Babushka is one of those "if you know, you know" places that the Valley always seems to hide to…read morecasual passersby, just waiting to be unearthed. It may just also be my favorite deli in LA for anything vegetable/side dish. As other reviews note, the selection of prepared foods for such a small shop is staggering. I've been coming for three years now, and while I'm guilty of ordering my favorites often, I think I'd have a tough time making my way through all of the foods on offer even if I switched it up on each visit. 4 different types of meatballs (the chicken breast one is to die for), lox, cabbage rolls, at least a half dozen cooked seafood options (shout out fish in tomato sauce), stroganoff, 3-4 different types of couscous and plov....and that's only half of the non veggie section. The cakes are great (Black Forest and walnut go hard). The Russian/Ukranian chip flavors rule. There are specialty candies and jarred foods and good looking fruits and veggies. There's an off menu soup with dill and little chicken meatballs that I'd recommend to anyone ailing in a heartbeat. And then, finally, we arrive at the salads and cold veggies. Nonstop bangers. The beet salad with prunes and garlic may sound wild for non Eastern European tastes, but it's unique and addictive and works. The potato salad Olivier? Best potato salad I've ever had. My wife has recently discovered the zucchini, which looks like a bunch of unassuming diced veggies but tastes savory and complex and herby. You'd be the hero of every picnic or backyard bbq ever grabbing side dishes from here. Seriously. The kind folks who work here will let you sample too, which is helpful when there are so many options. Some places wear their culture on their sleeve, fill your stomach with the love of a home cooked meal, and remind you that diverse communities are the heartbeat of this city. Babushka's is one of them.

Babushka means "Grandma" in Russian in an especially endearing way. Babushka Grandma's Deli…read moreachieves that rare homemade style of handed-down recipes in its well-stocked deli counter of ready-to-eat meals for the whole family. "Grandma's Hands" sums up the comfort many of us associate with Grandma's cooking. The owners and employees are doing a five-star job at forwarding that kind of comfort to the community and customers here. First of all, everything is freaking deliciousness! Admire the always-on-point "People Love Us On Yelp" sign as you arrive. The free parking lot offers nice and ample parking spaces for disabled customers as well as tables upon arrival which can comfortably accommodate wheelchairs. Now don't get me wrong, I love fancy gastronomy featuring tres Nouveau French culinary techniques just like you but I absolutely ADORE borscht, stuffed cabbage and plav equally. (Even more sometimes!) I've been shopping here and picking up takeout here for a long time. My experiences have only been better over the years. The discounts can be incredible and I appreciate sale-priced groceries in today's economy as well as the opportunity to support local and international farms. Sunflower seeds, sunflower oil, low sugar and no sugar added cookies, pastries and cakes, caviar, dried fish, pickled Herring, perfectly ripe berries, smoked fish, halva, cheese spread, jams, and artisan teas, all five stars. But wait. Is it a Russian-American market where I find the most Ukrainian imported groceries and ways to support Ukrainian farming?! Yep! +Heart hands emoji+ This market does a great job of offering a nice seat and friendly conversation to the average dine-in customer. Stop by to sip on an imported pear juice. Try a bite of fresh cream cheese cake with berries. Ask for advice! Go for the Beef Plav which is an employee favorite. The Beef Plav here contains a generous amount of tender, lean beef with carrots, savory buttery rice and whole softly roasted garlic cloves. Yum! (Five stars!) I've found some especially healthy and nutritious food here for my health recovery goals recently. About six years ago, I had been exposed to high levels of radiation according to a good old fashioned Geiger counter. My health began to drastically decline and I became very weak. I could barely stand and I barely survived. I knew about a famous brave Ukrainian woman who had survived radiation exposure thanks to her unborn child. Her survival story led to me requesting female cancer screenings which led to the surgeries that saved my life. (**Confetti flying **) There's a very long list of doctors and people who have helped me survive and recover to whom I live for in gratitude. Our commitment to the people and values which help us survive the impossible compels us to rise to the occasion of coming back stronger and better than we ever could have accomplished before or alone. So I'm drinking bone broth, eating extra protein, taking vitamins. And lifting weights with steadfast determination to recover my strength and then some. (Go Navy!) No market has helped me more in this health effort than this hidden gem. (Many thanks!) I am the customer who buys ALL the boxes of pastilla. (SORRY OTHER CUSTOMERS!) Pastilla is a layered pastry made of baked apples and eggs white, no sugar and nothing else! It's a miracle of a snack! Tastes like apple cake, made of egg whites. Protein in my car after working out? Five million stars. ***** To all y'all spending big bucks on cold bone broth, consider the chilled chicken gelatin dish here. Khoolidets? -It's rich with real collagen, high in protein and perfectly balanced with firm carrots and vegetables.I love this dish! Five stars. A real life look young dish! My personal secret to looking a little younger than my age is recovering from surgeries and serious stuff through nutrition, hard work and most importantly, contributing to my community. Beat the odds. Cimb a mountain. Start a non profit. Save the world. You've got this! And. Yyou're going to look GORGEOUS while you're doing it because you're already beautiful just the way you are. If ever there's a pandemic, a zombie apocalypse, or problem, people will come to each other's aid time and time again. To offer encouragement, advice and help to achieve the impossible. Grandma's Deli Babushka is a good place to be reminded that we're in it together.:) Spaseeeba! I'm on a mission to recover improved again. Heartfelt thanks to everyone who is helping me with this mission! Cheers YELP! :)!

One of the most popular thrift stores in the Valley - actually, the most popular and it is…read morefantastic - resides in a old Circuit City building near the intersections of Victory and Woodman. You absolutely can not overlook the famous red tower façade. To the left of this, sits a small shopping strip and in this shopping strip: you will see Monte Market. The signage font looks like it employed the same branding graphic designer as whomever is behind retailers REI or Patagonia, complete with mountain images; but this is no sporting goods store pampering the hiking and granola crowd. Rather, Monte Market is an ethnic market (predominately Armenian, Russian-Armenian) and being European (100% Hungarian) means that I ADORE ethnic stores and therefore I made a beeline for the Monte Market entrance like a moth to a flame. Monte Market is a relatively small space but they fit a large variety of goods into the square footage. You will find everything from dried fruits, nuts, candies/chocolates, teas, beverages, cookies, fruit syrups for seltzers (us Hungarians love these) lavash breads, and other dried goods; to fresh produce, refrigerated items and a deli and meat counter. You can find a little bit of everything at Monte Market on your list plus can order meats for your events (or just your dinner). The great thing about Monte Market is that in typical ethnic market fashion, you will find imported goodies that you don't see in our standard grocery stores even if from brands we are used to for example: Oreo and Twix cookies we don't have at Ralphs, tea inside matroyshka nesting dolls, etc. Also favorably, I've found that items tend to be expired at ethnic stores and covered in a layer of dust but that didn't seem to be the case at Monte Market. Another highlight of Monte Market? I was expecting crazy, overpriced items due to imports and being a specialty market and I was happily surprised to find that prices were VERY fair and even less than prices at a Ralphs! Even eggs which are in hot demand at the time of this review were cheaper than most other stores including Walmart. Very impressive, Monte Market! My only complaint with Monte Market is that I felt very out of place. Everyone from the employees to other customers were starting at me. Did they know I'm not Armenian? Was it because I was dressed up in a sexy outfit and heels? Even the girl behind the register whom I tried to start small talk with cause were were both wearing  cropped black leather jackets; asked if I needed help in a way that was obvious she thought I was trying to steal or be shady. Relax honey, I'm not stealing ethnic foods and simply browsing. Other than that slight hiccup; Monte Market is quite nice with a desirable selection of goods that is much better than the other Armenian markets in the adjacent area (which, for the record, also always give me weird looks as well so maybe it is because I'm not Armenian. Meh).  I suggest Monte Market up their customer service game. Despite this, I still recommend this market for your Middle Eastern goodies or to browse after your thrift store adventure.

I'm shopping there time to time. Always happy with my purchases, because sometimes it's only place…read morethere I can get my favorite items which I remember from Russia. I absolutely in love with all Armenian food. The only problem they had is inconsistently of salads taste. Sometimes it's good, or hot it supposed to be, but sometimes absolutely wrong. I hope they fix it)) It's not a big deal for people who know the recipe. Oh! And the bakery section is delicious. Hope, it's gonna grow as well! I know it's all coming for "big brother " shop, and the selection there is much more.

13 yrs later and still a complete vibe! They have moved with the world and continue to…read moredifferentiate themselves from TJs which they've in some ways competed with for over a decade! Service: no frills no thrills but you bet they will take GOOD care of you. Quiet leaders that simply get ish done and they're like a machine! Don't worry if what you want is out they can likely make it or find it quickly. Ambience: one table to sit and enjoy your purchase if you got a yummy cold pressed juice, smoothie, or a cold or hot snack or meal. Small boutique grocery store meets food mart. Food selection: they have delish sushi made to go on the spot and fresh pre made options! They have pre seasoned meats for those quick cook at home meals. Delish ready to go cold pressed juices and smoothies (highly recommend the Golden Milk with tumeric ginger vanilla coconut milk or water etc. Also recommend the chicken fried rice when freshly cooked at lunchtime! Also their fruits veggies and Asian cooking and food selections are fantastic. Parking: pretty easy in a decent sized plaza type lot. I imagine weekends can be tricky with TJs traffic. Forgot about this spot as I moved long ago, but will be sure to stop in when I'm in the area! Great vibes and mad respect to a business that has survived the test of time, competition and a major pandemic!

Old food at high prices…read more PSA: Always check the production date label on your prepared food here. Not everything is made fresh daily. I picked up a few items tonight, and one item missed the mark. * The Bad -- Hard Rice: The pickled pear baked salmon onigiri had a tough, dry texture. * Food : The package label showed the rice ball was already three days old. * High Price: It cost nearly $7 for stale food that I could not finish. Their prices are high. Head to the Valley's Japanese grocery store like Mitsuwa in Northridge for sushi or a Korean grocery store like Greenland Market in Van Nuys for prepared food made the same day at lower prices. The Good: * The spam musubi was made the same day and tasted fresh. * The butter mochi was delicious. Final Thoughts: I expected fresh food made that morning. Selling three-day-old rice balls at this price is unacceptable. I will not return because they sell items past their prime. I would not buy their sushi based on my experience as it might be old as well.

This was our first time being there and it was an amazing experience. The store is full of great…read morevariety of food. The lady at the deli department was super sweet nice helpful and honest about all the products. She recommended couple options on few different buys and confirming - all were amazing choices. The have very good customer care and the lady along with the gentleman helped us even with our bags to our car. Highly recommended will come back again for sur

OMG, what a disappointment This was my first time ordering…read morefrom them And I had placed an order to be delivered to my workplace today In about 30 minutes before the delivery they canceled on me They didn't even notify me I just received a message from Uber Eats that's all I definitely would never recommend that place What a terrible experience I would never recommend that place

I came here because it was close to where I was already at. This is kosher * ada friendly. With a…read morewashing station pre meal. It's a little loud because it was a popular meal time. I got the kosher bread thing and the person I was with got the smash cheeseburger the double cheeseburger didn't have cheese. They make kosher nut cheeses. Was told because it's kosher there was none. also got yam fries. The food was soooo good. The short ribs basically melt in your mouth ( it's shredded) the price was okay for what we got because the food was soooo good.

Unfortunately, this was not a pleasant experience. The food itself was underwhelming, with most…read moremenu items seeming to be deep-fried. We paid $68 for two salads and an order of fries, which felt overpriced for the quality and portions. What really stood out, however, was the customer service. I visited with my mother and my toddler son. Since my son wasn't going to eat fried food, I bought him a fruit smoothie from a neighboring business. While we were already in line paying for our order, the owner or manager approached us and informed us that outside food and drinks were not allowed because the restaurant is kosher. Although he said he would make an exception this one time, he approached us again while we were waiting outside for our food. We had chosen to sit outside because the restaurant was crowded, loud, and stuffy inside. Despite us not causing any issues, he again insisted that the smoothie could not be on the premises and began explaining that his license could be suspended due to association rules. We politely told him it wasn't a problem and decided to take our food to go. I understand businesses have policies, but the way the situation was handled felt unnecessarily confrontational, especially considering the drink was for a toddler and we had already spent nearly $70 at the restaurant. Between the mediocre food, high prices, and rude customer service, I would not return. There are plenty of better dining options in the area.

New restaurant - just popped in today for a meal. Definitely traditional mom-made and delicious!…read more Rice was not oily was perfectly cooked. Meat was cooked excellent. Good portion size. Will be going back to eat more menu items!

I ate the Chicken Burger 2 days ago. It was so fresh and tasted great…read more Today I ordered chicken Kabob but I specially asked for half meat with Koobideh Kabob. Chicken was so tender and tastes sophisticated. I assume female like them. Koobideh Kabob tastes like a hamburger streak - my first time was so yummy. This is for male, I guess. Servers are friendly and pay attention to customers. Light music and cozy & comfortable space. I feel at home and would like to stay longer even after eating. This could be a nice place to spend time with family, friends, colleagues etc.

Best piroshkis and ponchiks!!…read more I've been coming to Piroshki House for about 10+ yrs now, and it's still my go-to for Armenian pastries. I drive a long distance to come to this place. Their piroshkis and ponchiks are hands down the best I've had, consistent, delicious, and exactly what keeps me coming back after all these years. A true valley gem.

Honestly a hidden gem in the valley. There's not a lot of russian pastry shops in LA in general…read more Their food is made fresh daily. The piroshkis are fried but didn't taste overly oily. I had the potato and beef piroshkis and both were delicious. They include seasoning that you can add on top to enhance the flavor.

Staff, in my experience was one guy, was very kind and helpful. Portions are generous especially…read morewhen taking into consideration the low prices for this street side food stand that does not provide seating. There are neighboring food trucks which is great if you are with a group where each person is craving something different. Food is solid and fresh. Hot sauce is not spicy. This place was a nice change to the other food I typically get.

Loved the delicious food truck experience of Halal New York Platter. Friendly and helpful service…read moreand delicious food! The portions are large and the quality is excellent for the price. Really enjoyed my wrap and loved the flavors. Will be back!