Public House Bar & Kitchen is a stylish chic rustic watering hole located behind the hip Urban Cowboy boutique hotel or bed & breakfast in the Lockeland Springs neighborhood of East Nashville. Public House offers a range of craft cocktails and beers, plus seasonal fare from a permanent food truck and a wood fired cooking area. The expansive bar features reclaimed wood beams, vintage light fixtures, old school cigarette machines and a wall of windows overlooking an enormous patio complete with a fireplace. I feel it’s safe to omit the kitchen from the title and just call it Public House Bar, a local bar that is passionate about good tunes, cocktails, tasty snacks and genuine hospitality. They incorporate an open seating format and do not take reservations or hold tables for any size parties, first come first served. Their core values, good tunes, cold drinks, good times!
This hipster bar is located on an unassuming Lockeland Springs neighborhood street corner with two other restaurants on the other corners, Italia Pizzeria and Lockeland Tables. The bar usually has 5 stools and qualifies as a small bar gem where the wild west is intermixed with Cosmopolitan and a touch of Vanity Fair. The music is hip and cool, forcing everyone to relax, rejoice and catch up among good friends while entertaining the prospects of making new friends. It’s a chill spot where the cocktails were insanely delicious. I noticed they had a small snack menu but did not partake even though many people suggesting this place told me that the menu is small but what they do, they do really well. We arrived on a Saturday night catching up with an old friend, the bar stools were removed to accommodate more people approaching the bar to get drinks, most successful small bars do this to prevent campers from obstructing the flow of drink purchase, some larger establishments just remove the stools near the wells so that people can approach the bartenders at their wells to purchase drinks.
Pro tip: Small bars are any bars with 6 or less stools. Usually really cozy and intimate.
The 5 stool bar inside the Victorian mansion is a killer place to get a bourbon and a history lesson. In the 1980’s, pro wrestlers used to practice in the yard out back, which is why you’ll see snacks at Public House coming out with table markers with a famous wrestler posed photo. And be sure to check out the “hidden” door to the B&B rooms, which was inspired by the movie “Clue.”
My wife had the Saint Mary, a nice subtle rift on the Negroni. I had the Fame & Fortune, a twist and hybrid of a New York Sour with egg whites to add a creamy softer texture and taste notes. Both delicious and expertly crafted by their amazing bar staff. One of the bartenders had a cool Montana sweater and I asked him if he was from Montana, he told me he was from South Florida but thought the sweater was cool, I playfully called him a poser and without missing a beat, he noticed I was wearing a cool Jeep jacket and promptly asked me if I owned a Jeep, I laughed and told him I didn’t, “touche.” The bartenders are friendly, fun, and adept at crafting some beautiful, classic, and delicious cocktails. Quick and witty with great advice and stories, very approachable and not pretentious. We had a blast.
They had 2 bathrooms, one for the ladies and one for the gents. As I approached the bathroom on the right side glancing quickly to make sure it was the boys room, I opened the door to discover a woman on the toilet informing me she’s almost done. Embarrassed, shocked and a little confused, I quickly closed the door and reactively looked at the door again to make sure that it was indeed the Mens bathroom, maybe I had made a mistake and it was a unisex bathroom. Nope, it was indeed the little boy’s room. Not to embarrass myself or the pretty lady that was using the bathroom, I quickly scampered back to the bar and told my wife why I came back so soon. You should have heard her laugh. When I finally felt it was safe to try the bathroom again, I carefully went in and made sure it was empty. The bathroom was adequate with a toilet and a giant over-sized urinal, there was some trash and paper on the floor and the urinal smelled, but for bar standards, it was fine, not great or clean, just fine. Maybe an air freshener and another trash receptacle would help.
Keywords: Lockeland Springs, Boutique B&B, Craft Cocktails, Neighborhood Bar, Hipster, Large Patio, Seasonal Bites
Price Range: $$
Overall grade: Boozy: thumbs up Woozy: thumbs up
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Boozy Woozie Cocktail inspired by Urban Cowboy Public House
Urban Revolver
1 oz Corsair gin
1 oz dry curacao
1 oz Lillet Blanc
1 oz fresh lemon juice
2 dash absinthe
Garnish with a lemon peel twist and/or cinnamon stick
Shaken and strained into a cocktail glass or coupe glass
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