Bangkok Republic in Wilton: Top Notch Thai Food Hidden in Plain Sight on Route 7

Curries at Bangkok Republic are popular and come in green, red, panang, massaman, or yellow (pictured with potatoes, onions, and chicken) and come with a side of rice.

Raise your hand if you’ve driven past a strip mall, plaza, a couple of storefronts clustered together, or whatever you call it, countless times without giving it any thought.

We’re all guilty of this.

In this case, we’re talking about a Thai restaurant that’s located on Route 7 that so many of us drive up and down so many times per week. And unless you’re a Wilton local who has obviously been gatekeeping this hidden-in-plain-sight gem, you may not even know it’s there, despite the fact that Bangkok Republic has been open for almost a decade.

But it’s a good thing for friends who stop, pull in, dine-in frequently, then finally tell you about it. You can all send a big “THANK YOU!” to Anne Grossman of Rebel Daughter Cookies, who, after three lychee martinis, sent me several texts, most of them repetitive, that praised their food quality and consistency, hospitality, and attentiveness. She was also pretty stoked about getting a shiny red Bangkok Republic coffee mug, too, but again, the martinis…

Starters range from these crispy pork spring rolls, to gyoza, lettuce wraps, coconut shrimp, and curry puffs.

Traditionally served during Thai New Year, money bags, stuffed with minced pork, symbolize wealth and prosperity.

Chili oil dumplings if you like a little heat—FYI, all their sauces and this chili-garlic oil is homemade.

Even though Bangkok Republic opened over nine-and-a-half years ago, there’s a chance that if you stopped by in its first five years, you likely didn’t even get to meet the owners.

“We always owned it, but those first five years, we hired someone else to run it for us,” says co-owner Jarupan Krairiksh. “We didn’t even make any money for five years. We were going to get rid of the restaurant. Then, COVID hit and we decided to come to work, and turned it around, so it’s a good thing we didn’t! We’re blessed.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Bangkok Republic (@bangkok_republic)

Hat Yai fried chicken is an often special is something Jarupan, Jirapan, and Pussawat brought back to Wilton from their travels back to Thailand. Chicken thighs are marinated in herbs, fried, and served with papaya salad, sticky rice, and a spicy vinegar based sauce.

You’ll spot this on a lot of tables, too—fried duck with red curry, pineapple, basil, red peppers, and tomatoes.

The “we” at Bangkok Republic is all about family. Involved is Jarupan, her sister Jirapan, and Pussawat Mungkung, Jirapan’s husband. The trio initially opened the restaurant to share their heritage with folks in the area.

“We grew up in Bangkok in a big family and our property had five houses on it filled with our family,” Jarupan says. “All of us cooked together as one big family, so we wanted to open a restaurant to share our culture and hospitality with everyone. Everything is handmade, the dumplings, everything. We don’t go to Restaurant Depot to buy any of that stuff.”

There’s a full bar also, with Singha, a lager from Thailand, plus sake, wine, and cocktails.

Thai iced tea martini with frothy whipped, sweetened milk on top

Lychee martinis are mixed quite often at their bar.

Their 25 years of cooking Thai food is reflected on Bangkok Republic’s extensive menu. You’ll see all the classics; pad Thai, larb (a minced meat salad with fresh herbs), satay, tom yum soup, four different fried rice dishes, a handful of comforting, spicy curries, noodle soups, a customer favorite in an often seen special, crispy duck, and money bags—dumplings shaped like a purse, filled with minced pork, deep fried, and meant to be dipped in a sweet chili sauce.

If you’re unfamiliar with Thai cuisine, Jarupan says it’s common to see gyoza (China), pho (Vietnam), and Singapore Mei Fun (a curry seasoned vermicelli stir-fry) in Thailand and on menus in Thai restaurants, including theirs.

Green papaya salad - shredded unripe papaya, chili vinaigrette, tomatoes, carrots, green beans, and peanuts

Entrée portions are generous here. Sizzling beef (also popular when they run it) comes out in a screaming hot cast iron skillet with strips of tender beef, Thai herbs, peppercorns, finger root, kaffir lime leaves, string beans, peppers, carrots, mushrooms, and a side of rice to soak up all that sauce.

“Pho is Vietnamese, but we eat a lot of pho in Thailand,” she says. “You’ll see influences from all over Asia. My ancestors are from China, so a lot of Chinese food is popular there.”

Aside from Bangkok Republic’s staples and customer favorites, Jarupan mentioned that their menu does see changes every year after the family’s annual trip back to their home country.

“We close in mid-February every year for the past four years and come back in early March because when it’s colder in Connecticut, it gets slow in the restaurant, so we go back to Bangkok to visit our family; our mom is 79 and his (Pussawat’s) grandma is 97, so it’s important to see them,” she says. “When we go back, we get inspired and make a new menu. We always eat big in the mornings and last time, we got this crispy chicken every morning at 7 o’clock, so we put that on the menu.”

991 Danbury Road, Wilton
203.544.8333, bangkokrepublic.com