Republic of Texas Bar & Grill — Restaurant in Corpus Christi

Truthfully, not as expensive as I initially thought.

First off, approach through the valet entrance. You can get your ticket stamped as you exit the restaurant at the hostess stand after your meal for free valet instead of paying the normal $30 charge. Walk through the lobby and past the escalators to the elevators to get to the restaurant on the top floor.

• (My apologies, I felt it necessary to direct first timers a little since these were sort of basic things that I didnt know until after my first visit, and that bit of info might be slightly useful.)*

I had made a reservation for Friday (1 day in advance) at 6 PM, just in case the restaurant was busy (opens at 5:30 PM). The hostess staff greeted us and promptly sat us down at a table. There is 1 floor, but separated into lower and higher level seatings (both provide a great view of the city/water)...something to keep in mind if approximately 10 stairs aggravate your neck/back/legs. The higher level is where they had a live band performing, fairly easy going jazz mood music to accompany the relaxing feel of the restaurant.

Once at our table, we were greeted by the server and her assistant. They took our drinks and appetizers, allowed us time to view the menu, then ordered our food. They have an extensive listing of wines to drink along with the usual beers and set of mixed drinks (a few specialty cocktails) to choose from in a separate menu. They checked on the 3 us throughout the evening, and never let our drinks go dry.

They brought our appetizers, the jumbo lump crab cake and shrimp cocktail. Both appetizers were delicious, and slightly spicy to a good subtle burn.

My aunt and I each had the salmon, while my mother had the chicken. You can view the menu from other peoples picture posts. Our dishes were amazing! Each were tasty, tender, and flavorful!

I should mention that we were there to celebrate my mom and aunts birthdays. If you inform the restaurant ahead of time (like when I made the reservation), then they will provide a complimentary chocolate mousse for each birthday. Otherwise, each dessert is separate on the dessert menu. They ordered a creme brulee while I had the carrot cake slice. I personally wasnt too keen on the chocolate mousse, but the carrot cake was warm and divine! My mom and aunt loved the creme brulee, especially when they mixed it with the chocolate mousse to give the mousse some extra flavor.

Overall, it was an amazing experience. Friendly staff, great tasting food. It was a little pricey, but you are paying for the experience too. My experience wasnt expensive because we didnt get steaks nor lobster; so I paid under $300 for 3 alcoholic drinks, 2 appetizers, 3 entrees, 2 desserts, and the tip.

Again, don't forget to get your valet ticket stamped at the hostess station on the way out of the restaurant for the valet fee wave.

I hope you have a great experience at the Republic of...

I had made reservations for my wife's birthday here, it was our first time at this establishment. As soon as my family and I arrived to the restaurant, hostess greeted us and had accommodated to my request that I had left on the reservation description in the table app. We received a table with a nice view, our waiter seemed to be a little arrogant but none the less we went ahead and ordered some drinks in which were very good as well as fairly priced. We went ahead and ordered our appetizers which was the escargot being the first with the scallops. Escargot was good even though it was snails non the less very delicious but the scallops on the other hand needed to be cooked a little bit more in my opinion as well as it being a little over seasoned with salt and the breading that was underneath them was burnt and tasted burnt. My family and I have eaten scallops from other high end establishments that tasted a lot better. Next our steaks and fish, they where okay nothing really special other than the cost, we also paid for family size sides and they where okay too. Every time our waters in our cups ran low, excellent service was provided to refill them without needing to ask for a refill. The waitress we had just seemed very unsocial and when complimented on our water refills non of the waiter/waitress would say anything just walk away. I also felt like we were being judged by the waitress/ waiter on our appearance which we weren’t dressed ghetto or anything just business casual, Sunday out apparel. They seemed to look at us as if we couldn't afford to eat there or whatever the issue was in which was also very uncomfortable. Overall first time experience and first time being there for my wife's birthday was not that great. I probably wouldn’t come back here for a good time. Surely the food that my wife, 2 kids and myself ate was not worth almost $400 !!! I would have been just as satisfied going to another steak house while getting a bigger steak with sides included, better hospitality, and a lot cheaper as well as great tasting but I thought this would be a great gift for her on her special day. The republic also felt very outdated in my opinion, it'll be a long time before I come back again hopefully next time it's a better experience !! Please feel free to try this establishment for yourself and disregard my opinion maybe you will have a better time than we did. I would not be wasting my time typing all this out without letting others know of our personal experience and opinion as...

Can’t say enough good things about our experience here, but I’ll try to convey the point. We made reservations and requested a window seating to view the bay, and upon arrival our table by the window with the bay view was ready. The hostess was so friendly and polite. She introduced our waiter and looked over the menu which can be overwhelming as all the options are phenomenal. I would recommend looking over the menu online before sitting down so you’re not flabbergasted trying to decide. We ordered the quail leg appetizer to start. While waiting we were brought some fresh baked in house bread , warm and pillow like interior, crusty, cheese coated and salty crust - this bread was fantastic. Waiter came back with our appetizer- the quail legs are fried and coated in a “ sweet heat “ sauce - tasted fantastic, skin was crispy, meat was tender and the sauce was a perfect mix of sweet, savory with the slightest kick of heat. For our entrees, my wife ordered the sautéed jumbo shrimp - large fresh shrimp with fresh fettuccine pasta, a rich buttery Alfredo like sauce, crumbled feta, shallot and capers. They really don’t skimp on the shrimp and the shrimp taste and texture was extremely fresh. She loved it. I opted for the cast-iron seared Buffalo ribeye - medium rare - comes topped with a roasted garlic / marrow rosemary crust. Wow, fantastic - steak was cooked to perfection , melt in your mouth texture , meaty and fatty ( it is a ribeye after all ) , and the garlic marrow crust on top put the flavor over the top. Please note that the entrees do not come included with sides and that is an additional charge. For a side we ordered a half share of broccollini - which is essentially baby broccoli with longer stalks and smaller florets. It was seasoned and cooked well and came with some type of sauce which if I recall correctly was a buttery hollandaise and also tasted great. We had to finish with something sweet and went with the crème brûlée. Beautiful dish with a Texas shaped sugar cookie on top of the dish , homemade whipped topping with berries and the creme really hit the spot. This place is expensive , but the quality and service matched the price. A small duo band playing keyboard and drums added to the atmosphere. If you want to impress your date or colleagues, this place doesn’t disappoint. Don’t come here expecting to spend less than $100 for two to dine. The view is also fantastic, offering scenic views of the bay and the city. 10/10 , would recommend especially if staying...