3.5 stars overall, but rounding up for super authentic Russian food, AND you can purchase items from their grocery store. The outside of Russian Cafe & Deli doesn't look the nicest, and the inside of the store is on the rustic side. However, the food was solid! It was about 15 minutes for an order placed at 1:15pm on a Saturday. There was a slight language barrier ordering through the phone, but you can also order through Yelp/GrubHub. I tried: -Potato & Cheese Vareniki/Pirogi ($12.99): I couldn't really taste the cheese in the pirogis, but the potato filling was smooth and silky. It was worth trying once, especially if you like potato fillings, but I preferred the pelmeni more. -Beef & Pork Pelmeni ($13.99, Yum- bite sized filled pastas! The beef and pork filling was flavorful, and the pelmeni was really good with the sour cream that came on the side- recommended! -Honey Cake ($10.50/lb, This cake looked delicious, and the layers were beautifully done. However, I think the style of the cake is on the drier side, and the frosting consistency was a little too heavy. I would return for more pelmeni, and to give the other pelmeni options a try. Staff were not wearing masks, but they have a plexiglass barrier separating part of the cash register area from the store. Indoor seating was available and it also looked like outdoor seating might be an option. The outdoor area didn't seem open when I was there, but perhaps upon request? Parking was easy to find since there were plenty of spots in the lot.
Irene B.
Beef piroshky piping hot from the oven is sooo good. I bought one and ate it in my car. Then I went back and got six more. It's a bit oily but truly a guilty pleasure. I bought half a pound each of chicken and beef pelmini ( dumpling) at the recommendation of a customer who also told me homemade matzo ball soup is easy. So I made me some. Yum.
Denis Ageev
Great cafe/store. They make authentic Russian food and it always brings back memories from my childhood, every time I go there.
Thomas Knight
What a great little deli to get fresh Russian good and cold cuts.
C Q.
This is the only place I've found sunflower seed halva in the area! It's even tastier than regular sesame seed halva! Blackcurrant juice is my favorite drink to get from here. Ever since I was a kid, I get some of the cute flower shaped salami they sell. Definitely worth coming by for a meal or a snack :)
Paulina E.
Omg this food is so good. I've never had much experience with Russian food, other than a friend's family when I was very young. I'm not sure you could order anything and be disappointed. I think we've tried everything. Lovely staff, too.
Elizabeth S.
Ordered food from here a few times and it's always been excellent. The pierogies, soups and such all taste homemade. Love this spot!
Kevin C.
It's a really nice local store to get some cake. They have different varieties depends on the day and sell cakes by weight! not slice. The cake are not very sweet, which is a plus for me.
Phoebe S.
this is my first time trying eastern european food! i think this cuisine is severely underrated around here :/ anyway, i went into the store and ordered takeout. the outside may look a little rundown, but don't let that discourage you! the inside is quite dim and i couldn't read the menu displays, but the cashier lady handed me a very thorough menu that was complete with pictures and descriptions of the dishes. the general ambiance is very mom-and-pop and authentic. borscht (non-vegetarian): super classic. i'm familiar with 羅宋湯 (shanghai / HK style borscht), which is a little sour and doesn't include beets. this soup was extremely flavorful and creamy when mixed with smetana; love! solyanka: also loved! tomato-based soup with cured meats, pickles, vegetables, buckwheat (?) and smetana for creaminess as well. olivie: russian potato salad with chicken. tastes like what it is lol piroshki: with beef & chicken. the chicken one resembles chicken pot pie; the beef was mega-grounded up, which i personally don't like since it lacked structure. it was also pretty bland so i dipped it into the soups (probably not how i'm supposed to eat it LOL) to add flavor. blintz: with beef. kinda mushy because of the mashed meat + crepe skin. i think this is actually better known as a dessert food, so i'll try that next time. pelmeni: tastes just like 水餃 (chinese dumplings) but paired with dill and smetana; like! medovik (honey cake): not too sweet, tastes like brown sugar, texture a bit like carrot cake. pairs well with milk tea or coffee. i want to note that my food took a while to be ready; but there was an inspector who came in after me, so it was probably just bad timing on my part. overall, i absolutely loved the soups and would definitely return to order them again! i also wanna try the golubsti next time :)
Sent my wife to get some stuff from this store, I was shocked that she came home with a stale loaf of rye, a bottle of Kvass that was artificially carbonated(I specified gimme the fermented one. They sold her a quart can of Tushonka for $19.99 that was 1/4 beef fat. Dintys beef stew from the grocery store would have been cheaper and tasted better. The staff there mostly doesn't speak English, and the ones that do are aloof at best.
Sunil R.
The Russian Cafe looks decrepit on the outside but don't let that stop you. They have a lot of goodies inside. As expected, there were a lot of unique Russian grocery items that you won't find in other stores. Everything from cookies to chocolates to cheese. I picked up some pastries and the honey cake was great! I was a little perplexed there for a bit because there were no employees and a few of us customers were just milling around wondering what was next. Someone finally did come out to help us. I will be back to check out some of their items.
Robert M.
We go out to dinner every Friday night and our choice this week was the Russian Cafe. The seating area was outside and it was cold. The Russian man in his short sleeved shirt put the flame heater on and the waitress (born in the US and all bundled up) came and took our order. Two glasses of wine, two bowls of borsch filled with vegetables and meat, an order of cheese vareniki and two baked cabbage pirozkis that melted in your mouth made for the perfect meal. We were the only people in the eating area and the glow from the flame heater (plus the heat it produced) made for a romantic atmosphere. PS: I'm 75 year old so my idea of romantic may not fit the definition used by a younger person.
Roza Leyderman
Not really set up for dine in. Took very long to get our food. Quality of food as expected, good. Works great as a deli. Friendly service.
best ever! race to taste! all on sale!
3.5 stars overall, but rounding up for super authentic Russian food, AND you can purchase items from their grocery store. The outside of Russian Cafe & Deli doesn't look the nicest, and the inside of the store is on the rustic side. However, the food was solid! It was about 15 minutes for an order placed at 1:15pm on a Saturday. There was a slight language barrier ordering through the phone, but you can also order through Yelp/GrubHub. I tried: -Potato & Cheese Vareniki/Pirogi ($12.99): I couldn't really taste the cheese in the pirogis, but the potato filling was smooth and silky. It was worth trying once, especially if you like potato fillings, but I preferred the pelmeni more. -Beef & Pork Pelmeni ($13.99, Yum- bite sized filled pastas! The beef and pork filling was flavorful, and the pelmeni was really good with the sour cream that came on the side- recommended! -Honey Cake ($10.50/lb, This cake looked delicious, and the layers were beautifully done. However, I think the style of the cake is on the drier side, and the frosting consistency was a little too heavy. I would return for more pelmeni, and to give the other pelmeni options a try. Staff were not wearing masks, but they have a plexiglass barrier separating part of the cash register area from the store. Indoor seating was available and it also looked like outdoor seating might be an option. The outdoor area didn't seem open when I was there, but perhaps upon request? Parking was easy to find since there were plenty of spots in the lot.
Beef piroshky piping hot from the oven is sooo good. I bought one and ate it in my car. Then I went back and got six more. It's a bit oily but truly a guilty pleasure. I bought half a pound each of chicken and beef pelmini ( dumpling) at the recommendation of a customer who also told me homemade matzo ball soup is easy. So I made me some. Yum.
Great cafe/store. They make authentic Russian food and it always brings back memories from my childhood, every time I go there.
What a great little deli to get fresh Russian good and cold cuts.
This is the only place I've found sunflower seed halva in the area! It's even tastier than regular sesame seed halva! Blackcurrant juice is my favorite drink to get from here. Ever since I was a kid, I get some of the cute flower shaped salami they sell. Definitely worth coming by for a meal or a snack :)
Omg this food is so good. I've never had much experience with Russian food, other than a friend's family when I was very young. I'm not sure you could order anything and be disappointed. I think we've tried everything. Lovely staff, too.
Ordered food from here a few times and it's always been excellent. The pierogies, soups and such all taste homemade. Love this spot!
It's a really nice local store to get some cake. They have different varieties depends on the day and sell cakes by weight! not slice. The cake are not very sweet, which is a plus for me.
this is my first time trying eastern european food! i think this cuisine is severely underrated around here :/ anyway, i went into the store and ordered takeout. the outside may look a little rundown, but don't let that discourage you! the inside is quite dim and i couldn't read the menu displays, but the cashier lady handed me a very thorough menu that was complete with pictures and descriptions of the dishes. the general ambiance is very mom-and-pop and authentic. borscht (non-vegetarian): super classic. i'm familiar with 羅宋湯 (shanghai / HK style borscht), which is a little sour and doesn't include beets. this soup was extremely flavorful and creamy when mixed with smetana; love! solyanka: also loved! tomato-based soup with cured meats, pickles, vegetables, buckwheat (?) and smetana for creaminess as well. olivie: russian potato salad with chicken. tastes like what it is lol piroshki: with beef & chicken. the chicken one resembles chicken pot pie; the beef was mega-grounded up, which i personally don't like since it lacked structure. it was also pretty bland so i dipped it into the soups (probably not how i'm supposed to eat it LOL) to add flavor. blintz: with beef. kinda mushy because of the mashed meat + crepe skin. i think this is actually better known as a dessert food, so i'll try that next time. pelmeni: tastes just like 水餃 (chinese dumplings) but paired with dill and smetana; like! medovik (honey cake): not too sweet, tastes like brown sugar, texture a bit like carrot cake. pairs well with milk tea or coffee. i want to note that my food took a while to be ready; but there was an inspector who came in after me, so it was probably just bad timing on my part. overall, i absolutely loved the soups and would definitely return to order them again! i also wanna try the golubsti next time :)
Restaurantji Recommends
Sent my wife to get some stuff from this store, I was shocked that she came home with a stale loaf of rye, a bottle of Kvass that was artificially carbonated(I specified gimme the fermented one. They sold her a quart can of Tushonka for $19.99 that was 1/4 beef fat. Dintys beef stew from the grocery store would have been cheaper and tasted better. The staff there mostly doesn't speak English, and the ones that do are aloof at best.
The Russian Cafe looks decrepit on the outside but don't let that stop you. They have a lot of goodies inside. As expected, there were a lot of unique Russian grocery items that you won't find in other stores. Everything from cookies to chocolates to cheese. I picked up some pastries and the honey cake was great! I was a little perplexed there for a bit because there were no employees and a few of us customers were just milling around wondering what was next. Someone finally did come out to help us. I will be back to check out some of their items.
We go out to dinner every Friday night and our choice this week was the Russian Cafe. The seating area was outside and it was cold. The Russian man in his short sleeved shirt put the flame heater on and the waitress (born in the US and all bundled up) came and took our order. Two glasses of wine, two bowls of borsch filled with vegetables and meat, an order of cheese vareniki and two baked cabbage pirozkis that melted in your mouth made for the perfect meal. We were the only people in the eating area and the glow from the flame heater (plus the heat it produced) made for a romantic atmosphere. PS: I'm 75 year old so my idea of romantic may not fit the definition used by a younger person.
Not really set up for dine in. Took very long to get our food. Quality of food as expected, good. Works great as a deli. Friendly service.
Found everything we needed. Great olivier salad!