Public & General

The Beets are AWESOME — give them a try! The burger is pretty darn good too. Actually, everything I’ve tried here was very tasty and the service was fast, friendly, and their prices are reasonable (considering the quality of the food). I give this place two thumbs up :-)

Omg this place is great! Looks like a general store, tastes like a 4-​star restaurant. I had the meatloaf sandwich which was phenomenal with fries that were cooked perfectly. My hubby had a double cheeseburger which he said was «$(@&$ awesome». They have inside and outside seating. You can bring your dog to the outdoor seating. Highly recommend!

Public & General is a great new spot in NE GNV. It’s a large space with a bar area, restaurant with seating, outdoor space, and general store, where you can pick up a variety of wine, beer, and other goodies. The staff here is always friendly and courteous; I’ve only encountered friendly people.
The menu is diverse and always changing, though there are a handful of staples that you can always get (including the dill fries, which I highly recommend). You can check their social media pages for their daily specials.
I’ve eaten here several times, and as a vegetarian, I enjoy coming here because there is always something for me as well as my carnivorous friends. Generally, I tend to lean toward the friend egg sandwich (the fried egg + eggplant they sometimes feature is my favorite!), though I’ve also sampled some of their soups and salads. The food here always impresses me because it is simple food prepared creatively, and everything I’ve had is always delicious and fresh. In fact, I didn’t even like eggs before I had P&G’s fried egg dishes. Turns out I had just never had a good one!
This is a great spot to host a group happy hour or dinner as well. There is plenty of space to mix and mingle, and the space is comfy yet quirky. Plenty of parking is available as well. If you haven’t been, it’s definitely worth a visit (or two)!

Recently ate lunch here, and it was fantastic! It was our second visit, and like the first, we were very impressed. We have had the cheeseburger, brisket sandwich, dill fries, fried turnips, chicken wings and cabbage salad. Each item was creatively prepared and delicious. It’s a very informal place (counter service) but don’t let that deter you. They will hopefully built a cult following!

This was delicious to say the least! My family and I found this on Unilocal since we were in the area on vacation with great reviews. We are alway looking to try something different and we were not disappointed.
I has the roasted cabbage salad and the pork sandwich. He had a potato leek soup with the egg sandwich. They made a grilled cheese for my kid. We liked it so much we brought wings and more cabbage salad for the parental unit. Was a great find!

Terrible location, great place! Feel’s like a good bar in a larger city, which means they have good atmosphere, beer/​wine, AND food. I’ve visited twice and had a great experience each time. Don’t let the limited menu posted on the internet fool you… there are lots of daily specials that taste great. My favorites have been the soups (don’t remember exact ingredients but they were different both times) and a farro dish.

Great food and atmosphere on the east side of town where a place like this is most needed.

We went for lunch today and what an excellent experience! There was not a crumb left on anyone’s plate. The dill fries were superb. My son in law is a restaurant chef in Houston and one of my daughters is a magazine food editor/chef.everyone gave 5 stars!!!

We decided to try Public & General for lunch. I had heard a lot about it via social media and word of mouth. Pulling up to the location it was impressive what they had done to the strip mall location. There is outdoor seating bordered by wooden fence where some patrons were enjoying. Upon entering there was defiantly a trendy vibe with ambiant lighting and a converted warehouse feel. There were wine and beers on sale. I noticed Duck Rabit, Steigel, and Unibrau to name a few craft brews. It seemed to be pub fare with burgers and sandwiches, but there were pleanty of veggie options using celery root, kale, and other greens.
My group had a hard time deciding on what to eat, so we ordered a few sides: Dill Fries, fried beets, olive bowl and celery root soup. For an entrée I chose the meatloaf sandwich with greens.
The olive bowl arrived first. They were well marinated, and tender, with just the right amount of brininess. The beets with horseradish sauce arrived next. I never would have considered frying beets, but after having one I am convinced that this is a great idea! The batter used was not too heavy, and fresh sea salt was used to season it. The texture of the beet remained intact, and the earthiness of the beet was enhanced and it was more savory. The horseraddish dipping sauce was creamy with a hint of spice and complimented the beets nicely.
The dill fries came next. Fried potatoes in any form is one of my desert island foods, and these fries combined everything i loved about Dill potato chips with the noble fried spud. The fries were crisp, not soggy like some fresh fries are. The brightness of the chopped dill wasn’t missed at all, and accented the salted fries nicely.
The celery root soup was creamy with a hint of sweetness. Smokey bacon and chicken was a nice addition to contrast the sweetness of the soup. The cauliflower and carrot completed the finish of the soup.
The meatloaf sandwich arrived in a sesami hoagie roll. I would describe it as a sloppy joe like meaty bonanza, and I loved every bite of it! Notes of fennel, and the right amount of white chedder cheese, braised greens, celery, and spinach rounded out the sandwich.
Public & General delivered some unique food offerings, that offered a diverse range of meats and vegetables. The ambiance is relaxed, but a date night would not be out of place here. There are plenty of items on the menu to make me want to come back and try them all. Over all does not suck!

I’ve had pretty much everything on the menu, and the ever-​changing specials are true highlights. All of the food is sourced and prepared with intention, with layer upon layer of flavor in every dish. Every bite was different in a recent bucatini with broccoli-​almond pesto, and their soups are luscious, silky, comforting, and provide a depth of great earthy flavors. The classic menu items are refined, rustic dishes that are more familiar than the ever-​changing, ingredient-​dependent specials. Their desserts go excellent with their curated wine and beer section, as well as the array of in-​house prepared salumi and cheese case.

This review is as overdue as having a solid restaurant in the area Public & General itself occupies. All roads lead to a very bright future for this spacious, tasty gastro-​watering hole and I’m excited to see them grow more comfortable in the neighborhood.
The Space
A bit east of the interest at Main St. and 16^th Ave., the building this crew took over appears very similar to medical/​business plazas but definitely afforded ample space, nice tree coverage, and zero parking hassles. Come in through the front to find a small market with various beers, wines, and coolers, as well as a counter for food orders on the left. Further back comes the bar area with TV and taps.
What’s crazy is that besides these areas there’s also an outdoor patio, and even a playroom-​esque area with games, toys, and books for kids. When I was checking the place out I found it oversized for the activity that day, but I can see the appeal of having room to work/​grow.
The Service
Process is pretty simple: walk to the counter, look at the 2 – 3 menus of separate offerings they have for the day (as another notes, it’d be best to just slap ‘em all somewhere consistent rather than sprawl it out), choose, and sit anywhere with your number.
I found the staff super friendly, knowledgeable, and effective. There wasn’t much need for continued watch for me apart from refilling my coffee and handing me food, but the bartender engaged me and the gf happily for most of the meal (and fielded several questions too). I could see the «we’ll come find you» method being risky if they get surges of business but for now it seemed fine.
The Food
We came in when brunch was an option on a Sunday. For them, brunch came in the form of a «taco bar» type of deal but… truthfully…the «bar» was a few (no doubt tasty) items left out in the middle of a dimly little section of an empty room. It wasn’t so much anything seeming risky as much as it being so lackluster. The barkeep said they were mega-​awesome when I had already opted for another item off the main menu, but presenting the tacos so «it’s over there and help yourself» was a big turn off.
What I did get though was:
— BBQ Mushroom Sando (B+)
— Dill Fries W/​Tomato Aioli (A+)
The sandwich came with a heap of tasty, well-​cooked shrooms that were even further elevated by that fresh-​made bun. The bun had some trouble dealing with the sauciness but that’s pretty much the only down side.
The fries, however, were impeccable! Fresh dill and salt exactly balanced with the light frying of delicious potato, then dunked into a cool flavorful tomato (sun-​dried I believe) aioli. It’s a burger’s best friend and a side that may be among the best in town. Get them if you go.
Final Thoughts
The man in the kitchen was once a cook for my personal favorite place in town. I had high hopes for the food, which were met, but came knowing the area might not initially give them the business they deserve. As they get more popular they’ll no doubt get polished and grab that 5^th star from me!

Not a bad place for the area. I’m glad to see more options for lunch on this side of town. However I wasn’t really impressed with my burger. It was a little greasy but that is typical of a flat top grill. The burger was a lot smaller than the bun. It looked like the meat shrunk and bulged in the middle. The bun was very good and it held all the grease. The fries were very good.
I will try this place again but not the burgers.

2 months open, these guys are good! I don’t like the sports bar atmosphere, but the I can’t fault them for who they are. P&G has good workers and the food is excellent. My significant other and I sat down at the only table left (just 2 of us, but it was a big table). It was pretty funny when a lady with a group of 8 told us to move, assuming that we would just give up our table. I told them to join us which despite her reluctance was her only option. Imagine telling someone to get out of their own table. It was pretty funny! Anyway, mustard greens w/​bacon were good, beet salad was acceptable. Chicken wings were not hot enough but flavored VERY well. Fries were delicious and celery root soup was pretty good, though I’d nix the tarragon grass on top. Hip joint w/​an outside eating area and old guy on guitar to boot.

Overall, I was impressed. They have taken the space which was before them The Brew Spot I believe and made it into not only a restaurant and pub but also a small store selling beer, wine, and cheese. This space had been years before some sort of offices and at one time part of the Florida Woodlands office park which included forestry-​related offices and a blueprint shop. So the space, it needs to be understood, wasn’t a natural for a cozy pub yet Public & General has nonetheless made from it a very cozy, classy, little pub. That’s impressive.
And it was busy on a Friday night, so word is out that Public & General is here and worth coming out for, but despite the high volume of traffic, the staff seemed on point and orders were coming out promptly. The warm pasta salad I had, which was more like a pasta bowl with some greens as well as olives and other savories, was pretty good but the presentation in a stainless steel mixing bowl seemed odd: if the whole restaurant had some sort of kitchen or futuristic theme might have worked but here it seemed more like they’d ran short on table service and were resorting to serving food from the cookware. The salad was tasty however and the beer I had was also. Speaking of which, they carry a good variety of beers including some expected local brews and the unexpected like Lost Coast Brewing’s beers and the Bavik Pilsner from Belgium.
Now, here is the one area where I do have a complaint: the menu, not as in what’s on it but how it is presented. If you sit down at the bar they’ll hand you a printed menu which is just a plain piece of paper from their printer, nothing fancy, and that would be just fine were it complete but it isn’t complete. At all. The chalk board up front in the store section where the wine is sold lists the same items and some more, such as a cheese board not on the printed menu. And then there is a list of today’s specials, which is extensive, but it’s hand-​written on a freaking piece of paper and taped up randomly behind the bar. You really need a hawk’s eye to even spot it and read it. Why can’t the menu info be unified somehow, especially when the printed menu is so cheaply produced they could make a new one with the specials included every day if they felt like it? So I guess look around everywhere when you come in to be sure to spot all the menu items like its a treasure hunt. Otherwise, it’s a very cool place and reminded me of some pubs in northern California I really liked back in the day.

This place has some fantastic atmosphere and the food was delicious. Comfortable, great music, and the prices were reasonable. Definitely going back.

Awesome, multi-​use space with bar, lounge, tables, and even a kids area with toys, games, and coloring books. Perfect neighborhood restaurant.
Burger was $ 6 and solid. Actually more value than I expected. I wasn’t crazy about the bun, but everything else was solid, including homemade pickles that were very unique.
Cedar Key Steamed Clam bowl is Delish. Clean, savory, and sea fresh.
Great selection of beers on draft. I got a Jai Alai, my goto beer these days.