The food here is pretty cheap, though the interior is a bit dated & it feels a bit like a cafeteria…read more(maybe that's part of the appeal). They get 3.5 stars. The complimentary bread was slightly over-baked. There was some crispness but it was a bit too hot. The hummus was ok. Borscht was decent. Okroshka was a cold soup. It was decent - quite refreshing. The soups came in big bowls. Mititei (sausage) was good: bouncy. Brizol moldova was rolled veal. Got it with home potatoes. The meat was good though a bit salty; it was egged & fried so there was some crispness. The potatoes were good - flavourful, with some crispness. Both mains came with a red, slightly spicy sauce which was good. The kompot (fruit drink) was decent, with a good flavour, though it was a bit dilute.

Came here on a trip to toronto from Buffalo with one of my Moldovan friends…read more I had a nice time. Staff was very friendly and service was quick. Food was pretty good and authentic, all of the staff seemed to be eastern european when I went, which is nice, and also spoke english. Yeah no complaints. Cool place.

I was invited to Kiev for a banquet on a Sunday afternoon, and was pleasantly surprised. The food…read morewas top notch, which, when it comes to Russian cuisine, means that it was not hopelessly over salted or oozing with grease. I actually quite enjoyed most of the dishes I tried. The decor is horrendous with the banquet hall chair covers pompously hanging over beat up chairs, and equally pompous synthetic linen. The service is like it was in the 80s in Russia: insincere and clueless. I was quite happy that there was no music -- I could actually enjoy a conversation. I'd return there for the food.

An unexpected jem I found while passing by and decided to check it out. Since I am Ukrainian I was…read moreinterested in their perogies from the start. The staff kindly brewed a fresh coffee right before my eyes which was a nice touch. Before ordering the perogies I might add that I had asked her how many and how big they were considering I was paying around $7.00 for one serving, which was a little steep if you ask me. Well she said it would be average size and I believed it until I opened it up later to find that infact they were HALF the size of any perogy I have ever seen in my life and 3x more greasy! I am shocked, and insulted as a Ukrainian myself and growing up with the food this was a poor excuse. The whole place was tacky and an attempt wad made to appear fancy but that was a genuine fail. I'm actually sorry to write this but its true.

I am obsessed with this place! I love the traditional ambiance here. It feels like being…read moretransported to another world. Friday and Saturday has traditional live music. From what I understand, Friday has more singing, and Saturday more dancing. Even if you don't understand the language, it is so much fun to enjoy. Service is definitely on the slow side - they could hire a couple more waiters. - Borscht: always a good way to start a meal. Soup was nice but nothing out of the world. I enjoyed the smoked meat pieces that were added in. The garlicy buns that came with it were nice and fluffy and delicious. 4.5/5 - Family meat platter with buckwheat and sauerkraut sides: a hefty platter. Nice smoked flavour in a lot of the meats. Everything was juicy and well seasoned. There was enough variety so it didn't feel redundant or monotonous. Usually I am intimidated by blood sausage, but this one was delicious. Does not have a very strong iron flavour, it is moreso umami and meaty. One platter can feed a family of 4 no problem. Sides were well portioned. 5/5 - Sour cherry varenyky: the dough felt a bit thick to me, and I would have loved more sour cherry on top rather than the maraschino cherries. The maraschino cherries are very sweet and pack a different flavour punch, which draws the attention away from the sour cherry filling. 3/5 - Kvas: delicious rye bread flavoured, non-alcoholic beverage. The flavour was rich enough and not too sweet. Makes for a perfect meat and bread combo. 5/5

I didn't quite know what to expect from Barrel House Korchma, as I'm not super familiar with…read moreUkrainian food. But I have to say, I'm very impressed with this joint. The decor inside is quite impressive and the food is even better. We ate a couple of things, the Fried Stuffed Buns and the Chicken Kyiv, and they were both terrific. Both dishes packed plenty of flavor and came accompanied with delicious sauces that enhanced them considerably. Barrel House Korchma seems like a really cool place to have a drink (or three), so I'm sure I'll be returning.

Before giving my 2 cents on Vizavi, I would like to explain (for the uninitiated) how the vast…read moremajority of Russian restaurants in Toronto function. Most are open for lunch and dinner and will have a menu from which you can order a meal. However, their primary source of business (and validation from the Russian community) is the "full-cover" option where the patrons order a number of seats paying a set fee (depending on the menu options and the time of day) per seat. With a full-cover, your table will be layered with dozens of dishes, with new ones added in a span of 4-6 hour. Most Russian restaurants have some live music in the evenings along with a dance floor. Although the full-cover option is available to smaller groups, it is usually utilized by larger parties. It is common for a larger group to book the entire restaurant for a wedding, a birthday party or a work function. To larger groups, the restaurant functions as a banquet hall. Most of these restaraunts serve alcohol but BYOB is a very popular option. I would recommend three basic rules you will need to follow in order to enjoy your full-cover experience: 1. There will always be more food on the table than you can enjoy at any point in time; 2. The best food usually comes later so don't over-eat earlier (see rule number 1); and 3. If there is music, don't be shy about doing a little dancing between courses (it helps burn calories). Most of the Russian restaurants offer similar dishes in their full-cover options. They are usually judged by the handful of dishes that is unique to a particular restaurant and by the quality/freshness of the food. With this in mind, here is the review of my full-cover experience at Vizavis. I have been there several times since many members of my Russian-speaking family like to book it for their birthday parties. Overall, my experience as relayed in this review has been consistent. The restaurant is a comparatively small space. A group of 30-40 people might be enough to book the entire venue. It doesn't have the tacky, over-the-top décor like faux gold high ceilings and giant chandleries (which is either good or bad depending on what you like). You won't get married here but you can have an intimate birthday party with 30 of your close friends and family. There is a decent-size dance floor and the music is pretty good, with some English and French songs mixed into the usual lineup of Russian restaurant songs. The staff is good at re-filling drinks, setting tables, replacing dishes and catering to the dozens of minor requests for new cutlery, extra napkins, etc.... With the full-cover option everyone is on the same clock and you don't have to worry about your orders being mixed up. The food is excellent. Everything is prepared fresh and you don't feel like you are eating yesterday's leftovers (which is more than I can say about some other Russian restaurants I won't name here). The braised veal ribs are fall-of-the bone delicious and the grilled meat platter served towards the end is solid. The restaurant serves some unique dishes including an avocado-mango salad, potato latkes and the house-specialty varenyky (a type of Ukrainian pierogi stuffed with strawberries). Honestly, I would go back just for the varenyky and would recommend this dish, to anyone just ordering from the menu. Overall, Vizavis is a great experience.

I have my birthday party in May 2022 Fresh prepared very…read moretasty food was appreciated by my guests The service was excellent and very fast The live music played by talented musicians plus excellent food served made my party extremely outstanding Recommend to visit the restaurant

A fantastic restaurant with a cozy atmosphere and delicious cuisine! The service is top-notch, and…read morethe dishes are beautifully presented. I'll definitely be back!

This is the Ukrainian style of food that I have been familiar with from childhood. It is really…read moretrue to the traditional fare. My Mother, going on 86, still puts on Easter Dinner for us, and orders from here. Our Eastern European neighbours also order from Baby Point for gatherings. The food is excellent, although they don't serve some of the specialties of the region where my family is from. I can make those myself, though, so no problem! Interesting fact: most people I know call it Baby (like the crying one) Point, but people who have lived in that area for generations call it "Bobby Point". Can anyone tell me which one is correct? Aside from that, if you are in the mood for some good, traditional, Ukrainian food, Baby Point (however you pronounce it) is a great choice.

Tucked within the community hall of an Orthodox Ukrainian church, is this lovely dining experience,…read morewhere you can taste the love and care in every bite. We ordered the vegan cabbage roll plus vegan potato and onion pierogies, plus a lentil chebureck which was divine with the lightly tart sour kraut on top, and finished with a mix of blueberry and sour cherry pierogies. Service was wholesome. Olga took great care of us and others while she was a one-woman show running the kitchen, ordering, and serving!

Great! 4.8/5…read more Dumpling lover finally came here so excited! Across the street from Toronto Western Hospital. It is in the Ukrainian church basement. Parking (paid) is right beside the church. Enter the door on the north side of the building, following signs to help you find the way to where their perogies are! I got Ready to eat (take out) - Potato and Cheddar Cheese Perogy - Sauerkraut and Mushroom Perogy Frozen - Potato and Cheddar Cheese Perogy - Sauerkraut and Mushroom Perogy - Mushroom Vushka The take out perogies were great, especially the potato & cheddar one. I am not a fan of potato & cheddar cheese perogies - and I wanted to try their potato & cottage cheese one. But they were sold-out when I was here. It was around 4:30pm. So, I got the potato & cheddar. But surprisingly the potato & cheddar tasted great! Right saltiness. They bring out the best of potato flavor, fluffy yet creamy texture, with a hint of cheddar cheese - oh they were sooooo good. I felt that the sauerkraut and mushroom one was a bit too sour for my liking. I wished for more mushroom flavor in it as well. But the wrapper itself had character, natural, chewy and soft. Nothing goes wrong with this wrapper! Frozen perogies were a bit tricky. Unlike other store bought frozen perogies, they came in tin-foil container, and it instructs to heat in the oven n 20-25 mins. One container had 12 pcs, which is too much for my household (2 persons). I tried to boil a few, which turned out to be flabby leaking perogies. Then I tried to fry a few, adding a bit of water. Which was a huge success! Most impressive was Mushroom Vushka. Full of Mushroom flavor enclosed in this tasty wrapper. Addictive. I should come back for this again. I liked this place a lot, humble and truly tasty! Cannot wait to try more food here!

Stroganoff is located in a small and quiet corner at Major Mackenzie and Bathurst. It decorated…read moretastefully in north Europe style, items on menu offering multiple cuisines from Russia, German etc. you can even find some influence from Asia, they used sushi ginger to match with the fried calamari, which is a quite different combination. Staff is very friendly with attentive services. They also have outdoor patio so can enjoy sunshine in summer time.

Loved the food here! The place is spacious and has a beautiful patio. Service was fast and food…read morecame out equally fast and hot. Each main came with a choice of rice, mash, fries. I recommend the stroganoff for sure. Would visit again to try their desserts.

Whoever that other person that gave this amazing place a 3 star clearly a) doesn't have enough…read moreexperience with Russian restaurants and b) doesn't understand how to properly approach a "sharp" owner named Tatiana (duh) who is the sweetest and the most helpful person. I hope people don't take this seriously as he has just one review. Speaks volumes about his Russian restaurant experiences... Just FYI I have been to over 15 different Russian Restaurants, including 2 more in Los Angeles. Let's do this review right and give an amazing place justice. THIS IS THE RUSSIAN RESTAURANT RIGHT NOW. THE PLACE. ASK ANY SINGLE EASTERN EUROPEAN BAKERY IN NORTH YORK/TORONTO and they will tell you wow, everyone is going to Tatiana. We had to reserve our Saturday night 3 months in advance. People from Hamilton, St Cathrines, Pickering, Ajax, Mississauga -everyone is trying to get into this restaurant. Why? You need to understand the nature of RR (let's just go with this for Russian Restaurant(s) from now on). It's an extremely difficult and restless business - you need to be working 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. RR management and names and chefs change weekly if not every other 4 days. So, if you go to one RR and you LOVE it and go back the next week you may not find that you have the same food or the same service. Russian people drink and they dance. This is what RR is about. Don't come here with expectations of a friggin steak house on King St, what is wrong with you? It's an EVENT. It's a BANQUET HALL. People come here to wear their beautiful suits and dresses, to meet with their best friends, to drink and to eat amazing food. I've had bad food experiences with RRs but this one is great I have no complaints about the food AT ALL. (except for the holodets, anyone who's Russian will know and will understand that no one ever likes or eats it at RRs...) So. About the service. Have you ever seen Orange is the New Black? Tatiana is Red. She's not rude. She is not mean. She is extremely helpful, she is nice, she is stressed out but she is organized to the tits and she will get sh*t done and FAST. If she tells you how many people don't go hmmm...welll....i was thinking... NO. NO! TELL HER HOW MANY GODDAMN PEOPLE AND MOVE ON. If she tell you come at 8 do not come at 7. She will say what the F are you doing here. Because this is business and ain't nobody got time for your indecisiveness. Tatiana also has one of the best RR websites out there - with a full menu available online. Booze: bring your own. to the other reviewer person - are you friggin kidding me? Where else can you get a 2L bottle of wine for $12 bucks (LCBO) and a 7 course dinner with caviar, seafood, lamb, traditional Georgian food (that's hella hard to make), huge marinated oyster mushrooms, kebabs, etc for $65+10% tip and tax. HELLO. WHAT PLANET DO YOU LIVE ON. Also, $65+tip is the weekend night price. Weekday nights and brunch are much cheaper and much quieter with no sacrifice in quality. Food: i posted some legit pictures. White fish fillet stuffed with crab and baked with cheese, smoked salmon, marinated mushrooms, grilled pepers artichokes zucchini and asparagus, roasted potatoes, pate, 5+ different kinds of salads, cold cuts including chicken with apricot INSIDE (yeah.). stuffed eggplants, prosciutto with melon, chicken salads, red caviar, rice, chicken lamb and minced meat kebabs, mussels and shrimp sauteed in some kind of cheese tomato sauce, i could go on for days. you get the point, there is something for EVERYONNEEE and it's impossible to list everything I ate there. Service: Fast, attentive, cute and funny. We even gave our servers one of my mom's 50th birthday bouquets because she was sooo cute. Entertainment: Saxophone dude - you're so cute and your voice is like an Angel's. Also, those sax skills...wooow. The girl, i wish i knew your name, thank you for singing that Ukrainian song in support of our motherland. GO HOME PUTIN. Decor: Lovely. The table pieces were tasteful and charming, I love the table set up and there was plenty of room. TIP #1: Bring your own wine. There's no corking fee. TIP #2: Ask them to pack up whatever is left over! They have boxes, it's allowed and you can eat delicious resto food for a whole week! TIP #3: Dance. Enjoy yourself. You're coming into a different culture's home - embrace it and enjoy it, try new things. I LOVE YOU TATIANA!!!!!!!!!!!!

This place was embarrassingly bad. The servers were warm and friendly but the owner was a bitter…read morepill. They sat us quite awkwardly near the bar literally my back was against the bar. The owner rushed us through the meal and was generally unpleasant. She limited what we could take home as leftovers, not allowing two,e of the dishes with mayo in them and any of the pickles. I strongly suspect that they put the pickles etc. back with the stock in the kitchen. Which really grossed me out. I would not recommend this place unless you are in a large group and part of the Russian community. The staff were otherwise lovely and they food was tasty. Just the owner was weird, suspicious behaviour around the food and rude to myself and my friend.

Stopped by this place and it honestly felt like a hidden gem. The whole vibe is very warm and…read morewelcoming, almost like stepping into someone's home for a homemade meal. The food is simple but really comforting. You can tell it's based on traditional recipes, everything tastes hearty and satisfying. The schnitzel and potato dishes were definitely highlights for me. Portions are generous and the service feels genuine and personal, which makes a big difference. It's not a fancy place, but that's exactly what makes it special. Definitely a spot I'd come back to when I'm craving something cozy and authentic.

The chicken is excellent Same for the mashed potatoes…read more And I like beets a couple times a year Interior needs modernizing Great food! I like the old exterior