Republic Latin Fusion

North Williamsburg just keeps on growing and gentrifying. I had lived here when I first moved to NYC, and 5+ years later, there are even more restaurants within such a small area. Similar to Manhattan, many restaurants are rotating ownership and leases. This restaurant is a relatively new latin fusion restaurant that had opened back in September 2021. It sits very close to McCarren park a few doors away from one of my favorite cheese steak places, Federoff’s Steaks. Because we were done with our errands very early, we were able to walk in easy at 4:30 PM on a Sunday.

Ambiance

The interior is pretty open and roomy. We were seated next to the window, and the afternoon light created a very calm feeling. The decor reminds me a bit of something you’d find in Miami with the vibrant foresty hues.

The service was pretty accessible, and the food came out pretty fast.

Food

The maracuya (left) came with passion fruit puree, lemon juice, and ginger syrup. We also asked for some tequila to add in since they are still working on their cocktail menu. The passion fruit was surprisingly very light, so it definitely was not as tart or citrusy. It definitely gave me some margarita vibes which was not quite what I was expecting.

The chulo lulo mocktail ($7) (right) came with lulo puree, lime juice, simple syrup, and orange bitters. This was pretty interesting in that it was tart and bold. It was really good once the ice cubes melted more.

The classic limeño ceviche ($17) came with striped bass, leche de tigre, peruvian corn, sweet potatoes, pickled habanero, and shaved bermudas. This ceviche was pretty good, though we’ve had better. The fish itself had a chewy texture that my partner was not used to, but I did feel it was fresh. Other than that, the flavor profiles were pretty typical of other ceviches. One minor complaint is that the leche de tigre was on the bland side.

The lomo saltado ($25) came with strips of pepper steak, red onion, ginger soy glaze, fluffy rice, and crispy potatoes. This didn’t have much cumin or soy sauce flavor. The steak itself was not the greatest and was overcooked. The soy glaze, if it was added, was on the bland side. I didn’t get the feeling of typical lomo saltado flavors, but definitely more of a normal stir fry. The crispy potatoes were pretty interesting in that they were like french fries but quite fluffy and airy. Overall, the price is too high for what it is. I would recommend passing on this until they fix this dish.

The pernil asado ($21) came with roasted pork shoulder marinated in garlic and citrus and served with plantains and arroz con gandules. I was thinking this would be similar to Cuban style tender pork shoulder I’ve had in other places in the city, but the pork actually came out dry. The flavors were definitely salty and sour and not balanced enough. The pickled onion garnish was pretty good and definitely helped balanced some of the one sided seasoning. The rice was pretty good, and the glazed plantains were similar to what you’d find in churrascarias.

Final Verdict

Even though we didn’t overwhelming like this place compared to other similar restaurants, it’s definitely a cool and decent spot in the North Williamsburg area. The food presentation is pretty good, but they need to work on some of the dish flavors a bit more. Nonetheless, this is a pretty decent Latin restaurant in the North Williamsburg area without having to trek to other areas.

Yelp Jabs

The avocado tempura roll was really good, it was my first time trying and was nervous how it would taste but it was actually good how it looked good.

Because this restaurant is fairly new and latin restaurants are not too popular in the Williamsburg area, you’re going to get reviews that seem a little strange. Avocado tempura roll is definitely pretty common unanimously in all of Manhattan, but it’s interesting that this person was pretty surprised by this.

even my friend who doesn’t like seafood loved the roll. We also ordered the Lomo Saltado Beef and wow

I definitely think the lomo saltado here is not as good as other places. They need to adjust the sauce a bit and not make it seem like it’s just a basic stir fry. The pictures above say it all. And also, most love sushi rolls.