These days, the term “gastropub” gets thrown around with carelessness. Originally meant to convey the concept of a drinking establishment that serves high-end food, its connotation has devolved to, basically, “a bar with food.”

Photo by Mark Koestner

That’s certainly not the case with Concord Township’s latest entry on the eating/drinking scene: Pub Frato, a pub that genuinely puts the “gastro” in “gastropub.”

And it’s a little unexpected when you walk in. The pub occupies a space that formerly housed a coffee house in the Gristmill Village shopping strip, and it has similarly small physical footprint. A contemporary, concrete-and-corrugated metal bar occupies most of one half of the long, narrow space, and a few tables along the opposite reclaimed-wood wall are situated close together.

It’s an intimate place, where you can imbibe shoulder-to-shoulder with your friends and easily meet new ones, which our party did on a recent Saturday. Twelve taps of craft beers and a creative cocktail menu send the message that Pub Frato takes its drinks seriously. But when you sit down for a meal, there’s no mistaking it: The food here is the real deal.

Read more from Correspondent Mark Koestner's review: Dining Out: Concord Township's Pub Frato is true, wonderful gastropub.