Long Beach is becoming a food capital in itself- I swear. Sometimes it feels just as overwhelming as Los Angeles to me. A couple weeks ago, however, I knocked another LB destination of my bucket list….: James Republic. 

I went in kind of blind, not knowing what to expect. First and foremost, I was shocked at how gorgeous this place was. Attached to a hotel and nestled on a corner in Downtown Long Beach, I literally felt like I was transported far away and was on vacation. Not a bad  feeling while you’re having dinner! To make this even better, service was awesome. The GM, Brad, was very helpful, and was our server (whose name I am blanking on right now)… She was SUPER knowledgable about food, wine, and the restaurant industry as a whole. Everyone else working was just as attentive and helpful- which is always appreciated!

What you probably wouldn’t expect from looking at the menu is that James Republic is all about farm-to-table. Fresh food, fresh ingredients, great quality- I am all about that! All of the food my colleague and I tried was surprisingly light and you could certainly tell it was fresh.

Recap of what we liked :

• Kennebec Pommes Frittes – when a restaurant hand-cuts and fries their french fries… they are bound to be good, and these certainly were!
• Smoked Rabbit Andouille Gumbo – wow… most Cajun restaurants don’t even make gumbo this good! Super flavorful and unique. I probably would have never guessed it was rabbit meat!
• Grass Fed Burger – I’m not a burger person, but my colleague wanted to try it. I took a couple bites and I do have to say that (for a burger) it was really good.
• Lamb – we tried a lamb dish that is no longer on the updated menu, but it was super good! This was another dish I wasn’t too hyped on trying since it is hard to find GOOD lamb. This was probably the best lamb dish I have ever had.
• House Made Ricotta – honestly, this was probably the star of the night for me! I LOVE ricotta… and let me say that this was some of the tastiest I have ever had. I’m pretty sure I ate the whole bowl of it myself and didn’t share…

Variety of Dishes to Try!

THE Burger

Lamb Dish

Kennebec Fries

Octopus Dish

Rabbit Andouille Gumbo

All in all – Check it out! Come here for a fun meal with friends, or just for drinks! They have a great cocktail and wine program. You’ll especially love the fun names of the cocktails. 😉

I am really looking forward to going back for brunch- the menu looks just as awesome! Stay tuned!