Union Square Trendy without being Union Square Expensive
Written: Jul 12 '00 (Updated Jul 18 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: good food for cheap prices
Cons: still a little trendy...
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| mh330's Full Review: Republic |
Rarely in New York do you get a trendy, modern setting with cheap prices and friendly service. Republic has all the necessary ingredients for a hip New York restaurant: beautiful staff, minimalist decor, great location, and experimental cooking. However, it lacks the snotty attitude and ridiculously high prices for small servings.
I like to stop into Republic when I'm in Union Square because there's usually not much of a wait, and its very conveniently located. Best yet, entrees are between $6-8, and since noodles are very heavy, I'm always full when I leave. The food is a very interesting mix, and is always hard to describe--I like to say its "Asian with a kick." There are many criss crosses of traditional Asian food, so that you wind up with entrees that belong to no one nationality, but are always delicious.
In terms of atmosphere, you are seated in a large open space at the back of the restaurant at wooden "picnic tables." There is space underneath to put your bags, but just don't forget them there! Black and white photos of models draped in noodles are a little strange, but at least you'll never forget where you are.
Finally, the service is not superior, but its not quite bad either. It just seems to be badly thought out (like the open space of the restaurant, which seems to echo noise). Waiters punch your order into a hand held device, which signals it straight to the kitchen. This makes for fast service, but it also tends to prevent the waiters from ever returning to your table to ask if you need anything else. If seems to be a bad adaptation of some Japanese culture, where such hand held order takers are common--however, there are little buttons on each table that you can push to summon the waiter. Not so at Republic. But, since all the tables are located together, its not hard to grab a waiter (ANY waiter) that comes by to serve other people, if necessary. Furthermore, the staff tends to be fairly friendly for such a trendy little place.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
mh330
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Location: New York, NY
Reviews written: 35
Trusted by: 0 members
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