The food here is pretty cheap, though the interior is a bit dated & it feels a bit like a cafeteria (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. read more

Came here on a trip to toronto from Buffalo with one of my Moldovan friends. 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. read more

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Fast service great prices kind waiter and chef . beautifully decorated 10/10 pleasant experience read more

Moldova Restaurant - Ukrainian Near Me - North York, Ontario

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Ordered food for pickup. Our family loved the restaurant before dine in or pick up but it got new owner: 1. Quality is terrible-we ordered pork kebab and chicken kebab. Unfortunately for pick up I did not check the content. What I got was not kebab - it was fried on grill, was overcooked and !!!! it was not fresh looks like it was heated in microwave 2. portion is smaller than before. 3. prices is higher Last time we were in 2023- the restaurant design was outdated but for the mid-price you get excellent east European food which was enough for me and more than enough for wife and daughter. Now they refreshed design but they cheat. The portion I got was ~30 less than before and not enough for me. I was not charged additional 13% for service - I think because of pickup- but I trust another reviewer they do it- It has to be my choice to give tips. read more

During this pandemic, I gravitate towards making and eating foods that are comforting to me. Although I am not Eastern European, I do love the cuisine. It's a combination of my living in Winnipeg, where I had amazing Ukrainian food, and having khinkali (Georgian dumplings) and more over a year ago. I miss going to Bravo Bistro, which is an eatery steps away from the office where I work. It offers cabbage rolls, perogies, and more that I love. It seems like eons ago when I was last was at the office. Anyway, I was running errands like I typically do on a Saturday. I needed to grab some lunch, did a search on my Ritual app, and found Moldova Restaurant. It has khinkali. Yay! I originally ordered the khachapuri (it's essentially a cheese pizza with an egg on top). A few minutes later, I was notified that it was out of stock. I was sad. Perhaps pouty. Who could tell behind a mask? Ritual is good in that it gave me 15% off my next order. Well, I took full advantage of that deal by changing my order up in less than five minutes. I got these items instead: - Khinkali with buckwheat as a side - Cabbage rolls - Honey cake My order would be ready in fifteen minutes, according to the app. I took my time leisurely driving over to the restaurant from shopping at Giant Tiger in Etobicoke. Moldova Restaurant is on Dufferin Avenue, a few streets south of Steeles Avenue West, on the southwest side. This restaurant is in an area with tons of parking. It was quiet on a Saturday afternoon. I backed into a parking spot and went in. There is patio dining. No one was dining. I headed over to the bar. Although it said that my order was ready on the app, it wasn't. The nice gentleman said that one more item needed a few more minutes. He offered to come to my car and deliver my food. I was game. I headed back to my car and waited. The wait wasn't long. It was roughly five minutes. He came over to the passenger side. I rolled down my window. He placed two plastic bags containing my food on the floor and was wearing a mask. One had my dessert, including ice cream. What?! I didn't realize that it came with ice cream. Yay! I thanked the nice man and made sure my food was protected before I drove off like a crazy woman to avoid having melted ice cream. Nah, the crazy driving part didn't happen. I simply dreaded the thought of having melted ice cream by the time I got home. I was ready to eat lunch at 5 pm. Yeah, my lunch time is becoming an early dinner on Saturdays as the months go by. Everything was nicely packed. I was pleased. I had the cabbage rolls first. There were four of them with tomato sauce over them. They were so good. Each one had ground beef and rice in them. The cabbage leaves were tender, but not mushy. The filling was flavourful and not overly salty. The tomato sauce was bright. Yum! I then opened the box of khinkali. There were four of them. They looked Georgian to me. I was so happy. I carved into one. The filling seemed to be a mix of pork and beef. It was generous. The khinkali were delicious. The dough was perfect. The filling was spiced well. They were juicy and done right. I was curious about buckwheat as a side. I've had buckwheat in pancakes and soba noodles. I didn't know what to expect. Well, the buckwheat was seasoned with parsley and salt. I enjoyed it a lot. I had so much left over that I ate it with a side of corn the next day and loved the combination. Buckwheat is yummy in my books, and a nice alternative to potatoes or rice. I love honey cake. I automatically said yes to it when I saw the menu on Ritual. The layers were impressive. It was yummy. It could have been more moist cake-wise, though. Still, the wasn't overly sweet, which I appreciated. It came with three scoops of vanilla ice cream, which did not become ice cream soup in this heatwave. The caramel drizzle make me think that two of the scoops were faces looking at me... haha! The ice cream definitely balanced out the slightly drier cake. I would have given this place five stars if it hadn't run out of khachapuri. It just means that I need to return to this eatery and order it again. Hopefully, my luck is better on that front. I loved my food here. It's a hidden gem that I wasn't aware of. Thank goodness I found it on Ritual. (212) read more

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3.5 stars used to come here about 10 yrs ago, on regular basis, was my fav russian resto. I think ownership has changed since then. Service still good, prices up at least 50%, probably expected. The food, was a little better with previous ownership, but still pretty good now read more

The service was amazing and felt very welcome. Being a Moldovan living in New York, it is nice to see real authentic food that tastes delicious. Definitely recommend trying and will be back for sure! read more

I was visiting Toronto this summer and was invited to Moldova restaurant. Since I have Russian background, I Ordered borsh, vegetable stew and Kiev kutlet, that was exactly like my grandma's. I highly recommend this restaurant to people who love Russion/ Ukrainian cuisine . I really liked this place and will visit it again. read more

Eating at Moldova Restaurant, I couldn't help but wonder if the food was lacking or if it's just Moldovian cuisine that's subpar. Though I didn't especially enjoy anything I ate, it's entirely possible that everything was a superior example of the dishes they were based on. But bad food is bad food, ultimately. We arrived around lunchtime on a weekday and the place was sparsely populated. I ate: Harcho ("Spicy soup w/ meat and rice"): This dish was easily the best of the bunch. It's a fairly bland, tomato soup-like concoction that kind of grew on me as I ate it. There aren't too many flavors going on here and the spice is almost non-existent, but it's no worse than something I'd eat out of a can. Chebureki ("Fried meat pie"): This bizarre dish is essentially a very thin, underseasoned piece of meat in a pastry. It's edible, I guess. The lack of flavor is bizarre, to say the least, and I feel like the pie would've been helped by a dipping sauce of some kind. Mamaliga ("Corn meal w/ sour cream and feta cheese or fried meat"): This thing left my dining companion and I scratching our heads in confusion. It's essentially a very bland, tasteless corn meal cake that's accompanied by sour cream and feta cheese (we were not given the option to choose fried meat). We both ate a few bites of this tasteless mess and gave up. (I should also mention that the Chebureki was supposed to come with a side dish but that didn't happen. Our smile-free waitress wasn't exactly approachable, so we didn't bother asking.) read more

Went in there about two years ago and food was tasteless however decided to give this place a chance and asked my bf to grab a takeout from there ..... no change read more

Moldova is a wonderful place for home-style Eastern European cooking. My mother, daughter and I enjoyed a wonderful meal in homey surroundings, with thoughtful, helpful and pleasant service. We were using a Groupon, and had no difficulties redeeming it. Our experience was so good that I am puzzled by some of the bad reviews. I've concluded that they may have not known what to expect from Eastern European food. If, for example, you search mamaliga, you will find that it is very similar to plain polenta, and is not very exciting on its own, but rather, as a side dish to be shared with other diners. There was plenty of parking, and we arrived early. No worries, though, because we were seated and our orders were taken promptly. There was just enough of a delay to allow us to relax, without wondering if the beverages or meal would ever come. The timing of the courses was very satisfactory. Moldova has a lovely, homey interior, which is a nice change from the hectic, banquet-style atmosphere of many Russian and Eastern European restaurants. Our server was so kind and friendly. She thoughtfully listened to our stated preferences and recommended some menu items. When she mentioned that Khinkali were a special that eveining, we ordered it! She told us how to eat Khinkali (a broth and meat filled dumpling, Georgian in origin) without all of the soup pouring out. The service was really outstandingly warm and welcoming. I wish that I had asked for our server's name, because she was so charming, speaking Russian fluently but also commanding excellent English. She was happy to answer all of our questions regardless of the language that we were using! She even could understand my Mother's Ukrainian! We felt very at home, and our food was just as comforting as everything else at Modova. My goodness, even the parking was easy!. We began with the featured appetizer of Khinkali. "What is khinkali?" my mother asked. I explained that it was like a perogie, but also like a Chinese soup dumpling. We ordered it and WOW! All three of us loved the khinkali, although none of us was able to master the technique of slurping the broth out or the dumpling. But don't fear: that yummy bullion did not go to waste, as we threw pride and decorum overboard, and just drank that savoury broth from the plates. Next: the main course. While we waited, we conversed with our waiter (using various languages), and my mother, daughter and I each felt so welcome at Moldova. Then, our main courses: 1. Chebureki. These are basically like meat pies or samosas. You can eat them as a hand-lunch and in Moscow they used to be on sale outside some of the metro stations (you could even eat it on the metro .. I hope that vendors still sell them!). Moldova's version was nicely spiced and fried without being greasy. My daughter rater her's 4.5/5 2. Chicken Tabak. Actually, a cornish hen was used in this preparation. My mother told me, verbatim, what to write: "I don't usually eat fried foods these days," she said *But this was very properly fried so that the skin is crispy and the dark meat was moist but not greasy. If you like crispy skin and dark meat, this will be tasty for you." 3. Chicken Kiev This was very nicely done. I detected a lot of garlic in the dish, which pleased me greatly, and also a hint of dill, which gave the dish a freshness. The breading was very crispy. Also, you can choose kasha as a side, as opposed to just potatoes or fries. 4.So, what was the all-star dish of the evening for us? The Khinkali, to be sure! As my mother said, "It's like a Chinese soup dumpling, only much better.The filling was well seasoned and the pastry was not to thick." Oh, by the way, don't eat the pastry "handle" - that button-shaped protrusion on the tops of your khinkali. It's meant to be a handle, and not eaten, which I learned when I lived in Georgia. However, if the pastry's good, I will sometimes eat the handles too! The combination of comforting food and truly considerate service certainly makes Moldova a top choice for an Eastern European meal Make no mistake though: Moldova does not specialize in innovative or fancy preparations, but serves the type of food that your Ukrainian/Romanian/Russian/ East-European babushka (grandma) would have made, if you were from that region, as the majority of the guests clearly were. So, in two words, it's authentic! Here's my advice if you want to give Moldova a try: do a bit of research about the type of cuisine before you go. If you have calibrated your taste buds to an Eastern European frequency, then Moldova is sure to be a pleasant experience!! Home-style Eastern European cooking with a flair for special dishes from other regions near Russia (such as khinkali from Georgia, and sometimes they have other specials too). I know that I'll be back! Moldova pleased three generations that night! My mother, my daughter and I left feeling comfortably full, with the added warmth that comes from polite and friendly service. read more

The only Slavic food place that has AMAZING food, great prices, great service and a convenient, clean and updated location !!! It's very hard to find all of the above - and I recommend this place to everyone. EVERYONE... read more

3.5 stars In a dark corner off Dufferin St. in North York lies Moldova an Eastern European restaurant serving authentic Russian, Moldavian, Romanian and Ukrainian cuisine. Inside it's dim, the windows have tints applied and have full length retractable blinds, from what I can distinguish (remember it's dim) the interior walls are light green in colour, there's tiled floors, a wrap around bar, lighting provided by ceiling dropped blown glass fixtures, wainscotting panels throughout, also noticed a 12" disco ball on the ceiling above. The space looks like it can be converted into a party room pretty easily. Music playing in the background was Russian pop. We decided on two entrees: 1. Chicken Breast Shishkebob with mash potatoes and coleslaw 2. Chicken Tabaka (Spicy, Marinated, Cornish Hen) with coleslaw It took the kitchen ~ 15 minutes to prepare. Upon initially tasting everything. it was all made to order. The food was served hot. The Chicken Breast Shishkebob pieces were large and ample, pieces were almost 2" squared in size. They were juicy and cooked very well. I would definitely come back to have this. Simple but good. Mashed potatoes were a smooth consistency with no lumps. The Chicken Tabaka dish was okay in comparison. The cornish hen is split into two whole pieces and is baked. Edges are crispy. I found the hen lacked flavour, but most disappointed of a lack of spiciness although it was mentioned in the menu that it was spicy. The coleslaw, (a side order we both had included with our entrees) was thinly shaved cabbage with a light dressing, it was crisp and complimented the meals very nicely. Service was fine in my books, my only interaction with our server was to order and to ask for the bill. A pretty straight forward affair, plates were cleared when we completed our meals and the bill presented in a timely manner. The experience we had was at Moldova was very good, especially liked the Chicken Shishkebob it was very flavorful, fresh and offered good value. We will be back to try more authentic Eastern European dishes. read more

Mediocre food, service is horrible. Got a borsh soup which was not fresh you can see it in the picture. Salad was not fresh eather, could smell that it was in the fridge for a LONG time. And in the end they gave us wrong bill! CHECK YOUR BILL! Never coming back! read more

Moldova Restaurant - Borsh was not fresh and discussing - Ukrainian Near Me - North York, Ontario

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Recently went back to try more of their options because of how much I loved the food and experience the first time. This time I tried the fried Georgian dumplings (fried khinkali). The ones I had were stuffed with lamb, but they also offered beef, cheese, and mushroom options. They were absolutely delicious: well seasoned, and cooked perfectly. The service was also just as friendly as before. This place is one of my new go-to's for sure! read more

Moldova Restaurant - Ukrainian Near Me - North York, Ontario

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Amazing! Great food and the service was impecable. I will recommend this to my friends for sure

Washrooms could be cleaner but overall pretty good! Try their 'Armenia' wine with pomegranate. It's divine! read more

Moldova Restaurant - Borsch, chicken soup zeama, avocado salad (more avocado please!), humus with pita (complimentary). Also ordered pork ribs with coleslaw - Ukrainian Near Me - North York, Ontario

My friend and I came in for lunch, and we've never had Eastern European food. We were both impressed! The portion sizes were large, and worth the price. I had the lamb shish kebab, it was tender and seasoned very well. The Georgian Dumplings my friend and I shared were my favourite part. I've never seen dumplings this large, and the flavour was incredible! Would come back just for those. read more

Moldova Restaurant - Georgian Dumplings were delicious - Ukrainian Near Me - North York, Ontario

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Wonderful Menu! Best Tripe Soup !!! Flavour was so good ! Great fast and friendly service with lots of parking. read more

Great place, delicious food, wonderful and warm atmosphere with great service. I had grilled Seabream and it was to die for. Loved this place. Will come again. read more

Moldova Restaurant - Lamb Chops were soooo good!!!!! - Ukrainian Near Me - North York, Ontario

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I have gone to this place five or six times so far, but only because my mother in law likes to have her birthday parties there for some reason -- I would never choose to go there on my own. The food is alright, but not delicious, with tacky music playing loud enough to be impossible to ignore. The service is quick, but unfriendly - the feeling is the the servers would rather be some place else on that day. The interior is also hard to say anything positive about. Overall, this is squarely a very average restaurant with prices just above average, and it has been that way for the last several years during which I have had the dubious pleasure of dining there. I have no idea why anyone would choose to go there of their own will. read more

There is very nostalgic atmosphere here. Back to the 80s. :) I would say it's a place with good food and not fancy interior. But I liked food there. It's simple rustic cuisine. It's been served quickly and hot. I will definitely return there. read more

First time trying Russian food and Moldova's food was delicious. We definitely plan to come back once in-door dining is available.

Terrible food, terrible service. They actually rounded up all our items on our bill and added a service charge they couldn't tell us about when the other couple we dined with inquired about it. Their exact words were "service charge is service charge". Our order: Borscht soup $4.95 Cabbage rolls $14.95 Beef trip soup $4.50 Meat pierogis $8.00 Our bill: Borscht soup $5 Cabbage rolls $15 Beef trip soup $5 Meat pierogis $8.00 Total : $32+ 13% tax + service charge = $40 My bf paid the bill before we even looked it over so they received $46. Eat at your own risk, food is extremely bland and covered with butter (the tripe soup had a huge buttery film at the top and the pierogis were swimming in butter) and they'll put bogus charges on your final bill. read more

Excellent - 5 stars. My friends and I ordered the Chicken Tabaka and kebobs. The food was delicious and we enjoyed our experience. I highly recommend it. read more

If you a frequent visitor at Russian restaurants, you would probably know that most of them around GTA are banquet halls where you make a reservation a week in advance. Or you go to Yummy Market to get take out. Moldova really fills in the niche of 'an authentic Russian to grad a bite to eat' and the only one that I know of in GTA. Of course the key word here is 'authentic'. The food in definitely Eastern European and not every Canadian may like it, but my Russian friends approve of the quality. The service is very honest. "We are here because you are paying us. Smiling is not included." Although, I never found the service to be rude in any way. read more

Authentic Russian and Moldavian food, prepared and served by very pleasant and professional people, always served hot and fast. I live in the area, and go there very often--either for lunch or romantic dinner. The atmosphere is very cozy, and relaxing. My favorite from the menu is a Fish soup, made from fresh salmon. and it is always outstanding! For summer time Okroshka is the best choice! Must try! I introduced Moldova Restaurant to my colleges, people from around the world, and since then we had several corporate events there. read more

This restaurant is by far has the best Russian food in the Russian community me being Russian myself but have called Canada Toronto my home for the past 26 years can say about this place that is the only place that brings back the memory of what my mother and my grandmother used to make back home in Russia and Ukraine to be exact When you going to be there make sure to order Ukrainian Borsch and chicken Tabaka, as well as many other Russian traditional dishes including fish dishes. Prices are normal in compare to the food that you're getting which is absolutely delicious! Yammy read more

Eastern European restaurant with good soups that your Slavic grandmother used to make. Every time I ate soup there it was good, salads are good, main entrees are great if you're into European food. As for me I don't enjoy them personally but my cl family did, like I said I only come here for soup. Prices are fair, waitresses are quick and friendly, always provide water with lemon, mint. Always see families, or bigger functions here always drinking and laughing loudly. Dim lights, good layout, feels like your family dining table. Drop by if you're missing European food. read more

You definitely should try out Moldova Restaurant if you want to have authentic moldovian-russian cuisine! I always go there with my friends and family and have the best food as well as the best service. Food is always fresh and the Moldova restaurant crew is always friendly and great location. Also you can celebrate birthday or corporative party there, just need to book in advance. read more

I`ve been there and what gives them these two stars is food. But the service is bad. I think they expect you to pay for a smile from the waitres cause you`re not gonna get one for free. And the worst is mandatory tipping plus they expect yuo to tip more just asking how much you`d like to tip. read more

I come to this place every now and then just because they serve good harcho soup. Everything else I tried didn't taste good to me. I agree with other reviewers about the service - it's very slow. read more

My husband and I went here recently as I'm east European and we don't come across these type of restaurants often. We had Moldovian golubtzi which are basically cabbage rolls but in grape leaves instead (they were ok) and we had Brizol Moldova which is veal schnitzel wrapped around canned mushrooms (very filling but again, just ok) The hit was a mildly spicy soup called Harcho. It was delicious. It was kind of paprika based but also had tomatoes, rice, vegetables, and beef.The service was very unfriendly, cold, and unprofessional. The washrooms stunk and did not seem clean. The waitresses could barely speak English. We will not be dining in to this place again, maybe take-out. read more

Recently had dinner with my friends at Moldova. Last time I was there 2 years ago. Noticed a positive change. The restaurant is now under new management. They added Georgian dishes to the menu. My favorite was Georgian dumplings with beef. Looking forward for more!!! The food and service was great!!! Now it is my number one choice for all kind of gatherings. The new updated website is great and informative. Keep it up!!! read more

Not the easiest to find if you're just drifting along Dufferin, but it's the kind of place that rewards the traveler with a piece of mind and home-style cooking from the eastern block. Ever wondered what it would be like to have a plate of authentic perogies, or mashed potatoes with chicken Kiev? Moldova is the place that easily unites three generations under its roof for a dinner - as it is common in eastern Europe. Feeling nolstagic? Welcome home. read more

WE held a baptism party at this restaurant. The food is excellant, and very well priced. The service was quick and efficient. Our guests were very happy with the food and atmosphere as we were as well. read more

Searching for a Romanian restaurant in Toronto, this was the only one that came up in google and the yellow pages, so we decided to check it out. We both had borscht to start, it was decent. My boyfriend had the mici and they were way too big and dry. I had the cabbage rolls, and although the flavouring was ok, the texture was extremely mushy. For a so-called Romanian restaurant, this was more of a Moldova/Ukrainian restaurant, and our server barely spoke English, and definitely no Romanian. The flavouring reflected it as well. On the other hand, if you speak russan you will do just fine. Definitely not going back, and we're not recommending it. read more

Great food, great service, pleasant atmosphere! The place looks very good after the renovations! Try their mamaliga, you won't regret it

Moldova is essentially specialized in Moldovan/Romanian cuisine, although on the menu there are also dishes that could be only called "Soviet" and which are generally popular with people who immigrated from all parts of the former Soviet Union. Some of these dishes are Russian, while others are originally from Caucasus or Central Asian countries. The core of the menu is definitely Moldovan/Romanian. From the soups, one should try the excellent "Zama", a tasty chicken soup that is offered in every Moldovan house or restaurant. I am Romanian, and this is the only place in Toronto where I can have an authentic and extremely well prepared "Ciorba de burta", a tripe soup ( more literally "gut soup") loved by every Romanian man and served not only all over Romania, but also all over the Balkan peninsula. It is a classic dish inherited from the Ottoman Turkish era: ikembe çorba. Made with chunks of beef stomach boiled slowly for 3 - 4 hours with some veggies, than finished with lots of garlic, sour cream, vinegar and spices. One almost always orders it with extra sour cream and a fresh hot green pepper. In Romania and Bulgaria tripe soup is everywhere - at restaurants, at pizzerias, at railway station quick food bars, at fancy shopping mall food courts. You simply can't feed Romanian or Bulgarian men if they have no chance to wolf down a bowl of cream o' stomach lining soup... Of Romanian/Moldovan typical traditional dishes I would also recommend the "mamaliga", a cornmeal porridge better known in its Italian version as polenta, which is served with sour cream and feta cheese, or as a side dish for just about everything. The restaurant cooks the mamaliga a little bit too thick for my taste, but it is still an authentic dish worth trying. The ubiquitous Romanian "mititei" is a traditional Romanian dish of grilled minced-meat rolls made of beef, which contain garlic, savory and a touch of of other spices. They are usually small, juicy, with a light and 'spongy' feel to them... definitely not dense,.and grilled rare to medium, never well done, to keep their juicy texture. Unfortunately, the texture and taste of the dish served at the restaurant weren't exactly there. The dish at the restaurant is made of two big pieces, each twice the size of the usual mititei. Although made of good quality beef, they are too dense and dry, and do not have the right flavours for the Romanian palate. Finally, I should also recommend the "sarmale",- the cabbage rolls so characteristic for the Moldovan and Romanian cuisine, served with a generous portion of sour cream and usually with mamaliga as a side dish. Moldova is a decent restaurant that has never disappointed me and my family. It can be best described as a Moldovan/Romanian restaurant with some popular Russian dishes. If I am not wrong, after so many Romanian restaurants opened and soon closed in Toronto, Moldova is currently the only restaurant in GTA which serves some Romanian cuisine. I would recommend it to the large Romanian community in town as the only place they can have a good ciorba de burta. read more

Quite a nice Russian/Eastern European restaurant with good portions and tasty dishes. Probably been there a dozen times. Often see familiar faces so obviously people go back and it's always a good sign. read more