Great bar, great food, great people. It's a shame it had to die. RIP Republic. You'll be missed.
Jonathan H.
Republic is awesome. We got a very diverse spread. Grilled oysters, salmon, chicken sandwich, cocktails. All delicious. Great energy.
Kenneth K.
Republic is a good place. I haven't been here since before the pandemic. My wife and I went here for a now belated friend's birthday party and had the Bronzino which was great. My wife and I don't eat most seafood here so it was nice to find something I could eat. My friend loves their oyster happy hour deal and he thought their oysters are better than Old Ebbitt Grill, which is a personal favorite of mines. However, they are a bit pricy in general but the food is good quality. They also had good hot chocolates to choose from during the hot chocolate crawl back in 2019. We would love to give this place a try again in our friend's memory.
vanessa harris
Love this place! I love the happy hour especially, and I love getting the oysters! The staff is really nice, and I was misinformed about the happy hour times, but they still gave me the food at the happy hour price!I thought that was really nice. Ian is a cool guy, too.
Chris Taylor
Cool, relaxed interior with a gorgeous bar, friendly staff and a great menu makes for a great time. I enjoy their cocktails and their happy hour bar menu is great. Great spot.
Debbie
Yea Team Republic! The food is always delish, but the trout and creamy grits … lordy off the charts yum❤️❤️. Julio, Ian, Ebony, Jonathan and Eric are wonderful hosts … don’t miss a super meal and fellowship
Yolanda A.
I used to love this place, went with my husband several times. However the managers there are terribly rude. one of them called Julio was making jokes about me with another one - Andre, I believe- about my physical appearance and the fact that I have an accent ( I'm from Argentina, and by the way that Julio guy also talks with a Spanish accent, not that there is anything wrong with it.) Those are not the type on values we favor in Takoma Park, but fortunately there are many other options.
kevin walsh
Sat at bar had a great side car cocktail, the deviled eggs were light and balanced I enjoyed an order and almost got another. Service from Ian and rest of crew was superb.
Estela Vergara
The food they serve are good and delicious! Even their drinks ?! Mostly p
Gerry N
Friends told us about this restaurant so we went with them and I was totally disappointed. They brought me the wrong martini to start out. They made me another shortly after. And then my Oyster Po Boy was more bread than oysters. I tried to cut some of the bread off the top slice as it was very thick and the whole thing came apart. So I just ate the tiny oysters. Not going back there.
Republic has some of the best food in Takoma Park. When we want some savory eats and some great drinks this is a great spot. The music playlist is always right, the ambiance is unique with red velvet chairs everywhere giving a very Venetian vibe. My favorite apps include the mussels, chicken wings, and fried oysters. The drink list is diverse and the service is always great.
Micaela Cameron
I want to like this place because it’s a local business but the service is usually extremely slow and the food is just okay - nothing amazing. This most recent visit was the slowest it’s ever been - we arrived and sat at 7:55 pm, put drinks and an order of oysters in and weren’t visited by our waiter again to place our orders until 8:48 pm. The oysters we ordered when we arrived didn't come until 9:02 pm. If you don’t mind waiting more than an hour to eat average food, this is the place for you.
Angel J.
Went here on our anniversary and the place was packed. We were put on a wait so we went to the bar where we met Ian. He was awesome, super knowledgeable about drinks, and really friendly. After a few drinks we were seated outside, the service there was quick however seemed a bit unorganized. Food came out relatively fast and was very tasty. I recommend the gnocchi if it is still on the menu, definitely big enough for 2 or as an entree. Definitely coming back! Atmosphere: 7/10 Drinks: 8/10 Food: 7/10 Service: 7/10
Brent B.
4 stars for a nice little Takoma Park spot. I was playing a round of golf up near Silver Spring last Saturday and was looking for somewhere to grab a bite that afternoon. I looked at my saved "Current and Former Washingtonian Top 100" list and saw Republic was listed. Located on Laurel Avenue in what looks like a small town downtown block on the outside, I parked my car and headed inside. The venue itself has a pretty unique vibe. As you see in other reviews, it has some large red seats that are pretty well known in its dining room. However, what really stood out to me is the back alley area and the general openness that made the venue come off like it was right off the water. I looked on a map afterwards and found no water anywhere nearby, so pretty cool to have that local feel. I also chatted with a local while I was having my meal and had the bartender give me some really specific recommendations, so it really did have that small beach town local vibe. In terms of food, it was happy hour and I decided to go with the mussels and oysters. The mussels were cooked in some tomato sauce and included not enough bread. Fortunately, the bartender noticed and had the wait staff bring me more bread to go with the dish. The oysters came with cocktail sauce and some other sweet sauce, as well as a cracker to provide some crunchy balance. The oysters were quite solid and, for only $1.50 during happy hour, I ordered quite a few and went to town. Neither item blew me away, but both were pretty solid. Overall, Republic provided me with a nice dining experience. The unique "scene" and good food make this a place worth checking out when you are in the area.
Gabby Machuca
The manager Julio & the bartenders are 11/10. They are both quick but personable and make the experience amazing every time. The food is quick and delicious! Never fails
Great bar, great food, great people. It's a shame it had to die. RIP Republic. You'll be missed.
Republic is awesome. We got a very diverse spread. Grilled oysters, salmon, chicken sandwich, cocktails. All delicious. Great energy.
Republic is a good place. I haven't been here since before the pandemic. My wife and I went here for a now belated friend's birthday party and had the Bronzino which was great. My wife and I don't eat most seafood here so it was nice to find something I could eat. My friend loves their oyster happy hour deal and he thought their oysters are better than Old Ebbitt Grill, which is a personal favorite of mines. However, they are a bit pricy in general but the food is good quality. They also had good hot chocolates to choose from during the hot chocolate crawl back in 2019. We would love to give this place a try again in our friend's memory.
Love this place! I love the happy hour especially, and I love getting the oysters! The staff is really nice, and I was misinformed about the happy hour times, but they still gave me the food at the happy hour price!I thought that was really nice. Ian is a cool guy, too.
Cool, relaxed interior with a gorgeous bar, friendly staff and a great menu makes for a great time. I enjoy their cocktails and their happy hour bar menu is great. Great spot.
Yea Team Republic! The food is always delish, but the trout and creamy grits … lordy off the charts yum❤️❤️. Julio, Ian, Ebony, Jonathan and Eric are wonderful hosts … don’t miss a super meal and fellowship
I used to love this place, went with my husband several times. However the managers there are terribly rude. one of them called Julio was making jokes about me with another one - Andre, I believe- about my physical appearance and the fact that I have an accent ( I'm from Argentina, and by the way that Julio guy also talks with a Spanish accent, not that there is anything wrong with it.) Those are not the type on values we favor in Takoma Park, but fortunately there are many other options.
Sat at bar had a great side car cocktail, the deviled eggs were light and balanced I enjoyed an order and almost got another. Service from Ian and rest of crew was superb.
The food they serve are good and delicious! Even their drinks ?! Mostly p
Friends told us about this restaurant so we went with them and I was totally disappointed. They brought me the wrong martini to start out. They made me another shortly after. And then my Oyster Po Boy was more bread than oysters. I tried to cut some of the bread off the top slice as it was very thick and the whole thing came apart. So I just ate the tiny oysters. Not going back there.
Restaurantji Recommends
Republic has some of the best food in Takoma Park. When we want some savory eats and some great drinks this is a great spot. The music playlist is always right, the ambiance is unique with red velvet chairs everywhere giving a very Venetian vibe. My favorite apps include the mussels, chicken wings, and fried oysters. The drink list is diverse and the service is always great.
I want to like this place because it’s a local business but the service is usually extremely slow and the food is just okay - nothing amazing. This most recent visit was the slowest it’s ever been - we arrived and sat at 7:55 pm, put drinks and an order of oysters in and weren’t visited by our waiter again to place our orders until 8:48 pm. The oysters we ordered when we arrived didn't come until 9:02 pm. If you don’t mind waiting more than an hour to eat average food, this is the place for you.
Went here on our anniversary and the place was packed. We were put on a wait so we went to the bar where we met Ian. He was awesome, super knowledgeable about drinks, and really friendly. After a few drinks we were seated outside, the service there was quick however seemed a bit unorganized. Food came out relatively fast and was very tasty. I recommend the gnocchi if it is still on the menu, definitely big enough for 2 or as an entree. Definitely coming back! Atmosphere: 7/10 Drinks: 8/10 Food: 7/10 Service: 7/10
4 stars for a nice little Takoma Park spot. I was playing a round of golf up near Silver Spring last Saturday and was looking for somewhere to grab a bite that afternoon. I looked at my saved "Current and Former Washingtonian Top 100" list and saw Republic was listed. Located on Laurel Avenue in what looks like a small town downtown block on the outside, I parked my car and headed inside. The venue itself has a pretty unique vibe. As you see in other reviews, it has some large red seats that are pretty well known in its dining room. However, what really stood out to me is the back alley area and the general openness that made the venue come off like it was right off the water. I looked on a map afterwards and found no water anywhere nearby, so pretty cool to have that local feel. I also chatted with a local while I was having my meal and had the bartender give me some really specific recommendations, so it really did have that small beach town local vibe. In terms of food, it was happy hour and I decided to go with the mussels and oysters. The mussels were cooked in some tomato sauce and included not enough bread. Fortunately, the bartender noticed and had the wait staff bring me more bread to go with the dish. The oysters came with cocktail sauce and some other sweet sauce, as well as a cracker to provide some crunchy balance. The oysters were quite solid and, for only $1.50 during happy hour, I ordered quite a few and went to town. Neither item blew me away, but both were pretty solid. Overall, Republic provided me with a nice dining experience. The unique "scene" and good food make this a place worth checking out when you are in the area.
The manager Julio & the bartenders are 11/10. They are both quick but personable and make the experience amazing every time. The food is quick and delicious! Never fails