I am still not understanding why it took me so long to come back to this restaurant. I was aware that there had been a change in ownership, but I wasn't expecting for the food to be that different from the past. When I just recently came here for a family dinner, I was utterly shocked. I was not expecting such amazing food. It has been awhile since my last visit and boy did this place change. Not only did we come on a perfect evening, when they had a live singer for another party, but everything that we ordered had the most gorgeous presentation and the most delicious taste. Since we came as a group, we decided to do share all the cold and hot appetizers. As for the main courses, we each ordered what we wanted. - Herring: Placed on top of some thinly sliced black bread with red onions and green onions sprinkled on top. - Beef Tongue: Sprinkled with dill and served with some red horseradish on the side. - Variety of Pickled Veggies: A must have when eating a Russian restaurant and drinking Vodka! - Meat Jello: A dish for those people that are ready to face quite an experience. Hard to explain the taste, as it's something that you just need to try. - Tongue Salad: Small chunks of beef tongue with green onion and tomatoes. This salad is dressed in mayo. - Greek Salad: Garden veggies with black olives and feta. This salad has a very sweet dressing, which I truly fell in love with. - Blintz with Salmon: Commonly eaten by opening up a blintz and filling it with salmon, red caviar, green onions/capers, and topping it all off with sour cream. That first cut along the blintz already has you ready for whats to come. -Home Style Fried Potatoes: As good as it gets. Crunchy outer layer, with a soft and buttery inside. For the hot appetizers we got the Manti, which are steamed dumplings with meat and we also had the Khachapuri Pie, which is cheesy goodness inside of doughy goodness. As for the main courses we each tried something different. There was the melt in your mouth rack of lamb, the soft and tender schnitzel, and the chicken tabaka, which was probably some of the juiciest chicken I've ever had. The main courses were served on some amazing wooden planks that made the entire food presentation experience superb. I was pleasantly surprised with my experience at this restaurant. We all had such a wonderful time that we ended up leaving after 4.5 hours. I can't say enough great things about this place. I'm still raving to everyone about my experience here. I now know where to take people who want to try some authentic and exquisite Russian foods! read more

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Yelp has it wrong. They arent closed. I work there sometimes playing music for banquets. They're actually open for private parties, but not as a daily diner. read more

Russian Renaissance Restaurant - Dmitry playing music for a party at Renaissance Restaurant a few months ago. - Russian Near Me - San Francisco, California

Whoa, whoa, whoa...HOLD UP. Real beef stroganoff isn't a pasta dish?! Damn you Hamburger Helper! I feel so deceived... Served with a scoop of mashed potatoes and mushroom sauce, Russian Renaissance's Beef Stroganoff ($12.90) may not have looked anything like the version I grew up eating, but it tasted so much better! The chunks of beef were nicely tender and flavorful, and the mushroom sauce was deliciously creamy. And while the way they were shoved into the mashed potatoes was odd (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/russian-renaissance-restaurant-san-francisco?select=OuJnyCRLx2jqQlWCl0fIxA#tlyqfjyGlAhT3Wr5hdcGkg), the mini pickles added a nice sourness and crunch to the dish. So good! And while we're at it...who knew there was such a thing as Georgian pizza? Well, other than people who have had it before (clearly not me). Oodles of cheese imported from Georgia, stuck between two layers of a baked, flaky pastry crust (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/russian-renaissance-restaurant-san-francisco?select=OuJnyCRLx2jqQlWCl0fIxA#eqOFSxNaaqQYu1dw1HcHVA). Lactose intolerant folks may want to shy away, but the mix of cheeses was so good! It may not ever replace the Italian kind, but definitely worth a shot if you love cheese. Although my whole belief system may have been shaken (not really), thanks Russian Renaissance for introducing me to the wonder that is authentic Beef Stroganoff (and Russian pop music). I knew I never should have listened to that talking hand in Hamburger Helper's commercials! Knowing my luck, now someone's going to tell me something ridiculous, like how real spaghetti doesn't include hot dogs. I mean, how crazy would that be? Wait...what? read more

Russian Renaissance Restaurant - Beef Stroganoff - Russian Near Me - San Francisco, California

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The service is great. Everything else really is disappointing. Given that this was my first time russian food, I tried to come in with an open mind. I wanted to like this place given the history and the generally positive reviews. However, everything we ordered was way too salty and oily. When I say everything I am not exaggerating. The the samsa was so heavy and oily that I was nearly full after eating one. The cachapurri was way way too oil, literally had my cholestrol and fat intake for a week. The pelemini was alright, still way oiler than the others that I had previously tried. The plov was disgusting, really low quality and would not recommnend. The borsch was ok- it didn't seem fresh. All in all I think this place is a pass. Even though there aren't an abundance of Russian Resturants in the bay area, I believe your time or be it party are better spent elsewhere. read more

We came here for a special occasion recently on a Monday night for a wedding celebration and it was very entertaining. Food and drink were abundant and the wedding couple reserved the entire restaurant for the special occasion. I would say there was about 60-70 guests attending. There were several varieties of Belgium beers, several different red and white wines on the table as well as Grey Goose vodka and champagne. The wedding couple knows how to party and the food was abundant! There was an array of food which I was not familiar with but I enjoyed the crab dip with chips, liver and mushrooms, roasted potatoes, roasted chicken, deli meats and a tasty fish. There were several other entrees that we were not familiar with but we tried to have an open mind. There was entertainment ranging from young contornists to traditional Mongolian music and dance as well as singers. It was a great fun. read more

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After two failed attempts to go to Russian Family Restaurant in San Bruno (the first because they didn't have any more openings, and the second because they were closed for a private party), we were disheartened and disgruntled. BUT WAIT, THERE IS A HAPPILY EVER AFTER. Enter Russian Renaissance Restaurant, thanks to Yelp. Sara P. and I headed over on a Sunday night, parked about 3 blocks away, and stuffed our faces. We split the borsch (this one had chicken? in addition to the cabbage), and I opted for the potato vareniki, which came with an awesome beef and cabbage stew on the bottom. Basically it was like a dumpling filled with mashed potatoes; I only wish they'd served this with a gravy like in stroganoff. Sara P. had the stuffed cabbage, and it was pork instead of beef. Also very delicious, though a little too sweet for me. What made it even better was the random Russian pop and rap music playing in the background. See, fairy tales do come true. read more

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Amazing food! Great service. The appetizers were delicious. Come here for a meal and you won't be disappointed! read more

Russian Renaissance Restaurant - Russian Near Me - San Francisco, California

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This place is suitable for a particular sub-genre of people so it makes it very difficult to give it a fair rating. If you have a party of at least 15 people this might be a new venture if you're sick and tired of the same ol burger booths. Be aware though that it's luxuriously priced and based on per head attending the venue. So, if you have somebody canceling on the prior night, you're stuck with paying for their meal courses. It's a fixed menu with primarily traditional Russian food but that's not really all that goes into the pricing here. I think that if you do belong to this sub-genre of people (and you already know if you do) then this place is great otherwise it's a decent risk to take but will make for one helluva story. read more

Russian Renaissance Restaurant - lamb and Ukraine style chicken - Russian Near Me - San Francisco, California

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This is a jewel and a secret place I've kept for a while not telling people afraid of crowds as a result of my magical words if I were to spread. Surely I don't have the power and it is a silly worry, but my point is that I wonder why this place doesn't seem to be busy whenever I passed by or were there. This place is very Russian. I mean if you have see "Eastern Promises" you know what I mean. It's decor displays the pride and nostalgic of the heyday of the pre-revolutionary Russian empire. If you missed the Chagall exhibition few years back in SF, you can always come here to see his work. The flower arrangement on each table seems to be their thing ever since the re-modeling, and it was exceptional on Valentine's day this year. Unfortunately, the entry is not sharp and as elegant as inside. I have a much better idea for it but another time. I'm not a Russian food gourmet, but I like most dishes I had there. The borsh has always been good, and the little complimentary pastry makes it perfect. I like their fish dishes and the basic side dishes, excellent sauces and nice presentations. You can see the cook takes pride preparing each one of them. However, the wine collection needs improvement. Liquor and cocktails are good though. You know, going to a restaurant like this is like a travel experience; not ever thing is great but some thing makes not-so-great-things tolerable. For example, some waitress were not good with English, but their friendly manner and beauty really could turn things around. Did I mention, some of them had really beautiful hand writing, a sign of well educated people, isn't it? Another one is the music, very interesting. Don't expect classical, but the types you can dance with. I think their regular customers must love to dance at the center of the restaurant. You can see that it is equiped for that kind of events. It will be interesting to see. ANyhow, for those who like Russian literature as well, you should come here to feel and experience who they are. read more

I was really craving some solid Russian food, particularly solyanka, so we circled and circled and circled Clement St. near Red Tavern. After about 10 minutes my raging hunger took over (that's what we call my major attitude when I don't eat) and we decided to just go somewhere else. I still wanted Russian, and hubs remembered Renaissance around the corner. Thankfully we found a spot a few blocks away and headed over. At first we weren't sure whether they were open to outsiders as it looks like a big banquet hall and it seemed like a large family was either coming or going. But the server (who was one of the most amazingly friendly and food-knowledgeable servers evah) assured us that we could sit down. The food was Ukrainian and Russian, alas, with no solyanka, but lots of other great-sounding dishes. We ordered the garlic dill potatoes, pickled herring on veggies, a house salad (which was a perfectly salted combination of cucumbers, red peppers, and tomatoes with dill), and the vareniki with beef stew. We were thinking of getting something else but our server told us that this was quite a bit of food. And she was right! The portions are massive! Everything was absolutely delicious and perfectly seasoned. The herring was soft and buttery and the tender beef went perfectly with the dumplings. There was also plenty to bring home for leftovers. And best of all: the bill was less than $40 (we didn't have any vodka). There are so many other things that I want to try on this menu. The friendly table next to us had the marinated tongue, which I almost ordered, and it looked incredible. The server also said that the sturgeon had just been caught that morning. And after reading the reviews here, I absolutely must try the Georgian pizza! I can't wait to come back. The only thing that would make this place better would be the addition of solyanka to the menu. :-) read more

My two roommates and I went to this restaurant to have a drink and celebrate my Ukrainian roommates birthday. We got charged $40 dollars for 3 drinks. Total. Two glasses of BV wine and a vodka/cranberry...that came in a martini glass (?). Here are my issues with this... A. BV is a $10-$15 BOTTLE of wine. Not $15 a glass. B. There was no Vodka in the "vodka"/cranberry. It was in a martini glass which means there definitely wasn't enough to cost $10! It was well vodka. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE!!! read more

It's sad when the customer service is deplorable and you don't even have to set foot in the place. I was planning on taking a group of friends here for dinner, so I sent an email to make dinner reservations as the website directed. A few days later I called to confirm the reservation. It rang for a long time, someone picked up and then hung up immediately after. After calling back again, I was able to leave a voice mail and asked them to call me back to confirm that they had a spot available. A week later, the day of the dinner arrives, we call to make sure that they got our reservation and then were told that the restaurant was not serving dinner that evening... If they had just emailed me back or picked up their phone, I might still be inclined to try the food there. But if they are so busy that they don't have the time to deal with their customers, they don't need our business anyways. read more

UPDATE: Georgian pizza is a baked flaky pastry crust + cheese the owner has shipped from her grandmother in Georgia. YUM! read more

This restaurant would be vastly improved by a single competent, knowledgeable server. Our young waiter was earnest and well-meaning, but completely oblivious to every aspect of the beer and wine selection. He had to make several trips into the back to determine if our beer selections could be filled. They could not. Not a single russian beer was in stock. Neither were many others. However, after each unsuccessful trip to the back, he would point out that they did, in fact, have Budweiser in stock. Super helpful. As others have noted, the decor and food are both excellent. read more

Great restaurant - spacious and comfortable high ceiling and plenty of Lights. Live music with a great hits. Service is great very polite and very accommodating. Food is wonderful fresh and really tasty. Shish kabob lamb fish freshly cooked. Not like other restaurants who preparing in advance a days ago or frozen and the reheat their food to serve. Birthday cake is outstanding and it is almost equal to Sherbet Bakery on Clement in San Francisco The owner Michael is very thorough and did everything to make my father 80th Birthday memorable for us and for entire family. We're definitely coming back. We think you very much for making such a great day for my father and it makes such a Great Celebration for us Yevgeny read more

I hosted an event for 60 people there this weekend and it has been an absolute pleasure - my guests had a blast. The food was delicious and over-flowing (Russian-style). Mark (owner) has been a pleasure to work with - incredibly professional and reliable (this is after another restaurant, Stroganoff, bailed on my event 5 days prior to it - avoid it at all costs)! Irina, who is the restaurant manager, is the life of the party - makes sure everything runs smoothly but also entertains the crowd. The music quality is one downside - I wished for a much better quality sound system, but hey, this is not a club. Overall, a fantastic experience & highly recommend. read more

This restaurant recently re-opened after a remodel (it's fairly big contrary to other review) and it's great. We went there the other night for dinner and experienced a lot of the menu and found the food to be delicious. We started out with the caviar sampler and vodka sampler which were wonderful. We also had the dumpling appetizer and borscht followed by beef stroganoff and the vegetable plate. We shared everything and were in agreement that we were VERY impressed. The prices are not bad at all and the service was fast , friendly and efficient. We have a baby and I think we would bring the baby for lunch but maybe not dinner - though I've asked and they're totally ok with bringing in a stroller for dinner. When we were there for dinner on a saturday, a family was having a birthday dinner for their 5 year old boy and they were all happy. We're definitely going again. :) read more

I'm not a conisseur of Russian Food per se but I work with people that bring it to potlucks and my friend had his wedding catered by this place so it was recommended that I check it out. My husband and I went there recently and weren't sure what to expect given the previous reviews of service and such. First off I liked the russian decor.. having never been and hoping to go to an 'authentic' restaurant it definitely made me feel like I was in one. Great vibe. On to the food! So even though I was interested in ordering the Schnitzel I played it safe and ordered the Duck Breast. My husband ordered the Rack of Lamb (next time we'll go the schnitzel and stroganoff route!). Both dishes were delicious! The meats were tender, well prepared and the sauce on the duck breast, yum! Gosh I'm hungry now and it's the middle of the work day! Oh and the service? Great! I was told the restaurant was under new management and based on the previous reviews and my current experience there I think it shows. 4 stars for now until I go back and try the schinitzel and the stroganoff. :) Then maybe they'll get another star. I'll update my review then. read more

I was there on Monday 8/11/14 to celebrate the life of my Boyfriends grandpa. They were closed on Monday but opened up the restaurant just to accommodate our group. I cant remember the lady's name who helped us- but she was super nice and super on top of it. I'm pretty sure her family owned the place. we ended up having like 10 more people than we thought and she set up extra place settings and brought out extra apps in a jiffy! The food was so good! and because I didn't speak Russian- she explained what every dish was. I really enjoyed every dish. the place was super nice and the staff was super nice. I definitely suggest going to this place if you like Russian food and VODKA! read more

Icono Clast 7/7/95 BR}Used to be a rather formal one in SF, on Geary I think, called the Russian }Renaissance. Don't know if it's still there. Yes, it is. Around Sixteenth or so. Same owner. It was a year or two old when I first went there following Nikita Khruschev's visit and their catering to him. That impressed me. So did the food my first dozen or so visits but I think it isn't as good now as it once was. --- * SLMR 2.1a #346 * Puff and keep on draggin' -- Mark Russell https://groups.google.com/d/msg/ba.food/0SFy0SCXy1k/qf0U9aW6fv4J read more

The decor was very cool, and while I'm no expert on Russia it "felt" right. The food was terrific, and the service fast and courteous. I was happy with the menu and felt there was an excellent selection of dishes to choose from. I'm giving the place 4 stars but if the food and service are this good next time I'll bump Russian Renaissance to 5 stars.. read more

Went here for dinner last friday night. Not sure why exactly but i thought it would be more dirty then it was. however, quite the contrary. The restaurant has truly a beautiful interior, very open and lovely. The food was quite nice, but the entree and borscht did definitely take some time to come out. The vodka list was quite long, but they didn't have the flavors i was hoping for (tarragon, dill, garlic...) the night we were there a family celebrating some sort of special event was also there and it made the experience even nicer for us. there was an eastern european singer/keyboardist belting out traditional sounding music and everyone was dancing, drinking, and eating. as mentioned, the food was good, just a long wait, and also our waiter seemed sort of odd. we didn't know if he was drunk, or that was just his way. read more

We came to eat as it seemed to us in this nice place.the order was waited for about 30 minutes ,the waiter did not smile once,the food was brought ,everything was cold ,the request to warm up was such a look ,as if they wanted to kill us,in the end they gathered and left .if you want to experience the whole "Russian service" for yourself, welcome read more

Love this place! The service is very friendly and the borsch is delicious! If you go on the right night there's live music and dancing and you may even see a keytar. read more

One of the best restaurants in San Francisco. Well know by us locals. Went on Saturday night with 9 to celebrate our son's birthday. An awesome time! The hosts are more like family than employees of a restaurant. We ordered a large array of appetizers to start. ALL were excellent. Do not forget the mixed veggy plate. It packed with goodies. The stroganoff and other beef dishes were stellar. The service top notch. By the time the large table next to us was up dancing around 10pm, the place really was fun. Super fun night. It can be hard to get them on the phone to make reservations. We stopped by in person and took care of that. read more

Food is delicious- we enjoyed our smoked fish appetizer, beef stroganoff and canbage rolls immensely Accompanied by sweet black tea and vodka shots and the wonderful suggestions and anecdotes of our server, Irene, we had a magical, cozy dinner read more

Russian Renaissance Restaurant - Awesome ambience! - Russian Near Me - San Francisco, California

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This place is a gem in a city full of restaurants. The atmosphere inside and the staff is so welcoming. They treat you as if you are family. The food is delicious. I had the lamb and it was some of the best lamb I've ever had. I can't wait for my next dinner here. I left so satisfy yet still wanting more because it was so good. read more

Best Russian food in San Francisco. Every plate is perfect. The customer service couldn't be any better. They make you feel like family. The food has so much flavor and thought put into every plate. Perfect perfect perfect. I would recommend to everyone!!! read more

I loved this place went back last Saturday June 30th 2018 wow food was extremely exluant. The service was super I really give this place a 110 percent if you want real Eastern European food this is the place. Stroganoff is real good piroshkis lamb. Desert all good check it out youl love it too i havent been there in years read more

I was invited to a private party here. It was great to be introduced to a myriad of delicious Russian food. Since the food was pre ordered, I can't really tell you what we had.of delicious russian food. It was like a buffet was placed on our table. Everything was delicious. I have to go back and see if I can pick out my favorites from the menu. Our server was pleasant and quite efficient. we were a rather large group. read more

Amazing Russian Cuisine. Came here for my brothers wedding and the food was on point. Irene made me feel like I was at home. The ambiance is amazing and the bartenders have everything you need. Will be coming back on my next visit to California. read more

I made a reservation weeks in advance since we were coming in from out of town (Opentable) . When we arrived the restaurant was closed for a private party. This taught me that online reservation apps are convenient but not reliable. We were on foot so it was really inconvenient. read more

Wow! What a find. We had a great experience eating here the other day. This was our first time eating russian food and did not know what to expect. The lady who served us was very helpful in guiding us theough the menu. For appetizers we had the small katchipuri which was filled with molten cheese in a puff pastry. We settled on the beef stroganoff and chicken cutlets which were excellent. This is not the hambuger helper beef strogonoff abomination that your mother would make you as a child. The beef was so tender and the mushroom cream sauce was put of this world. It was so good my husband wanted to lick the plate. We will definitely be back to try the dumplings. read more

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I'm glad I came to Russian Renaissance for dinner. I realized how much better Chinese food is. So I want to be honest. I did like one thing. When I went to the toilet, it was much cleaner than other restaurants. As for the food, I am Jewish, so I know good food when I taste it. I remember coming to this restaurant several years ago. It was much better. My nephew's Barv mitzvah. I ate very good Gefilte fish, cornish hens, and lamb shish kebab. The waiters during that time were more organized and professional. Everything is different now. I agree with fellow yelper Cameo W. that "place was a disaster of service". The taste of the fish, and chicken now is the same and overcooked. Don't go here. I RECOMMEND Katia's Russian Tea Room instead. read more

Ate here yesterday and have to say I'm impressed by this place. Being Russian I have eaten in my fare share of Russian restaurants; from cheapie cafes in Brighton beach to places where the bill would rival Morton's. I like this place; it's neither stuffy nor low class, which is always a risk you run when you go to get Russian food. Also, they obviously care, as my service was impeccable. I went with a friend who also speaks Russian and I made it very clean before we walked in that I did not want to let on that either of us spoke the language (Russians typically get worse service from Russians, ce'st la vie, as we Russians say). I ordered Borsch (as did my friend) and a bottle of Russian beer for an appetizer, and then I got a smoked fish assortment and a plate of herring with boiled potatoes and my friend got a kebab. There was a birthday party going on while we were there, just starting as we arrived, and boy did I feel underdressed in my shorts and sneakers. Everyone was wearing suits, some with tuxes, etc. perhaps because of this I was kind of anxious to eat and get out of there, but it didn't feel like too long a wait for our food. The borsht was good, not like my mama makes it, but you know, nothing ever is. The beer was cold, also not as good as my mom makes, but still. The fish was great and the potatoes were well boiled. The kebab was good too. Oh, the borsht came with a couple of tasty meat pierogies, which was a nice touch. The dcor was very nice, with what looked like Chagall paintings on the walls, lots of flowers and a cool looking bar in the bar. The prices were reasonable with it coming out to about 30 a person. All in all I would say I docked them a star, but this is no fault of theirs as I'm sure I would have been more relaxed were I wearing something more presentable. Four stars, all around. read more

A great place with superb service and great bar staff I loved the salmon in pastry, the potatoes, and especially the chicken salad which was over the top good. Something for every taste. read more

I had my birthday party in here, we had a party of three. We ordered bunch of appetizers and a grilled meat combo. I was surprised by the quality and a taste of a food. It was way better than i expected. Amazing food for a reasonable price.. I will totally recommend this place !!!! read more

The food is well-covered in past reviews, but a note about the service. I'm not sure if it was the waitress, a woman in her late 20s/early 30s, or it's a restaurant-wide thing, but this happened a few times during my dinner last night. I was out with a group of friends, and when one of them would order something that is less expensive on the menu, such as the veal shank ($18), the waitress would try pretty hard to push that person to get something more expensive, like the filet mignon ($30). Also, if you're out with a group, and you order one appetizer, the waitress might say to you that the appetizer is very small, and is only enough for one person, but stand your ground, because any appetizer is definitely enough for 3-4 people. The waitress will try a similar hard-sell if you're ordering wine or vodka. Also, for some of the things you order, the waitress will say that the restaurant is "out" of that item, but don't automatically get what the waitress recommends, which is sure to be more expensive. So, stay firm, and stick with your original choice, don't be pressured into getting the more expensive items if you don't want them. read more

A very good othentic Russian restaurant, loved the hering (salted fish) and the cabage crafted meat. Surprised that there was no vodka, which was explained due to high alcohol licensing costs. read more

Ive been to Russian Renaissance on numerous occasions for different events and had an amazing experience every time! The food is unique and absolutely delicious. Its fresh and flavorful. Definitely not the standard you can have anytime anywhere, with a great selection on the menus. Worth the drive to SF. The staff is friendly and accomodating. On weekends they often have live music or a dj that plays a variety of music genres (they even let us do karaoke lol). Overall, great restaurant. Highly recommend to try it. Its great for small intimate dinners or large parties. read more