The borscht was my standout pick here--rich, savory beet soup that tastes even better with a big dollop of creamy sour cream to balance the tangy broth. I also loved their beef wrap; tender marinated beef paired with fresh veggies wrapped in soft flatbread, simple but super flavorful. Sadly, I didn't get to try khinkali (the Georgian soup dumplings locals call "Georgian buns") because they sold out early that day, so I'll have to come back earlier next time. I ordered the national dish Adjaruli khachapuri, the iconic boat cheese bread. It's authentic and packed with melted cheese and runny egg yolk, but it's pretty heavy and rich--best shared with others if you don't have a huge appetite. read more

Hye Life Cafe & Bar - Modern European Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

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Found this place after checking out the Nextdoor European grocery store. They recommended this place. Cute little cafe with nice decor inside outside seating. Friendly staff and they had few vegetarian selection. I ordered Armenian coffee and Kachapuri. I sat outside since it was a nice day. It was my first time trying and it did not disappoint. Freshly made and tasted delicious. read more

Hye Life Cafe & Bar - Khachapuri Adjaria - Modern European Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

We two stopped in for a drink after a nearby event. It was our first time; we enjoyed our visit and plan to come again for dinner. AMBIANCE: 4.0. Indoor and outdoor seating. Pleasant. SERVICE: 4.5. She was attentive and a pleasure to talk with. FOOD: 4.5. Though we hadn't planned to eat, the cakes tempted us so we shared a Napoleon. Delish! Perfect light sweetness with wonderful texture. read more

Hye Life Cafe & Bar - Napoleon. Perfect light sweetness with wonderful texture. - Modern European Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

This is a low 4 star for me. Was Definitely very excited to try this place but I think my expectations was a little too high. It was pretty empty when we were there so it was quiet. Service was decent. It did take a little time for food to come out but wasn't too bad. Chicken crepe -- these were surprisingly good. It was wrapped like a roll and the sour cream help elevate it even further. Trout dish -- fish was juicy but needed some salt. They gave us 3 of these thin like tortilla but we definitely need more. The potatoes, salad and salsa was all good as well Khinkali -- skin was a little thick but it was decent. Price was very good for the dishes. Everything was good but nothing really stood out for me read more

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Okay this place is a hidden gem on the Eastside!! This Russian/ukranian restaurant has huge portions and great prices. The food is delicious and seasoned perfectly for my Asian tastebuds. Sometimes when I want a good cheap protein option, I get the chicken thighs for $14.99. This time I got the cabbage rolls and dumplings and both tasted great. read more

Hye Life Cafe & Bar - Modern European Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

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So. Damn. Good. A hidden gem, hiding behind Crossroads Mall in the "Euro" strip plaza area. Ukrainian, Russian, Georgian, Euro mix of dishes. Greek Salad, so fresh, clean, crispy, healthy. Lamb Chops, tad small, yet delicious. Pilaf, delicious. Mash Potatoes, niiiice. BBQ Sturgeon, meaty, hearty. Cabbage Rolls, were awesome. Eggplant rolls, skip. BBQ Beef, or Chicken Lulas, excellent. Price, all fair. Ambiance, like you're not in the USA. Lunch time is chill, night time music gets a tad clubby and/or karaoke time. Euro vibes, something different, something much appreciated. One of the female servers was superb during dinner, with genuine checking on us making sure we were happy. The night we were there it was someone's 36yr old party and DANG one of the guests if not the birthday girl sang I Will Always Love You with stunning prowess. LOVED IT!!! Kind of wanted to gatekeep this place, but can't! read more

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Amazing food and friendly service! My favorite was the Borscht soup and the Georgian dumplings- so juicy and umani Definitely wanna come back and then learn more about east European food !! read more

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Really enjoyed trying this new (for me) restaurant with a mixed European choices. We went for the bbq skewers, beef and lamb. Both were very great choices and price was reasonable. Came with a thin wrap, rice/or potatoes, and two types of veggie spreads. Great tasting and compliments everything else in the plate. What was a bigger surprise was the dumplings! but Ukrainian? You get quite the serving of mini dumplings. All steaming hot and flavorful. Would recommend to others to try that. Very filling. $6.99! Great option! Would order again and would recommend to people who would like to try a variety of items. I was a bit let down on their caviar spring roll. I was anticipating caviar/caviar small tiny black eggs, but what we got was just regular large roe that you would get at a sushi restaurant. For the price, it wasn't worth it. Would save the money and the stomach space for something else on the menu. Service was quick and friendly. They have an option to pay via mobile at the end of your meal. read more

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I've tried a few of their BBQ dishes and my favorite is the BBQ pork which is a decent portion and each piece stayed tender and juicy. Their BBQ dishes are grilled over charcoal which gives a nice grill flavor. The piloaf uzbek was also pretty good, however the portion size was quite small. My one complaint is the wait time can be inconsistent. The first time I ordered to go it was ready in 30 minutes whereas the 2nd one took an hour. The restaurant didn't seem particularly busy, however the order kept getting pushed back. The staff were kind enough to offer coffee due to the delays. read more

Hye Life Cafe & Bar - BBQ Pork - Modern European Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

I really love syrniki, and the ones here are absolutely excellent. They were fresh, soft, and perfectly balanced in sweetness. You can really tell they are made with care. Definitely one of the best syrniki I've had! read more

Hye Life Cafe & Bar - Modern European Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

Hye Life Cafe & Bar is an eastern European restaurant in Bellevue, which is a cuisine I am not all too familiar with. But when in Bellevue... We decided to try it out and have dinner here, and all in all, it was A-OK. We visited Hye Life Cafe & Bar on a Saturday night and the place was busy. They have a spacious patio area with lots of covered seating, and one table on the side by the entrance, which is where we sat. Hye Life Cafe & Bar is located in the Crossroads neighborhood, walking distance to the Crossroads mall and park in a business strip. Service was a little slow, likely because of have busy it was. We had to wave down our server a few times and ask for silverware, refills of water, etc. Not a big deal, but the evening we came, it was super busy. We also learned they have different events here, like comedy shows and music. The menu offers a lot of different items. My partner and I shared the trout plate, borscht soup and pork dumplings, which was a good amount of food. The trout was good and liked how light and flaky the fish came off the bones and was nice with the lemon. The potato wedges were bland and didn't seem like a side that complemented the fish. The borscht soup was solid, with chunks of beets. And the dumplings were also solid, especially with the dollops of sour cream with. It's nice to have a cuisine in Bellevue that isn't very common and unlike others in the area; however, I likely wouldn't come back since the food isn't something I'd crave again. read more

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This little hideout establishment in Bellevue is a true gem! Great selection of food and wine (Armenian and Georgian wines!), also desserts, which, I was intrigued to try them all. Since we did not have enough in our party to try all the items, we ordered borscht, crapes, dumplings, bread boat, Uzbek style pilaf, and trout for dinner (for 5 girls). Portion is very generous here, and we comfortably shared all items amongst ourselves. I find it is very interesting how dumplings from the different regions opt to the herbs naturally grow in the soil, also how they evolve - you would find chives in the dumplings in China, and in mid to Western Asia/Eastern Europe, the herb replacing chives is parsley. They are always in the similar shapes - rolled-out doughs filled with the goodies (anywhere from cheese, meat, and seafood depending on where), and they almost never fail me. Anyhow - we enjoyed everything we tried at Hye Lite. Pilaf reminded me of mom's keema (Japanese style), Borscht was a hearty goodness, Bread boat was soft and fluffy, and Roasted Trout was amazingly delish with the balsamic graze and the perfectly roasted potatoes. I am already craving for more goodies (and it has only been a week or so since I last visited, lol). I am regretful I did not take any pics of the dumplings and our dessert (honey cake), but am reporting they are superb. Menu is showing great BBQ platter selections for the large party - I hope we get to try that someday on a very special occasion. They look amazing! I believe they will open up the patio seatings when weather permits - this could be the perfect lunch/dinner/drink spot after taking a nice walk in the Crossroad Park, or a round of golfing. read more

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We really liked Hye Life Cafe & Bar. The lula kebab, shawarma, and shashlik were very tasty. The meat was juicy and full of flavor. Nice place, we would come back again! read more

The best borscht I ever ate! So much flavor with beef chunks too! I brought half of it home because I got the grilled trout dinner which was outta this world! Our waitress was most attentive & paid attention when our water got low. Everything was fresh & delicious. We will be back for sure. read more

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Amazing Ukrainian (?) Food in a cozy spot located on a strip mall. The menu has lots of interesting items. Herring and Potatoes ($8.99) - loved the crispy potatoes and the chopped herbs. Julienne ($9.99) - super creamy baked mushroom dish. Khinkali ($3.99 per dumpling) - juicy, amazing, ample filling. Also got a few glasses of wine ($7-9). read more

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Everything I had here was amazing and the service from Kolya was amazing. This was a great lunch! I love the music they play here and the ambience. Good vibe and really great food! Had the cabbage rolls, the dolmas, and the chicken cutlet Kiev. Ordered a little extra for home for dinner! All the food and service was spectacular. I highly recommend this place and will definitely return. read more

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3/12/2023 3.5 STARS Very unique restaurant with dark lightening. I felt like it was more like restaurant & bar. Table setting was little bit odd because chairs were line up facing each other with no table, or most of table had "reservation" plate, so I was unable to find a table and try their bakery. She assumed it will be "to-go" coffee when I ordered from cashier and did not introduce any bakery. I'm going to bring Europian friends next time, so I'll feel more welcomed. read more

We truly enjoyed our visit to the Hye Life Cafe. We were there for lunch. The Cafe was quiet and even had a "family " atmosphere. So much wonderful sounding dishes are offered. It was difficult, as I wanted many of the BBQ items, grilled dishes and many "full dish" sounding appetizers. We are older and light eating, so we ended up just ordering BBQ Sturgeon and Dumplings. Both were wonderful. We will just have to return to try other great sounding dishes. Service was quiet and efficient. Of one note: they had some non-alcoholic cocktails listed in their menu. As non-drinking couple, we appreciated that. And, of course, we ordered alcohol free mojitos. read more

I ordered the hummus appetizer with naan dippers and was shocked to see it was literally straight from Costco, same packaging, just smaller portions. Nothing was made in-house, nothing authentic, and not even the slightest effort to add their own touch. For the price, it's a complete rip-off. Next time, I'll save my money and buy the same hummus and naan dippers directly from Costco. read more

Hye Life Cafe & Bar - Hummus Plate - Modern European Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

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An Armenian restaurant, but so much more! The service was great, the food was amazing and we just cleaned the plates! Will be coming back for more for sure! read more

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My friend wanted us to try this place, and I'm glad we did! They had a wide variety of European dishes to choose from. I let my friend order since she's familiar with these cuisines. We got to try several dishes and they were all delicious and unique to me. There was easy and free parking in the lot right in front of the restaurant. It's right next to a European grocery market to shop before or after you dine. One less star because the service was okay. The server didn't seem too thrilled to be there, and we were the only customers dining there on an early Monday night. read more

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I've been to Crossroads so many times but didn't realize that there was a Ukrainian restaurant and Eastern European grocery right behind it. Would definitely recommend visiting as it's not every day that you find Ukrainian food. Service was a tad bit slow given we were the only ones there but the food was pretty good. We ordered the BBQ sturgeon, BBQ Beef Lulu and the Chakhokhbili. The taste and texture of the BBQ sturgeon was pretty good; it comes with wedges, a sauce for the fish and veggie mix. The BBQ Beef Lula was recommended and I was really surprised that kebabs were found in Eastern Europe too. The Chakhokhbili was a heavily spiced chicken stew. It comes with a crispy flatbread. We also ordered borsch and it was different that I imagined it to be. It seemed to be more tomato than beet based. read more

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Here I am commenting on a restaurant that in someways is an introduction into a cuisine that I didn't know a lot about, Eastern European/Slavic foods. Yes, I have eaten at a couple of places specializing in piroshkies and such, and at least one Central/Eastern European deli. But; in general this is new to me. First, l need to say that I have only ordered delivery from this restaurant, so I can't comment on ambience, service, and style; and, will just have to talk about the food. First there are the khinkali, these are a thick skinned dumpling, I ordered mine with a beef filling. I suspect that these are either boiled or steamed; but, I can't say for sure. Regardless of that they are delicious. Next are the cabbage rolls, these have a traditional rice and meat filling with a bit of dill added. They are not served in a tomato sauce as some cabbage rolls are, so they stand on their own and they do so very well, delicious and less sweet then many of the more American versions of cabbage rolls tend to be. Eggplant rolls are another delicious offering. This next item appears on the menu as BBQ chicken thighs, though I don't think the are barbecue in the traditional manner, they appear roasted or baked; but, they are definitely tasty, tender, and boneless. They come with a side of yellow rice, also a small salad of dill, cilantro, and onion; and, additionally a salsa or salad that is tomato based, but not like a Latin American salsa. These are both excellent accompaniments. One of the surprising items is a chicken shwarma: while not exactly like the Mediterranean/Middle Eastern versions of Sharma that we're more likely used to this is still tasty and tender, and comes wrapped in lavish bread. Another tasty surprise on the menu is the salmon avocado roll. I admit my first thought was sushi; but, it's not. It's salmon, avocado, vegetables, and likely a nice sauce all wrapped in lavish bread. Very tasty. There is also the vinagret salad (yes that's the spelling on the menu) which contains beets, carrots, pickles, onions, and kidney beans in a light vinaigrette dressing. There are more things on the menu. These are just items from my two delivery orders. All in all this is a good place to get rid of any cold war era ideas about Eastern European food. Very good quality food. Affordable price point. Based on this I'll give it 5 stars. As always food ratings are subjective. Your mileage and performance may vary. read more

Wonderful menu! Always excited to have a chance for enjoying that meal! Thank you! I could be so good to see pea soup ( ) in your menu as well! read more

Oh my GOD. This place is the best stop I've ever decided to make in my life. We WERE just going to get some coffee although after seeing the menu online I think I subconsciously knew we were going to do a lot more damage than just that. And I have NO regrets. Food: A+. Service: A+. Ambiance: A+. Pricing: A++++++. We walked in and the whole place is just so cozy. There's a bar up front and the seating is spacious and just well designed. My boyfriend was also so impressed with the bathroom lol. The entire meal, they were placing um, eastern European hip hop or house music? Idk but it was a bop. We ordered the Ukrainian pancakes, cabbage rolls, piloaf uzbek, and beef and pork khinkali. Not a bad bite. The server was so prompt bring our dishes out one by one and clearing them as we finished that I felt like I was at a fine dining restaurant. Same with the plating. I love the physical dishes they used and they plated so prettily too. The fist bite I took was of the cabbage roll and from that I knew I was in for a good ride. So juicy, and with the sour cream (I had a LOT of sour cream for this meal), it was also just tangy and a medley of flavors. The piloaf was spiced and seasoned to perfection and the little niblets of beef in there were just crazy succulent and tender. We could literally smell it as it came out of the kitchen. The khinkali was kinda like a big xiaolongbao? At least that's the closest reference point I have. It's similarly shaped but the dough is a bit more thick and chewier. It's also way bigger than a xlb. When cut open, the broth spills out and we just slurped it off the plate because that stuff was NOT something we'd let sit waste. And the meat filling had dill. Honestly liked it a lot more than a xlb. And the best thing we got was the ukrainian pancakes. They tasted like custard and I literally couldn't piece together how good it was in my mouth. A perfect bit with pancake, a dallop of sour cream, a scoop of jam, and a berry or two and your life will be changed. I kid you not. It makes me wonder what else is possible and how good everything we didn't get to try might be and there is no way I'm not coming back and bringing a hoard of friends with me so I can show them the light. read more

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Excellent new Eastern European restaurant with very good selection of food. My husband (Italian) absolutely loved the herring salad and pilaf, and said the coffee was much better than a Turkish coffee. Prices are very reasonable and the place is empty because it's so new. Clean, nice modern bathrooms, large cocktail selection. read more

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The ambiance is fun; music is energetic. The food is delicious ; I had the borscht and shawarma so far. Both delicious and freshly made. The service was prompt. I will definitely be returning. read more

Good service. Great food. And so much joy. This place has great food and so they are always having big parties. Best to get a reservation to try out all their foods and desserts. read more

Extremely spacious and beautiful restaurant - the plating was lovely and everything was delicious! Tucked away behind the crossroads, this place offers a lot of unique options on the menu read more

Wonderful Armenian and Ukrainian meals, great service! If you are looking for yummy pelmeni, vareniki, khachipuri, shashliki, look no further. Highly recommend. read more

Our family ordered quite a bit of food for a considerably low price. It was gorgeous inside and we were served quick, especially for a Sunday. What really shined was the AMAZING food. Our waitress was so nice. This is one of the only restaurants where we would order a dessert to share every time. Some dishes we ordered that I would get again are the Khinkali, borsche, pickled veggies, the fish plate, and the macarons. read more

The food was good and the server was nice and attentive. If you're looking for fine dining that's not it, but if you're looking for a nice dinner place I do recommend to check it out. read more

Great food, beyond my expectations. BBQ and dessert are delicious. I'll bring my friends and family come next time.

The food is so delicious! If you like eastern european food, this is the place to go. Super friendly environment, welcoming host, wide menu options. Parking not a big deal, there are a lot of spots right in front of the cafe. read more

Hye Life Cafe & Bar - Solyanka - Modern European Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

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Okay, so this place serves Eastern European food with a specialty in Georgian food. One of the few places in the Seattle Area that does so! It has a variety of great food that you can't really find anywhere else. And the khachapuri here is my favorite! I've only had the non alcoholic drinks here. The stuffed chicken breast is good but has lots of dill, so be warned if dill is not your thing. Overall, I really enjoy the food here. Ambiance is okay, they play a lot of music videos on the screen above the bar, which is both entertaining and distracting. This is a good spot for trying new food or having a bite to eat before hitting up the market next door, I recommend it. read more

Very unprofessional and staff wasn't happy to help. Made it feel like we are a burden to be there and questions about the menu we're not answered and not polite at all. read more

Are you looking for unique and different food to try? This is it. Yummy and delicious without boring. Made exceptions to my diet because I had to try it. read more

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This place is amazing! Very clean, delicious food, best cocktails, great service, and so much to choose from. We really enjoyed our experience. Will definitely be our go to place from now on. read more

Tasty and authentic eastern european food, good service and nice atmosphere. Borsch and Piloaf were delicious! read more

Hye Life Cafe & Bar - Borsch - Modern European Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

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Tried two appetizers and wasn't disappointed at all. The food was good I prefer the veggies warm but since the dishes have eastern European/Russian influence I understand why they weren't. The lamb chops were cooked perfectly and the pork ribs are delicious. The rice could be better but no one makes rice like us so it's Ok Overall pretty good Armenian food for a city with a small Armenian community. Happy that we tried it out. read more

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