Something happened to this place over the years. Maybe it hasn't kept up with the times or maybe they never ironed out the kinks. I used to come here often between 2004-2008. The food was always really delicious and fresh. The waiters have always been the same two men, like a bad cop and a good cop, and employed a bunch of flaky inconsistent and unnecessary hostesses. It's nice to see an old Russian grandma work her butt off to make good food in the kitchen, but I was just heartbroken to one day notice that my usually delicious borsch lacked freshness and flavour - I glanced into the kitchen and was horrified to see that they use the microwave for much of their food. BIG PROBLEM! The food lately has been hit and miss. The "bad cop" waiter has gotten significantly worse where before his b*tchy behavior was almost comical now is downright nasty and unwelcome. So to break it down: THE PROS mostly good food - try the sirnicki - yummy sweet cottage cheese pancakes the pelmeni and varenicki - dumplings with different fillings the fish - pick any - all good, with some buckwheat or potatoes kompot - really nice drink, but I wish they used much less sugar blini with caviar borsch soup THE CONS TV's everywhere! WTF!!! It is so distracting and not to mention rude - this is not a sports bar! This is by far the worst thing about this place Needs major overhaul on the very tacky and dusty interior design Get rid of the waiter! I realize he's been there since Stalin's regime, but enough is enough For all the love of all that is food, throw that disgusting microwave out - you are cheating your customers and you are being lazy with your food read more

We stopped here for an interesting late lunch after a day in the sun at Brighton Beach. As with most of the restaurants in the area, the menu is in both English and in Russian (many with rough translations), but we found this menu to be pretty manageable. We ordered the following: -Pickled Watermelon (definitely worth a try - quirky & refreshing) -Eggplant Caviar (garlicky eggplant spread, yum!) -Ukrainian Borscht (odd soup to eat in summer, but SOOO good! I'm definitely going to take a stab at making this beet soup come winter) -Potato Pelmeni (For the bf as they weren't vegan. He devoured them.) The service left a bit to be desired, but it may have been because it was clear we were not part of the Russian community. We didn't even see the waiter until after the table next to us (which arrived after us) already had drinks and soup. Once we order though, food and drinks came out quickly. Overall, a unique experience with some delicious food. read more

Oh my my is this place good! Every single thing we had made us just look at one another and smile and laugh because it was so tasty. In the heart of Little Russia Brighton Beach is this tiny place--not the fanciest place in the city, but the servers are all a little formal, which is kind of classy--offering up the most delicious Russian cuisine. I have to believe there is a Russian mother and grandmother overseeing the kitchen and smacking the hands of any cook who tries to take the slightest shortcut. We started with borscht and varenki, which are tearfully delicate dumplings filled with potatoes or cheese and topped with slivering ribbons of fried onions. Oh man. A bowl of these little nuggets of wonderful will make you happy for days. The borscht has to be one of the most perfectly seasoned bowls of soup I have ever tasted. The broth will heal any ailment you have. The vegetables are perfectly al dente. The flavor leaves you so sad to see it all gone. We followed that with stuffed cabbage and beef stroganoff. Both were served with creamy light delicious mashed potatoes. Seriously, if you could import the best home cook from the Ukraine into your own kitchen to make you comfort food to warm your heart and soul, this would be it. Because we saw so many other people ordering it, we asked for a glass cup of a red liquid with cherries floating so sweetly around the bottom. Delightful. I was amazed at the whole grilled trout propped up with skewers on a plate of what looked like grilled and fresh veggies. I'm getting that next time. read more

What an amazing find! My girlfriend, family and I (none of whom are Russian) took a 40 minute trip to Brighton Beach to go to the famous Gold Label Delicatessen (which had also gotten an excellent review) only to discover that there were no seats anywhere in the place. It's simply an excellent supermarket - but not a restaurant. I asked the woman working there for a good place to eat close by. She pointed across the street to this little diner/restaurant and mentioned that it was 'Very, very good" with great authority. Not wanting to argue with Russian woman about where to eat in Brighton Beach - I went inside with my girlfriend, her father and his wife. The menu is in both Russian and English so if you don't speak Russian you're in luck :) The food I would imagine is your basic Russian/Ukrainian diner fare but of the highest quality. This is some serious home cooked Russian food - not your usual diner quality. We started with the Ukrainian Borsht - a warm, vegetarian melange of beets, carrots, potatoes, dill and parsley. The beets give the soup it's sweetness and the blend of vegetables and seasonings is superb. A dollop of sour cream is also highly recommended. My girlfriend and I split the salmon kabob with kasha. It was perfectly cooked fish with deliciously warm kasha. Nothing groundbreaking here - but a good, solid meal for a decent price. They serve the fish with a strange brown syrup that tasted (according to my girlfriend) like melted sweet tarts. Apparently, it's Pomegranate syrup (could have fooled us). Try it with the fish if you want to fool your taste buds. The coffee gets a B + rating. Totally solid (which is always a pleasant surprise). The service was fast, the food delicious and the waiter knowledgeable and happy to answer questions to his clearly 'not Russian' guests. Another real treat was the Ukrainian bread which they bring out prior to the meal as well as a a delicious sour cherry preserve/syrup which they serve with tea. You can either spread it on the bread or simply pour it into your tea for some pleasant flavoring. My girlfriend liked it so much that she bought a jar of it for home at Gold Label across the street. Though the ambiance leaves a bit to be desired (unless you like Russian music videos and florescent lights) the food and price certainly makes it worth it! Highly recommended! read more

I travelled to Russian a few times, and this restaurant is probably the best small restaurant with great variety of popular food in Russia. Decent location and reasonable prices. read more

I never had Russian food and didn't know which place to eat. Of course I used Yelp to search for a place in Brighton Beach. I ordered the chicken stroganoff. I wanted to try the beef but I was on a budget..womp womp....it said it came with rice or fries. I thought stroganoff was a noodle dish so I was a bit confused. I also ordered the meat vareniki for my friend and I to share. He ordered some soup, I forgot the name but he knew of it because he is from Europe. When my dish came out it was just chicken in some cream sauce and fries...I thought, where are the noodles?!?!? Later that day I read up on wiki on what stroganoff really is. (Oooooooh, I see). The chicken stroganoff was good regardless and the meat vareniki was delicious with the (I think) fried caramelized onions. I ended up sharing my chicken plate with my friend. In the end we were both too full to finish the plate. Next time I will get it with the rice. Also, the tables on the sides had mini tv's in the wall with picture slides of their plates. I also wanted to know what the table to my left ordered but I was too shy to ask. read more

My American friend really wanted to try some homemade Russian food for the first time. After throughly researching Russian cafes on yelp, we decided to travel south to Brighton Beach. We came here on Saturday afternoon and were lucky enough to be sat at a table right upon arriving. Our attentive waiter handed us the menu that fortunately had the names of dishes in English, so my American friend was able to understand everything. We decided to order two bowls of Ukrainian borscht as a primary meal. The soups were brought to us in just a few minutes with the addition of sour cream, black bread, and a plate of pickles and sour cabbage. The borscht tasted exactly like the one my mother and grandmother prepare, which was absolutely savory and delicious! For the second course, I ordered zharkoe, a beef and potato stew, and my friend ordered crepes with caviar. Despite smaller portions, our meals were so filling that we didn't have any room for dessert! We quenched our thirst with hot tea with jam and a lemonade drink from Georgia. Although this cafe was crowded at the time we arrived and the tables were so small that my utensils fell to the floor, our Russian food experience was excellent! I recommend Oceanview Cafe to anyone wanting to try authentic Russian cuisine or those who want to be reminded of their homeland. read more

Best syrniki in the world! Very clean cafe with outstanding traditional Russian food. "C"- is my favorite breakfast and I can travel an hour or more from my house just to have them. They serve coffee latte with a very cute sugar candy. read more

First time eating at Oceanview Cafe. We all shared the Beef Stroganoff, Cheburek, Olivye, Eggplant Salad, and Farmer's Cheese Blintzes. We got food poisoning, my daughter vomited. Not coming back. read more

Always love coming here. Food is delicious, staff is very nice. The whole atmosphere is great. Love the pelmeni and vareniki. The Hering is great. read more

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Some of the best vareniki I've ever had in a strange and wonderful cafe. There's pictures of Nic Cage on the wall and a myriad of LCD screens showing the contents of the menu in pictorial form. The beers they have - the ones you've never heard - are excellent. The vodka measures are large. You'll carb out. It's a perfect late morning start to an afternoon spent exploring Coney Island read more

Oceanview Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

It's not the cheapest place around. It's pretty small. The staff could be more friendly. I don't care. This place is near my apartment, near the train, near the beach, delivers, makes good cappuccinos and awesome food. I've had everything from ceasar salad to shish kabobs to chocolate banana crepes here, and it was all delicious. One star off because about a month ago, I ordered an iced coffee and the waiter brought me a cup of hot coffee and a cup of ice. Thanks? read more

Borsch and a shot of vodka and shashlik as a main makes a perfect dinner! Very delicious

This cozy little spot has phenomenal food. We had amazing pan-fried liver cubes, vareniki with potatoes, and chicken and pork shish kebab with buckwheat. This restaurant is a hidden gem. Highly recommended if you're in the area! read more

We've been here a few times, and we keep coming back, so that's something. If you're at Coney for the day, it's well worth a walk from the beach to get some real Russian food. The good: - Kompote (tasty beverage) - The peroggis (under a different name on the menu) - The caviar bilinis - Reasonable prices - Fresh food The bad: - Slow service. Friendly, but slow. - Tight dining room. Never too busy, but it was, it would be uncomfortable. The strange: - Russian music videos playing dance hits on TVs - The waiter was very into mounting two vases of fake flowers on the wall when we were there. He admired his handy-work from every corner of the restaurant, and then pruned the fake flowers with a scissors. Good show. - Pickled watermelon. We didn't try it, but we saw someone else get it so we know it exists. read more

If you are looking for something super tasty and right off the train and close to the beach this is a fantastic option! I popped in while in the neighborhood for lunch. I agree with previous reviewers...the joint looks like a crappy diner but there were way too many people eating there at 2:30 on a quiet wednesday afternoon for the food to suck. I sat down they have a long list of soups which are all surprisingly expensive to be honest. I thought they would be big bowls but they are not, it is $6.oo for a regular sized bowl of soup-- but completely worth it. I ordered "green borscht" which the waiter told me is actually schav which is a summer soup with sorrel-- absolutely delicious! and pelmini, which were no less than FANTASTIC with the most perfectly caramelized golden candy sweet onion threads I have ever experienced, they truly elevated the dish to ambrosial heights! Trust, i don't use the term "ambrosial" (ever) lightly. I will definitely be back because I really need to have the pelmini again, i believe the other reviewer (despite not having had many pelmini in my life) that these may be the best around. That was all I sampled but I will happily return again. read more

I came here after an entire day of exploring Manhattan Beach, Brighton Avenue and so on. I am currently writing a blog where I am trying out different lifestyles: gluten free, vegan, raw etc. while exploring different neighborhoods. Because my gluten free month was just over, I splurged on some Russian pelmeni! I have to say, being lactose intolerant, my stomach hurt like hell after the buttery sauce, but it was worth it! And I even found recipes online afterwards, that allow you to cook vegan pelmeni: http://www.indiadivine.org/audarya/vegetarian-forum/1136341-vegan-pelmeni.html All in all, I highly recommend the oceanview cafe. Friendly and fast service, fair priced tasty food. What else do you want? Oh and by the way... it would have been easy to eat gluten free here. Lots of meat and potatoes! I was just dying to try the pelmeni. But I could have easily eaten gluten free. read more

Amazing food, great service and low-key, relaxed atmosphere. The vareniki were delicious as was the borscht. Attentive service and wonderful food. read more

I love this place. Even they say their Borscht is vegetarian, you will never realize this, because it is so delicious! The idea of serving tea with a small jam on side reminds me summers in countryside back to Russia. Wonderful! Our lunch on The Victory Day we will be having here! P.S: Prices are very very reasonable! read more

this is hidden gem. shhhhh. it has the best of international food with Asian twist. We ordered, for appetizer fried calamari and crapes with caviar(might have been salmon) the sweet of the crapes with the salty of caviar was good. The shish kabab was good. I had the cornish hen with mash potatoes For desert crapes with berries, very yummy. It was not crowded which was good, we had time to enjoy food and not be rushed. It's super casual so after the walk on boadwalk , can make a pit stop here. read more

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This was our fist time eating in the Oceanview Cafe, but we've gotten take out from then many times. The food has always been fresh and tasty. This time the food was excellent as well, but we also experienced the thoughtful and attentive service. A perfect place for a delicious low key, casual lunch or dinner. read more

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Came here on a busy Sunday for two person. We were seated immediately. The place is small but the food was amazing. We had several appetizers, we liked the meat dumplings the most. The entrees are big portions, I got the beef stroganoff. I'm giving 3 stars because they included 10% tips on our check for just two people. We gave extra tips anyways because the food was worth it. However, I don't appreciate the mandatory gratuity. read more

Loved the food! Things I tried and liked, and would want again (Pardon my forgetful mind): 1. Borshct soup. 2. Another soup which had lamb in it. Was supposed to be a bit spicy. Amazing taste. 3. Their Salad that comes with mashed boiled eggs 4. I had many other things, I really liked all of them. Things I could pass on, not because they're bad, but because they are commonly found: 1. Chicken skewers (kabobs? Forgot) and beef skewers There were 2 servers, a pretty girl and a guy. Both were good in attending the customers. read more

We really liked this place. Small, simple, and authentic. Food was really good, and the service was attentive. Huge portion of what taste like home made food. We had the dumpling (delicious), home potatoes, branzino, beef stroganoff, calamari, and mushroom julienne. Everything was great, except the calamari that were uncooked. We told the waiter and they remove them from the bill, which was nice of them. read more

Oceanview Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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Rated, one of the places to visit in the New York Mag special Brighton Beach, we passed by the place without stopping during our last 2 trips. This time we made the trip just to have lunch there. I am now planning on going back again as soon as I can! We started with some Lobster bisque and split pea soup on a cool Sunday morning. Both soups were hearty and the corn in the bisque was a nice surprise. Then I ordered their Beef Strogonoff while my companions settled for Caviar Blintz and Schnitzels. The Schnitzels were not the German type but Ukrainian with a mix of ground beef & chicken breaded and fried. The impressions were mixed on them. The mash potatoes side was smooth and delicious though (but I'll get back to that in an instant). The blintz were DIY, with some red caviar and sour cream in abundance. There were really fresh. Finally the Beef Strogonoff... Oh boy was it good. The meat was tender, the sauce was creamy and the mashed potatoes where just the best side to complete this meal. I am actually salivating just remembering how good it was. $4 Baltika (#3) to complete the meal. fast no thrill service and a really low check at the end of the meal make Oceanview Cafe a pillar of Brighton Beach in my opinion. read more

We know homemade Russian food. This place rocks. The stuffed cabbage tastes homemade. The kebabs had by my dining partners were met with an "Ummm" as they entered their mouths. The cherry compote made for a nice light drink at the end of the meal. The borscht was great (we had the green borscht). The atmosphere isn't fancy, but it is clean and the wait staff is attentive. Near the attractions of Brighton Beach and Coney Island, and we were able to park nearby on a busy weekend day! If you want REAL Russian food, give it a try! read more

Great food for reasonable prices! My friends and i went there after going to the beach because wr found the place on yelp. My favorites were the avocado salad, the meat vareniki, and the Ukrainian borscht! The people were friendly and they had pictures of their food displayed on the wall so you see the pictures of what's on the menu! read more

Smetana is so good! Varenikiiiiiii and hleb! Oh and pelemeniiiii. Every bite of this food takes you to Narnia. And the waiters are so freaking nice. Love everything about this place. read more

Great food, great service, good beer. What more would you want?... Had the calamari, Ukrainian borscht, beef Stroganoff, and Ukrainian beer (Obolon). All were great. I will have to come back and try the more traditional foods. The service is very nice, prompt, attentive and gracious. The place is nice and clean. Relatively simple, you wouldn't necessarily come here for the atmosphere. read more

first time having russian food and idk what i expected but this exceeded it!! food was exceptional, hearty and flavorful, huge portions, quick service. can highly recommend the stuffed cabbage and beef stroganoff. my dad really enjoyed the potato and mushroom vareniki too read more

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I am a fan!!! Really good cafe and good Russian food. Try their borsht (the only minus that it is without meat), vareniki (dumplings), blinis with meat and their beef stroganoff! Awesome! read more

meat for dumplings began to be made worse. constantly come across cartilage and rather big bones

Just had a great brunch with my husband and our four year old on a hot Saturday morning. The outdoor seating is appropriately spaced, staff are all wearing masks and the food was very fresh, timely and well prepared. We had lox to start, which was served with fresh bread, tomatoes, olives and scallions. Brunch included a few small plates of perogies, eggs, and cheese pancakes along with sparking mineral water and juice. We will definitely be back and maybe for even for dinner sometime! read more

Wonderful hidden gem, authentic Russian food and great service. I came here with a large family group and our servers did a great job being patient with all of our requests. Possibly the best Russian food I've ever had- blitzes, perogies, borscht all fantastic. Highly recommend the pickled watermelon and Russian chocolate cake. Cafe is small but intimate and nicely maintained. read more

We came here for lunch on a Sunday at the end of winter, after taking note of the place during one of my trips out to Brighton at the end of last summer. We enjoyed our lunch. The menu is varied, the selections are authentic and prepared with skill and care. The surroundings and ambience are organized and relaxed and the restaurant is very clean. The service was kind, unobtrusive and professional. We enjoyed the food very much and I look forward to returning here when I am next in the area and I am sure I will enjoy trying additional dishes. read more

Real Russian food. Good prices and delicious kompot. If you plan to pay with card ask beforehand. read more

This is by far some of the best Traditional Russian Food i have experienced in my life time. Fast service, A+++++ Food & Great Prices. Lord of War w. Nicolas Cage was shot at the Restaurant a few years back. P.S - Amazing Kebobs, Soups are 5 STAR. Don't Pass this Place Bye read more

If you like good homemade food - this is it!! Going there every time I aa in Brooklyn. Perfect food, quiet place, good service. read more

Very good surprise after a day at the beach! The stuffed cabbage was delicious! I highly recommend this place!

Outstanding restaurant. Authentic Russian food -- a majority of the patrons are ethnic Russians. The borscht and the blintzes are particularly good. read more