republic of texas bar & grill

amazing view. theviewfrom the 20th floor of the omni was what attracted me to the restaurant and it definitely did not dissapoint! the staff/service we interacted with (waiter, bartender, hosts, manager) was wonderful, food was pretty good. cocktails were excellent. definitely worth trying.

our first visit was for our 4th anniversary. we will definitely be returning customers. everyone from the hostess to our waiters, cruz and tommy, were excellent. the atmosphere was gorgeous and relaxing. theviewof the harbor bridge was stunning. the food was outstanding! we loved the complimentary dessert we received for our anniversary. our waiters explained everything and answered all our questions about the menu, restaurant history and best drink choices. it was well worth the money to have such a fine dining experience.

super tough $45 steak. we have always considered this place our "special place for special events". on april 15, we took new friends there for dinner. wonderful atmosphere and theviewwas outstanding (as it always is). wonderful evening (until our food was served). friends had ny strip steaks and my wife and i had the fillet for two with vegetables. every steak was cooked to perfection. the only problem was they were so tough you could hardly chew them. i won't say it was the worst steak i've ever had, but i can say that i've had $15 steaks at montana mikes or sirloin stockade that were far superior. it's such a shame to spend $400 on drinks and meal 4 and receive this quality of food. we did comment on the steaks during the meal but i think our new friends were too embarrassed to say anything and we really didn't see our wait staff that often during the meal. i did comment to the waiter as we were leaving about the steaks. we will not return to this place again. for the price you pay, there is absolutely no excuse for this.

we went there for our wedding anniversary. overall, the food, service,viewwas exceptional.
tip: ask for a bay view. if items on the menu are unclear ask a lot of questions.
this is a fine dining top notch restaurant & our expectations were met completely. i would highly recommend rep of tx!

worth it. while i believe it's possible for a aaa four-diamond-rated restaurant like republic of texas bar & grill to have an off night, i also believe that anyone who says 'hostess was terribly rude,' is probably stretching the truth. either that, or the reviewer neglected to say 'customer was a horse's ass.'

still... the hostess was quite polite to us during our visit on feb. 19, 2013. but that could have been because we said 'good evening' to her. (we aren't the type of people who think we can treat people like garbage just because we're eating a $200 meal.) all of that aside...

atmosphere
it's probably the best restaurant atmosphere south of houston, if only because of the views of corpus christi bay. the warm woods, light linens and low light of the place make for a nice ambiance.

service
from the time we walked in the door, until the time we left, service was top notch. everyone was polite and seemed to care about our experience. our server (a college-aged kid whose name i cannot remember) was about as genuine as they come.

food
between the three of us, there was a filet, shrimp and a bone-in prime rib (me). the beef was lightly seasoned, as all good beef should be. (if it needs sauce or a boatload of seasoning, that usually means someone's trying to hide something. -- i expect such shenanigans at places like k-bob's or golden corral).

my prime rib was ordered 'medium' and was perfect. there was a nice char around the edges, and it was fork tender throughout. the same can be said for the filet. the shrimp, according to my wife, was some of the best she's ever had. (i thought it might have been overcooked by 15-30 seconds, but i still rate it high.)

we ordered asparagus and sauteed mushrooms to go along with our dishes. divine.

the ladies shared a creme brulee for dessert. my wife is still talking about it two days later. i had the bananas foster, served with banana bread. outstanding.

backing up a bit, i ordered oysters republic for an appetizer. in short, it is similar to oysters rockefeller, but topped w/ shiitake mushrooms, capers, spinach and a brandy cream reduction. the oysters were smooth -- like butter. some of the best i've ever had. even the ladies (self-professed oyster haters) had one each. both gave a thumbs up.

i honestly expected nothing less from such a highly-rated restaurant. and you shouldn't either. whether you want a seriously good steak, a fineviewor service that is far beyond your local chili's, republic of texas bar & grill is the place.

great food plagued by poor layout/management. the food is exceptional, among the best, if not the best, in corpus christi; the wine selection is second to none (for corpus); and theviewis incredible, especially at dusk.

what kills the ambiance, however, is what appears to be a poorly managed/laid-out restaurant;
a) the smoke area is located outside of the doors at the front of the restaurant, which means smokers are constantly walking through the middle of the restaurant through dinner service (and bringing with them the faint odor of burnt tobacco and inevitable gust of smoke when the door is opened) - it makes dinner a lot less appetizing (but i'm sure theviewfor the smokers is incredible)
b) every time i've visited this restaurant the wait staff appear to be very disengaged, almost robotic. even asking for something as simple as a replacement piece of silverware usually gets you at least a sigh of disapproval.
c) people who work downtown hang out at the bar, which separates the entry and the restaurant, and they usually crowd the bar area (at least every time i've visited) and are usually pretty drunk. it definitely establishes a certain vibe for the restaurant (i.e. walking through a bar scene to get to your table)

there are other issues with republic of texas b&g, but all minor. despite the issues i highly recommend the place, at least for one visit. they use opentable for reservations, i recommend adding in the comments to be placed at a table near the front windows if dining there at dusk.

i recommend the wedge salad (they use freshly cooked, warm bacon pieces instead of store-bought bacon-bits) and the steak (i think it's a bone-in rib eye).

niceviewfrom the 20th floor but otherwise old and unpleasant ambience. the service would've been considered poor at chili's so here it was just plain terrible. the food was ok but nothing spectacular. this is nothing more than an overpriced hotel restaurant with mediocre food quality. really corpus? is this the best "fine dining" you can do? i won't be back.

reservation is a must.. if you are going to eat here you must call ahead and ask for a reservation during sunset hours by a window b/c that is the only thing that sets this place apart from other fine dining places. the food is good, staff is good, and price is about what you would expect to pay for an "expensive" meal. theviewis amazing and makes this place worth it.

great food, view, and wine selection. i really enjoy republic. i have eaten there many times and never been disappointed. the lamb and filets are fantastic.theviewof the bay is beautiful.they have a very attentive staff. i suggest reservations if you want a table with a view.

just okay. my husband and i went to celebrate our anniversary. everyone told us it is the best restaurant in corpus christi. we arrived early (before dark) to enjoy the view. don't make the mistake of showing up here for a late dinner. sadly, theviewmay have been the best part. the food was over-salted and just average. good steaks, but no "wow" factor. the service was cordial, but again, no "wow" factor. we finished our dinner and did not stay for dessert. probably won't go back again.

i absolutely love this place. my boyfriend took me there last year. everything from the food to the service andviewwas amazing. i hope to go back very soon!

overpriced. group really enjoyed theviewand the steaks were super however the salads, soups and service were only average. we expected far more for what we were charged, especially with their valentines day special menu. we will not return.

its worth it !. been there many times for special occasions. food and service always good. theviewis very good of course. not a bad dish on the menu. it is worth the price. if you want cheap dining, try the spid corridor.

is it worth it?. theviewis very nice, especially if you go before sunset for dinner. the beef is excellent quality and will satisfy a voracious hunger. the side dishes are very good and one order is enough to server 2-3 people. they have a very good selection of wine but the wine is way overpriced. is it worth it? it depends on your attitude toward dining. a person who appreciates fine dining surrounded by a niceviewwill consider it worth the price. a person who eats for the sake of survival will find it overpriced and not worth it. i wish that they would bring back the "trois frommage" dessert.

not so much. it's a decent place, but i definitely think a steakhouse should do better. customers are paying mostly for theview(which you dont really enjoy in the evening) tacked onto high hotel restaurant prices.