My last time to Brighton beach was well over 20 years ago. I remember it well. All of the…read morestorefronts with. Cyrillic writing, clothes, food with wonderful smells, trays and trays of caviar, just bursting out the door. And, a Starbucks. Today, not too many Eastern European businesses are left. Now, it's banks, cellular, provider, stores urgent care, a 7-11, even a Popeyes freaking fried chicken. Oh, and the Starbucks is still there. After walking out of a very bad experience at imereti Georgian cafe down the street (see separate review) I found this place. Boy, am I glad I did. I was seated in the front. The restaurant was gorgeous. ! I could hear a beautiful voice singing, Eastern European songs in the back of the restaurant and at one point,, he switched to Elvis's "I can't help falling in love with you" in English. That made me a little emotional, because that was my late partner's and my song... Anyway, I decided to go for the crêpes with red caviar (salmon roe), and the Ukrainian borscht. Bread and butter is brought to my table. The white bread was OK, but the brown bread had a deep rich flavor. The crêpes come first, and they were amazing. The crêpes were very warm, soft and delicious. I loved the "red caviar". A little bit salty, more briny than fishy, and a wonderful explosion of flavor when the eggs "pop." in the mouth. I was very happy. Next came the borscht. It had cabbage, beets, potatoes, and either beef or pork. I'm not sure which one. The meat , beets and potatoes was very tender, and the soup was delicious and not too rich. A very satisfying flavor., the beets gave it a little bit of an earthy flavor. The sour cream that came with it, just added a creamy richness to it without overtaking the flavor of the borscht. 1000% a home run. Dinner wasn't cheap. Two dishes, two iced teas (I found out they charge for refills), and tax, and it came out to about $48 before tip, .I didn't care. I don't mind paying extra if the food is that good, and this food was absolutely beyond awesome. I would be glad to come back and try other items on the menu. Thank you!

Stopped by as we wanted to try some authentic Russian food, and this did not disappoint! We ordered…read morethe classic Ukrainian Borsch, along with the green borsch with chicken meatballs, and the blintzes with meat to start. The classic borsch is very dill heavy, but that was my favorite! The blintzes were also delicious and came with a tangy yogurt/cream sauce. For entrees, we shared the chicken stroganoff with buckwheat and Cornish hen with mashed potatoes. The hen was incredibly tender with a dill gravy, and the buckwheat was perfect with the stroganoff. Overall really delicious dishes and a beautiful indoor environment! Also the service was incredible and the owner was very kind in explaining to us the dishes.

I am not Russian, nor do I pretend to know the ways of Eastern European cooking intimately, but I…read moream a frugal food idea and I go to local haunts wherever I am to sample local cuisine. What better place to get comfort food than to head to Brighton Beach? A sure sign that I am in the right place is that I stick out like a sore-thumb -- being the only Asian person in this seat of babushka's is always reassuring. I used to come here regularly after a long day of teaching, and while the amount of containers I always leave with is a bit disparaging as a science teacher trying to save the Earth, I can take each visit as a "cheat day" if it means I get my beet salad, fish with ketchup, and vitrushki's. Really, there are no frills here, and I don't know how "authentic" the food is, but it's cheap, delicious, and filling, and the workers have always been extremely kind, atypical for what I thought of from the stoicism of most of Eastern Europe.

My favorite spot to buy Russian food during my trips from Manhattan. Great salad bar - probably the…read morebest Olivier in the area. Great stuffed peppers, chicken cutlets etc. Wish they would bring back the cold tongue dish! Also, the frozen pelmeni are on the expensive side compared to other stores nearby - would buy these here too otherwise. The staff is always courteous and they accept credit cards. Usually not very crowded.

Short review- if you're looking specifically for shashlik/shish kabobs, this is the best of the…read moremany Azeri spots. The lulya here, along with the chalahach/lamb chops and especially the sturgeon, are outstanding. The rest of the menu is good also, such as their very tasty kutaba, but go here for the kabobs. I went to this Azeri/Azerbaijani restaurant a while ago with a large party. As per most other spots serving either Central Asian food, Russian food, or food from the surrounding regions, you'll have a different experience if you're with someone who speaks one of a few languages (Russian/something similar and/or the local ones depending on which restaurant of course) as well as if you're in a party or not as there's party platters and stuff to order instead. In terms of service, it was friendly, and the inside was pretty casual. A guy was singing live music eventually, which is pretty normal for these spots. We had a few salads and cold appetizers to begin with. For salads, there was an avocado salad with fresh tomatoes as well as a Greek salad topped with basturma, which were both good. There was also cheese served with tomatoes, as well as an excellent version of eggplant rolls/nigvziani badrijani stuffed with walnuts and spices. The last cold appetizer was a tasty version of soslu patlıcan, a dish of Turkish origin with mashed eggplant, tomatoes, and various other spices. There were also two variants of kutaba, which is a type of stuffed pancake. My preference, as per other times, was the meat version, which had lamb and onions inside and was topped with a generous amount of sumac. It was tender and well-filled, though I think the one at Village Cafe is a little bit better. There was also a good vegetarian version, which was refreshing and nice to eat in between bites of all the richer foods. The big platters came out next, consisting of their specialty, which are the various shashlik/shish kabobs. For this place in particular, the best type of kabob is their ridiculously good sturgeon with generously large pieces of grilled fish served with pomegranate molasses (of course,) along with rice and onions with some sumac on it. It is meaty and tender and perfectly grilled. There was also a large meat platter with very good chalahach/lamb chops, along with very tasty lulya (ground lamb,) chicken, beef, and some liver, which would be for some people a bit undercooked, but I found it to be fine. Other hot dishes included potatoes and mushrooms, along with some fries, which were fine, though I didn't really bother with them anyway, as I was already pretty stuffed. For more home-cooked dishes, I would probably recommend Village Cafe more, as there's more of a selection. However, if you're looking for grilled Central Asian style meats, I haven't found a better spot yet, and I've been to a large number of them, from Azeri spots like this one to Bukharan ones to other places.

To begin let me say that I have no experience with food from Azerbaijan, so I have no basis to…read morecompare the food from this restaurant with any other similar restaurant. I would just like to say that the food, service, and ambience were all very good quality at this establishment. The food was delicious and the experience was made more pleasant by the helpfulness of the server who patiently explained all the dishes and beverages. The food was well prepared, plentiful and delicious. a few of the standouts were the dolmas, the sauteed onions, mushrooms and potatoes, the bread and the plov. The Azerbaijani tea was also tasty and a unique experience. Altogether, it was a delicious lunch.

Based on the recommendation of my chiropractor, I had lunch here earlier this week. Our server from…read moreMoldavia was friendly and attentive and suggested I try their most popular dish - the lamb lulya kebab which is ground lamb that is not overly spiced to allow one to taste the meat. It is served with rice and I found it to be a lighter than its Turkish equivalent. It was served with rice. We also ordered Turkish bread that was served warm. The dining area is comfortable and welcoming. Because this restaurant is set back from the Coney Island Avenue next to a liquor store it is easy to miss - but don't - it's excellent!

The interior is cute and they have a parking lot in the front…read more The servers were warm and eager to answer any questions I had about an unfamiliar menu. I ordered the Journey to Baku salad, the Turkish bread, and the Guru Khingal. The salad needed a pinch of salt, but there was a shaker on the table and with that addition, it was a decent refreshing appetizer. It's sort of a spread so I would recommend ordering some bread to eat with it. The bread came out steaming hot and smelling amazing. It was soft and fluffy on the inside and delicious. I took the extra home and ate it all immediately when I got there. Delicious bread. The Guru Khingal is honestly one of the best things I've ever eaten in New York City. I wasn't sure exactly what to expect, as I have never eaten this type of food before. The tender, handcut pasta seems to be layered with flavorful lamb fat like the most decadent possible buttered noodles and the ground lamb topping is rich and perfectly seasoned. The yogurt sauce gives the dish balance. It's a fairly large portion that could easily be shared between two. I highly recommend this spot, the glowing reviews are not exaggerating at all. I often like to try new and unusual restaurants, and sometimes I enjoy them mostly for the novelty. That was not the case at Village Cafe. My meal here was delicious and I am eager to return, even with the 75 minute commute from north Brooklyn.

My fiend Radu brought to this place to try Moldovan cuisine for fist time in my life and it was…read moreAMAZING. We started with some chicken soup,10/10. For our main we got rabbit and lamb chops10/10. tasted so fresh and delicious. The service was outstanding they treated us well.

This restaurant has delicious moldovan traditional food with the best service! It has a cozy vibe…read moreperfect for any occasion. 10/10 would recommend

Stolovaya is the most USSR restaurant in the world. Has basically every stereotype of the Soviet…read moreUnion, not to mention the food was fantastic. I really recommend this place for you to go!

Short recommendations: Liver "Le Cream," Siberian Pelmeni, Spanish-Style Meat…read more As per the name's direct translation, Stolovaya is a Soviet style canteen restaurant. The place has been open for many years, and I had passed by their quirky-looking interior several times prior to going there recently with a group. The staff was friendly and helpful, and the space started quiet, but got decently loud and packed as the night went on. To drink, a few of us had a pitcher of Kompot, which is sour cherry flavored and decently priced at $9 for a pitcher, but way too sweet for my liking. Along with kompot, there are also sodas, water, hard liquor, and beer, with most of the current beers being German imports, including $9 for a giant pour of Franziskaner Hefe-Weisse, which isn't a bad deal at all. In terms of food, I preferred the appetizers. They gave us some dark rye bread and butter to begin. As some of the vareniki were not available, we started with some Siberian Pelmeni, which consisted of 25 pieces of pelmen for the very reasonable $9.95. Along with the obligatory smetana/sour cream, we added some free grilled onions on top, and they were plump and tasty. I guess my only complaint would be that they felt a little bit watery, as perhaps they weren't drained properly, but at the price point and flavor, I can easily forgive that. The star of the night was surprisingly the $14.95 Liver "Le Cream," listed as warm chicken livers over greens. The liver was tender and tasty, and the cream sauce had a nice light mix of spices and herbs, including some horseradish or mustard or something similar for a bit of tang. Along with said liver/cream/greens, the dish also contained toasted sunflower seeds, which added a nice texture. This was excellent. We also ordered the Greek Salad for $9.95, which was different than a typical version in a nice way. Instead of a block of feta, the cheese was grated, which coated the various vegetables such as tomatoes, cucumbers, and olives in a delightfully salty mixture. I also liked the lack of lettuce, making it more similar to the traditional horitaki/village salad. My least favorite appetizer was their version of Veal Tongue Salad, or salad "Tashkent" for $8.95. The price was nice, but it lacked flavor compared to some other spots, with Tashkent Supermarket among other spots making much better versions. It was fine, but I would fill up on other dishes. The only other cheaper thing that I wouldn't recommend would be the $7.95 Lamb Kebab. The portion size was fine, but the meat wasn't particularly tender or super flavorful. The side satsebeli/tomato sauce helped, but I would recommend the various nearby Central Asian or Georgian spots for better shashlik instead. It was alright. The rest of the dishes were entrees, so they came with a choice of sides, which included either mashed potatoes, buckwheat, or rice. While I like buckwheat, another person was allergic, and some others dislike it, so my choice was voted out. We mostly got some decent mashed potatoes or some tasty rice, which I believe was cooked in some type of stock as it was very flavorful. They also came with a nice vitamin salad, a crunchy and slightly sour mixture of cabbage, carrots, and peas with some parsley, which helped with the overall richness. First to arrive was the decent $14.95 Filet of Trout. The fish was lightly fried and flaky and came with a nice homemade tartar sauce. This was good. There was also the Chicken "Tabaka" for $17.95, served with a garlic sauce. The chicken was pounded a bit thinner than some other spots and was pretty tender, but I have preferred some other places. I did like the skin, though. There was also an alright $16.95 Beef Stroganoff, served in a bread bowl. The portion was large, and the beef was tender, but there weren't that many mushrooms. I also preferred the flavor from some other places, such as Skovorodka. This was good, but not amazing. Last and best was the "Spanish-Style Meat" for $17.95. This had 3 relatively large pieces of beef, which I believe was skirt steak. The beef was cooked wonderfully, and there was some great flavor and grill marks. There was a relative chew, but not too much. This was excellent and a surprising final highlight. Another person got a coffee and some tiramisu, as they don't have any Russian dessert options like napoleon or smetanik. He seemed to like both. We overall had a good meal. It wasn't my favorite spot serving this food, but I would go back and get more of the dishes we loved.

Was walking down Bath Ave today and saw a big picture outside of the restaurant of some Tandir…read moreSamsa. It looked like empanadas, so we went in. This was our first time in an Uzbek restaurant and eating Uzbekistan's cuisine. We were very curious. The menu was in Uzbek. Although there were some English on the bottom, we still didn't know which picture represented which item on the menu. The waiter was very helpful in telling us which picture was which food. We ordered one tandir samsa, one avocado salad, two lamb kebabs, one manti meat (which looks a lot like xiaolong bao), one glass of kombot berry juice, and one cup of black coffee. The food was delicious. We loved and finished everything. The beef in the tandir samsa smelled so good inside my mouth. The avocado salad was so fresh. The two lamb kebabs were my absolute favorite. They're not dry and burnt like the shish kebabs you get at fairs and festivals. They were very juicy and not burnt at all. I love the gaminess smell of the lambs. The manti meat looked a lot like a Chinese dumpling, but it's bigger and they have a mixture of beef and lamb inside. It was so delicious. It came with a white, thick dipping sauce that looks like yogurt. The kombot berry juice reminded me of a delicious plum juice that I had in Beijing. It was so good! The hot coffee was also delicious, similar to the morning coffees in Mexico. Overall, we loved the food and service here. We were so glad to have tried something new today!

So service was pretty good after they got started . Although…read morethey didn't bring water at all the whole time . The lagman soup wqs the best I ever had . Manti were cool and no broth inside them at all as if they were sitting there waiting for someone prior . Meat was really flavorful but the beef a bit dry . Lulya kabob best I ever had The achichuk and other salad with tongue were very good but such small portions and price definitely seemed to High for the portion Other places u I go to pack it on I would maybe give it another try but many others out there

Decent take out place with delicious tandoori samsa…read more In March 2025 I stopped by Tandir Rokhat to buy some food for home and to taste a few items for review. The place is small, with a primitive interior, cheap utensils, and paper plates. It has a food smell that soaks into clothes if you choose to dine in. IMO, Tandir Rokhat should be considered as a takeout only. The food left mixed impressions with some dishes being excellent but others - far from so. Overall, I may recommend Tandir Rokhat as a takeout place for excellent tandir samsa, manti, baklava, and perhaps lulya kebab. Food ordered Samsa Tandoori - delicious! Tasted great and fresh, plenty of meat and flavor. Belyash - it was pretty good. I wish it was made right on order rather than reheated but it was still good. Manti - excellent! Juicy, thin dough, flavor tasty filling. These are huge! Pumpkin Samsa - pass on this. Under salted and lacking flavor. Lulya Kebab with Potatoes - very good, flavorful, but somewhat over salted. Side of roasted potatoes with caramelized onions was excellent. Chicken Kebab - tasteless :( Pass on this. Kimchi Salad - ok Carrot Salad (morkovcha) - too much vinegar and too little flavor. Eggplant Salad - ok. This just a mix of roasted eggplants with the "carrot salad" + few roasted peppers. Baklava - perfect! Fresh, soft, how it should be! Fatir with Butter - good!

Good good Nice…read morestuff Good careful packing of food. Fair prices All payment forms accepted Fresh baked