Over priced poorly cooked Slavic cuisine. Shuba salad felt…read morequite bland after over salted borscht. Initially it was fine. Borscht was super weird. They ask if you want to add meat. Well, vegetarian borscht is non sense, but what's worse is cooking borscht without meat and adding it later. Beef stroganoff was good. Atmosphere is fake Soviet. They use some Soviet props (like samovar or Pavlovsky Posad shawl) but it doesn't feel like Russian restaurant at all. More like a sports bar with American music. Also very pricey for such quality.

I've been wanting to try Russian Samovar and Piano Bar, as it has been on my to-try list for years…read more Came on Saturday night after Christmas. I got lucky. For a solo diner, they seated me right next to the piano, where the pianist and guitarist were playing lively music. Food was brought out quickly. The Borscht was hot and tasty! Perfect for a snowy night in New York. I loved this. Between the Pelmeni or Vareniki, I chose pelmeni because it has meat. I was pleasantly surprised by the quantity of the dumplings. Russian Black Bread was simple, nothing remarkable. For dessert, I chose the Medovik, the Ukrainian layered honey cake. This was soft and sweet, and a far better medovik than my first time trying it at another Russian restaurant nearby. Maybe I because came during a dinner rush (I came in around 6pm), but it was hard to get service's attention when I needed water or when I was done eating. When I did catch one of the waiters' attention, he acted like he was kind of annoyed. And while my waitress was nice, there were several times I tried to get her attention, and she kept walking past me. It was really awkward, especially when I wanted to pay and was ready to hurry out of there.

Our party of 9 women enjoyed our first experience at the Russian Vodka Room after seeing a play…read more The food was excellent. The dumplings were our favorite. Nice size portions. The service was okay. I think there was just one server and it was a bit overwhelming for her. I would recommend this restaurant for its unique cuisine.

This is a very nice little restaurant for good food and drink…read more Food - The pelmeni and the borsch were both incredible, tasted just like home. The piruzhki wasn't quite what I was expecting. It was okay, but not great. Pelmeni and borsch are musts though, as they are both delicious. Service - Very nice! They also have a piano in there, and if you ask nicely, they will let you play a few songs if you're good. The ambiance is very Russian. Parking - Don't have their own parking lot, just walk here from the many large destinations nearby. Overall, this place is great. Would highly recommend.

My husband and I visited this restaurant on June5, 2026. We ordered the herring appetizer and the…read morehome made dumplings appetizer. We also had the chicken Kiev and the duck leg and breast entrees. The Napoleon was our dessert. Absolutely delicious! The ambiance is cozy and romantic. Our table service was amazing. Irina did a wonderful job taking care of us, especially when we joked around when I accidentally spilled my cocktail all over the table. Irina came back with a new table cloth and in a split minute everything was changed and cleaned up. Great job and service. Ask for Irina, she is amazing. Hope this post helps with everyone's decision to visit this restaurant.

I had read about this place a while ago and was happy that a friend suggested it for dinner…read more Charming atmosphere. The staff were lovely. Great cocktails. Learned that Beluga vodka is made in Montenegro (who knew?). Pet peeve- bread service as a menu item. The bread was good, but really? Just charge 50 cents more for everything. The food was excellent. We shared the eggplant salad, the blini with smoked salmon and the artichoke salad to start. I had beef stroganoff for the first time. It was excellent. Really rich, couldn't finish it. My wife had the Kamchatka, same thing. I had a bite of a friend's chicken Kiev (is it transgressive to eat this in a Russian restaurant?) and it was delicious. We were too full for dessert. Unique atmosphere. Excellent, but very rich food. Worth checking out.

Ive had afternoon tea in a handful of countries as well as 5-6 here in the states. These tea…read moresandwiches were my absolute favorite. I enjoyed every single one and despite others reporting not being able to finish them--I couldn't resist and inhaled them all. Their liverwurst was surprisingly delicate and savory. They are all freshly prepared and nothing beats having four caviar blinis to start! It was nice comparing the different types of caviar ending with the coveted ostera. The glass of champagne was a nice touch especially after my cavitini, which is a perfectly shaken vodka martini with a caviar bite. The tea was delicious and they thoughtfully returned to freshen up the pot to keep it warm throughout our meal. My date played it safe and ordered their crispy chicken sandwich with fries. All of which was good although I had hoped he would pick a more Russian dish. The scones and dessert tray came second and I forgot to take a photo. It was just the right amount of scones and they bring out the clotted cream without needing to ask. The decor inside is lovely and I enjoyed the red throughout the venue. We came during a quiet brunch time and I was surprised it was not more full. I assume patrons don't want to support Russia during these times but these are Russian Americans and this place is an institution. Highly recommended.

I had been wanting to visit The Russian Tea Room for quite some time, so after Masquerade, when we…read morefound ourselves hungry and nearby, it felt like the perfect opportunity to finally experience it. We arrived around 4:15pm on a Friday, and the restaurant was quite empty. Knowing that afternoon tea service ended at 4:30pm, we asked if we were still able to order it. The first person we spoke with said no, but shortly after, another staff member came out and said they could absolutely accommodate us. We were excited and grateful that they were willing to make it work. The space itself is beautiful and has a charm all its own. I loved the little details, including how they pulled the table out for us to sit down rather than making us awkwardly squeeze into the booth. It felt like the kind of classic New York experience I had been hoping for. Unfortunately, this is where the experience took a turn. We confirmed again that afternoon tea was still available and were told they would be happy to serve it. When the tray arrived, I was honestly confused and disappointed by the presentation and the lack of items included. I don't know if we were served what was left at the end of tea service, but it was very different from what I had envisioned for a place with such a long-standing reputation. I asked to speak with a manager, and he apologized and offered to take the tea service away. I appreciated the apology, but I was surprised to still be charged for a champagne that I never touched. I even told him I was happy to pay for the tea, but instead I was charged $25 for a house champagne that did not look appealing and was part of the disappointing experience. I really wanted to love The Russian Tea Room. The atmosphere is beautiful, and there is clearly a lot of history and character here. Unfortunately, the afternoon tea experience did not match the expectations that come with the name, and the handling afterward left me feeling even more disappointed. Sadly, this was likely my first and last visit.

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.

Highly recommend this place! Delicious food, good service…read moreand plenty of seating places! A lot of food has Russian, Uzbek and Bukharian flavor. I'm definitely coming back here for more yummy meals

Not sure if there's been a change in ownership but the menu was updated and the service was much…read morefriendlier. We had the Israeli salad, bread, babaganush, and four skewers (not fatty lamb ribs, salmon, lalya, and chicken wings). We enjoyed everything except the lalya- never had it before. The music wasn't crazy loud so it was nice to sit and eat and chat.

good food and atmosphere long waits during meal for different courses. if you have a lot of time…read moreand patience its worth it. If you want your food within a normal timeframe for NYC go elsewhere

Excellent food. Exotic good tasting . Went 3 months ago. 3.5 hours wait total to take order be…read moreserved get bill etc .I'd give it 3 stars. It is attached to a health spa and we could see they got faster service. We the 5 of us 4 months ago won't be back until we know for a fact that restaurant and health spa orders have equal sense of urgency

Little shop featuring Eastern European delights in Shop Rite plaza. Popped in and went exploring…read more I got Taramasalata which is Greek but it's so yummy. I also got pickled squash, rye bread and a Georgian Acharuli Khachapuri. The bread was delicious firm and great as toast. I will come back to try prepared foods and smoked fish as well. People are nice he

While at the Shoprite of Livingston plaza, I stopped inside Babushka's Deli and bought a few…read moregoodies. I picked up Ahmad Tea and a few sweet treats to go along with it. I was so happy to see Kopobka sold here! I used to buy these snacks when I lived in Brooklyn years ago from a local shop, but haven't come across them since I left. The market items are in front and left of the store. The deli counter and bakery cases are further in the shop and along the right wall. There were tables towards the back left. The register is up front. The man who rang me up at the register today was polite and friendly. This was my first time shopping here. I had a good experience and there's quite a variety of products sold. Hoping to try out the bakery and deli soon. Would recommend just for the sweets and international market items here.

I am Lithuanian, and since the store carries Lithuanian products, I have been visiting many times…read more The blonde cashier was always rude to me, and a few weeks ago, when I was there, I caught her making faces and eye-rolling at me. I only tried to pass by while she had boxes lined up by the ice-cream fridge. I am always polite and proper. I excused myself kindly, and she didn't expect I would look back. I caught her eye-rolling me to this other employee guy, and they started laughing and talking unkindly about me in Russian. I understood everything. I was taught Russian at school, but I always spoke English there, since I never felt comfortable using the language and liked to hear what people said. I will not be giving them more business, since the employees don't know how to behave and not even mentioning proper manners.

Each meal reminds me why I fell for this place initially. The kitchen respected our time. Employees…read moreshowed warm attention while providing information with smiles. The dishes appear artful and taste delicious. I'd tell everyone seeking quality about this place.