Extraordinary. After literally having 2 horrendous food experiences in a row here (as a visitor) in…read moreLubbock, I stumbled on Pub 55 today. What awaits you is what one restauranteur once termed "instilling love in the food." This new combo bar/grill opened barely 6 months ago, and what a pleasant surprise it is!
Today, I ordered Chef Edgar's Philly Cheesesteak sandwich, coupled with the complimentary side of mashed potatoes. The sandwich packed high caliber beef like you really do find in Philadelphia. The green chile was fresh and pungent. Even that, in isolation, would be worthy of acclaim here in Lubbock. The onions delivered a wonderful flavor, fried or marinated in something unique (no jokes people). Every bite of this sandwich was not only edible, but tantalizing. The chef genuinely knows what he is doing here. And after Covid, in smaller jurisdictions, well, rare, really rare to find.
A valid test of quality cooking is the aftermath taste sensation, what lingers. Here, I can only think of one thing, that sandwich. To reiterate, from the cheese, fried onion, quality beef, and even the sourdough (I believe) roll were tremendous. I didn't bite even once into gristle or fat. This' why I generally stopped ordering affordable red meat out as invariably it is rubbery, gristle-ladened, flank steak likely challenging some German Shepherds' jaws. Mexican restaurants often provide this and pretend that it is tender. It isn't. Food temperature was perfect, as well. Even after I commiserated amply with the friendly, conscientious staff people, upon returning to the table, it still proved warm (the sandwich) and rewarding.
The good tidings didn't end with the sandwich, amazingly. You owe it to yourself to order the mashed potatoes with the special, homemade brown gravy. They were fresh and outstanding, not replete with salt, but flavorful. The also-homemade gravy was beyond original. The staff here has inculcated a healthy amount of Guinness stout into it, with onion, I believe. It affords a unique and elegant, complex taste explosion. This could be the best brown gravy I've sampled in at least 7 years. I never order it as it's usually a concoction of flour and bad, unhealthful goo. Needless to say, this gravy and the Philly Cheesesteak sandwich are the perfect complements. What a combination! Remember to order them together.
In short, I have found the best value, best food, most friendly servers, with the best hours food establishment in Lubbock, hands down, at least as a visitor. I don't claim expertise in Lubbock's restaurant offerings, but have sampled nearly 15 here by now. To think that you could visit this place at 10:30p.m. on a Sunday, order this sandwich, get a Guinness, order the mashed potatoes with that stupendous gravy and have the best meal for under $26 in town is remarkable.