Fried Jidori chicken and green chili cornbread waffles are a brunch and dinner favorite at Public School 702.
Most of the restaurants at the nearly year-old Downtown Summerlin mega-complex have been packed upon opening and then leveled out after a few weeks. Public School 702, a small franchise of self-described “authentic gastropubs,” has been crammed with diners and drinkers since debuting in June. Why? It’s something different for Summerlin, a pub focused on great beer and solid grub with different spaces for different fun. Meet friends in the bar, where there are many taps and high, communal tables, or get a proper seat in the casual dining room, or overlook the mall’s dramatic Dining Arroyo on the sweeping patio.
Go to PS702 during its recess-themed happy hour (get it?), 3:30-6:30 p.m. Monday-Friday. Exceptional draft brews like Joseph James’ Citra Rye Pale Ale and Ninkasi’s Dawn of the Red are an impossible $4, and other taps and well drinks are $5. There are tasty food deals, too, like an order of crispy cauliflower ($4) in Buffalo wing seasonings that might make you forget about wings altogether, and a platter of four shortrib and roasted chicken tacos ($7) that makes a meal.
Go easy at Public School 702 with the grilled watermelon and tomato stack.
The restaurant’s regular menu is pretty simple: snacks, salads, burgers and pizzas, then a rather interesting selection of entrées. Fried Jidori chicken and green chili cornbread waffles ($23) are a brunch and dinner favorite, a flavor bomb (and gut bomb) doused in bacon gravy. There are solid renditions of pub favorites like bangers and mash ($14)—with bacon and Brussels sprouts in the mash—and fish and chips ($15), contrasted by lighter fare such as grilled salmon with roasted vegetable succotash ($22) and a roasted poblano pepper with quinoa, black beans and adobo sauce ($13).
The pizzas get it done, especially pepperoni and jalapeño ($12); the fresh stuff is fun, like a grilled watermelon and heirloom tomato stack ($10); and it’s easy to get hung up on appetizers like that cauliflower or bacon cheddar tots with sriracha ketchup ($7). Purists may quibble as to whether this is an “authentic gastropub,” but without a doubt it’s a comfortable spot with a tremendous beer list and tasty, satisfying fare. Call it whatever you want.
Public School 702 Downtown Summerlin, 702-749-3007. Monday-Friday, 11 a.m.-1 a.m.; Saturday & Sunday, 10 a.m.-1 a.m.
