public at the brickyard

craftbeerand food oasis in old town. among the cultural and culinary desolation of establishments like heroes and emerson biggin’s lies a small, unassuming sanctuary for craft beer, atmosphere, and gourmet food - public. i stopped in for the second time on the sunday after winfield last month and for a brief moment, i actually wanted to live in wichita, which says a lot....no offense folks - former lawrence local here.

we sat on a sunny patio with friends and ordered a spread of house fries (holy shit), brisket tacos, sliders, one of the salads, and a shrimp & grits special, backed up by a damn fine bloody mary and litany of craft beers (most of which i’ll note that i had never seen in kansas). while i do like knowing that my beef isn’t coming from china, i’m typically not overly fussed with “locally sourced” this, and “artisanal” that. this was one of the few restaurant meals i have had in recent memory where the quality of the local ingredients actually came through in the flavors. heirloom tomatoes, a burger that tasted like a burger, etc.

the service was warm, with folks that tended to know and possibly even care (gasp) about the beers and food - not often seen around here. great place to spend a lazy sunday afternoon grazing or weekend night getting shitty on white whales. i’ll definitely be back.


-----06 jan, 2013-----

awesome. a welcome and much needed addition to old town. accessible, but interesting menu, comfy atmosphere, and thoughtful craftbeerselection. loved the pickles and brisket tacos.

i declare public as a great place to eat tasty food and drink good beer!

cozy atmosphere, good eats and heady beers. glad to have a new place to stop at while traveling through wichita that has both a solid menu and craftbeerselection.

at the waitress’ recommendation, we tried all the local favorites. between four of us we had the house fries, brisket tacos, sliders, shrimp and grits (on special) and a house salad. all the food was great and in my opinion the fries and tacos stole the show.

seriously, how do you get fries to taste like that? the texture was perfect (sturdy outside soft in the middle) and the seasoning coupled with the moreish dipping sauces gave them a gourmet complexity. i know, they’re just fries...but they are seriously some of the best i've ever had.

the brisket on the tacos was cooked perfectly (which is not easy to do, as those of us bbq-ers know). less is more with these tacos. they’re simple on their own but the salsa-ish sauce and fresh sour cream really set them off.

we had the chance to speak with the owners and the man behind the beers. it’s clear they like making people happy and are passionate about food, as well as about supporting wichita’s local scene and sourcing quality beers. looking forward to stopping back through wichita for more!

great food, awesome rotatingbeerselection. the uncle jessie pizza is delicious.

good food, awesome atmosphere, wishbeerselection was bigger. staffbeerknowledge isn't the best

wow it looks and tastes great!. i have been there to eat a few times now and really love the atmosphere and the food. also not to be overlooked is thebeerselection. if you love craftbeerlike i do, they really know what they are doing. the brisket and bleu cheese pizza is great. everything is made in the restaurant with local meats and breads including the "wichita wings" smoked chicken wings and amazing bbq sauce. these are not your ordinary chicken wings. well worth visiting!

way to go!. just had a private birthday party at brick yard, last weekend, for 30 close friends and relatives. incredible! the owners and staff were amazing, the accommodations were outstanding and the atmosphere could not have been more perfect for the night we had.

we were inside, in a private area. the overhead door was open to the courtyard, where live music played. college games were playing on the big screen, where my guests were invited to relax in leather easy chairs. our appetizers were set on our private bar, with plates and napkins, and donna served drinks with the ease and precision of the professional she is. my guests ordered dinners that impressed everyone who ate, and an awesome cake cart was rolled out, complete with staff to cut and serve. my birthday guy’s favorite importbeerwas ordered, just to add so much class. i cannot believe how well this went, for a very reasonable price.

folks, if you have any need for a great location to have an adult party or event, the guys at brick yard and their professional staff will definitely take care of you.
way to go, indeed!!