Golden Lion Restaurant & Bar

My Russian partner and I decided to try this place to have some Eastern European food. It is one of those types of establishments that outside of immgrant culture harks back to the 1950’s — a restaurant, dance hall and catering venue all wrapped in one. While were there, there was a wedding in one room, two birthday parties in the main dining room plus a band with dancing, and just a few small parties. We felt a bit uncomfortable as we were just two, but the servers were helpful and friendly.
As for the food, it was good but not great. Cabbage soup had a nice smoky flavour and the borsch was tasty. Stuffed cabbage was a bit too bland. The knigliki, a sort of crêpe fill with mince meat, were tasty but also a bit bland. Desserts were quite good but too expensive.
The place is huge and has some pleasant décor including a nice mural representing some town or city (Kiyyiv, perhaps). The Etobicoke location is off the Queensway and as the name of the street suggests, is an industrial zone.
We are from Chicago (with a large Polish community) and Russia and not experienced with Ukrainian culture in Canada, but to us the environment seemed much more Polish than Russian, were we to compare it to its neighbouring cultures.
An okay place, but better for a catered event serving its own community. Main dishes are reasonable; the remainder of the menu is too overpriced. We are used to Eastern European restaurants in Chicago which are very cheap.