Publican Quality Meats

"You want the good news or the bad news? Alright, we’ll tell you the good first. Publican Quality Meat is kind of perfect. If rock bottom in life is Dustin Diamond/Screech making sex tapes and going to jail for stabbing people with switchblades in Wisconsin, then PQM is Kelly Kapowski. It’s dreamy in an innocent 90’s we have a big crush on you kind of way. PQM is a butcher shop, cafe, bakery, mini market, and even the private dining room for The Publican at night. But its best role is as a small and casual cafe from morning until early in the evening. From quality coffee to fresh baked bread, sandwiches, charcuterie, and more, PQM is the kind of place where seemingly simple dishes taste more complex than they sound. Take the Butcher's Breakfast for example - two eggs with bacon, sausage, bread, and potatoes never tasted so good. But these are the results you can expect when almost everything is made in-house. So what’s the bad news here? PQM’s hours, that’s what. The place is only open 'til 6 pm most of the week, which means unless you can swing a weekday lunch, it's difficult to eat here other than on the weekends or at prime old people dinner hour. We get that there are reasons behind the schedule, one being it’s the private dining room for The Publican, but that doesn’t mean we have to like the situation. We'll continue to enjoy PQM for breakfast, brunch, lunch, and late afternoon charcuterie with beers, but we won't stop dreaming about treating Tiffani Amber Thiessen to a nice Friday night dinner here one day. Food Rundown Butcher’s Daily Cheese Plate Cheese on a plate is always good. Butcher’s Cold Charcuterie Plate Don’t let your cheese be lonely. It needs a friend in charcuterie. Probably a beer too if you can swing it at lunch, and definitely a beer if it’s the weekend.. Butcher’s Breakfast If you’re in during the week or weekend while breakfast is still being served than you have to consider ordering the butcher’s breakfast. So simple, but so well done. PQM’s signature bacon, breakfast sausage, potato, bread, and two fried eggs. Jalapeño Cheddar Bratwurst As good as it sounds. A jalapeño cheddar bratwurst topped with sauerkraut and dijon mustard on a hoagie roll. We’ve got mixed feelings on the large hoagie roll, but no doubts on the brat itself. Return Of The Gyro The gyro was on the menu, went away, and obviously returned. We imagine the PQM staff making this decision at some point while jamming out to the tune RETURN OF THE MACK! Either way, this fancy take on a gyro with braised pork belly, raita, pea shoots, and a chili vinaigrette is delicious. Tuna Escabeche This tuna escabeche sandwich is like a hyrbrid tuna ceviche/tuna salad sandwich. We’ll just call it awesome. It’s a mix of tuna, spanish chorizo, “green goddess” dressing, which we assume just means a touch of heaven, olives, and some hatch chile on semolina bread. Disclaimer - I hate olives, but you don’t even notice them, so don’t let it be a deterrent if you’re team anti-olive. Piri-Piri Pavo An excellent turkey sandwich. It’s basic things like this done incredibly well that make PQM so good. Smoked turkey with piri piri chili sauce, avocado, and sprouts on sesame semolina bread." - Sam Faye

"PQM is a cafe, bakery, and mini market from the group that owns Avec, and does its job remarkably well. This is why we heartily endorse Syd’s choice to come to this Fulton Market butcher shop, presumably for cuts of meat that will eventually become fine dining’s largest steak course. But PQM’s best role is as a casual cafe from morning until early in the evening, where you can get great sandwiches. The selection changes, but there are a few staples, like the “Parm #2”—a chicken parmesan sandwich with fried sage and tomato basil sauce. " - adrian kane, nick allen

"PQM is a butcher shop, cafe, bakery, and mini market. Come here for cheese, fresh-baked bread, delicious sandwiches, charcuterie, and more. This is the kind of place where seemingly simple-sounding things (like a chicken parm or falafel sandwich) taste way better (and more complex) than you expect." - adrian kane, veda kilaru, nick allen

"Chicago’s meat packing industry left Fulton Market years ago with the once edgy district replaced by a glut of retail and trendy restaurants. However, the owners of the Publican, one of the area’s pioneering restaurants, have held on to some tradition through Publican Quality Meats. It’s part gourmet specialty shop, part cafe, and part butcher. Rob Levitt, an experienced sausage maker at Butcher and Larder, oversees the sausage program. His track record for encased meats is remarkable, and the brats at PQM are at that level." - Ashok Selvam

"Sydney drops by Public Quality Meats in Episode 3 of Season 2 to get some advice from head butcher and chef de cuisine Rob Levitt, who used his own personal experience for his dialogue. The butcher shop offers sausage and steaks from local farms, plus deli meats cured, cooked, and smoked on site and served on slices from sibling spot Publican Quality Bread." - Samantha Nelson, Ashok Selvam