The Public Kitchen & Bar

The pimento cheese and Wilbur are the best burgers I’ve ever had! A must try! And the mussels are in an amazing garlic tomato broth

Burger was delicious. Atmosphere was great. Service was excellent.
Kettle chips were from a BAG! Like the kind you buy at the store! The menu never said anything about being homemade, so maybe that was our fault for assuming, but it was definitely a let down to find bagged kettle chips being served…

My husband and I, at first glacé, are not trendy or hip. We’re not hip or trendy at second glance either. At our age, we don’t have time for that. On this day, we were celebrating our ten year anniversary.
The staff was the exact opposite of warm and inviting. Half way through our first round of drinks, (while enjoying the good food) our server asked if we would like another one. I said we may. She walked away and came back with the check. She wanted us out asap. There was still plenty of food to be eaten and my cocktail didn’t have a chance to get watered down yet. It’s a shame because I did enjoy that cassis old fashioned and would probably had ordered another one if she only gave me the chance to finish my first one.
Two stars because that pimento hamburger was AMAZING! But, according to our server, we can’t chew our food and down our $ 11 cocktails fast enough. Looking at our bill, checking the time stamp, we were there less than 30 min.

Rude! My fiancé and I went to enjoy a very expensive bottle of wine and were promptly told we could not sit at a table without ordering food. How preposterous to think we may want to have several drinks without bothering with their mediocre (at best) culinary skills. We were very rudely asked to leave if we would not be ordering food, so we will be popping bottles elsewhere.

Excellent lunch and dinner spot. Food is definitely ⁵⁄₅ as well are the drinks. Just a wee bit cramped inside (namely the bar) but once you get your meal, it won’t matter. Another delicious place to eat in Savannah… I don’t understand how this city can have so much great food in such a small vicinity.

We came here on a Friday night and were presented with a 1 hour wait at about 7:15 or 7:30. We elected to sit outside given the long wait time (immediate seating outside). It was slightly chilly and would have been improved by some heat lamps. They are really leaving money on the table by not having heat lamps (many empty tables outside and people would be much more inclined to sit there if there were heat lamps).
We had the shrimp and grits and pasta carbonara. Aside from an abundance of peas in both dishes, there were good (just very aggressive with the pea quantity!) The shrimp and grits was different than what you would normally see with a tomato based sauce, but it was quite delicious and paired nicely with the grits. A good amount of shrimp which was appreciated. Nothing wrong with the pasta, but nothing to write home about and no cheese or freshly ground pepper offered. The no habla cocktail was fine, but very sour — lots of lime juice.
Overall, good food, nice to watch the passerby, but get heat lamps!

My fiancé and I went on an overnight Getaway to Savannah, and The Public Kitchen and Bar happened to be a couple minutes walk from our hotel. Our first excursion in Savannah and we couldn’t be more pleased. It was a beautiful afternoon so we sat outside. There were fresh sprigs of rosemary on the table. The service was friendly and fast. I got the Pimento Cheeseburger and my fiancé got the Wolfpack Sandwich. The Pimento Cheese was out of this world! Fresh and homemade, just fantastic. I would have never thought to put pimento cheese on a burger, but it was fabulous. My fiancé said that the Wolfpack was the best BBQ sandwich he had ever had. The prices were totally reasonable. A meal for two came out just shy of $ 30. I will be visiting this restaurant next time I come to Savannah!

Bloody Mary’s are good, cappuccino was good. Nothing exceptional.
Why so low? Unless you want a salad they don’t have gluten free options. They do state that most meals can be prepared gluten free, what they mean by that is «we will give you your burger or sandwich without bread». Needless to say I will not be returning.

This place is a great place to fine dine without the massive price. Our bill totaled to about $ 65 which included a glass of wine $ 8, latte $ 4, ribeye $ 14, and burger $ 13, and tip. The Public burger I had was massive and fresh! The waiter shared that the restaurant owners actually acquire meat from their own farms (as they were farmers first. I ordered a lentil salad, that was fabulous, and with a little more, it could have been a meal all of its own. The latte was amazing as well. My husband didn’t share the ribeye but LOVED his meal as well. He did share the brussel sprouts with bacon that were to die for. I’d definitely go back and recommend to everyone.
Im also including a few photos from our view on the sidewalk!

Terry, aka Momma T, thank you for a most awesome dining experience. You steered us right with shrimp and grits. My husband converted after trying these! The mussels were great as was the Petite petit we had with out lunch. The chocolate ancho caramel dessert lived up to the challenge of topping the meal and we couldn’t be bigger fans. Check my Unilocal reviews, I never give five stars but I would fly back from Phx just to eat here again. PS– Terri was great, as were the entire staff. what a great experience, thanks again!

The shrimp & grits were out of this world! We traveled from far away and were pleasantly surprised with how clean and crisp the restaurant felt. The host, a young male was so friendly and the server Sonya, what a gem, she’s truly an asset. If we are ever driving through Georgia again we are no doubt stopping by! Cheers!

Really nice spot to stop for lunch in downtown Savannah. We both opted for a burger and goodness gracious… it was a damn good burger.
We started with a pair of beers. Limited draft selections but the handful they had were locals and sufficient in my books. I had a local IPA she had a Alagash White. They we both ordered their namesake ‘Public Burger’ with caramelized onions and peppers, provolone cheese, and a sriracha aioli. Burgers were phenomenal. The toppings were perfect and melty and lettuce and onion offered some nice crunch and protected the bottom bun down below. The meat itself was a nice size and slightly overdone for med-​rare but still delicious. On the side I had a vinegar-​based coleslaw that was really good, and she had lentil and corn salad which was even better.
Only real complaint would have to be the amount of door opening. It was a colder day and they staff used the main front door to attend those seated outside constantly… They should focus on using the side door so the front bar and dining area isn’t constantly blasted.

While not Savannah’s most outlandish or popular restaurant, it is The Public Kitchen & Bar’s lack of gimmicky menu items or far reaching southern fusion that keeps me coming back. I would consider it a staple whenever I am looking for somewhere nice to have dinner or take guests, but not wait hours for a table, have to make a reservation days in advance, or be engulfed by tourists.
It’s location on the corner of Liberty and Bull Streets make it perfectly nestled in the historic district between squares and north of Forsyth Park without being along boisterous Broughton or Bay Street. The décor is modern with a tinge of rustic charm that makes it fit into the Savannah restaurant scene effortlessly. Outdoor seating is available and dog friendly, which is a definite plus.
The menu had mainstays you would find on any downtown menu (Shrimp & Grits), a wide selection of sandwiches and burgers (Bison burger is not to be missed), and some more eclectic dishes like curries and Italian inspired. Appetizers (we had PEI mussels as well as an olive dish) were plentiful and perfect for sharing.
I have been back several times and the menu seems to rotate based on seasonal offerings and tastes. In my opinion, this keeps the fare exciting, without compromising quality.
The craft cocktails are not to be overlooked by the Menu’s long list of craft beer and wine. The Bourbon Moscow Mule was infused with rosemary, as well as a fresh gin drink with muddled strawberries (the name is escaping me) are refreshing and satisfying.
Definitely recommend The Public Kitchen and Bar. Especially if you are looking for somewhere in the Historic District, but perhaps not as loud, and off the beaten path.

I’m visiting Savannah with my gfs. We were looking for restaurant with variety of options and this place was recommended by our hotel staff. It was bit off of City market but it was worth the walk. I had Thai curry and my friend had shrimp & grits which were great. I will sure recommend this place.
PS: Do ask for their special dish price, it can come out expensive than you thought.

Came here around lunch time on a Sunday with no wait. Décor and atmosphere is very cute inside. We ordered the Cuban sandwich with chips and the chicken bacon ranch sandwich with mashed potatoes. Everything was good, both big portions but nothing too exciting. The mashed potatoes were a little bland, wish they had gravy or some kind of topping. The Cuban sandwich was very sweet also because of sweet pickles but tasty nonetheless. Overall very tasty!

Stopped by on a Thursday afternoon; lunch for 1 at the bar. I WAS NOT DISAPPOINTED.
The bartender does magic tricks. I mean what? I did not expect this! (not going to reveal trick)… Anyways, he was really wonderful and excited about the drinks he was making behind the bar… some vodka drink I did not have… but really refreshing to watch someone enjoy their job so much. They do have bottled Kentucky Bourbon barrel (aka the way to my heart). Obvi, had 1 of those.
To eat, I had the highly– recommended Cuban with a side on lentil salad. SO good. I have had too many Cubans to count, from my grandfathers house to the famous Miami & Tampa, Fl shops & everything in between… so when I say this Cuban is awesome, it is AWESOME– believe me. Delicious mojo pork & thick slices of ham… I’m almost certain it was bolo ham but without the traditional prep to make it sweet as is done for many cuban sandwiches. Only negative– the bread was 100% not Cuban bread… it was good, and definitely complimented the Cuban but not Cuban bread –sorry – . Either way, VERY good & highly recommend it.
Look forward to coming back for that Roma Burger & a side Cesar!
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SO: not the best Cuban but definitely one I would have again (many times) & the service alone makes me want to come back for another visit!

The food is good, the portions small.
If you «eat like a bird» you will enjoy this place.
I had a BBQ sandwich. It was tasty, but left me wanting.
There is not wait, which is great.
It came with a fruit salad.
90% honeydew/​cantaloupe should not be able to be legally called a «fruit salad»!
I suck at poetry.

I had a really hard time rating this place, because it was really good, but honestly I wasn’t blown away and felt it wasn’t anything special. I got the lasagna and it wasn’t lasagna in the normal sense. Instead of getting a square of lasagna (which is what I was expecting), I got all lasagna ingredients stuffed in a bowl.
The caesar salad was also just put there as an after thought.
I really don’t know, I guess I was expecting more. It was good, not great, very forgettable. I would probably go again.

I did a lot of looking for a great place for dinner in Savannah since I was only in town for one day. Immediately after walking in to Public I knew I had made the right decision.
The décor was simple and elegant but progressive and artsy. There was a stellar custom light fixture above the bar held from above by an awesome wooden panel that curved around to frame the bar. The dining area was lined with windows and flooded with natural light.
I ordered the Carolina Burger which surpassed any expectations I could have possibly had. The best part was the coca-​cola BBQ sauce. It provided a sweet yet tangy flavor that mixed flawlessly with the caramelized onions, cheddar & slaw to tag team my taste buds into pure ecstasy. The side of mashed potatoes were alright but my mind had already been blown by that point so they didn’t stand much of a chance.
It was obvious that they have some talented mixologists behind the bar ready to prepare your dream drink but I didn’t take advantage of their skills this time around. I hope to return someday and explore their menu more.

So after a long day in the Sun, it was time to get some dinner around the area. We went home, everyone got ready and we decided to hit Tybee, well, on the way there we get a call saying that the bridge was shut down due to an accident, so we turned around and started driving through Savannah trying to find some good restaurants off River street as the night before we did not have a good experience. Unilocaled around the area and this restaurant had 4.5 stars, so we decided on it. No line as it was around 5ish on a Saturday so we got seated quickly. Ordered drinks and quickly put in our entrée order as we really needed some food. I got the Shrimp and grits, which were Phenomenal, right amount of shrimp, and then some Chrorizo with it to give it that kick, woaahh. It was delicious. My friend had the Carolina burger, that it felt he devoured in the blink of an eye — yeah it was that good!
Loved this place, service was good, and the outdoor seating was pretty nice. Will definitely come back here next time I’m in town!