Review: Fillmore Pub

Punky tattooed servers are probably the last thing you’d expect to find in old-lace downtown Plano. But at Fillmore Pub, which opened on the main drag last year, nearly everyone on staff has ink. Most are Dallas transplants, and many are alumni of the Old Monk, where Fillmore owners Gabe Whatley and Kelly Wesner and chef Kirk Mexia once worked. Fillmore borrows the Old Monk’s Irish pub theme, from fish and chips to the plentiful beers on tap. The fish, long strips of Atlantic cod, had a crunchy beer batter; house-made tartar sauce; and fat, pale, rectangular “steak fries.” (Regular fries were more crisp and golden; it’s a matter of taste.) The Guinness cheddar burger—a half-pounder topped with Guinness-marbled cheddar—was sloppy good. Sliders came four to an order, the baby burgers jazzed up with balsamic vinegar and onions on tiny, firm buns. There’s a meaty-tasting Irish stew with chunks of beef, carrot, and potato, and a cheese plate with crackers and fruit. But skip the veggie burger, made from bean puree and spices, and unfortunately deep-fried. Fillmore draws a crowd every night. Plano doesn’t have that many nonchain casual eating-and-drinking spots. Or maybe it’s the tats.

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