Public House

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

A Gathering Place Rooted in Amarillo

Public House opened in southwest Amarillo in 2014, founded by Curtis and Staci McGill alongside Brian and Savanah Singleton with a shared vision for exceptional food and hospitality. In 2018, Jay and Chonda Brent — both Amarillo natives — acquired the restaurant and stepped into a hands-on ownership role that continues today. Jay brings a fifth-generation farm and ranch background to the table; Chonda, a career in real estate. Together, they describe their purpose plainly: to provide a place where families, couples, friends, and colleagues can create lasting memories around the table.

The building at 3333 S. Coulter has its own layered history — a Mexican cantina, a tortilla factory, another restaurant — before becoming Public House in 2014. That accumulated character is still felt in the space, including a wine room that once housed a working fountain.

The Kitchen and the Bar

Head Chef Carlos has been with Public House since day one. He began his career as a teenager in South Bay, California, worked his way through diners and five-star restaurants over two decades, and arrived in Amarillo in 2006 before helping open Public House. His approach leans into creative freedom — his own favorite from the menu is the Blackened Salmon, fresh fish pan-seared and finished with a choice of caper aioli, asiago cream, Thai chili, or piccata sauce.

The contemporary American menu is built around quality ingredients and elevated comfort food. House-made meatloaf — ground beef, pork, and duck, topped with mushroom demi-glace — is a signature. Hand-cut Angus steaks, an Elk Tenderloin with jalapeño hollandaise, Parmesan-encrusted Chilean sea bass, and a customizable mac and cheese round out a menu that moves confidently between approachable and ambitious. Fish is flown in twice a week. Juices behind the bar are hand-squeezed.

Bar Manager Gina King, who joined in 2020, curates what the restaurant calls the largest whiskey list in Amarillo, alongside a cocktail menu that blends reworked classics with rotating seasonal drinks. The wine program earned Public House a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence — recognition given to lists offering at least 90 selections with a thoughtful match to the menu in both price and style. It remains one of the most distinguished wine lists in the Texas Panhandle.

More Than a Restaurant

Public House handles private parties and events through dedicated planners, offers online ordering and takeout, and maintains outdoor seating alongside its dining room. Manager Patrick Johnson, who joined in 2023 after 18 years in hospitality, names the Elk Tenderloin paired with Lagavulin 16-year scotch as his meal of choice — a detail that says something about the range this contemporary American kitchen is comfortable covering.