Barnum Publick House

I’ve been here twice for Sunday brunch and it was excellent both times. Servers were very accommodating, and the food was delicious. I plan on making this place a regular ‘go-​to’ place for Sunday brunch.

Went here yesterday for brunch with some friends. Food was mediocre — small portions served luke warm… All the bread (wheat toast, cinnamon raisin french toast) was stale and hard at the edges. My fritatta was thin and hardly filled. Worse than the food was the poor service. Our waitress had to be flagged down several times and would rush off after taking just one request. I think it took about 5 tries to get coffee refills and cream for the whole table. She didn’t even serve our meals nor did she ever check to see how the food was… couldn’t have cared less. To be clear she wasn’t overwhelmed and the place wasn’t very busy. She simply did not care about her job.
What a shame. This place seems like it could have great potential. If you can’t manage brunch I’d hate to sit thru dinner service. Not going back.

Went for Sunday brunch. Nice décor. Food and drinks were good. I got the peach Bellini, very fresh and delicious. My friend enjoyed the Bloody Mary bar. Wait staff not so friendly.
Overall a nice time!

We had high hopes for this place after checking out their website and reviews. Unfortunately, we were sadly disappointed. The only saving grace of our visit was the house made potato chips.
The «jerk» grilled chicken sandwich had absolutely no jerk spices on it. It is advertised as including slices pineapple and mayonnaise. It came with mayonnaise. The chicken itself was thin cut, maybe a 3oz portion served on what appeared to be a large English muffin and shredded lettuce.
I lived in the Philadelphia area for 20 years so I can tell a good Philly Cheesesteak. The cheesesteak is the furthest from it. The meat was dry, the cheese was hard to find and onions non existent.
The hand cut fries were undercooked and lukewarm at best. Very limited draft beer selection.
After we left Barnum we stopped in Uncle Bucks at Bass Pro Shops to check it out. I think we’ll eat there next time.

This place could easily be 5 stars. We recently attended the Downtown Cabaret’s performance of The Great Gatspy and prior to the show we ate at the Barnum Public House. The place offers a solid menu of interesting offerings and the service was perfectly polite but not enthusiastic or smilingly friendly and engaging. The food arrived hot, tasty, well seasoned, (we had the fish and chips and it was crispy and the fries were cooked perfectly), the pork tenderloin sandwich was a bit too sweet and we couldn’t really appreciate the pork flavor just the over whelming maple, but the problem we had was the 2 chicken dishes ordered, a Marsala and a pasta, did not all arrive at the same time as the other four entrees, with a window of three minutes between our party of 6 all being able to enjoy their meal together. There was only three other tables eating so we don’t think it was because they were overwhelmed with orders but maybe understaffed? The interior of the restaurant needs a bit a fairy dust to make it more intimate and the kind of place we’d like to frequent again. What’s needed is a few more tufted booths, candles or small lamps on the tables, a large velvet curtain blocking the large span of glass doors, a host or hostess to greet you when you arrive, some picture lights illuminating their collection of Barnum circus art and losing completely the CFC /​Florescent lighting. The restaurant is loud and not from the patrons but just from the amount of hard surfaces including a pressed tin ceiling. The drinks were well poured, the Bloody Mary is great, although it could use a few more veggies, (I like a salad with my Vodka). We didn’t have time for dessert because of time limitations but the server did offer. He just didn’t seem to enthusiastic about the selection. When we got our bill it seemed very fair– I seem to remember $ 165 plus 20% gratuity. It was our third time at the Barnum Public House and the food seems consistent. Try the adult grill cheese and the Tomato soup, they both are outstanding. If they could add to the decoration, this place could be 5 stars.

Came here for brunch one morning and after hearing such rave reviews I was so stoked for a Sunday brunch with DIY Bloody Mary! (Reason for two stars). Much to my dismay and confusion… this establishment has been here for quite some time yet the service proved otherwise. Server took forever, my fiancé had to flag down someone to get s refill on his bottomless mimosas, and the worst part and which is has never happened to me… I ordered the Eggs Benedict… So hungry so excited and I cut into… not one but two HARD boiled eggs!
Not one for poor reviews but man did I feel let down.

I like this place! Nothing crazy just brasserie style cooking. More restaurants like this would be a good thing. I like the sandwiches offered here. Great atmosphere as well.

We came here on a Sunday brunch on a Groupon. We called like 2 hours before and luckily they were able to accommodate us. As soon as we came in we were seated immediately. The restaurant is loud, maybe because they are serving bottomless drinks.
We ordered California Breakfast Buritto and Steak & Eggs. The burrito was good but it was too much of eggs for me. Steak was also good but it was just too much chewy and dry. The rest of the food in plate were good like the eggs, potatoes, breads and little bit of fruits lol. Drinks were unlimited refill and service was good. For $ 35 (Groupon) it is not that bad.

3.5 stars would probably be more accurate, but no reason to round down.
Finally got here for Sunday brunch on a Groupon. It was still pretty busy at 1pm but we had reservations and were seated immediately. It’s loud in here — you can tell they’re serving bottomless drinks. :)
Food /​drinks /​service were all on the high side of average. Nothing special or out of the ordinary, but all good and definitely worth the price of admission.

We stopped here on our way home from NYC and I really liked it here. The staff was super friendly, they even put the football game on when we asked. It was clean and bright and I loved the décor. They had a great beer selection and some interesting drinks/​wines. Unfortunately, the food wasn’t that great. My chicken was dry and flavorless and my husband’s sandwich was nothing exciting either. I might stop in here for a drink someday, but I won’t stop here to eat again.

Brunch Brunch Brunch!
The only appeal here is bottomless drinks and a cute restaurant name/​concept– which could be done so much better with just a bit more design/​décor.
They have food but it’s only purpose is to fill you up so you don’t get blasted on unlimited mimosas. Had the eggs Benedict– the eggs weren’t runny! soooo upsetting. The eggs, hollandaise sauce and muffin were room temperature and the potatoes were hard and cold.
If I visit my friend in this area again, we’ll probably eat elsewhere before hand and only order a snack here with our boozy brunch.

Well lets start by spelling public correctly. Polite yet dark and subjective staff raises a question mark. Food is crummy undoubtedly. Do not be fooled by these puctures. Breakfast menus is very small and consists mainly of dishes that revolve around butter. French toast was terrible and there was a tough and had matter in it. Yuck! Avoid. These days real cooks are just on TV or in fancy restaurant apparently. Everyone else just seems to hate their life.

Went there for lunch this afternoon and ordered a grilled chicken caesar salad. Very pricey, but I figured I’d give it a shot. I got a plate with lettuce, barely any dressing, no croutons (as advertised), no shaving of parmesan cheese. When I asked our waitress about the croutons, she cooly responded, «oh, we ran out.» Do you think that this is information that should have been communicated at the time that I ordered lettuce and chicken? Methinks yes. Lesson learned. Will not go back.

The two-​star rating is for the food. Service was surprisingly good. Dined here for brunch and ordered the following:
–Steak and eggs: the steak was dry and tasted extremely bland. Eggs over easy were also overcooked. Toast was cold and not evenly buttered (although I never even asked for butter!). Side of potatoes would have been forgettable if not for the half pound of salt covering them.
–Bloody mary: you are given a glass half full of vodka and then instructed to make your own drink at the bar. This would be a cool concept except that 1) how many people actually know how to make their own bloody mary? Not I. I rarely order them. 2) The bloody mary «station» was set up at the end of the bar inside the restaurant. We were dining outside so it was quite inconvenient to travel there to make a drink. Also, there was a long line as customers were taking their sweet time to prepare their cocktails. The last thing I want to do is stand in the middle of a restaurant next to the bar area waiting to make my own drink.
–Service: the only good thing about this place. Our waiter was attentive and polite and we never had a need to break our necks looking for him. He earned a well-​deserved tip.
Will I return? Me thinks not.

Hard bread, salty home fries, bland eggs, chewy steak and a dingy waitress… not impressed. Caveat emptor… I will not be back.

Usually people don’t know where they say they’ll begin, but I do!
If Barnum Public wants to say open, Get a new Cook! How long should it take to cook 3 chicken sandwiches and a burger on an empty Sunday night?
A. 20 minutes
B. 30 minutes
C. 45 minutes
D. 55 minutes
E. 1 hour.
We were the only patrons at the restaurant, we we ordered. Then a guy came in after us, ordered then got his salad and sandwich before us. Then two other people came after that solo guy, ordered and still got their food before us! One of the pieces of chicken was as thin as the clipboard they have their drink specials on, $ 10.75 for that?
Such a disappointment! The owners need to apply to the Food Network and be on that show that finds new cooks!
Answer to the question was: E !

Barnum is a nice casual spot. I have been a few times. The appetizers are a good size and price. The staff is very friendly. I like my bartender Laura she always makes a good margarita. The space is very open and inviting. I love the energy. Take a break and stop in! They have happy hour which is from 3 – 6 which is a perfect time to come and try out their offerings.

Had an okay experience at Barnum Publik House. Ordered the fried chicken sandwich for my meal and had Mac and cheese and wings as an appetizer which was all mediocre. However, the banana bread desert was delicious. The waiter was friendly but the meal took a while to be delivered to our table. Also waited a while for a refill on water. Wanted this place to be good but it just didn’t do it for me.

The place is great on an average day! After becoming a regular here it becomes home but when you fire and hire so quickly it becomes a stranger just as fast! We’ve been regulars and have had several brunches here. All of them have been different, our order has been forgotten and we had a drink (shot) comped that was watered down! We’ve had a waiter not comply with our request because a glass or carafe wasn’t available, but noticed the couple who came in after us was served first, had a drink first, and got their glasses upgraded and got said carafe! We were told we’d get one stat! We were passed on several times by our waiter for our drinks! We still left a tip! To my dismay!!! I should have left a real tip «serve your patrons equally»!! On top of that my meal was sub par! We asked for medium well and received well charred! It was too bad to eat! At that point my blood was boiling and I had to send my food back! I never do this and should have known better, again we asked for medium well, we actually received medium (the second time)! At this point we were comped another watered down shot! I will post the pic of the meal! I felt bad having to complain and having a groupon I felt I needed to leave a tip so i ordered two extra drinks and tipped! All in all we’ve had positive experiences here but when out staffed and hiring people who simply have no clue on how to wait and serve, the patrons suffer dearly! I give two stars because we’ve experienced a not so common feel to this place! There should be a consistency unmatched not a sub par and faulty experience time and time again for brunch! FYI we’ve reserved a table every time for brunch! This is a bar we absolutely love to frequent for on a low key day the service is great and food even better! I don’t recommend going later on Sunday, reserve early and get better quality food and experience, and sit in a section where you know your waiter (even better at the bar)! My rating is solely based on our negative experience! Our positive ones warrants 5 stars however its been inconsistent and so merits just the two!
After coming back several times over several months, my husband and I have realized that the previous experience must have been an aberration. Everyone is super friendly and amazingly cater to your needs and wants. Special props to Stephanie, über-​manager, and Justin & Bootleg Greg, bad-​ass bartenders-​extraordinaire, for taking care of us and ensuring an awesome experience. We love Barnum!

My friends have been here a few times and decided for all of us to go to brunch. I had never been before and probably will never go back. We went 1÷11÷15 and had a reservation for 1PM. One of the girls in my group got there a little early and managed to get us a table a little sooner, around 12:45. I come in at 1PM and there’s no hostess to greet me or assist. I see a few couples waiting to be seated, just standing around near the door. I see my friends at a table towards the middle of the dining area and mosey on over.
My friends already have drinks and the waiter comes over and asks us if we want another round, I tell him i’ll take a mimosa. Plenty of mimosas are run by a bartender and servers to tables but not to ours. Thirty minutes later our server comes back and asks us if we’re ready to order after just ignoring our table. We order and tell him we still want drinks. He makes a face and mumbles something about not taking our drink order??? That’s why you have a notepad.
Meanwhile another table in his section seated after us has drinks and food. How? Best part is the table of 6 or so that just gets up and leaves. I don’t blame them. I would’ve too if we weren’t so hungry. Food comes out and it’s mediocre at best. We ordered eggs Benedict which were bland, steak and eggs which was overcooked and the frittata which was the least abysmal. Oh, and the toast was as hard as a rock. Good luck with that. Home fries were good. Only decent thing on all of our plates.
Server comes over and asks us for a refill on the mimosas, he doesn’t forget this time. Even brings an extra mimosa on our third round. It’s probably the one he forgot earlier.
I’m definitely going to try other places for brunch.
P. S. Not good for groups of over 6. A party of 8 came in and they start to push tables together. Okay, normal. The dining area is narrow and the table for 8 ended up right next to a table of 4. There was a little space between the two parties, just enough for a server to squeeze through. I don’t recommend large parties unless you’re going to be in the bar or don’t mind eating on top of one another.