Republic Cantina — Restaurant in Washington

I’m originally from Corpus Christi and came here exclusively for the breakfast tacos. If you’re a Texas native, you know it’s hard to find a proper breakfast taco in the DMV area. Hailing from a city that takes pride in the breakfast taco scene, it has been hard to find something comparable to home. This place is good for my cravings but not fully.

If you’re getting here by the metro, you will need to cross several intersections from NY Ave (be cautious of your surroundings, there are a ton of panhandlers). Booked a reservation a few weeks prior for brunch and was seated immediately upon arrival. Small, relaxed vibes inside. Ordered an iced horchata latte, which was something I haven’t had since I left my hometown; very delicious! Now let’s get onto the tacos. They each cost $4-$5 depending on what you get. One thing I’ve noticed is that they are SMALL in portion; they’re the size of my palms! I was shocked after looking at pictures of the tacos online in review and other social media—they were taken up close. That’s not how they were served back home, back in Corpus they are definitely served much larger. I only got two, which was enough for a toddler probably: potato & egg and migas & egg. The potato and egg was great, but didn’t like the migas one much. When I finished these I was still a little hungry. But taste wise, they definitely capture what I would eat in TX. The tortillas are not thick but hold their fillings very well unlike many other places in the DMV. The best way to describe their breakfast tacos are they’re a mini version of Stripe’s Laredo Taco Company tacos.

Our server was great and attentive with our needs. Only two restrooms are available in the restaurant. Would I visit again? Yes but not frequently. I don’t know how I feel about MINI tacos costing $4-5 each, especially because I’m familiar with how they are actually sized. I think it’s satisfying if you miss certain food...

I really wanted to like it as it looked promising and the reviews looked good and so was the decor and ambiance. I definitely know great Tex Mex and bad . This could have been great and yes it possibly was a bad night but it was a weird vibe as the nigh went on at Republic.

It was a Sunday night and I made a reservation well in advance as we were traveling. When we arrived outside we waited until our patio table was ready ( it was empty) and it seemed to just take a long time for any staff to get our order down.

Drinks were probably the best part. Salsa was a bland pico de gallo and the queso seemed more like their own spin on the classic more like the Mac and cheese type of cheese . What rubbed me the wrong way was that the menu items did not match the descriptions. I ordered the brisket enchiladas which was supposed to be like good Texas BBQ from how it was described but the meat was pulled and just bland and there was no chili gravy. My wife fared worse as the veggie enchiladas were missing about 90% of the vegetables and had some corn niblets and a slivered slice of zucchini. When politely asking the waiter he took the dish back and then brought the same dish to us back from the kitchen saying that that’s how it was when clearly they were out of ingredients . He then mansplained to my wife which mind you is from Texas about what a enchilada has in it . Like dude you clearly don’t know your menu . No apology and no hey can we get you something else this corn thing sucks oh yes we don’t have vegetables tonight. I get having a bad day but it must have been very bad, we were nice we weren’t a Karen it sounded like it was the first day anyone ever worked at a restaurant which I know that was not the case . The quest for great tex mex continues , just wanted this to be documented it was not as advertised and...

TL;DR It's really great and I would recommend it without hesitation based on my only experience there.

The Context: My wife and I stayed at an Air BNB within walking distance of Republic Cantina, so we decided to visit for a late breakfast. We used to live in Houston and miss good Tex Mex, which prompted our decision to eat here.

The Food: I had the Migas Platter with brisket. The brisket was excellent, with plenty of salt and smokey flavor. It was shredded more than sliced, so some of the longer strands were a bit chewy. It didn't detract from the dish, but was noticeable. The eggs were cooked perfectly, meaning not runny, but light and fluffy with just the right amount of fat. The produce and cheese were of high quality and everything blended together to hit the mark in terms of flavor profile, portion size, and texture contrast when combined with the flour tortillas, pico, and red sauce.

My wife had the Pupusa Platter with a fried (sunny-side up) egg on top. These pupusas are filled with cheese instead of the beans she is accustomed to, but they were excellent with the chihuahua cheese inside. The homemade slaw was very good, and the egg was, well, the egg on top. It was a very cohesive dish and was enjoyable.

I need to put in another plug for their red sauce that came with our order. It was excellent, and I would spend tens of dollars for a jar of it.

The Service: Due to pandemic restrictions we had to order online and pick it up ourselves to eat on the patio. It was a painless process. The man working the counter was very nice and took the time to tell me where they sourced their brisket. Very good.

Overall this was a great dining experience and I would be a regular if...