ANN MARIE BARRON| Correspondent
Take one look at the charming Publick House in Chester and you’ll know why it’s one of Morris County’s most iconic restaurants.
The stately landmarked brick structure takes you back to early 1810, when it served as a stagecoach stop between New York and Pennsylvania. Today, it shines in testament to years of painstaking renovations, and offers casual and fine dining, catering, happy hours and live entertainment to weary businessmen and seasonal tourists alike.
It’s also a full-service hotel these days, complete with 10 charming guest suites, completely renovated and made available to the public in 2013. The rooms have elevator access, private baths and are handsomely decorated with period furnishings and custom draperies.
Yet, they include modern conveniences like pull-out leather sofabeds, full housekeeping services and complementary Wi-Fi, and may be booked for rates of $175 to $225.
For more than 200 years, the inn and its many dining areas have been a popular haunt for local friends and families to return to, year after year.
“There isn’t one person who comes here and doesn’t have a memory,” said Freddy Palacios, manager of the inn and restaurant, who says the inn and restaurant attract fall tourists, drawn to the area for its many apple and pumpkin farms. Locals, too, have made the Publick House a routine. “They remember birthday dinners, anniversaries and graduation dinners here,’’ Palacios said. “People come back, year after year, for Mother’s Day.”
Former employees, too, gaze in awe at the renovations, which began in 2006 and still continue under the watchful eye of owner Joseph Lubrano. “They look around and say, ‘I worked here in the 70s,’ or ‘I worked here in the 80s,’ and they can’t believe how good it looks.”
As far back as people can remember, the historic structure has greeted visitors to the borough’s charming main thoroughfare, Palacios said. “The history is amazing,” he said. “When people think of Chester, they think of the Publick House.”
The interior has changed a bit since Zephania Drake built the structure as a hotel and tavern. Drake, a proprietor of the first line of stagecoaches, favored an enormous main dining room, which greeted visitors then. Today, several smaller dining rooms adjoin the elegant lobby and the second floor comprises the private suites and conference rooms that make up the inn.
The restaurant serves as a perfect location for family dinners, small parties and corporate events.
Off to the right of the lobby, the Fireplace Room is justly named as a huge, brick wood-burning fireplace serves as its centerpiece. The room gets additional charm from its brick walls — original to the structure. Three additional dining rooms may be used for private events or general dining, and another 60 people may be seated on the front porch.
Further back, a gelato room is perfect for a sweet treat or espresso and has a television for tuning into the day’s biggest game. A banquet room added in 2008 holds 90 people and is home to a grand piano.
Throughout the three-story Publick House, original wood floors in varying widths, antique accents and charming moldings harken back to simpler times.
The menu features everything from brick oven pizza, baked in a wood-fired oven ($12-$14), to Grilled Alaskan Salmon ($25) and Grilled New York Strip ($29). A $10 children’s menu features six choices for guests 12 and younger.
Additionally, pasta, salads, burgers and ribs all have a place on the dinner menu, while the lunch menu also includes wraps and paninis ($12-$14).
Executive Chef Jeremy Newmann, in his third year at the historic Chester restaurant, also offers seafood and specials daily.
In the bar area, which seats nearly 50 people, including 17 at the bar itself, Palacio takes great pride in the unique beer offerings and a seasonal drink menu. “A lot of people come specifically for our drinks,” he said. “Our martinis are very popular.”
The summer drink menu ($10) includes A Blue Waters Martini with Cisco Triple Eight Blueberry Vodka, Watermelon Schnapps, Sour mix and a lemon. Also, the Main Street Reatreat is also a popular choice, featuring Ciroc Coconut Vodka, pineapple juice and club soda with lime.
Happy hour takes place 3 to 6 p.m., Monday to Wednesday. Ladies Night takes place each Thursday. On weekends, live entertainment pleases the after-dinner crowd until closing.
Additionally, the inn hosts Mystery Dinner Shows about four times a year.
The Publick House is located at 111 Main Street and may be reached by calling 908-879-6878 or visit www.chesterpublickhouse.com.
Do you have a legendary restaurant to recommend? How about a hidden gem of a restaurant in Morris County that we should know about? Email eabreu@GannettNJ.com.
