We came here on a whim because we couldn't decide what we wanted to eat, and boy, was this a great decision! The waitstaff were all so sweet and kind, and we had such a wonderful experience from start to finish. We sat outside with my dog, and it was the perfect day for a lovely meal. Upon walking into the restaurant, you're greeted by a beautiful, intricate mural that makes the space feel so warm and inviting. Between the charming ambiance and the lovely outdoor seating, it was such a nice place to spend the afternoon. We both ordered mimosas, which absolutely hit the spot and were a perfect way to start the meal! Next, we got the potato pancake, which is never a bad decision. This one was particularly flavorful, and dipping it in sour cream made it even better. We also ordered the chicken and mushroom varenyky. I didn't have particularly high hopes for this dish, but oh man, it did NOT disappoint! It was SO FLAVORFUL and stuffed full of mushrooms, chicken, and cheese. I will absolutely be ordering this again on my next visit. We followed that with the serniki, which were so light and refreshing, before finishing with the honey cake. All those layers of cake and cream were absolutely delicious! We didn't eat a single bad thing, and between the delicious food, welcoming service, and beautiful atmosphere, I can't wait to come back and try more of their menu! read more

Ruta Ukrainian Restaurant - Serniki - Ukrainian Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Ruta is a great spot on Barracks Row. Friendly service and great Ukrainian food. The highlight of my meal was the summer borscht, served chilled. The creamy dill base was exceptional, and paired well with the tiny diced beets. We also had chicken kyiv and beef stroganoff, which were very good entrees. To finish things off, I got a piece of honey cake to go. Don't skip dessert. This was excellent! read more

Review is for the weekend brunch. Food is good, service and ambience are warm. The kind of sunny place you can sit for hours, enjoy food and drink at leisure without loud music or interruptions. Assortment of Varenyky--5/5 the cabbage ones are the best Deruny/potato pancakes--5/5 Honey Cake--5/5, lightly sweet with distinct multiple layers Kyiv Cake--6/5, chewy meringue and chocolate are similar to the french Marjolaine, nothing is too dense or sweet, just how an end of meal dessert should be. Night on Ivana Kupala--5/5, Triple sec overpowers the Horilka just a tad but still good Drunk Cherry--6/5, this is where the Horilka really shines through with the cherry complementing it. read more

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Cute outdoor patio. Wait staff was a little busy and it took a while to get their attention. Ordered the pistachio salmon and it was unfortunately the size of two of my fingers and dry. Would go back to try a different dish but definitely wouldn't order this one again. Would say 3 stars but giving the benefit of the doubt. read more

Ruta Ukrainian Restaurant - Ukrainian Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Ruta is always solid. I wouldn't say it's the most outstanding place, but it performs well. The chicken crepe and chicken varenyky were good. The potato pancakes are a bit too greasy and crispy for our tastes. The mango and passion fruit mocktail was really tasty and everyone always loves the flag colored drink! read more

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Stopped by after checking out the farmers market at Eastern Market yesterday. Had some vegetarian options which was one of the reasons why we stopped. I tried the Ukrainian breakfast and my daughter had cabbage rolls and a non alcoholic drink. Server was very friendly and really liked the decor read more

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Had a lovely dinner here. Everything was on point- the food, the decor and the service. We had an assortment of dishes such as varenyky (Ukranian dumplings), sea bass, and the kid's lokshyna (pasta with cheese). No complaints from anyone at our table! My sea bass was perfectly cooked and I loved that it was cooked en papillote. The drinks were good as well. The little one had a house made berry drink and the kvas I had went well with our meal. We ended the meal with some honey cake and it was the perfect way to finish the evening. I'd definitely go back if I were in the area again. read more

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The place looks nice in the inside, I wanted to try an iced latte but I was informed that they to not have a to go system by the young lady while she just sipped on her iced coffee. read more

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OH MY GOD! Our soup club came here and had the most delicious soup, yum! I didnt know what to expect, but I was blown away by the taste of the food. Our server was very knowledgeable about the menu and helped me to avoid gluten. I will definitely be coming back to have soup but everything I saw looked good so will definitely try more next time. read more

I love Ukrainians and I love Ukrainian food so I want to encourage everyone to try this place! That said, their borsch was too sweet. I suspect tomato paste to deepen the red color instead of added beet juice. Got a Lviv 1715 beer which was a nice touch! Well priced. read more

Ruta Ukrainian Restaurant - Ukrainian Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Our recent visit to Ruta was a pleasure and a surprise. The staff was the best, all were friendly and took the time to answer my questions due to my limited experience with Ukrainian food and drink. So many interesting dishes to explore, beautiful decor reflecting the proud Ukrainian culture. Highly recommended. read more

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For a special occasion, we went to their Bethesda, MD restaurant location because we heard it has better acoustics compared to the DC location. We loved the art on the walls and casual atmosphere. The waitress was very knowledgeable about the menu and the service was fast. Their menu offers plenty of meat-lovers and vegetarian options. All the dishes were made exactly as described. Although I really liked the flavor of the chilled Borsch soup, I prefer a thicker broth with more vegetables for texture. Their dumplings (Ukrainian varenyky aka Polish pierogie) were great. The large mushroom cabbage rolls (holubtsi) were excellent. (My husband and daughter loved them so much that they ordered and shared a second plate.) All the cocktails were delicious. I particularly loved the Drunken Cherry which had a surprising cinnamon flavor. For dessert, we ordered the apple strudel, cherry dumplings, honey cake, and farmer's cheese pancakes (syrnyky). Their honey cake was delicious and we could taste why it won an award. We will return. read more

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We loved this restaurant! Great food, borscht with pampushka was my favorite We also ordered meat holybtsi and assortment of varenyki - everything came out delicious. The customer service was great as well. Everyone was very friendly. We will be back read more

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Outstanding food and outstanding service! And all in a cute and nice space. The menus are limited in the sense there are only a few offerings. But all those offerings are delicious. Challenge yourself and try some new things. Can't say enough about how lovely the staff are. We had a truly wonderful brunch experience here. read more

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Came here twice - once for brunch and once for dinner, and both experiences felt very authentic. For dinner, I recommend chicken Kiev and the vareniki sampler. The winter special of turkey vareniki was our favorite. For dessert, we tried the cherry vareniki. All were great! For brunch, I recommend the syrniki and blintzes with farmers cheese. They are on the sweeter side so be prepared for dessert for breakfast! The interior has classic Ukrainian memorabilia and design. Very cute! Service was great. The staff enjoy working there and you can tell value community. read more

I had dinner at Ruta Ukrainian Restaurant last Sunday when I was in DC for the day. It was a bit of a mixed bag. I love Ukrainian and Eastern European food, so I was thrilled to hear about the DMV's first Ukrainian restaurant (they have two locations - one in DC and one in Bethesda). I had a reservation for an early dinner and was seated immediately when I arrived (at a great table in the window, but there is also lots of outside seating if you prefer). I love their menu; there was so much to choose from (borscht, green borscht, Odessa forshmak, dumplings...), but I ordered their Tsvikli (horseradish beet salad) and their Beef Stroganoff (with buckwheat and mushrooms). The beet salad was simple and delicious (something you want to share with others or have as a side - it's not a entree salad!). The Beef Stroganoff was good - I loved that it was served with kasha/buckwheat rather than noodles and the sauce was delicious - but the beef definitely could have been more tender and they could have been a bit more generous with it. I took an order of Cherry Varenyky home for dessert, and it was also good. My biggest issue was unfortunately service-related. The service was friendly, but I think they were understaffed. Ultimately, I had to do that bad mannered wave to get my server's attention to get the check and then I had to take the check up to the hostess stand to pay up there, because she got too busy and didn't come back. I had told her I had a train to catch when I asked for the check, but she definitely was busy with many tables inside and out. The restaurant is beautiful, and I wanted to love it - because I really do love Ukrainian food. I'd happily give it another shot, but this first visit was just okay. Their menu is drool-worthy, though. Check it out if you're as into Ukrainian food as me. read more

We made a reservation for early lunch. Early is the time to go! We practically had the place to ourselves and were delighted to see others heading in as we heading out. Our meal was great. Fish and chips ruled the day. Dessert was as tasty as the presentation looks. This place is a gem. The place is well appointed and exudes a nice style. read more

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Eastern European food is usually a miss for me, but Ruta came through! The Varenyky was absolutely fantastic and full of fresh ingredients. The Pickled Herring on rye bread was also decent and the best I've had in the states so far. Our server was attentive and friendly, and the atmosphere was lively yet quiet enough for easy conversation. read more

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This was my first time trying Ukrainian cuisine. It was very tasty! We shared a couple of things from the brunch menu and they were all excellent. The bartender was friendly and made some recommendations for classic Ukrainian drinks and they were lovely. We took home a piece of honey cake for later and it was very good! The place was clean, the food was great and the service was friendly and efficient! read more

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I was very happy to find this restaurant. 1. Reservation: A must! This establishment is small (see picture) and you want to make sure you have one by reserving by calling them or through their own website only. Opentable, resy, yelp etc all do NOT work! 2. Food: 4.5 /5 Borscht: very good, delicious, has lots of beef Vareniki: I was not fond of it, It had this animal fat taste, which I really could not get over. Normally this is my favorite food, but not in this restaurant Beef tongue: It is wrapped in a crepe (blini) and very small amount. I assumed it would be like all other russian places: slices beef tongue. It wasn't. tasted good but hardly any. Luckily the blini is good 3. Drinks: 4/5 Strong! They use Ukrainian vodka as base and it is quite unique. The one I had jam in it and do not recommend. It is like you dropped your jam by mistake and does not go well. I drank it anyway Martini: good 4. Service: 4/5 we were seated at the bar after waiting for 20 mins although there were enough tables empty. This made no sense to me. Bartender was our server in a sense that he took our order. Can't really speak of service considering there was no specific waiter going back and forth. I still like this place and like the fact that we have a different cuisine we can try and adding variety to the DC food scene. read more

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We decided to do our own neighbourhood food crawl around eastern market and found this place while exploring the area. It was my first time trying Ukrainian food and I enjoyed it! We got the varenyky dumpling sampler (favorite was the chicken) and the holubtsi (cabbage rolls stuffed with meat). read more

Ruta Ukrainian Restaurant - 4 Varenyky - Ukrainian Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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This place nearly brought tears to my eyes. I haven't been back to Ukraine in almost 20 years and this was everything I dreamed. I got the salo, which was sliced perfectly and served on thin rye bread. I also go the varenyki which were divine. My favorite though had to be the borscht. It was seasoned perfectly and served with sour cream and bread, just like I remembered. If you like Ukrainian food, this place is home. read more

Three strikes in just one month -- and I'm officially done with Ruta. First visit: my steak was completely overcooked. Not medium, not medium-well -- just dry and rubbery. Second time: the manager personally promised to send me the catering menu for my housewarming party. I was ready to give them real business -- but they never followed through. No email, no call, nothing. And today? They brought out a dessert by literally tossing a small plate into a bigger one like it was cafeteria service. No care, no presentation, no pride. Three failures in one month -- that says a lot about how much they value their customers. You better start taking your customer service seriously and learn to appreciate loyal clients with the respect they deserve. Because right now? It's not just disappointing -- it's embarrassing. read more

Ruta Ukrainian Restaurant - Ukrainian Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Amazing. I loved coming to Ruta. It's a smaller sized restaurant but the menu and vibes were immaculate. The food was so good and filling, while being presented so well. Our waitress was very kind and gave us such great recommendations. I would definitely recommend the pierogis and dessert!! The cake was so so good and the cherry strudel was one of the best desserts I've had this year. read more

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This is my favorite Ukrainian restaurant in D.C.! Everything we tried was delicious, but the Ukrainian Burrata Salad was my fav... it was fresh, flavorful, and perfectly balanced. I'm currently obsessed with beets and theirs were absolutely perfect. Our server, Anastasia, was wonderful and so attentive, and I loved how authentic the atmosphere felt. It seemed like the entire staff was Ukrainian, which made the experience even more special. It's also in the cutest area to walk around and on weekends for Eastern Market. read more

Ruta Ukrainian Restaurant - Ukrainian Burrata Beet salad - Ukrainian Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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This place is fabulous! It was too hot to be on the patio so we sat inside, but once we cooled down I kind of wished we were outside with the puppies and people watching! We came for brunch on a Saturday and it was busy but not packed. The service was great and the food was amazing and presented so well. I would definitely come back for brunch but really want to come for lunch or dinner now! read more

Ruta Ukrainian Restaurant - Syrnyky - Ukrainian Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Service was good. I ordered the ribs. They were very good. BUT, they came as two slabs that were very difficult to cut and eat with the knife they provided. I ended up using my hands, but was terrified of getting sauce and ribs on my white pants. They should have provided a sharp knife, or cut the ribs for me. And, some wet naps afterward would have helped clean my face and hands. read more

This spot is a gem in DC! I was checking out the Library of Congress and noticed this location was ~20 min away by walking. Given how great DC is as a walking city, I took the opportunity to walk over - also I was enticed by the fact that I wanted to try Ukranian cuisine for the first time! Ruta is the first Ukranian restaurant to open in DC, and I was excited to dine right in. I wanted to eat as much as my stomach could allow. I started with a small order of potato dumplings (4 pieces), and my goodness, it's as delicious as one could imagine. The dumplings were light and flavorful, and the cream complimented the dumplings so well. My only regret is not ordering more, but I blame my stomach for not being able to eat more! I then opted to order some pasta (Lokshyna) for my main entree. The pasta had the right chew with every bite. The sauce was incredibly creamy and rich throughout. I was stuffed after eating this, which is unfortunate because I had my eye on the honey cake (next time, if I'm back in DC!). The staff was friendly throughout and made this experience absolutely worthwhile! If you find yourself in DC and wanting to try Ukranian cuisine, this is the spot to go! read more

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I really like the place and the customer service was great. It's very homey and great food for a cold night. I do think the prices are a little bit on the high side for the portions, but that might be just Washington DC. it is a small restaurant so I recommend reservations. read more

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Started off with great drinks. Mine had grapefruit juice and was very tasty. We got the appetizer varenyky assortment. The waiter said they were similar to pierogis and he was correct. They were good but will try something different next time. I got the chicken Kiev and it was delicious- very buttery. My friend got the Meat Holubsi and really enjoyed it. The honey cake for dessert was perfect. It was light and moist. read more

FYI, Ruta uses the Toast platform to book reservations. The atmosphere is casual with an old school restaurant style decor with Ukrainian paintings on the walls and the TV on a loop of Ukrainian landscapes. The food was excellent, and don't be afraid of trying this cuisine, because I think the flavors and spices are very familiar. We started with an assortment of Ukrainian dumplings (4 flavors: short rib, potato, sauerkraut, and my least favorite the buffalo chicken) , which are not too different from pierogies. We ordered the Tsvikli next, which is a cold dish of shredded beet with horseradish (gives it a nice kick), and good for getting in your vegetables. For entrees, I had the meat holubtsi, which brought to my mind meatballs in marinara sauce... it was an ultimate comfort food for me! My husband had the beef stroganoff (which, again, can be a familiar dish to some people). We finished off with delicious honey cake! I have an Ukrainian friend, and I would come back and take her here. read more

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Anastasia provided highly professional service, the ambiance was intimate but casual, and the food was outstanding! Delicious beef tartar and meat holubtsi (cabbage roll). The sauces were unique and tasty. Since it was anniversary, we shared a piece of honey cake (it was enough for two). I don't like cake...until I tried this honey cake. Loved it. read more

Ruta Ukrainian Restaurant - Meat holubtsi - Ukrainian Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Wandered in here for dinner on a cold night and glad we finally did. The place was fairly empty on a Friday night so we did not need a reservation. My husband and I shared an order of 8 varenyky (or pierogi as my Polish fam would call them) and the Lokshyna. We ended up with just the potato varenyky, which we enjoyed but not the best I have ever had (if you're in the neighborhood there is a polish pierogi stand on the weekend that kills it) - they weren't the most flavorful and I prefer them to be fried than just boiled. The Lokshyna, a dish I had never had before, was what stole the show - the past was delightfully thick which some delicious mushrooms and it just really hit the spot on a cold evening. read more

Food - 4/5 Service - 5/5 Ambiance - 5/5 Price - 4/5 Service was phenomenal, and the staff were so friendly, helping us guide what to eat. The spot is on Capitol Hill's Eastern Market and had a surprisingly short wait, so a group of 6 of us stopped by. The food is regularly portioned but a little overpriced. I also didn't find the brunch to be particularly Ukrainian (more so middle eastern influenced). However the ambiance and service were perfect. The interior is beautiful, spacious, and modern. The staff were also extremely friendly. read more

Solid service, OK food, overpriced even by DC standards, mixed ambiance. Other than being seated a few minutes after my friend and I scheduled a reservation, our service was fine. The restaurant is decorated with Ukrainian artwork, which included a picture of what appeared to be Cossack. While in Ukraine Cossacks are a core part of the national identity, Cossack soldiers committed many horrible massacres and pogroms well into the 20th century, and it was quite uncomfortable to have that portrait looking over our table. My friend and I each got our own borsch, which was the best dish of the evening by far. Although pricey at $14, the borsch with the pampushka was large, filling, and could be eaten as a meal by itself. The pampushka was a nice accompaniment, although not particularly tasty on its own. The borsch was flavorful, with lots of beets and onions. There could have been more beef, although the pieces that were there were well-cooked and tasty. My friend and I shared the varenyky (dumplings) assortment, which were a mixed bag. The beef and sauerkraut varenyky were very good, while the potato varenyky tasted like it came out of a mix and the chicken varenyky were bland. My friend and I also shared the vegetarian stuffed cabbage, which was extremely salty, although hearty. Ruta is worth coming for the borsch and a drink but I would go elsewhere for the other dishes. read more

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Excellent service, super friendly waitstaff, and super yummy food. Highly recommend!

I saw that DC was opening its first ukrainian restaurant and I knew I had to visit on my next trip. I believe it just opened about a month ago and I was able to reserve one of the last reservations for the weekend online for myself and a friend. I am not sure how easy it is to walk in, but they did seem to have a few open tables. Currently they offer both patio and inside seating! I opted to sit outside because it wasn't too hot, but the inside was nicely decorated with Ukrainian art. Overall, the service was very nice. They seem to have an all bilingual (Ukrainian and English) staff which was cool to see! Food was better than I anticipated! I was able to try the varenyky, holobtsi and vegetarian banosh + the patriot cocktail. Overall the food was very delicious. Everything was super flavorful, and plated very beautifully. It def felt like it was catering toward a fancier restaurant experience! If you have to order one thing, I think it's always a must to get the varenyky (ukrainian perogis). I loved how they had unique flavors besides potato too. My only negative- The prices were a lot more expensive than expected. Especially when you consider how small the portion sizes are. Maybe it's because I'm not used to the DC food prices, but just something to keep in mind. I would probably only come back on special occasions personally. read more

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Took my mother in law for brunch and it was fantastic. Great service and delicious food. Definitely recommend

Service was terrific. Fun ambiance with a video stream of famous Ukrainian locales running on a screen behind the bar. I had the Banosh (pictured) and it was fabulous. My companion had the stuffed cabbage which went over well. Great location in very walkable Eastern Market area. Will definitely make a point to go back. read more

Ruta Ukrainian Restaurant - Ukrainian Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Our meal was great. Service was fantastic. Ambiance was welcoming. Service staff was great