Dominican restaurant + lounge to reopen weeks after Charlotte border patrol raids
A Charlotte-area restaurant is finally ready for its grand re-opening.
Republica Restaurant + Lounge will host a soft opening Wednesday, Jan. 14, to give customers a first taste of its new menu and cocktails, according to an Instagram post. Doors open at 4 p.m.
The Matthews restaurant, which specializes in Dominican and Latin fusion cuisines, closed Nov. 18 due to U.S. Customs and Border Protection operations in the Charlotte area. There were plans to reopen sooner, however continued crackdowns caused further delays.
“Out of responsibility and concern for the well-being of all our customers and staff, we have made the preventative decision to temporarily close,” the restaurant team said at the time.
“We reaffirm our commitment to the Latino community and will continue to monitor the situation closely in order to announce a reopening date.”
Republica promises authentic Dominican cuisine “with a little bit of gourmet,” owner Madeline Perez previously told CharlotteFive. Customers can look forward to classics dishes like mofongo, sancocho, empanadas and more.
“There’s very few Dominican restaurants here in North Carolina, and we wanted to get that authentic taste that we missed from our island,” Perez said at the time.
CharlotteFive reached out to Republica for more information on the grand re-opening Jan. 9 and was awaiting a response.
Republica Restaurant + Lounge
Location: 11315 E Independence Blvd, Matthews, NC 28105
Cuisine: Dominican, Latin fusion
Instagram: @republica_clt
