Public Kitchen & Bar
Spanish-leaning shareable plates from a husband-and-wife team with one of Kitchener's most loyal followings.
#13 of 27 restaurants in KWC
What it is
A tapas-style bistro on Victoria Street North run by Carly Blasutti (front of house) and chef Ryan Murphy (kitchen), who grew it from a nine-table Bridgeport room opened in 2013 into one of Kitchener’s entrenched favourites. The menu is Spanish at its core with the kitchen roaming wherever flavour leads.
Why locals rate it
Public is what a chef-owned restaurant looks like when the owners never stop showing up: the menu changes constantly, service is warm in the way only an owner-run floor manages, and the story — shoestring start, loyal following, bigger room earned the hard way — is baked into how the place feels. It’s the restaurant regulars measure new openings against, and the frequent-menu-changes model means it never goes stale on them.
What to order
Order like it’s tapas, because it is: four to six plates for two people, split between the standing hits and whatever’s new this week. The kitchen’s way with crispy-fried anything and its gochujang-glazed plates have long fan clubs. Say yes to whatever dessert exists that night.
Insider tip
The menu turnover is real — if a dish delights you, order it again on the spot rather than planning a return for it. Sitting at the bar gets you the best commentary on what’s coming out of the kitchen.
Heads-up
The location is a plainly commercial stretch of Victoria Street and the room is compact — atmosphere here is generated by the food and the hosts, not the streetscape. Book for prime times.
