Republic
222 NW 4th AvePortland, OR 97209
503/ 226.4388
Located in: Northwest Portland & near Northeast Portland
BarFly's Review of Republic
Much as detailing the glories of fave sanctuaries to the great unwashed wedgies small parts of the collective BarFly soul ... why IS the Republic Cafe so consistently empty? We worry about the place, the lounge especially. It's obviously family-run (one Christmas Eve, our bartender couldn't have been over twelve; the Spanish Coffee, set aflame while openly reading from the cocktail guide, was still note-perfect), and yet nobody beyond a few elder rummies ever seems to visit. The tattered red and gold orientalia decor suggests those halcyon days when our Chinatown included Chinese residents, drinks are cheap and strong, there's a separate and ever-vacant video poker room, it's across from Magic Gardens, Hung Far Lo remains dead. Tis, perhaps, a bit overbright, but, rockers, just check the make-up beforehand. Well $2.50, call 50 cents off, 2pm-6:30pm weekdays.
Happy Hours
The bartender tips4service is referring to has actually worked there since Truman was president. She was 18 when she started and is now 75. Yes she really is that old. Thumbs up to her for handling that crowd night after night for this friggin' long.
if i remember correctly it is a pain for the BTs here to cash outlottery winnings because only the owner can do it. So the BT
has to find him etc. The BTs definitely will not fall over themselves
being nice to ya, but they (including the BT mentioned below) get
the job done and i have no problem with them.
First of all, the place has promise. The restaurant looks pretty cool, and I like the darkness. But a coat of paint in the vid pokey room would sure do a lot to help me not feel utterly depressed when I go in there and see the bare plywood blocking off an old doorway, and the general air of "nobody cares if you live or die here." The bartender seemed to be someone who has worked there since Eisenhower was president, and she proved her abilities and experience by being as unfriendly to us as possible. Of course, it is possible that grunting and walking away when someone approaches you to order is a friendly gesture that I haven't learned to interpret yet. Maybe her way of throwing my video poker winnings down on the bar as she trounced off, without making eye contact was really a flirtatious way of making me say, "I want to give her a big tip!"
Since all we got from the barkeep was a backhanded glare, we decided to leave and find a bar where we could get some colas to sip while we poked the video machines. Sorry, Republic. I hardly knew ye.
I dig Republic, esp when Amy's working. She totally knows how to deal with the rough crowd that tends to come in and she's never without a comeback. She even thought it was funny when I threw a tampon at a guy who wouldn't stop bitching about us watching South Park on TV. Put a cork in it, Cheif! That move would've gotten me thrown out on my ear at Magic Gardens but at Republic it was just fine. My kinda place! I'll leave the hygiene products at home next time as a precautionary measure.
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Republic is really crappy but also delightful. I got totally wasted their on my stag night and subsequently drew the biggest crowd ever in the whole history of that bar.
-D
Best Portland
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So the Republic is small, red, has seen better days and there's never more than a dozen people in the place. There are kind bartenders serving stiff cheap drinks. A diverse bunch of folks come in here to drink: 20-somethings to old-timers, blacks, whites and asians, working folks, drug dealers and the guy who just asked you for change half an hour ago. If you don't like somewhat sketchy bars with an absence of the "beautiful people" then go somewhere else. If you enjoy greasy chinese appetizers, cheap drinks and an ambiance that is the exact opposite of pretentious then this is your spot.
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