Republic Cafe

08/16/07

Good for late night!

by charlotte18

The 3 of us had never been here before last night and it was actually really fun. We enjoyed the "seedy area" because it was so eclectic. It was 11:30, but we felt safe and loved our seats by the window. During our time there, we saw many kinds of people pass by - truly fascinating! The service was SO SPEEDY! The food was good, although I found a hair in my dish. THAT was gross. And the bathrooms are in horrible disrepair. But at least they're clean. Overall, we had a good time there. I would recommend it for a late night adventure.

• Pros: Good value, fast service
• Cons: Not the cleanest place

09/24/09

ATMOSPHERE

by Portland Underground

ATMOSPHERE. Much like a Quentin Tarantino movie. There's not much left of China town and this place screams it. *They also have a full bar.

05/24/09

Republic Cafe- Used to be good now its horrible.

by snappypac

We have been dining at the Rebublic Cafe for over 40 years. The fried shimp were excellent but the rest of the food was horrible. The Pork Chow Mein had no flavor what so ever. The ribs were tough and covered in a horrible dark brown almost black sauce. They used to melt in your mouth. Now you can even chew the meat. When we told the waiter that we didn't want the Chow Mein he stated he couldn't take it off the bill but they could cook us something else. We didn't even touch the large dish of Chow Mein nor did we take it with us. It's sad that this used to be a great restaurant. We won't be back. They also need to get a plummer the bathrooms need to be updated and repaired.

• Pros: Fried Shrimp
• Cons: Horrible Food

11/14/08

So so food good prices

by uncahal

I had lunch there today for first visit. Lunch specials are pretty cheap. Had hot tea and a bowl of soupto start. Their fried shrimp are very tasty. Tempura. Not greasy at all. The other two items might have been tasty also but they were covered with goo. That nasty sticky sweet gelatanous goo that you see in Chinese places. I can't dig it. Why cook good fresh incredients and then slop jelly over them? Next time I will ask for my egg foo yung plain..nekkid.....no goo.Two lunches with tip was $15. Fair deal.

• Pros: Fast and cheap
• Cons: nasty goop over everything

03/25/08

To the Republic Cafe

by Fromthemouthofoz

We went inside the restaurant and the first thing we noticed was the smell of stale cigarettes. There were two families and we were seated quickly and served water promptly. The service was excellent. It was however very dirty where we were sitting. There dried up old food under our table and it honestly smelt musty in the room we were in. The food came fast and it was hot. The food was average. If you couple the the sticky table tops, dried old food under the table, and the smell of stale cigarettes with the extraordinary service and excellent return time from when we ordered and how soon we received our food we came up with a Below Average.

• Pros: Lots of hot food served fast
• Cons: Food is average and the smell of stale smoke takes away from your impression

12/26/06

So, so chinese restaurant

by eldrin

The staff was nice, but for only haveing a few other tables being occupied they were also very slow with drinks and bringing the bill when we were done. The food wasn't bad, but I can't recommend it for someone that is looking for a really great place to dine either.

I would recommend this restaurant for anyone that is trying several different Chinese restaurants.

• Pros: Friendly staff
• Cons: Below average food, slow service

09/17/06

Terrific Chineese Food

by pdx_food_critic

I must have missed something. I passed this restaurant the other day and thought I had read excellent reviews here and decided to try it with a friend. It was wonderful. We had shrimp kung pao and general tso's chicken. The food was very fresh. The shrimp was huge and butterflied and plenty in the dish. The chicken was huge pieces of white meat lightly fried and served with a side of brocolli. I have tried many chineese places in Portland was most impressed with Republic Cafe. The service was good, not great but they were busy when I was there. Don't ever eat at the restaurants next door. They are truly disgusting and almost kept me from giving any restaurant in Chinatown another try. I'm so glad I did. I encourage people to try this restaurant--the other reviews are old. They also have a 88 score for health inspection now.

I will be frequent patron to this restaurant.

• Pros: Fresh and Tasty food
• Cons: Atmosphere -- not great for a nice date or anything and service needs improvement

06/09/06

Glad I didn't get food poisoning here...

by jogold_us

I got food poisoning that required hospitalization from Fong Chong, not the Republic Cafe. Since then, however, I've looked up a few restaurants health inspection reports on Multnomah County's web site out of curiousity. Here's some of the most blatent violations from the report (see the URL http://www.mchealthinspect.org/inspections/inspection_details.cfm?Facility_Nbr=261219)

"THREE FLATS OF EGGS LEFT OUT OVER NIGHT IN KITCHEN AT ROOM TEMPERATOR. OPERATOR WAS GOING TO USE THEM."

"POT OF MIXED SOY SAUSE IN WALKIN REFRIGERATOR COVERED WITH GREEN MOLD."

"...COCKROACH INFESTATION NOW UNDER CONTROL."

07/27/05

STAY AWAY!!!

by genemcc

You'll find better chinese food at COSTCO! That's if you can find the food which is hidden under 10W-40W oily, drippy, gelatinous gunk. It's disgusting! To make matters worse, you'll probably have to hunt your rude server down and beg for water. And before you leave, you'll need to get on your knees and beg for your change. Don't bother asking for the manager, the boy at the front will tell you the manager is "gone" and he's in charge..of the front! Don't waste your money or time.

• Pros: There's a way out
• Cons: Food, Service

09/25/04

Cool Atmosphere, average food

by hobbit

While it is a funky, cool, old fashioned place to have a drink, that is all it is. The Republic may be an institution, but the food is really marginal, at best. The chicken is stringy and the beef had fat on it. The shrimp was not fresh, though the sauce was good. Serive suffices, but, all in all, why waste your time in Chinatownm at this place when there are so many better places to go?

• Pros: atmosphere