on top (forgot the name) was juicy and decadent. Its worth mentioning, too, that the prices here are FAIR, considering the premium ingredients used in their dishes. We were treated to exotic flavors without feeling price-gouged at all, unlike at other places that think a hand-crafted and fresh dinner should cost half a paycheck. (Respect to you, Publico!) Whatever problems caused the bad review under mine, Publico has fixed them, hands down. We enjoyed this place, well be going back, and I recommend it.

---

JO

John Geanangel

I was so excited for the potential of this restaurant but was sadly disappointed after my first visit yesterday. First off....the server was mediocre at best. Second, If you are going to have bacon wrapped stuffed jalapenos on the menu, perhaps you should serve them that way instead of thin strips of jalapeño with a little cheese and bacon bits on top....nothing even close to what was described on the menu. The food was ok in terms of taste but seemed very overpriced. I was not impressed with the fluffy tortillas used for the carne asade tacos...impossible to even pick up and eat as a taco. The Korean beef on the tostada was excecellent but for nearly $8 there should have been much more than 3" diameter rice cake. Back to the server....typical Columbia service...clueless and unattentive. Took our appetizers away without asking if we were finished. Brought and left the check well before we had decided not to order more food. Truly and overall disappointing experience!

---

---