Ever find a place to be...lacking hospitality to new faces in a restaurant? Let's talk about the service first. We came on a Friday night and there were 2-3 other tables. Our server did not give us a breakdown of any dish, or even the categories on the menu (which by the way, are in Russian). They kinda expected us to "know" everything on the menu. My wife and I ended up googling EVERYTHING, and deciding on what to eat after reading other yelp reviews and what the dishes looked like. After taking a good 10mins of googling and figuring out what to order, we had to raise our hand several times, to a point where we had to call our waiter over vocally and with a hand wave to take our order. The restaurant really isn't big with only 2 other tables being occupied, and I guess locals do come here often and chat with the servers, but we're talking a good extra 5min of not looking at a menu and just waiting. People are raving about the service but I personally just didn't experience the same kind of hospitality. We ordered a borsch, a beef stroganoff, and a viennese schnitzel. I wouldn't say the food came out slow, but it was at the pace of a homecooked meal. The borsh tasted a lot better than ones I've had, and the sour cream was very creamy and fresh. The beef stroganoff was the star of the show with how flavorful and creamy it was. The beef was very tender, and the kasha was especially good. It's definitely enough to fill one person up. The viennese schnitzel is basically a fried pork cutlet (like a katsu) but with different seasonings and paired with some kind of red sauce. The mashed potatoes...were just mashed potatoes. The portion felt a little small for the price for what you get, pork cutlet and mashed potatoes being $27. I can see how authentic this place is, but being tucked so far away in Richmond naturally gets it lower foot traffic than other more accessible spots. The food is delicious and if people are willing to take their grandparents here, then you know it's authentic. I just wish the service was more attentive. The portions to price ratio was also pretty low, and I left feeling a little hungry despite spending $75 before tax and tip for 2. This place is feels more geared to reminiscing a childhood flavor with the family over a date night IMO. read more

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Very authentic Russian restaurant. Delicious European food and great service. Thank you Emil. read more

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About a month ago we took the grandparents here for lunch. It's always a great place to visit with them because they get to eat delicious Russian food without having to cook it themselves, it's a wonderful treat. Grandparents enjoyed their Borsch (beef, cabbage & beet soup) and Solyanka (smoked meats, tomato & lemon soup) as well as the appetizers Olivier (chicken salad with potatoes, pickles, eggs, carrots & peas) and Blintzes (stuffed with beef, served with smetana). I always order the Beef Stroganoff here and it never disappoints. It's beef with mushrooms in a cream sauce that's covered with a flaky dough crust that is puffed up from cooking until you break it open to get to the yummy goodness on the inside. It's paired with kasha which is buckwheat and that is delightful. The service here is always great, and can sit around 50-60 people at max. It's not too bright or too dark in the restaurant, and during the lunch hour there's a great amount of natural sunlight that comes in the window. It's never been too packed each time we've visited as we bring the grandparents during the lunch hours. Prices vary from the $15 range to about $40 for main courses. I recommend giving them a visit if you're in the area and would like to try some delicious Russian food. read more

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If you come from an Eastern European family, the menu offers exactly what babushka used to cook. The food is authentic, hand-prepared and delicious. The service was excellent. They also offer a nice selection of Geogian wines. An added bonus the wonderful art adorning the walls. I highly recommend this restaurant! read more

Red Tavern - Dessert - Russian Near Me - San Francisco, California

A gem! I love it here so much. Great date spot or for a big group dinner. Great staff. And so so delicious. Keep this place thriving it's what makes SF so great. read more

Red Tavern - Russian Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Food was overpriced for the amount paid. Got one beef crepe for 18 bucks, it was so tiny I thought it was an appetizer. Tiny amount of mashed potatoes and they were dry, the only good thing about the food was the lamb chops. Still was hungry afterwards, not worth the price. And the place only has one unisex bathroom I waited a long time to use it. Karochye huinya read more

Hands down one of the best food I've tried in a while. This review is a little late but I still remember how good it was. There weren't any people when we came, which made me confused later. The service was amazing and she was very friendly and kind (not cold like some Slavic people can be). Not many people carry condensed milk dates stuffed with walnuts but they did! 5/5! We also got the vareniki and pelmeni and we at first were worried we wouldn't have enough because of how good it was not the quantity. We ended up ordering additional food because when you get good food, you stuff yourself. Definitely coming here again 100% soon read more

It's easy to stay in your food comfort zone, but where's the fun in that!? So when we had the opportunity to try a new cuisine that we've never tried before, we were super excited. Located on Clement St. in San Francisco, Red Raven has been opened since 2011 and serves traditional Eastern European favorites along with modern variations. Parking was luckily easy for us when we went (because you know how SF parking can be) and when you walk into the restaurant you are welcomed by friendly staff and red interior. We had a full lunch to make sure we get the full experience and we were absolutely impressed and truly enjoyed our meal. One thing we've never really done before is have sour cream with a lot of our dishes, and surprisingly it worked out really well! All the dishes we've had for the very first time, and now we're ready to have it all over again. read more

Red Tavern - Russian Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Went there w/a party of 10 after a funeral. Started w/summer salad, plates of Baltic herrings, smoked salmon, borsh, vodka, pelmenis, sampler plates, rye bread, sturgeon, stuff cabbage & many I didn't know their names. read more

love trying new cuisines!! quaint and cozy spot on clement. favorites were Bulgarian salad (so fresh), beef stroganoff (great presentation and the meat was flavorful!), and the dessert which was a sweet/ savory combo and cheesy syrniki read more

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This was my first time tying Eastern European food and I was completely blown away! It's such a cute atmosphere for a night out or romantic date and it feels like you're being transported to Europe! Being a first-timer, the servers were super attentive in explaining each dish and helping me figure out what I would and wouldn't like. Everything I ordered was so full of flavor and absolutely delish. I really liked the veal pelmeni which were super juicy and the beef stroganoff which had the most perfect flakey crust. read more

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I tried this place , and i ordered fried potatoes with dill as well as borscht. Nice Russian food .

Came there with my family and the waiter was totally rude since the beginning. He made us feel like we wouldn't ever come back. I know he's busy and nervous but I think that he should get a job where he is happier. Food wasn't great either. read more

Tucked away in SF's Little Russia is the best hidden gem showcasing well done Eastern European food. The interior is so incredibly romantic perfect for dates & girls night outs. The paintings on the walls are gorgeous it's like you're in an art museum! Highlights: -veal pelmeni: my first time having a Russian dumpling! It was so juicy & although it was lamb it wasn't gamey at all. The meat to dough ratio is perfect -beef stroganoff: my favorite of the dishes I had - the gravy was great & the beef tender. Also love the puff pastry that you can dip into everything & anything -napoleon cake: a classic European dessert, texture was on point & not too sweet! I absolutely loved this as an after meal finish. I could not recommend this place enough. The service is amazing, servers are so so sweet. read more

Very happy with food and service. Call in for order. I live 5-7 min away. Right away get dressed and went for pick up. Food was hot and ready. Price affordable. Taste was amazing I order Potato vareniki and olivie salad. Very good flavor in both. Been client for over 6 years never been disappointed with this place. Thank you read more

Great European food and a nice ambience. Service was also good. We had smoked fish, schnitzel, goulash. The beef stroganoff had a great presentation and was very tasty. Desserts are amazing! And even coffee was good. read more

Tasty Russian comfort food classics. Good service. Minimal amount of pretense. But enough of a Russian vibe to create an ambiance. Not sure if its everyone's cup of tea but at least on the night of our visit the euro pop was going pretty strong - which - adds to the vibe. Everything we tried was delicious. read more

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Real home cooking, we enjoyed all of the dishes including the chicken and the cabbage rolls. Great service and I'm looking forward to my next visit. read more

Friends, this was a perfect evening! We were celebrating our spouses Birthday Twins day. Started with the soyanka soup with smoked meats, tomato and served with rye and smetana. Perfectly balanced! This was honestly a revelation. I will attempt this one at home. Our small plates were cucumbuer salad with smetana and dill. Gobbled it right up. Mains: Beef Stroganoff. I thought, well, this'll be nostalgiac, but it was super fun and a contemporary dish - almost like an updated Yorkshire pudding. The Golubtzy (stuffed cabbage) is not to be missed. Also, the wine list was very impressive - with crisp, dry whites by the glass. Georgian wines. And then there was the gracious hospitality. The staff were attentive and respectful. They also managed to deal with accepting the delivery I'd made earlier that day of a bakery cake - candles and all! And talk about comfortable. We had a little corner table, where our guests of honor were seated on the cushiony couch. So cozy and just lovely. Thank you, Red Tavern, for making it a perfect experience! read more

Took my girlfriend here to give her a taste of the food we have back home (Originally from Ukraine). I think for the average American, this is an *acceptable* spot to try out what Eastern European / Russian food is like, and you'll get a relatively accurate idea of it after coming here, albeit a bit overpriced. It's close to what we have back home. If you're seasoned in Russian / Ukrainian food looking to get a taste of home, it's honestly better off to avoid. My main criticism is pretty small portion sizes with rather overpriced items. Perhaps not all, but some were way too overpriced. I think we ordered the beef goulash, I believe it was about $26, and all we received was a small bowl of pasta with about 4-5 pieces of beef. Definitely not worth. The Olivye was pretty bland and dry. Also, we wanted to get the bleni with the caviar, but saw that it was penciled in at a whopping $39. I understand caviar is expensive, and a can of caviar can cost $25-30, but I highly doubt we would have received an entire can of caviar with this dish. The entire time we dined, I felt that we were missing 25-33% of the dish and had to ration out every dish between me and my girlfriend. Overall, a bit disappointed. Overpriced items, food was mediocre, nothing to write home about. Do avoid if you're Russian or Ukrainian and want a taste of home, just go to your local Kalinka or Russian store, and you will likely find most of these items pre-cooked or frozen for 1/3 of the price. Come only once if you're an American looking to see what food there is like. Seems that for the prices, you're getting more of a small taste / experience, rather than a full meal. read more

We ordered beef stroganoff, Olivier salad, and pelmeni. All of them were really good but the beef stroganoff was exceptionally good! Service was fast and the environment was relax and amazing. Good selection of music read more

Red Tavern - Olivier Salad - Russian Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Come here for a hearty and home-cooked Russian dinner in a cozy and tastefully decorated venue. We came here on a Sunday evening and were immediately impressed with the interior design. The red walls covered in Russian paintings made it feel like we were in a museum. We got the Borsch, veal pelmeni, tavern sampler, and beef stroganoff. The Borsch and Beef Stroganoff are must-tries - so good for a cold SF evening. The pelmeni and sampler were just fine, but not as unique as the other two. Overall, this might be my new favorite spot in Little Russia. This restaurant is almost a hidden gem; since it's not directly on Geary, there is plenty of available seating. The waitstaff are also super attentive as a result. I'd highly recommend checking this place out if you're in the Richmond area. They deserve more foot traffic! read more

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Nice little restaurant with delicious Russian food. Unfortunately not too many Russian restaurants are left in San Francisco and this one is great. The menu options are not very extensive but all food is good quality and tasty. Service is efficient. Interior of the restaurant is cozy, beautiful, has a lot of paintings on the walls. This was a great find for me, will definitely be back to try other items on the menu. read more

Tons of seating, even at 7pm on a Friday night, but the food was really delicious and well prepared. We came with a Russian friend so he knew what to order. We got the sampler first, which was $69 for potatoes, blini with fish eggs, some sort of smoked fish, some sort of salted fish, etc. all excellent. They give you free rye bread, which goes well with the smoked salmon. The solyanka soup was flavorful and perfect for cool evening weather. Veal pelmeni were tiny rounds of melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness. Beef stroganoff was unlike any I've had before, with puff pastry and buckwheat, really tasty with thick cut slices of beef inside. The golubtsy was tender and tomatoey, very nice. Overall, a great meal with good service, and a welcome break from the usual fare. My only complaint was the pricing, which seemed a bit steep. read more

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Good Russian spot in SF, very authentic food. The beef stroganoff - 5/5, the puff pastry on top of it was a really good touch. Flavor was great too. Goulash - 5/5, really good stew and there was plenty of meat there. Super hearty Potato pancakes - 4/5, the sauce on top was good and I liked that it had dill on top but I wish they were a little bit crispier. Lamb rack - 3.5/5, these were a little bit dry and the lamb racks were on the smaller side, not super juicy Pelmeni - 5/5, the sour cream was amazing Overall, enjoyed my meal here! read more

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Was not a big fan unfortunately. The zucchini pancakes and crispy potatoes were decent enough although on the salty side but I found the dumplings to be incredibly bland and disappointing. Especially the chicken. We were starred at by an elderly woman who I think who was related to the owner the entire time. Like she did not stop the entire meal. Perhaps she had never seen such beautiful brown skin before but nonetheless it was off-putting and made the meal uncomfortable. read more

Glad I finally got to try this place - it's is my new favorite place for Russian food in SF! Everything was delicious - we got zuccini pancakes, borsch, beef stroganoff, and belinis. Plus they have some interesting Georgian wines and a cool collection of art on the walls. Will definitely be back! read more

My husband and I decided to celebrate my husband's birthday at the Red Tavern restaurant. According to an ad in the Russian-language newspaper Kstatie, the prices for the banquet menu were $50 and $80 per person. However, on the restaurant's website, the prices varied between $85 and $100. When we came to order the party, they charged us $110 per person, excluding alcohol, taxes, and tips. In addition, we ordered a rack of lamb extra for the main course. We expected good service, excellent quality of food, and decent quantity for this price. It was unpleasant to notice that the tablecloths were removed from the tables. They said that it is supposedly to save their money. But what benefits customers had from this renovation? The quality of the food was not bad, but I cannot say a single good word about quantity. It was only one piece of everything per person. Even more, not everything that was listed on the menu was not served. The those who were late to the party there was no food at all. For the main course, we ordered a rack of lamb to serve at least one rib per person. But not every guest got even one rib. For dessert, they served pastry Napoleon by pieces. But a piece was such a small size, just for one bite. When the receipt was brought, it included service charges and taxes. What are service charges? Is it different from taxes? Or did we have to pay double the price for "good" service? There was no good service at all. I was ashamed in front of my guests for such a humble party, although it cost a lot. I do not recommend anyone to order a banquet at the Red Tavern, and of course I will not go to this restaurant. read more

This restaurant was a real surprise! My grandma was Russian so I've had some really good homemade dishes but the Red Tavern is excellent second. They are currently not selling the chicken pelmeni which I was really looking forward too but I ordered the Cucumber salad and the roasted potatoes they were both so great! My bf ordered the beef stroganoff and really enjoyed it. Another member of our party order the schnitzel and loved it. Our server was so kind and friendly he made the night a lot of fun. I will definitely be back. *Also, awesome amber wine read more

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We ate at the Red Tavern for dinner today. Having lived abroad in Eastern Europe, we were looking for something authentic. We were pleasantly surprised! We ordered a variety of dishes to share. We were impressed by the quick service. Delicious and authentic food. You need to eat here! read more

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There are paintings, table clothes, serious waiters, caviar, Soviet champagne, Georgian wines, and the best smoked white fish and Beef Stroganoff you're going to find this side Leningrad. This is a wonderful window into San Francisco's Little Moscow and is an absolute must for special occasions. The Tavern sampler is great for large groups and everything with fish and beef in it is superb. read more

Red Tavern - Beef Stroganoff and Chicken Shashlyk - Russian Near Me - San Francisco, California

Last weekend, my family and I decided to visit the Red Tavern restaurant, attracted by the promise of delicious food and a cozy atmosphere. My family and I decided to have a nice dinner, but unfortunately the experience left us a little confused. It should be noted that the dishes offered on the menu were truly delicious. The chef seems to pay attention to detail and every dish was truly delicious. Unfortunately, the service left much to be desired. The waiter was somewhat rude. You can immediately feel the Russian mentality. It's as if we arrived in Russia))) However, the biggest negative that led to our low rating was our health after the visit. The whole family suffered from poisoning for two days, and everything indicates that it happened after dinner at the Red Tavern. Since we didn't eat anywhere else. This is a serious drawback that outweighs all the positive aspects of this place. This establishment has very serious problems with the quality of products! The restaurant certainly needs to pay more attention to its safety and quality standards! read more

Tucked away in San Francisco's Little Russia in the outer Richmond, Red Tavern offers a hidden gem experience of Eastern European cuisine in a romantic, art museum-like setting. From blintz crepes filled with beef to hearty goulyash w/your choice of pasta or rice, the menu is a delightful exploration of flavors. Don't miss the juicy veal pelmeni dumplings or the beef stroganoff topped w/puff pastry perfect for soaking up every delicious bite. Whether for a date night or a friends' night out, Red Tavern is a must-try for a delicious culinary adventure. read more

Such a delightful venue. Wonderful Russian cuisine and excellent service. Had the blinis with smoked fish and caviar, goulyash, and Napoleon cake. Great Georgian wine selection. Highly recommend! read more

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We came here for a late evening anniversary dinner--we wanted to keep it affordable and local, but also classy and romantic. Red Tavern fit the bill (though we removed ourselves from the brightly lit front window table to a cozy lamp lit corner, which upped the romance several degrees). Our server was extremely helpful in differentiating the traditional Russian menu items and the European items. She was extremely proud of and passionate about her cuisine of origin, which we really appreciated! Ultimately we ordered olivier and veal pelmeni for starters, beef stroganoff and goulyash for entrees, and Napoleon cake for dessert. (The kitchen closes an hour before the restaurant, so the cake was our only option.) We also went with our server's suggestion of 2 Russian beers, one dark and one light, which were excellent. I found the olivier a little bland, but my husband liked it very much. Everything else was very good. Though the beef stroganoff looked very impressive with its puff pastry crown, the best dish in my opinion was the goulyash. The flavor was excellent; it was the best goulyash I ever had. Do note the menu prices recently increased by several dollars per item, compared to prices previously reported on Yelp. Don't let it deter you though; it's worth every penny. read more

Red Tavern - Beef Stroganoff - Russian Near Me - San Francisco, California

This is a delicious restaurants. The waiters are always kind. The borscht and stroganoff taste great and the owner is really nice.

Red Tavern is not what I had expected. I thought it was an old-fashioned Russian restaurant. Actually, the interior is new and medium-sized. It's a sit down restaurant. I called over the phone to order some dishes and had to pick it up and walk around Clement in the Richmond. I had the cucumber salad and the potatoes. The salad had dill yogurt sauce. It seems like tahini or tzatziki sauce. I'm sure this an Eastern Europe preparation of salad because I had it at a home once around here. The potatoes were nice and this was a light meal(tapas). It came with some whole wheat bread. It was interesting to say. Red Tavern is in the Richmond(maybe Little Russia) or just part of the restaurant row. I mean, San Francisco has a really serious RESTAURANT ROW! read more

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Try as I may to tie this review into the "Russian meddling" scandal or the million other stories of Russia/Trump relations I consume daily, I cannot. There's nothing about any of that which brings me joy or happiness while pretty much every Russian thing I consumed at Red Tavern did just that. Our party of 6 dined here in the sleepy Outer Richmond, sating ourselves with too much food and ample good cheer. This restaurant, with dishes that harken back to a time pre-dating the small-plate craze, is proof that San Francisco is not 100% overpriced food from which you leave hungry. Perhaps we over-ordered (we did), but I took home leftovers equivalent to an additional two meals. This is hearty fare. In a perfect world, every meal would begin with a Blini Tower. For $38.50 (serves 2 - 3), this tower comes with crepes, sour cream, caviar, smoked salmon (wrapped around thinly sliced-lemon), and another wonderful fish. We shared two towers between 6 people and it was adequate though I'll admit I'd probably be happy with a single platter to myself. Pure deliciousness. A Russian amongst us explained that we must get "Olivie" ($8.75), an authentic concoction akin to both potato salad and egg salad. Filling and satisfying, I liked that too. Dumplings (Pelmeny) excited me less than Stuffed Cabbage Rolls (Golubtsy) which were ample in portion and quite good. Short Rib Beef Stew excited me more than the pastry puff-topped Beef Stroganoff (very good as a leftover) though that enticed me a bit more than the Chicken Shashlik which tasted like a grilled chicken I might make at home. Even ranking the food in order of like to like-less however, I come away with a single conclusion: I basically liked it all. With a most reasonable $12 corkage fee and hearty entrees running $17 - $22 Red Tavern feels like a bit of a throwback. The interior is nicer than that of any restaurants in the surrounding blocks (not a high bar to scale) and is comfortable, not fancy. With one exception, I found Red Tavern to be a perfect place for a group gathering as well as a fantastic spot to sate my hunger: The obvious accompaniment to that Blini Tower is a shot or two of Russian Vodka, not sold here at Red Tavern. Just as Trump is overlooking the recommendation of additional Russian sanctions, I was able to overlook the missing accompaniment. And just like that, it didn't make me happy, but life continued. Red Tavern is quite good. read more

Red Tavern - Don't miss the Blini Tower ($38.50; serves 2-3 people). Delicious. - Russian Near Me - San Francisco, California

We fell in love with Russian and Georgian cuisine during our visit to Russia last summer. Unfortunately these delicious cuisines are rather underrepresented in San Diego (though, we highly recommend Pomegranate Russian-Georgian restaurant on 2312 El Cajon Blvd !). Thus, we couldn't miss an opportunity to explore Little Russia when we visited San Francisco for New Year 2020! We originally planned to go to Russian Renaissance Restaurant, but it did not work out. Our backup plan was Red Tavern, so we decided to go there. The service was good, nothing fancy but polite and friendly. We ordered Borscht and Golybci. Both dishes were pretty good, but Golybci were a bit hard to cut because they have a cabbage wrapping. Overall, we thought the price was a bit too high for the quality of the food -- more like $$$ rather than $$. Another issue is that the menu is not too diverse. For example, it lacks a variety of great Russian soups -- cold Borscht, Rassolnik, Ukha, Shchi etc. There was no Chicken Kiev or Makarony po-flotski. That was a bit disappointing, especially considering the price tag and the fact that there are surprisingly not that many Russian restaurants around. We ordered a glass of Kindzmarauli -- semi-sweet Georgian wine, which we tried in Russia to our greatest satisfaction. We heard there are many counterfeits, and hope that we did not fall into the trap in this place since we liked the wine. If you haven't tried Kindzmarauli yet -- give it a try even if you are not a big wine drinker. It has a mild taste and is good beginner wine. Georgian wine in general is greatly appreciated. read more

Red Tavern - Golybci - Russian Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Loved the set up, good food, and I enjoyed meeting the host! Except the Goulyash, the rest were all fantastic. Goulyash, I might be the best expert in what is the most authentic though! read more

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