Vanka Cafe

Horrible service!!! Waiters bring wrong food: ordered salad without tomato — brought with tomato. Ordered chicken schnitzel with buckwheat — brought chicken kebab and said never heard of schnitsel. Asked for ketchup — said finished.

Came here today for a post funeral get together. I’ve been to many «fancy» Russian restaurants and I have to say that this has to be the best one, yet.
The service was great, the food was awesome. Very good quality food that made it feel like home. Kudos to the chef.
I would not mind doing a get together at this place, at all. In fact, my birthday is coming up and I might just do it at this place.
The only thing is, it was cold lol granted, today was a very cold day, but the heat should have been increased to compensate.

The food is delicious as usual, but the price is increased for no reason! Use to come every week and now will never come back!!! The reason (for example 4 persons to Dine in in 2014 was about 100 $, now is 200 $ !!!) service charge, plus Taxes and some fees whatever… Good luck

Went here for a birthday maybe I came on the wrong time but both me and my friend had food poisoning.

Been here a number of times. Bathe food is always fresh and delicious. Good prices and excellent service. We always leave satisfied.

Nice place. Delicious food. Good prices. One of the best restaurants in the area! Highly recommended !!!

I am not sure why everyone loves their food here and I almost feel bad writing my story. However, this is what happened to me. I have visited this place this week, the last time i visited this place was around 3 years ago?(something like that). I remember the food was pretty good. My american friend (I am russian) dragged me here to eat as she wanted to eat some Borsct and russian food. I had chicken strogonoff with mashed potatoes. Let me tell you… it was GROSS. I ate maybe 10 percent of the chicken because I was hungry but I really could not force myself to eat it. It looked nasty, it tasted even worse. The mashed potatoes were horrible as well (and i LOVE my potatoes), I am pretty sure they were made out of powder. My friend had borsct, which looked fine, although she said she had better. The chicken tabaka that she had was fatty too. Not only did the food not taste good, the quality of the chicken they serve is pretty bad as well. Unfortunately I won’t be returning. The service was ok, typical russian restaurant.

We had a wonderful Saturday afternoon lunch to celebrate my grandmothers birthday! The staff were outstanding — even with plenty of other big and small parties around us — all the waiters were very attentive and helpful! They managed to answer all questions, bring food fast, bring extra sauces /​cups /​etc as we requested. Service was extremely professional. We had at all times 2 waiters per our table of 6 adults and 1 child. We ordered a few combinations of different foods: salads, soups, pierogies, vareniki, and main courses: chicken kebabs, kotleti, beef stroganoff. Everything was absolutely delicious! I ended up taking an extra order of the cherry vareniki home just because they were delicious! The prices are beyond reasonable. I only wish there was a designated parking spot for this wonderful restaurant but the driving around was worth the yummy food! Our family will definitely come back and visit again soon.

A MUST if you are in the area!
Traditional Tasty Inexpensive Russian Food Served up
Fresh & Tasty with
a Warm Friendly Attitude (non– NY & «non-​Russian»)!
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FOOD:
Having grown up near Brighton Beach (Little Odessa), of Slovak Ancestry, well traveled, I am very familiar with Eastern European, Russian, & Middle Eastern cuisine.
After I left NYC at the age 32, for Hawaii & then California, I had not had a Chicken Kiev for decades… that is until I had Vanka’s
EXCELLENT CHICKEN KIEV
among other tasty offerings.
The Chicken Kiev (see pic) was filled with tons of lovely artery clogging butter, while still maintaining a nice crunchy non-​greasy exterior. It was one of the few things in NYC that it was as good, or better, than I remember from back in the day!
The Cherry Dumplings were yet another stand out, that were identical to the Polish or Slovak Pierogi versions. My veggie wife did love them. On the other hand, I was not expecting the Russian style meat Pierogi would be so different, and more like a Pastry.
The Chicken Soup with dumplings was just like
«MOM USED TO MAKE» and was surely homemade.
While we sampled our own little feast, it was nothing compared to the usual extravagant spread that a large group of Russian had behind us.
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SERVICE:
They were attentive, friendly, & nice, without any pressure. They communicated well in English & were really accommodating when it came to my Vege Wife’s preferences.
Their service & attitude was on par, or even better, than many of the fine restaurants in San Francisco. It was a big stand out in NYC, where rampant rudeness is the norm.
In other words, they did make a non-​Russian newcomer feel like an accepted regular in an ethic restaurant. They single handedly blew away the usual stereotypes associated with such places.
We really thank the Vanka staff for making our ARTIC FREEZING NYC stay with my NY brother, much more pleasant. I only wish that we had time to frequent it many more times during our stay, but it was not possible since we were busy taking care of my extremely ill mother who also spent two weeks in NYU Medical Center in Manhattan.
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ATMOSPHERE:
Pleasant, clean, utilitarian, & non ostentatious. The bathroom was clean & spotless. Overall, it was ideal for a humble «mom & pop» operation.
The staff was warm & friendly, & I had some nice conversations with many of them.
Since we came at a off-​peak time, that added to the casual atmosphere.
This place stands in stark contrast to the rude or indifferent attitude & unhygienic Russian Deli that is a few blocks away… were their hot bar is exposed to whatever & has many items spoiling without proper heat (or cold)…that place must pay off the health inspectors.
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In Summary,
GREAT Handcrafted Homemade FOOD & SERVICE,
in a friendly local peaceful Neighborhood setting…
SO GO HERE FOR RUSSIAN FOOD !!!
It is in my opinion, far better than most places in Brighton Beach where they are not anywhere near as nice & where the hustle & bustle, will stress you out!
Again…
Thanks VANKA !!!
P. S.- See menu/​pics for great extensive Take-​Out/​Delivery options at amazing prices!

Big fan of this place. My family visits here every so often during birthdays or family events. Despite having 8 – 10 guests every time, our table was always ready and awaiting us when we placed a reservation.
The staff is very warm and welcoming, and we have never had any issues. We have nothing but good things to say about the staff. They are always accommodating, whether we wanted to switch tabled or order extra pickled cabbage or bread they have always obliged our wishes.
The food is inexpensive and delicious. Plan your stomach accordingly because you will not be able to eat all the delicious options present at your table! This is one of those places where only the truly brave make it all the way to the dessert round. I have only a few things left on the menu which I did not try, one of them being the escargot (as the idea of eating snails just weirds me out). but I’m sure it is also delicious!
The atmosphere is warm and welcoming and very homey. It can get pretty loud, depending on the guests. If you want an intimate candle lit dinner this is not the place for that. (Maybe during off hours?) This is a place to come, laugh, have a good time, eat lots of good food.
You know a restaurant is good when you notice it’s absence in your life and make it a point to comeback to get your fix. Looking forward to my next visit!

One of the greatest alternatives to homemade meal in the area at affordable price. Large portions, great taste and quick delivery! Highly recommend — nothing too fancy but worth the money. Love their poperechka, chicken kiev (very juicy), soups and salads (fresh salad might be a big saggy sometimes but its ok).

Wait time for delivery is always around an hour, but their lunch specials for under $ 10 are off the hook.

Food is always delicious here. One of the only russian cuisine places I will still go to in Brooklyn. Unfortunately if you order delivery be prepared for at least an hour wait and the food possibly arriving cold.

This place is great in many ways. This establishment offers great food, customer service and wonderful drinks. I have decided to visit this resturant, because I wanted to eat something different. I am glad I visited this place, because I wanted to eat everything after my first meal. I am happy with my selection and I know I will return with friends. If you decide to visit this place, do not hesitate to ask someone for their recommendation, because if you decide on your own it make take a while. Why? Everything is prepared nicely on your plate. Trust me, you will begin to take many photos instantly.
Recommend dishes:
This is a difficult choice, because the chef prepared their meals with love. I recommend you to come here and choose for yourself. Your selection will always be the best choice.

Regardless if he had to leave early or not you don’t tell the customer that the driver doesn’t have time to deliver to you. The person I spoke to could have said something else.

One of the best restaurants in the area. The portions were very generous, price was fair and the quality of the food was great! My husband is Lithuanian so he knows what good Russian food is supposed to be like and he was very happy with the experience. I am sure we will be ordering from this restaurant again in the future.

I held a dinner to remember my deceased father. I booked a table for 19 people for $ 30 per person. There was an amazing amount of food served traditional Russian style. 15 types of appetizers, 5 types of entrees, and 10 types of deserts. The price was definitely worth it. They have more expensive set up per person, but I was balling on a budget that night.
Service was good. I brought my own vodka and wine which they opened and put on the table.
I got the bill, it all added up correctly, but I was surprised to see a new service charge, $ 50 for the waiter (this is not the tip). Anyway, I paid it because overall the experience seemed worth it.
It’s not a huge place and not enough room to dance or have a band. It’s your typical restaurant with room to sit on either side of the room and a walkway down the middle. Décor is mediocre at best, but the good food helps not notice that.
If I come back to New York I would come back here for a family/​friends gathering.

The «beef in garlic sous «of the place is amazing
The best thing I ever tried from the russian dishes
Good job guys

I came to Vanka Café for a birthday party for which we reserved a large table and submitted a pre-​order. The restaurant was able to accommodate us despite having an even larger party and still serving customers which showed that the management was prepared.
When we arrived the waiters were still plating the table. We ordered two or three of about eight appetizers and salads, and the waiters tried to plate everything instead of plating one or two of each appetizer and salad and then replacing the plate once we finished it. After they finished plating, the table looked like a cluttered mess with plates stacked on top of others with others on the edge of the table. We had additional courses, so it became necessary for the waiters to make space for more plates as the meal progressed. Their solution was to remove several plates and condense them to one which had a practical result, but left the re-​plated entrees not looking as appetizing as they originally had. It seemed that the wait staff was inexperienced based on these observations; fortunately, they compensated for inexperience with attentiveness.
Of the appetizers and salads, the only dish which I found interesting was a wrapped crêpe with a salmon filling topped off with a pickle and red caviar which was sliced and held together by a tooth pick (think sushi on its side Russian style). It was creative dish but the cucumber and filling overpowered the crêpe and caviar. I would recommend the traditional crepes and caviar to newcomers and would only suggest this dish for anyone willing to take a risk on a creative twist. The other appetizers and salads were fairly straight-​forward (e.g. simply beef tongue or lox arranged on a plate). Of the eight or so dishes which we ordered, the only dish that I did not like was a salad (I assume Greek based on the composition) with had too much feta cheese.
Of the latter courses, I really enjoyed a dish with cooked mushrooms, onions, and potatoes. I made a rookie mistake and eat too much of the dish, so I was too fully to completely indulge in the next three courses. My mother was pretty quiet during the main courses, so I will have to assume the dishes were satisfactory to her standards as she was not complaining.
For desert (which I had absolutely no room for in my stomach) my compatriots enjoyed tiramisu cake, crème brules, eclairs, and various fruits. Again, I assume they were very good as no one had any trouble finishing them up.
Overall, I would rate Vanka Café three and a half stars, but Unilocal does not permit this rating. I recommend Vanka Café to anyone who wants to try homestyle Russian food but is intimidated by Russian supermarkets.

My friend ordered out from this place and we ordered an assortment of dishes which included
a split chicken dish,
an eel salad and beef salad
baked escargo
baked potato gratin like dish.
Taste wise, this place was amazing. Everything was exceptionally well made and it tasted like what a hearty meal would taste like. This place is inexpensive and a great place to try if you’re in need of some Russian food! Yum-​O