Republic

I love this place. Try the spicy duck broth noodles...they are amazing! Soooo good. The atmosphere and service was great too. My friends and I frequent this place for a reason...the food is delicious, the atmosphere is fun, and the prices are totally affordable.

Because this place is as trendy as it is, and because it has been described as 'cafeteria-like,' I decided to judge its worthiness on a standard dish that every noodle place should have down pat, rather than explore one of its more original offerings. So, I ordered the Pad Thai...and was disappointed. There weren't enough peanuts to permeate the quantity of noodles, the egg was cold (because it was probably ready in advance like a garnish waiting to be sprinkled), and the shrimp tasted slightly off. I was also concerned to see the waitress plop down three bottles of unidentified sauces in the middle of the table once our meals had arrived. Before she ran off, I managed to grab her attention and ask what each bottle contained. Pointing, and without any more words than these, she said, "Hot Sauce, Sweet Sauce, Soy Sauce." Personally, I feel that Pad Thai (and none of the other dishes at our table) should be given the option of obscuring its flavors in generic sauces. That the option was provided speaks to the lacking flavors of the food served up at Republic. The only thing I really liked about the place was the awesome series of noodle pictures on the walls (black and white photos of lots of people drapped in noodles).

True, it is a bit loud and the cafeteria-style seating isn't the most comfortable...but the Green Tea Ice Cream is awesome! I've never had any "subpar" food at Republic, the prices are extremely reasonable, and we have NEVER had to ask for refills on drinks--the water is refilled before you even realize you need more. This is a great place to go for a quick, casual meal.

This restaurant is great in the sense that the food is good, cheap and well presented. BUT, it is like eating inside a garage while a band is rehearsing. Conversation is pretty much impossible.

Republic is great. Not only is it great food, it's very reasonably priced. Although there isn't much elbow room, the atmosphere more than makes up for it. It's a happening place...if you want to have a romantic dinner with your significant other, this place may not be for you.

After always passing by this trendy Chinese/Noodle restaurant we decided to check it out. They seat too many people at the tables. I was literally hanging off the edge of my chair. I did not have any elbow room, and the food quite frankly disappointing. I thought I would get a nice noodle dish, however, it was a total disappointment when my food came out. Yes, the atmosphere is trendy and young, but that's about it.

They seated us--a group of 5--at a table CLEARLY meant for only 4 people! My friend ended up hanging off the end of the table while I was squished up against the wall in order to give my friend in the middle more space. The food was subpar. The fried wontons tasted exactly like eggrolls. The Salmon Sushi Salad was okay, but basically raw Salmon and mustard. The calmari and grilled chicken wasn't any better. I ordered the Seafood Pad Thai, which was okay. Large portion, but very sticky and unimaginative. One friend ordered a spicy noodle broth which he never finished. He took about three bites and sent it back. It sounded "exotic" on the menu and Republic tries to send that message, but w/ no regard to taste. The mix of coconut milk w/ curry just didn't taste very good. Another friend raved about the Spicy Beef, but the amount of vermicelli given was too small. The music is VERY loud. I had to lean in and shout in order for my friend to hear me--and he was sitting right across the table from me! The bus boy came by many times and cleared the empty dishes. It felt like they were trying to rush us out. But he did fill up our waters several times w/out us asking, which was good. My friend ordered an ice tea and it looked and tasted like lemon water! The tea flavor was barely noticeable! The hostess was okay, but she made us wait for our entire party to arrive before seating us. We were only missing one person yet she kept sending us back to the front of the restaurant to wait for him. And when he arrived, she sat us at a table for 4! I thought we were getting a longer table in the back since she made us wait. So I didn't understand the logic of this. The decor is pretty nice, but not worth the money or aggravation. We paid $82 + $12 tip.