Cask Republic opened its newest location in SoNo earlier this fall at the former Ginger Man space. The interior has hardwood floors, intimate lounges, and expansive floor to ceiling windows. A full length oak bar takes center stage in the main dining room set below television screens and surrounded by booths and communal tables seating upwards of 100 guests. In the spring, CR will open a 60-seat outdoor patio. Towards the back of the restaurant is a bank vault which is currently being used to store wine and vintage beer, but there are plans on using it as a private seating area in the future.
Like the other locations, the restaurant offers diners delicious wholesome food, a superior selection of beer (52 on tap), wine and craft cocktails. CR serves four cocktails on tap (yes, on tap), and all are delicious:
In addition to bottled wines, Cask Republic serves 10 wines on tap. If you’re unsure of what to get, ask for a sample. If you see it on the menu, I highly recommend the Nobiolo Sauvignon Blanc.
On to the food…
The menu at the Cask Republic changes weekly, but there are many staples you’ll see on the menu. We enjoyed many of Cask Republic’s food offerings – from fresh oysters (both east and west coast), creative bar food, to delicious entrees. The Korean Style BBQ Wings were crispy and flavorful. It could have been better without the buttermilk dressing, but I would still order it again. Of the appetizers, I’d say the Pork Belly Mac & Cheese was the best. It wasn’t quite what I expected. I thought it would be an ordinary bowl of mac n cheese served with fatty pork belly. But I was surprised. The mac was coated with
If you enjoy eating lamb, order the House Made Lamb Pastrami Reuben with caramelized onions, white cheddar, thousand island, served with hand cut fries (shown, top). The chef cures the lamb for seven days before slicing. That’s why the meat is loaded with flavor. The sandwich as a whole was great. I did skip on the thousand island dressing.
Our meal ended on a sweet note with their homemade Pumpkin Cheesecake and Apple & Pear Pot Pie. Can’t go wrong with either of them, but the decadent, dense pumpkin cheesecake was our favorite. Next time, we’ll get their Nitro Coffee to go with the desserts.
We had a fantastic lunch at Cask Republic. A big plus is they are family friendly. There were 3 other families with young diners present for lunch. Our foodie didn’t eat anything off the kids menu as she was busy with her Pork Belly Mac & Cheese.
We’ll be back soon. The brunch menu will be rolling out soon. We look forward to trying that!
Additional Notes
Happy Hour – Half off wines by the glass and select small plates Monday – Friday starting at 4pm
Cask Republic
99 Washington St #2
Norwalk, CT
Tel: (203) 354-0163
caskrepublic.com/norwalk