Meaty Debut at Company Pub & Kitchen

I love seeing a new restaurant open in Poway, especially when it seems like something we don’t currently have. Company Pub & Kitchen, located near the corner of Midland and Poway roads (where the old Miami Grille used to be), is just that. It’s reminiscent of a warm pub mixed with a casual vibe that is purely Californian.

After finding out the owner is a friend of a friend and after hearing what type of dishes he was planning to offer, I was truly excited to try this place out. My original intention was to visit after they were a little more established—I’ve worked in the restaurant industry and know firsthand that even the best restaurants experience opening pains.

I should have trusted my instinct to do just that. My visit to Company was less-than-impressive, but that could be related to having visited them a week and a half after their doors opened.

For starters, I’m happy to report that carnivores will enjoy the menu at Company. After all, that’s what this column is all about! From the appetizers to sandwiches to entrees, the menu is comprised of at least 75 percent protein from all sources: fish and shellfish, chicken, beef, lamb and even duck. Sure, they’ve thrown in a vegetarian selection here and there, but that’s obviously not their focus. The menu will strike you as hearty food that pairs well with beer. 

On the negative side, the service was much slower than it should have been, considering it wasn’t very busy the night we visited. Waiting is not something I have a lot of patience for. I may or may not be inclined to chalk this up to the cooks in the kitchen who were still trying to nail down everything on the menu and decipher special requests.

Additionally, the waitress wasn’t really helpful, but the table next to us had a good server who offered her patrons solid information, so we learned a lot from her at least. 

To recap our menu selections for the evening, we started with a side of Company chips (aka fries, $4) and crab toast ($9). The fries were perfectly fine and came with garlic aioli and curry sauce. The toast was OK. I loved that the sourdough bread was grilled, but I personally don’t care for crab meat that doesn’t have giant lumps of crab meat. This reminded me more of canned tuna. Some cheese on the top would’ve been nice, too.

For dinner, my family and I had the following: Company cheeseburger ($9), mother earth panini ($7), tomato bisque ($5), fish and chips ($15). Unfortunately, all the selections were just OK. There was nothing remarkable about any of the dishes. I probably enjoyed the tomato bisque the most—mmm, tomato soup—and the fish and chips were really crispy. I expected a lot more from the burger and felt it could have been at least as large as the bun.

All of this would have been fine had the prices been lower, but when the bill hits $50 for three people without drinks, dessert or tip, it’s a tough pill to swallow, especially in Poway. To me, their price point suggests they’re trying to do something more interesting with their food, but none of it really hit the mark. 

As far as meat-friendliness is concerned, Company Pub & Kitchen easily earns an 8 or 9. The carnivores of Poway won’t have a problem finding something fill their stomachs while enjoying a pint or two of beer. 

I will be back to give Company another try despite their shortcomings and recommend that you try them out and form your own opinion. Like I mentioned, just about every restaurant that exists experiences issues in their youth, so if anything, there’s nowhere to go but up.

I did overhear the friendly waitress who helped the table next to us say that they were using an “opening” menu. Apparently their complete menu with additional selections is still to come. I will probably wait at least a few months before I return, but I’m looking forward to what the future holds at Company Pub & Kitchen.