I can't deny that I explored the Katchka menu well before finally venturing to this Portland…read moreinstitution. Wanting to experience it ALL, I had to edit my order 4 times. The introduction was a punch to the face from the horseradish martini I had ordered. Horseradish indeed. Just in time came the pickle plate and the bread. Salty and comforting. That horseradish martini. The restaurant is a bit loud, but only because it's full. Conversation is possible. Then came the raspberry beet soup with farmers cheese. Intriguing. Cold. Rich. Refreshing. Incredible. Potato dumplings. Cheese dumplings. Both topped with sour cream. I wanted 30 more. Chicken Kiev...(before we left we ordered a second) So very satisfying. Moist and buttery. The crunch! Cabbage rolls were next and they launched them into the stratosphere. The sauce alone had to have been cooked for at least four hours. Braised rabbit with sour cherry and butter...brown butter. The nuttiness with the richness of the rabbit is exceptional. It took me a week to decide how I would rate this. I'm still thinking about it week later and am ready to make another reservation so that I can measure twice. Maybe a third. And the staff? Incredibly knowledgeable, anticipatory and attentive. We left this place having felt privileged to the experience. A celebration, we'd had. And the $110 per person price tag with the 20% surcharge for tip...was was without question, worth it. I mean, we felt compelled to tip an additional 10%. Excellent!!

My friends and I dined at Kachka after having drinks nearby at Scotch Lounge. We walked in without…read morea reservation for a party of three at 8:00 p.m. on a Thursday evening and we were luckily able to get seated quickly, despite the restaurant being super packed. Between the three of us, we ordered their Instagram-famous dish -- the herring under a fur coat ($15), pkhlovani khachapuri ($16), garlic tvorog vareniki ($17 base + $2 for the garlic), and a golubtsi ($26). I also ordered a horseradish-tini ($14). Every dish was a hit and I would not hesitate to order the exact same items again on subsequent visits. The herring under a fur coat is a very fun dish to explore. The intention is certainly to eat a bit of every layer in a single bite, but it's enjoyable trying out every layer on its own as well. The stuffed khachapuri was hot, fluffy, and the inside had a wonderful mix of onions and chard. This stuffed bread was very enjoyable on its own, even without anything to dip it it. The garlic tvorog vareniki -- their boiled dumplings, was the primary dish we came for, and the ones here are fantastic. The inside is stuffed with a fine cheese and each bite was both savory and tangy. The broth that the dumplings sit in is light, yet flavorful. One order was more than enough for everyone in our party to enjoy a few. Last but not least, the golubtsi -- stuffed cabbage rolls, was the only item off of the "mains" menu we ordered. This was my first time trying out this dish so I didn't really have a good reference point on how the dish should taste. However, even without this knowledge, the dish was absolutely delicious. The broth was sweet and sour, and the stewed cabbage was tender, yet not mushy. If there's a single comparison I could draw, the flavors of the dish reminded me of Russian borscht you might find at a Hong Kong diner. On the side of logistics, a mandatory 22% service fee is included on the bill. After you pay with your card, there's nothing left to sign and you're free to leave when you're done. Overall, I had a great meal at Kachka. Kachka provided a wonderful opportunity for me to try out foods I rarely encounter in a cuisine I'm completely foreign to. I highly recommend a visit if you happen to be in this part of town.

This review is going to start a little different!…read more I wasn't as pleased with food as I wanted to be... many things on menu and food always smells amazing so maybe I just haven't found it yet. The Boso fried noodles... meat was good but noodles had nothing but noodles, no flavor really but wasn't bad tasting... just bland Now here is where you can go fuc yourself! My mouth and taste is not yours... don't trust my second hand taste and come see for yourself. Or don't but if you don't try you lose the ability for me to care about your opinion. Because your opinion is mine but I had the balls to try and I will be back until I find what smells so good! But I'm not a quitter... are you?....

I ate Samsa and it was wonderful! They had amazing customer service. Great smiles under their…read moremasks (I am sure), clean as can be, and lovely people. This is the best Samsa I have ever tasted. I will definitely come back!

Ordered: Fat Russian, Strawberry Pastry, and a Hummer (coffee: white chocolate and chocolate)…read more The coffee is delicious.

I was in the area, and I love Russian food, so I thought I'd check this place out. I ordered the…read moreBoo's Love meal, and $18 seemed a little steep, but I was really hungry. Thankfully I pulled over in the lot to eat, so I didn't get far before I noticed my meal had come with fries instead of the salads. The salads were half the reason I wanted to eat there. I walked up to the window to ask why I had gotten fries, and the woman told me they were out of the salads. That's definitely something she should've mentioned when I ordered, but she didn't. I pointed that out to her and explained I wouldn't have wanted it if I had known. She offered to let me return my meal, but I suggested she refund half and let me keep it, which she agreed to. The piroshki was a good size and well seasoned with plenty of filling. The fries looked seasoned but didn't taste like it. They needed salt and/or some kind of sauce. I didn't order any sauces because I didn't know I was getting fries, but they should've come with something complimentary IMO. They were extremely slow for a Friday afternoon on a very busy road. The prices on their website are considerably less than at the shop ($18 vs $15.50 for my meal), and there wasn't a current menu pic on Yelp (which I've since added). I would've skipped it altogether if I had known what they were charging. I imagine that's part of the reason they're so slow. Minus two stars for not explaining they were out of half my meal before preparing it, plus one for offering a fair solution, minus one for sub-par fries and nothing to eat them with. Minus one for inconsistent pricing.

The cake with cherry jam was delicious. I asked for some extra chocolate to be added, and it turned…read moreout incredibly tasty. The atmosphere was pleasant. The service is very pleasant.

I have dreams about the fried apple dessert with ice cream. It is fantastic! The portions are…read moregenerous, enough to share.

We passed these food trucks, last week, and marked my calendar: the next time we're in search of a…read morenew food truck, this will be the place. I didn't expect to find Taste of Ukraine, and went straight to the cart. It took us awhile to make a choice, the mushroom crepe I wanted, they ran out! I picked Crepe stuffed with chicken. Which was child-like portion, that was excellent size, taste for me. Hubby ordered the stuffed cabbage. It came with a nice sauce. Hubby and I both had a taste of each other's dish, and he said he would order that again. Me too! We also ordered a dish of salad, Ukrainian style, but they were also tasty and good! The food truck was colorful and clean (they just opened up in May!) I told the server, I'm raising money, by selling my crafts in order to support Ukraine. She thanked me! The server was friendly, helpful and the food was delivered properly. The to-go packaging was perfect for the food.

If you're looking for great Ukrainian food, look no further than this decked out food cart in the…read morefood truck park. Stopped by here today for lunch. Borscht was delicious with tender, juicy meat and veggies. The pierogis were flavorful and cooked well. Service was friendly and attentive. We got some pear lemonade with lunch - refreshing and not too sweet. Check it out. We will be back.

It was my first time trying this place and I got the chicken one. It was called Mary's and it had…read morechicken, bacon, cream sauce, cheese and fries. It was $17.50. It was piping hot and a good portion! I only ate half and save the rest for the next day. It wasn't too cheesy which was good. I loved the flavors and it wasn't too salty. The bread or crust part was nice and crispy. The fries were also very good, too. Piping hot, crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. It was delicious.

The potato and cheese pelmeni with cucumber and tomato salad, and cabbage slaw was great. Very…read moresatisfying lunch. The salad was a fresh combination with all that decadent potato and cheese. Slow fresh made food. Worth the wait!

I got a beef and feta pastry and I regretted not buying more. The bread and stuffing are delicious…read more I bought a cherry and cream pastry that was in the freezer and it honestly didn't look great but no one was around to help me pick anything out and when someone did come out I felt rushed. Anyway, the quick decision to get the cherry pastry was smart bc I can't stop eating them! My only complaint is I felt like a nuisance when I went in. It took a long while for anyone to come out from the back and when they did I felt rushed. I wanted to ask questions about some of the baked foods behind the counter but felt like I should make an order quickly and leave. So that's what I did. But honestly, everything I got was amazing. So I would rather have rude service and great food than great service and rude food.

Babushka looks like it has a little bit of everything here! While we didn't see a place to sit and…read moreeat, there were certainly options to tempt you. A very friendly employee greeted me, and answered my endless questions about their desserts (I am unfamilar with Russian desserts). I bought some amazing macrons; snickers, coconut and vanilla, and a large piece of cake which I have yet to try. Plus there is an entire deli menu which we still need to try out. I wish I could give it 4.5 stars - the half star off was because the place was a little crowded, and I don't think my walker would have made it up the aisles. But, we will be back soon.

On my 2nd recent trip to Portland, boyfie and I hit up the pods again at Hawthorne Asylum. We both…read morejived with the food options more and I made a beeline to Pelmeni. There's not a lot of Eastern European stuff where I currently live in LA. Only change is that they only offer their "large." I believe it comes with 24 or so dumplings. No options to downsize, but offerings are the same. I got the chicken again with the same condiments as last time: the hot mustard. Added some other stuff on the side like their hot sauce and balsamic vinegar. Tastea as good as I remember! Such a simple meal that's delicious and friendly service as usual.

I tried out this food cart while visiting the Hawthorne Asylum food cart park. They had several…read moredelicious options, but I ended up choosing the potato vareniki. They were loaded with sour cream and onions, and the dill was a nice touch. They reminded me of pierogis. I really liked that they were on the smaller side. Sometimes these types of dumplings are really big, but I liked that these were more bite-size. My only complaint is I wish they had a variety or sampler option so I could have tried all of them! I regret not trying out the sweet cheese and fruit ones for dessert.

Every once in a while you can find a true gem of a restaurant in an unexpected place. And this is…read moreone of those times. Banderyky is a Ukrainian restaurant in the Vancouver Mall and the food is so exceptional. This time I had the feta and cheese pastry, the cherry pastry, and this delicious unique soft marshmallow dessert flavored with fruit. Strawberry and blueberry. I wish I had a bigger appetite because I would just order every single thing on the menu if I could. I have to admit I'm not really a beet fan but I love the borscht here. And the cabbage and the chicken dumplings. Truly delicious and well priced too!

This is Ukrainian food in the Vancouver Mall Food court. The…read morelady helping me was very nice and patient with me since I didn't know what I was ordering. I got the number 2. The dumplings didn't have much flavor but the cabbage salad(pickled cabbage) made up for it. Just eat it together. I'd come back to try something different.

Food was great; service could be improved. When we arrived it was getting busy and it got busier…read morewhich meant service was going to change. We ordered one of the sausages with a side of onions, saukerkraut plus cole slaw plus tater tots. After our meal we decided to do some shopping for sausages. Fun time to decide what we wanted.

Spatzel: cold, no flavor Pork Schnitzel: greasy AF…read moreBeans were fine 1 pint of beer. $8.00 F that! Noisy workers putting together a service cart (noisily) and dropping f bombs. Only went there because only place open on Monday...