57, Hospital Street, 00100 Colombo, Sri Lanka
Closed right now
The RePubLk has come through steadily since they opened a few years go. The quality of their food and drinks have managed to stay the same, but somehow they aren't as great as they used to be.
Note: The name of this place is The Re.Pub.Lk. It's supposed to be a play on the word Republic. However, typing it with all those fullstops and capital letters is a task. So I'm just going to refer to it as Repub throughout this review and leave the rest unto God.
Back when I first started tapping into Colombo's lively yet slightly subdued nightlife scene, Repub was one of my favourite options. The space, ambience, food and drinks were on par and it had some excellent service. Now though, I'm not so sure.
In terms of ambience, nothing has changed. Their alfresco area is still gorgeous as ever, the lighting is dim at night and the place is packed on weekends. Unfortunately their crowd now comprises of the same old Love Bar/Attic camaraderie; teenagers and elite school-children. How do I know this? They start their conversations with 'what school do/did you go to?' but it all comes out in a drunken slur. Oy vey.
They've also taken this once charming, blue-collar tavern and turned it into a weird discotheque for the desperate, because on certain weekends they turn their alfresco seating area into a dance floor.
People show up by the droves, buy like one drink, and descend into some sort of awful brouhaha of screaming male and female youth. Lots of eyes everywhere, drunk groping, and loud mumble-singing (owuowuowhh!!! mmmYSTERIOUS gIRRRLLLLL), so if you're not into any of that then don't ever go here.
Food here has always been top notch, but not anymore. Their dishes are worth the buck and the portions are plentiful, sure, but their menu has now turned into a 50-50 type deal. You'll either get a good dish, or an atrocious one.
I did not order the Spiced Beef Tacos (Rs. 750), but the waiter INSISTED I did (more on that in the service section), so I had to settle. It was a good Saturday night and I wasn't in the mood to argue, so whatever. The pulled beef was spiced well, a tad too spicy for my liking (which is why I never ordered them) and came with other elements like pickles, jalapenos (bad for my stomach) and sour cream all wrapped in a slightly hard tortilla. No further comments.
It seems like they've turned into one of those places that eventually turn a blind eye to their vegetarian menu. Their vegetarian momos are great, but their Vegetarian Penne (Rs. 800) was heinous. Just by looking at the dish you can tell that their 'Bechamel sauce' is pretty much more of a clumpy batter; too much flour. It was all at the bottom, too.
It also tasted heavily of msg- a dead giveaway that a Maggi soup cube was used. I had a small shred of hope that at least the pasta would please, but alas - it was undercooked and a few shells still retained that almost plasticine texture to them. The vegetables were sparse (carrots and broccoli), and so was our enthusiasm.
Their drinks are still great, I'll tell you that. The bartender does a brilliant job with balancing out the booze and taste. We opted for a Classic Tiramisu (Rs. 950) and their Republic Arrack Sour (Rs. 750).
Arrack Sours are my favourite drink. They're delightfully tangy, citrusy and paired with some good old arrack they make for a wonderfully spiky drink with lots of local charisma and zest. Perf. A brilliant pairing of Ceylon Arrack and a shot of lime/orange juice- this is great for sipping on although it's a small drink that'll make you go 'wha-?' once you realise your glass is empty.
The Classic Tiramisu is like that distinguished Sri Lankan Iced Coffee that went off to the States, got its edges refined a bit and never looked back. A splendiferous marriage between Kahlua and Bailey's Irish Cream, this cocktail is a good one to have if you're either a coffee nerd who can't drink anything else or someone who'd like to remain sophisticated yet groovy. Served in a martini glass, this drink is every bit as elegant as a posh Sri Lankan iced coffee- gaudy chocolate ribbons and all.
Unimpressive. We got off to a good start with the waiter, he took our order deftly after I repeated 'Tonkatsu Beef Bao' two times. I saw him write something down on his little notepad, and I somehow had a strange feeling that perhaps he got the order wrong. When we got our tacos, I was disappointed but again, too tired to argue so I didn't bother. We didn't even get through one taco, so I asked him to pack it up and informed him that although it was okay, he got the order mixed up with the tacos when I ordered the bao.
He proceeds to throw a small fit, shows me his notepad- which had Beef Taco on it- thereby confirming his mistake and then goes on to tell me that he heard what I said etc etc. I really really hate picking fights with servers and salespeople because I've worked in both areas, but damn if I didn't get pissed off. The customer isn't always right, nor are they always looking for a fight. I have a severe aversion to spicy food, so ordering the Spiced Beef Tacos really wouldn't make my Saturday night better, would it?
I'm aware that this review comes off as highly negative, but I have to tell it like it is. This place used to have a special spot in my list of go-to's but it's sad to see how it's turned into a melting pot for CMB's young and reckless complete with tired, grumpy waiters.
Their live music sessions are great. If you're looking to spend a night of partying in a wasted blur, this is your spot.
The Re.Pub.Lk used to be one of my favourite hangouts- and it still is. It's just that somewhere along the way they've gone and lost their pizzazz.
The chic new resto-bar that replaced old Brown's Bar behind Dutch Hospital.
A new upscale pub in the home of upscale pubs that is the area around Dutch Hospital.
සිංහල සර්විස් චාර්ජ් එකයි, ටැක්ස් එකයි වැදුණ ම අපේ මුළු බිල ආවේ රුපියල් 4812ක්. වෙන ලොකු තැන් එක්ක සලකලා බැලුවම මේ ගාණ ශේප්.
Address
57, Hospital Street, 00100 Colombo, Sri Lanka
Directions
On Hospital Road (behind Dutch), where Browns used to be.
Contacts
Report InaccuracyA Minute By Tuk is a little eatery in the Galle Dutch…
The main restaurant at the luxe Jetwing Lighthouse Club…
1/5
We (a group of 15 people looking to have a decent Friday night) had a similar experience last month. We walked in around 8pm and the waiter arranged a corner sofa upstairs for all of us ( in which we barely fit)…When we started ordering the food, he again insisted that we move downstairs because he suddenly realized there’s not enough space on the table for our food and drinks. We were initially reluctant to shift the entire group (of 15) downstairs because it was a hastle but then felt sorry for the waiter so we moved …However, a guy in a tie who we assumed was the manager threw the biggest fit because he had to rearrange the furniture for us and passed extremely rude remarks out loud. It was horrible service altogether, the food wasn’t so great and the drinks were such a rip off so in the end we just spent a thumping amount for such a bad experience.
Conclusions- never stepping into this place nor are we recommending it to anyone we know, till the management fixes its service !!!!!!
If anyone’s looking to hang out with a large crowd at Dutch hospital, steurt n co offers much better drinks n food and has really good service. Maybe republik could learn a thing or two from them!!!!
1/5
The menu has no certain speciality. I don't think that any of the dishes made in the real-time…the temperature of the food was good but I am sure they used microwave oven. The quality was just ok and the taste was good but nothing unusual, special or exciting. The price is not comparable to the food and service
4/5
Great Service, It was jerome who served us and he was the right amount of attentive :D. Food and Booze was good. But i guess having cocktails is the right way to go if you're planning to getting tipsy.
Food on the other hand was really great. Portion sizes are not that great but it matches with the price which wasn't too up there. overall it was a great experience.
Their drinks are diluted with water. This is the second time it happend to me. Another point is that they should bring ice separately, they always brings the drink with ice in it. I asked for Talisker 10 years and they charged me for Talisker Storm. (just this Friday).
Went there yesterday. The ambiance is just stellar. The interior was done by a very talented friend of mine and needless to say she has done an excellent job. Try to get the cushy seats in the outdoor area upstairs. Food was very good and reasonably priced, had a few beers so cant comment on the cocktails. Excellent service as well. Will be going back for sure.
I hope they consider turning the music down or off in at least one of the areas, perhaps the outdoor area upstairs. Overall, it's way too loud, horribly balanced and not particularly great.
My friend and I are two girls who have been working in Colombo for 3 years. We are from the United States. We have been to this establishment five times. I was absolutely repulsed by the service yesterday when we went as the waiters were so scary. We made the mistake of wearing short dresses as we were originally planning on going out this night. Please do not go here if you are two girls travelling alone or are planning on something similar. We sat down at the table, and 5 waiters gathered behind the table and would not stop staring at us and talking the entire time. They kept looking at our legs and our bodies. It was awful. In Colombo, usually when you step into a bar or a restaurant you are treated professionally, but I was extremely disappointed. This place had so much potential. In the end, they didn't even give us the correct change and we were short 200rs. What a joke. And of course, as we left, they all had to turn and stare at our a**es.
1/5
Dobby123
We (a group of 15 people looking to have a decent Friday night) had a similar experience last month. We walked in around 8pm and the waiter arranged a corner sofa upstairs for all of us ( in which we barely fit)…When we started ordering the food, he again insisted that we move downstairs because he suddenly realized there’s not enough space on the table for our food and drinks. We were initially reluctant to shift the entire group (of 15) downstairs because it was a hastle but then felt sorry for the waiter so we moved …However, a guy in a tie who we assumed was the manager threw the biggest fit because he had to rearrange the furniture for us and passed extremely rude remarks out loud. It was horrible service altogether, the food wasn’t so great and the drinks were such a rip off so in the end we just spent a thumping amount for such a bad experience.
Conclusions- never stepping into this place nor are we recommending it to anyone we know, till the management fixes its service !!!!!!
If anyone’s looking to hang out with a large crowd at Dutch hospital, steurt n co offers much better drinks n food and has really good service. Maybe republik could learn a thing or two from them!!!!
4/5
K
the ambience and the food is great ! drinks are alright :) they have their days !
1/5
AnupamaCroose
The menu has no certain speciality. I don't think that any of the dishes made in the real-time…the temperature of the food was good but I am sure they used microwave oven. The quality was just ok and the taste was good but nothing unusual, special or exciting. The price is not comparable to the food and service