Borsch, Vodka & Tears

Food was delicious, service was quick, waitress was great with giving suggestions on the menu and suggestions of her favorite places to eat and drink around South Yarra. Only thing is, like most Australian restaurants and bars the alcohol percentage in the cocktails are very very weak compared to the states. Our passionfruit mule was very tasty but tasted like a delicious fruit tea with no alcohol. Better luck to just order beer or shots if you’re looking to get a buzz.

First is drunk for health
Second is for pleasure
Third is for tears
Fourth is for madness

Came here for cocktails. I had the Moscow Mule and my friend had a For Your Health! Little on the pricey side — and not great service… But hey, the drinks were great!

Funky little bar to have a late breakfast or brunch. Chilled out vibes. Nice bench area to sit and people watch on Chapel St. Full bar and decent coffee.

I totally loved this place. Amazing polish food and sipping on various vodkas all night, such a good combo, like sake and sushi. I’ve been to Poland before and loved it so have a soft spot for stiff vodka drinks and Polish food.
Equal focus on drinks as food here. You can get vodka shots or a double shot in a martini. I highly recommend the Sobieski Estate martini from the reserve vodka list, which is what I ended up sipping on all dinner.
For food, I highly recommend a Zakuski tasting plate to share (The farmers was good). The red Polish Borsh is great too. And the Pierogi and Kiebasa (Polish sausages on menu) are awesome.
I’ll def return. It gets very busy so reserve in advance for either 6pm or 8:30pm seating, but service is still attentive and nice throughout.

First timer and it was a fantastic level of service. I arrived first perusing the menu and it was warm and welcoming and that didn’t stop through the night as we fumbled our way through the extensive vodka menu as well as the food options. Wait staff were warm and friendly and great to interact with. Would definitely visit again.

Green fairy is THE drink you should try there and I love the whole preparation of the drink! Good source of beers and I wanna go there one day to try the food that looks delicious!

Meh sums up my experience here. The Food, the Drinks and the atmosphere were all meh. Not that I wouldn’t go again, I just probably would not go out of my way to go here.

I have eaten at BVT twice now. Once during Melbourne Cup weekend and a few weeks ago. Both times have been exceptional dining experiences. The noise level is extremely high, not so different from other Melbourne establishments. That being the only negative (if that’s negative) BVT delivers great cocktails and great polish food. I have had the pierogi, the farmer’s zakuski, grilled saganaki, dill pickles, capers & horseradish and the Polish Borsch. All have been full of flavor and cooked to perfection. The borsch was fabulous. The vodka selections is so overwhelming you almost want to give up and order a beer. Don’t! The Chopin potato martini was splendid. The second visit I had the Summer Iced Tea ($ 11.5) which was made with raspberry leaf vodka, iced tea, fresh lemon & ginger ale, very refreshing. BVT is one of my Windsor favorites.

This was my second trip to Borch, and there is a very good reason I returned… VODKA.
The list of vodka is amazing and the cocktails to suit and just as great.
I started the night with a Vodka Martina, Shaken with a twist. I decided on an old school clear grain vodka for this. I was not disappointed. It was smooth and bitey, but with mellow notes of vanilla and that pop that only a martini gives.
Next on the list was the next to be ordered, a Polish Aviator, and I must say, this little gem, also served in a martini glass, my become a regular on my palette. It was well structured whilst not trying to be too fancy.
I left the ordering up to someone else (who knows what I like and I was not disappointed.
With tradition German sausages, including sauerkraut, mustard and potato salad. Slow cooked pork, Potato and Cheese dumplings, to the delicious fried haloumi (Who I am kidding any cheese fried is going to be amazing), cabbage wrapped mince, zucchini flowers and the list goes on.
All the meals were delicious and were brought to the table with a smile. Good portion sizes and the menu is definitely for sharing. We had a group of 6.
After mains we indulged in dessert, and what a great way to finish off the night. Nutella Crepes, Baked Cheesecake with hazelnut ice-​cream, and some warmed chocolate cake.
All the flavours were delicious, and carefully selected, whilst still staying true to that style of cuisine.
All in all a thumbs up from me.

There are way too many restaurants in this culturally diverse gastronomic city to not eat in a new place and explore a new culture every single day for at least several years!!! So this evening it was off to Poland-​Down-​Under for Borsch, Vodka & Tears. The place was packed; however, we saw an open two-​seater table, and decided to see if it was available. The waitress said if we could be done in an hour’s time (as the table was reserved), we could have it. No worries. Let’s get to it!!! :)
The menu at BVT is about 15 pages, with (seemingly) more than half of those pages being vodkas! I started with a taste-​testing trio of vodkas ($ 14.50) (served in delicate, barely-​larger-​than thimble-​sized half-​shot glasses) consisting of Jazz ($ 9/​shot), Ukrainian Honey Pepper (vodka sweetened with honey and infused with chili) ($ 7.50/shot), and Gruba Pszczla Morela (vodka infused with apricot) ($ 8.50/shot). Naturally, each vodka was very distinctive of its own character, with the apricot-​infused one being with most potently astringent. (My partner had a Chopin dirty martini ($ 21; with martinis starting at $ 16+).)
For an entrée (starter), we went with the Salt and Pepper Squid (dusted with chili and fennel salt, with a squeeze of lemon) served with a simple dollop of aioli ($ 16). These were the meatiest squid curls I’ve ever eaten! Each were lightly fried, but not crispy; the squid meat had a nice bite without being rubbery. Very good.
For my main, I went with the good ol’ Pierogi dish (4 @ $ 18; 6 @ $ 25). BVT serves three different stuffed Pierogis (I did two of each): (1) beef, chicken, herbs & spices with bacon, fried onion, and raspberry vinaigrette; (2) porcini mushroom and sauerkraut with a breadcrumb coating; (3) cheese and potato baked with fried onion and served with sour cream and mint. I’ve never had a pierogi before, but I loved this dish! Each pierogi was no-​nonsense and wonderfully flavorful. The «rocket» (that’s arugula Down Under) bed (with bits of bacon and other minced veggies) perfectly complemented the butter-​fried pierogis. (My partner went with the Polish Borsch (beetroot broth made with beef and chicken stock, garlic and marjoram, with beef and chicken dumplings; $ 14.50), which — if you like beets — was very beet-​y in flavor. Personally, I only like beets juiced, so this borsch was not my bag.)
The whole atmosphere of BVT is like out of a movie set. Being that it’s the weekend before next week Tuesday’s Melbourne Cup — a HUGE event and Melbourne holiday (comparable to Louisville’s Kentucky Derby) — a number of the gals were dressed to the 9’s, with guys looking dapper in suits. Everything was a bit decadent and rowdy! The noise level was high, on top of the all-​too-​cool and funky tunes that were spinning in the background. The wait staff was absolutely fantastic and attentive, despite the filled-​to-​capacity house. Bravo!
Borsch: Check. Vodka: Check. Tears: Check. Not sad tears; just tears of joy!!! We’ll definitely be coming back soon… :D

Excellent food with an extensive menu. An enjoyable night out with a variety of cocktails, vodka and absinthe shots and dishes to compliment. We enjoyed our wedding anniversary and were pleasantly surprised by the bill. Our only negative was the full half hour we waited at our table before our first drink order was taken. If it wasn’t already 8:30pm on our anniversary it would normally have caused us to leave and we’d have missed out on a fantastic evening. Once attended to, we received excellent timely service. Looking forward to our return!

I found this place, up the less pretentious end of Chapel St, via a friend. I will be going back!
The offering is Polish food, with an impressive vodka selection. Needless to say, we hit the vodka and then dived into some potato dumplings and mushroom ragout. Apologies, but I don’t remember the polish names. All were fantastic. Great for lunch or dinner.
Lots of parking nearby, service was great.

Although I’ve been to Vodka borsch and tears many times, I’ve been putting
off a review due to the fact that I haven’t a recent chance to go again due to
the fact that it’s always insanely busy. I am also a fan of pierogi but didn’t
have them on my recent visit. The outside tables, of which there are very few
and scant are always occupied. Inside, it’s a better chance and whilst you peruse
the vodka compendium, which is far too easy to get lost in and forget what it
is you’re actually ordering.
Then there’s the getting lost in waves of vodkas, then switching to other drinks,
then finishing with a bloody Mary because by some unknown and irrational logic,
the tomato juice will make it filling and I won’t need to order another drink. Staff
are good and i give them credit for being under the pump for the majority of the
hours they work. Always come back, and have been multiple times.

Well I came here after a long hiatus I decided to go back based on the great reviews of the pierogi but I was very disappointed. Firstly the pierogi was very bland and super overpriced — we got the mushroom and sauerkraut. The chocolate pudding dessert was average and $ 14 very expensive too.
Most of all though was the service. I have never complained about service if u look at my reviews but this place really ticked me off. Firstly our table needed a wipe down and when I asked quietly and politely after five minutes for it to be wiped the waitress gave me a ‘r u serious look’? Wtf
Then I asked if the absinthe I ordered came French style (with dripping sugar) and she pulled the face again! Fuck off!
Anyway for less than an hour the bill came to $ 83. Now I know how we got a table so easily on a Friday night.
Nb apple pear vodka was very good and ‘vanilla vodka infused cocktail was vodka with vanilla coke!

Wow! I like Polish food — when in Poland, but here, on the other side of the world, I found a gem that truly delivers very good polish food!
Wether you want dozens of different Vodkas or a Borscht, you get it here!
I just tried two dishes, the Borscht and a polish version of Cevapcici, both was excellent. Very nice service, moderate prices and all at Chapel street — a place you should visit anyways when in Melbourne — less tourists than in Saint Kilda and a much better international choice of restaurants!

I adore Poland and have spent a lot of time in that atmospheric, historical, fascinating country, including seven weeks in Krakow some years back. I was prepared to write off BVT as another pierogi pretender, but happily I found close to the real deal.
The cozy, candlelight atmosphere took me back to some of my favourite café bars in Kazimierz and the pieorogis tasted delicious and authentic. The menu is vast and includes a plethora of Polski favourites with an Ashkenazi Jewish twist: dill pickles with horseradish and capers, roasted honeyed carrots, creamy chicken stroganoff, beetroot cooked every which way, smoked fish, and of course, VODKA.
If you’re a fan of the humble potato and grain based boozy stuff, BVT has got you covered. You’ve got your fancy (and seriously good) cocktails, your hard stuff (shots all around!), and your mixed drinks. I recommend going the delightful herbal zubrowka and apple juice route.
Contrary to other reviews, I found the service here to be a step above most establishments in Melbourne: Friendly, prompt, and enthusiastic, despite the busy Friday night rush.
Na zdrowie!

Order the saganaki and you’ll get two saganaki slabs, each the size of a porterhouse steak. So much saganaki that you’ll consider something you long thought impossible… «Is this *too much* saganaki?».
You can probably stop reading now — I think that’s enough of an endorsement?
From the blintz to the pierogi to the borscht. Simple food, delicately made and wonderfully executed. Actually, when I say «simple» that’s not fair. Try and make a pierogi that even approximates theirs and you’ll be tearing your hair out.
The drinks menu is out of control. There is a combinatorial explosion of drink types and the kinds of vodka you can try. Fortunately the staff are all quite well versed and can steer you in the right direction. My vote is for a straight-​up Martini and mix it up (pun intended) with your matching vodka selection.
Tips — Do take the time to book as it’s always busy. Plus, it’s really easy to over-​order. The meals are generous, so get advice from the staff on what’s reasonable.

This was the first restaurant I ever went to in Melbourne, and I’ve been in love ever since! It’s fairly small so if you’re planning on dropping by on a weekend, you might want to organise it ahead of time or head in early.
As I’m a creature of habit, I usually order the same thing every time: pierogi and a Bloody Mary. The pierogi are amazing, served up with minted sour cream and a ton of diced pickles.
See, I usually wander in on a Sunday afternoon, slightly hungover, so the dark interior paired with the Bloody Mary and hearty comfort food is honestly the best cure I could ask for!
If you’re in for dinner all of the platters are pretty amazing. Meats, pickles, cheese, vegetables. Each plate is fantastic, and VERY filling. Fantastic. My boyfriend and I ordered one as an appetiser and I seriously think it could have been the main event!
I’ve never really had any vodka other than whatever’s in the Bloody Mary, so I can’t really speak for that. The menu is pretty impressive, though!
The wait staff do have a habit of being a bit too cool for school, but I’ll forgive them simply because there’s nowhere else in the city to get decent Ukrainian food.

This is one of those places that will forever be in my heart, because many years ago now I shared an evening here with some of my dearest friends. It was a winter that we all headed down to Melbourne from Brisbane for a holiday, to try to catch the colder weather. We ended up at BV&T, stuffing our faces full of pierogies and drinking some truly ludicrous cocktails, of which the best was definitely a tea-​inspired one, served in giant teacups and SET ON FIRE. Ah, the memories.
On my most recent visit to Melbourne, friends said that BV&T did breakfast, too. These every-​service businesses in Melbourne are blowing my mind! Surely for these places their talents must lie in just one area, be it breakfast, lunch, dinner or drinks… but no, my friends told me to give BV&T a chance to breakfast-​wow me. So I did.
And so Borsch, Vodka & Tears did wow me. I had a fairly simple breakfast, just avocado on toast with a side of mushrooms. The toast was this enormous, delicious sourdough. The avocado was plentiful and just at that perfect ripeness. The mushrooms were juicy and tasty. Even the coffee was good. The only thing that upset me was how quiet the place was! Come on, people, don’t overlook Borsch, Vodka & Tears for breakfast… even if they do have the word «Vodka» in their name. The breakfast menu goes until 3pm, so you could get away with a cheeky one if you really wanted to.