Cafe Arbat - Brooklyn

This was my first time trying Ukrainian Borscht, so I was not sure what to expect, especially as I have never tried soup with sour cream before, but this was one of the best foods I had in NY and I had tried a huge variety of different NY foods during my vacation here. The soup was very flavorful with a variety of veggies and beets and was not too heavy or salty. The sour cream also compliments the soup's flavor nicely as well. I also had the meat ravioli/pelmeni, which also came with sour cream. These had a heavier meat flavor and the flour was soft and not too thick. Overall tasted pretty good but it's definitely the borscht which is the star of the show. Meal also comes with complementary bread and butter. Service was great as well, the waiters were very respectful.

How could I have not written a review for Oceanview Cafe? I love Oceanview Cafe! It's consistent and they have a lot of my comfort food favorites. The service is not unbelievable, but it is consistent, and the staff is very polite. The food is always fresh, the borscht is my favorite, with sour cream of course! I also recommend the cheese or meat blintzes, they are very tasty as well. The cafe has a great selection of beverages as well, including my favorite Georgian pear flavored soda. Prices are very reasonable. Definitely a solid place to grab a hot and tasty meal if you are in the area.

This is one of my favorite places! I have been going here for over 15 years with my family and cannot get enough. The restaurant is small and gets busy quickly so you know the food is delicious! Some of my favorite things to order are the fried flounder, tabaka, kebabs, pelmini, and the salads. Don't forget to wash it down with kompot! Everything is so fresh and cooked with care. The waitstaff are always on the go and very attentive. Will continue to come here for years.

TL;DR: An unassuming, authentic Russian restaurant that is borscht pierogies/vareniki first, easily in my top 3 Eastern European dining arsenal. Highly recommend. While this place is brass tacks--a very casual food spot w less focus on service/ambiance--the chefs pour all that surplus effort into the food. It has the appeal of grandma cooking w/o the occasional pretentiousness of the NYC food scene. We went there for the first time on Saturday for lunch had: Borchst: A light soup that somehow still holds a bunch of FLAVOR. Tastes very healthy, but has good depth and a nice vegetable taste. Handily the best borscht I have EVER had. Meat Ravioli: Smaller than pierogis, but equally flavorful, almost soup dumpling-like with some liquid and meat inside. Stroganoff: This was the middling dish. Not particularly flavorful, but a good option if you want a lot of protein. The meat is well-cooked meat, but dunked in a typical rich cream sauce that doesn 't have much seasoning. Overall, this place was AMAZING I would definitely go back.

An unassuming Russian diner with great lunch. My boyfriend and I chose this place on Yelp as we didn't know we were in an area with a large Russian population. A 2pm lunch on a Saturday it was relatively empty but it looked like the locals were keeping them busy I feel like full days are spent here for some. The waiters were friendly and brought us a basket of simple sliced bread. We ordered the borscht, beef stroganoff, and the meat vareniki because that is what everyone raved about on here. The borscht was delicious perfect temperature and balance of flavors. It looks like it would taste only of beats but it is quite flavorful. It is great with the sour cream too. The beef stroganoff was like the best comfort food the gravy and beef for plentiful as well as potatoes. The meat was so tender too. The meat vareniki was filled with a pork and topped with sweet caramelized onions. The salty pork with the sweet onions along with a dab of sour cream blended together so nicely. Service could be slow at times, but it is worth it if the food. Authenticity seems to run here. I'll be happy to return.