Cafe Arbat - Brooklyn

I'd rate Oceanview Cafe four and a half stars. Came here for a late dinner with my wife and our aunt. We shared a bunch of dishes including the Greek salad, veal tongue, pelmeni, fried potatoes with mushrooms, blintzes with caviar, pork shish kebabs, and grilled bronzino. Everything was great. My favorite items were the blintzes and the kebabs.

Our server, Sergei, was friendly, attentive, and down-to-earth. We ordered several popular dishes we had read about on Yelp, including Ukrainian borscht, lamb soup (kharcho), meat vareniki, beef stroganoff, and various drinks: tarragon soda, pear soda, and cherry compot. To start, we were served two pairs of soft sandwich-style breads—white and pumpernickel—along with butter in a small basket. This little gesture added a nice, homey touch. Next, we were served the soups, piping hot. My spouse thoroughly enjoyed the lamb soup, claiming it tasted just like what his grandmother used to make during his childhood. He savored each spoonful with evident delight. I found the borscht to be just okay; I prefer it to be heartier, thicker, and more flavorful. However, the borscht was complemented nicely by the sour cream. Everything we tried was homemade and fresh, straight from the kitchen. The meat vareniki arrived in a small soup crock, topped with a generous portion of sautéed onions and served with sour cream on the side. The bowl felt bottomless as we eagerly indulged in dumpling after dumpling! It tasted fantastic. The beef stroganoff also met our expectations; the beef was well-seasoned and tender, and the mashed potatoes were perfect. We appreciated that the dishes weren't overly salty—though the kharcho was a little on the salty side. This suited our tastes better and was healthier for us, too. Salt and pepper were available on the tables for those who wanted to adjust the seasoning. You can tell the chefs take pride in their cooking; everything was made with care. However, we were somewhat disappointed with the drinks, particularly the tarragon soda, which had an artificial, bright green color. The pear soda was decent, but both sodas had that typical syrupy sweetness. The cherry fruit punch, on the other hand, stood out as our favorite. It was simple, maybe a bit too diluted with just water and sugar added to some sour cherries that settled at the bottom of the glass, but it tasted the best and was the healthiest option! After enjoying such a hearty meal, we felt stuffed but satisfied. We can't wait to return and explore more of the recommended dishes on the menu!

This is the best Russian restaurant I've been to outside of Russia. The prices are very reasonable, and every dish we tried was absolutely delicious! I also loved the cute uniforms the staff wore. The restaurant was impeccably clean, which is no surprise since we saw the owner, and he looked very tidy and charming.

This is one of my favorite places! I have been going here for over 15 years with my family and cannot get enough. The restaurant is small and gets busy quickly so you know the food is delicious! Some of my favorite things to order are the fried flounder, tabaka, kebabs, pelmini, and the salads. Don't forget to wash it down with kompot! Everything is so fresh and cooked with care. The waitstaff are always on the go and very attentive. Will continue to come here for years.

TL;DR: An unassuming, authentic Russian restaurant that is borscht pierogies/vareniki first, easily in my top 3 Eastern European dining arsenal. Highly recommend. While this place is brass tacks--a very casual food spot w less focus on service/ambiance--the chefs pour all that surplus effort into the food. It has the appeal of grandma cooking w/o the occasional pretentiousness of the NYC food scene. We went there for the first time on Saturday for lunch had: Borchst: A light soup that somehow still holds a bunch of FLAVOR. Tastes very healthy, but has good depth and a nice vegetable taste. Handily the best borscht I have EVER had. Meat Ravioli: Smaller than pierogis, but equally flavorful, almost soup dumpling-like with some liquid and meat inside. Stroganoff: This was the middling dish. Not particularly flavorful, but a good option if you want a lot of protein. The meat is well-cooked meat, but dunked in a typical rich cream sauce that doesn 't have much seasoning. Overall, this place was AMAZING I would definitely go back.