Kothai Republic

For small plates, the Crying Tiger Tartare, Kimchi Rice Balls, Melon Prosciutto salad, and Mousse and Mochi were all fantastic! Picking three is perfect to share with 2~3 people.
For entrees, we got the Tom Yum and Beef Noodle. Both soups were fragrant, hearty, and delicious. I felt very warm and happy after a few spoonfuls.
I can't wait to come back and try more of the menu!

Wow, this place is delicious! I had dinner there, but seeing reviews here they are more known for their brunch so will need to come back for that.
Service was excellent - we were seated right away, 730pm on a weekday, but did take their last table so there was a short wait for people who arrived after us. Staff gave excellent menu recommendations based on our hunger level + dietary restrictions (peanut allergy, pescatarian)
I ordered the king salmon haw mok - excellent and would order again! Both appetizers we ordered were delicious as well.
Restaurant is conveniently located on 9th and Judah - very easy to get to on public transit if you don't want to worry about parking!

After passing by this restaurant a couple times, we decided to make a reservation here to celebrate my partner's mom's birthday.

Even though we went on a Wednesday, the restaurant was packed! We're so happy we made a reservation instead of waiting. I highly recommend making a reservation to avoid the long wait.

The menu features a blend of Korean + Thai dishes. We ordered the Kalbi, Korean Spicy Noodle, Spring Snap Peas, Slow Shrooms, Grilled Hamachi Collar, Tom Yum Soup, and the Red Curry Cornish Hen to share.

Most of the dishes are great for sharing as the portions are on the smaller end. Our favorites were the Hamachi Collar, Kalbi and the Cornish Hen! They were packed with flavor and texture.

The dishes were presented nicely but they're priced on the higher end. It's definitely worth it to try out if you enjoy Asian fusion. But this won't be a spot that I'd return to too often.

Authentic Korean mixed with modern Asian-style dishes. I left Kothai Republic feeling happy and satisfied with the meal that I experienced there, and I'm already thinking about the next time I'll be able to come back!

It's an intimate setting where the tables are a bit close together, but it's lively and there's good energy! By a little after 6pm, it was a packed house!

We started off with some small plates. Their popular Kimchi Rice Balls were definitely a favorite! These reminded me of arancini, as there's kimchi fried rice with bacon inside of a crispy battered and fried ball. They're topped with sharp cheddar and served on top of a yummy aioli that compliments the rice balls perfectly. The Kothai Ceviche also come with two per order. Sitting in a little gem lettuce cup is cured sweet shrimp, garlic, shallot, dill, and mint served on top of ice so it's chilled. These are juicy and a have a little kick to them that builds over time, but nothing too spicy!

But the best dish of all that I think about often is their MOUSSE AND MOCHI! The chicken liver mousse is rich, creamy, and oh so delicious! It's served with cabernet currants, and a yuzu gel sauce that create an unbelievably delicious flavor pairing. Truly genius! Not only that, but they're served with these amazing mochi popovers. Springy with a slight chew yet still soft and delicate, these were the perfect vehicle for the mousse. Bonus, they're gluten free! GET THESE! GET THESE! GET THESE!

For entrees, we had the King Salmon Haw Mok. I've never had a salmon dish like these before where it was wrapped in cabbage leaves. The salmon was moist and tender, and the green curry emulsion sauce with kaffir was full of flavor. It also comes with some good kimchi, the flavor was different than other kimchis I've had. The Red Curry Cornish Hen was also delicious! The sauce was amazing, and I really liked the sticky rice that it comes with! Lastly, we had the Korean Spicy Noodles. The noodles come with julienned cucumber, cabbage, and green papaya, so it blends in with the noodles perfectly. I love that they thinly slice the grilled pork jowl, so it doesn't overpower the texture of the noodles. It comes drizzled with a great tamarind sauce too! Really enjoyed all of the dishes!

They do start to run out of dishes quickly into dinner service (no kalbi or crudo right before 6pm on a Saturday), so make sure to their there as early as possible to ensure the dish you want is still available that day!

I'll definitely be recommending this spot to my friends!

No res walk in for 2 around 7pm on Saturday. No wait how lucky!

Airy interior and prompt staff. We ordered kimchi rice balls, crudo and mushroom to start. Both first two so yum and would order again. Crudo was FRESH I could drink that sauce. Kimchi rice balls were so guilty but delicious tasting. Mushroom dish was not as flavorful but still good.

Ordered spicy Korean noodle and galbi for mains. Medium spicy for the noodles and also a cold noodle dish surprised me. Galbi was tasty but tough!! Wish the meat was more tender.

Overall would come again. ~$180 for two including drinks, tip, tax. Similar small plate vibe to Rintaro or the Progress for a slightly cheaper price point.

Came here for brunch with the boyfriend and his brother and his girlfriend, who'd been here before. We were excited to try it as they called it a hidden gem, a killer brunch spot that didn't have long lines.

The bf enjoyed his B & E breakfast and I enjoyed the shrimp toast. It was rich and flavorful and creative/unique. We both enjoyed the Thai iced tea--we expected it to be sweet and it was (but good.) We also all split the monte cristo and everything was so filling.

Friendly service and minimalist, cool decor. There's parking on weekends. I'm waiting for when they'll have a line for their neat spin on Asian fusion brunch.

Came here for dinner on a Sunday night without a reservation and were seated immediately. We got five dishes: the kimchi rice balls, sweet and sour pork, bibimbap, Tom yum noodle soup, and beef noodle soup.

The kimchi rice balls were delicious as the sauce went perfect with it and tasted perfectly cooked. The sweet and sour pork fell off the bone and tasted perfectly slow cooked and roasted. The bibimbap wasn't as flavorful as I would've hoped though and I wish there were noodles in the dish instead of rice.

The tom yum noodle soup was good but it wasn't my favorite as the broth wasn't as thick as I would've wanted but the beef noodle soup was tasty and the beef shank was perfectly cooked. I wish the noodles in the beef noodle soup were softer as I don't think they were cooked for long enough. Overall, I enjoyed this place as it was really cute and the workers were really friendly and attentive!

Kothai republic throws a unique twist on Korean, Thai and American breakfast . The ambience is casual and ideal for a brunch spot.
The Thai iced tea was extremely refreshing. The shrimp and toast were really delicious. The purple baked potatoes were crispy on the outside but flavorful and soft on the inside and pairs well with the hollandaise sauce.
The avacado toast was equally good. The dessert aired on the extra sweet side, but was still pretty good.
One person in the party was a vegetarian and they struggled to find an option on the breakfast menu.

Came here for brunch out of convenience and overall I thought it was ok. Nothing really stood out to be honest. Was disappointed with the french toast it tasted really plain. The presentation was nice, but that's about it. The monte cristo was good and the jam that came with it was yummy. The bacon on the b&e was good too. I would recommend going elsewhere if you're looking for a "real brunch".

Every time I pass by the corner of 9th and Judah (which is fairly often), I remind myself to check out Kothai Republic one day. It's always full, so there is an amount of waiting anxiety that piles up.

On a particularly gloomy day, we went to Kothai at 5:30pm, early enough so that there probably wasn't a wait. Thankfully, it was pretty empty still.

We got everything to share. The dishes that we chose actually had different flavors and textures, and it was nice combination altogether.

The Slow Shrooms have a mellow flavor but a lot of umami. This is a good dish to balance out spicy flavors, which was great because the Spicy Noodles were VERY spicy. The noodles are served cold with some really delicious grilled pork jowl.

The Monterey Squid had some light chili flavor mixed with umami and citrus. The beans rounded out the chewy texture of the squid. The Melon Prosciutto is a nice refreshing dish. The melon is juicy and lightly sweet and is contrasted with the crunchy and salty prosciutto, bitter greens, and citrusy dressing.

All in all a great meal!