M & M Lounge and Restaurant

I absolutely LOVE food at M&M. I am Easter European myself and I know how good European food should taste like. Food here overcame all my expectations! I am very excited that I found this place and I will definitely be one of their regular customers!
HIGHLY Recommended!

The ambiance and décor aren’t anything to write home about, but don’t let them — or the slightly out-​of-​the-​way location — fool you. M&M’s food is delicious, and it’s clearly made with a lot of care and love. We especially liked the spicy carrot salad, with fresh, crunchy veggies and a flavorful kick to it, and the warm, doughy, cheese-​filled khatchapuri. I’d never had dolmas served warm before, but the slight fattiness of the beef melded well with the rice and the sharpness of the grape leaves, especially with a little carrot salad for company. We had excellent service from the friendly and attentive host, and left stuffed to the gills for just over $ 15 per person, including tip. If you’ve never tried Russian food, be brave and give this place a shot. You’ll be glad you did.

Nice place for a date or relaxation. The food is authentic Russian food. Gyros is our must order since it’s so delicious! It just reminds me of those in Moscow which is the best on a cold day.

Delicious food. We want to come back and try everything. Seek this place out for and authentic Georgian kitchen. Met the owner. Very sweet and helpful!

My dad and I love this place, each time he is in town we always go here. They have some really good food, I would say which tastes the best but I cannot spell them. Try it out for yourselves, usually Russian restaurants are rare at least in Virginia.

The pirozkis were absolutely delicious. Salads were awesome. Super friendly service.

I took a star away for décor and ambiance but otherwise the food was good (particularly the shashlik and peroshki) and the service was fantastic. Would definitely come back!

Hard to find this place if you don’t know Charlottesville. It’s on the backside of Sticks Kebob… to the right if you are standing on Preston looking at the building.
I gave 4 stars because this seems to be a very authentic place, including the brother that served us who was very stereotypical of a man who grew up in Russia. I was wondering what mob operation was going on under the surface he was so «authentic». He was a really nice guy though and very intent on making our experience a good one. His brother seems like a nice guy too.
Much of the food to me was bland, but then again I am a resident of «Flavortown» and cook with very bold flavors myself. The brother (why did I not ask his name?) later explained to us that they backed off of some spices due to customer requests. Come on lightweight diners! You are ruining it for residents of «Flavortown»!
We had the borscht to start. It was good but we both added salt and pepper. I had wished I had my bottle of Texas Pete with me as well. It was not red in color at all, which was different and different from the menu picture online. Brother explained to us that Russians do not like much salt in their borscht but other ethic regions in that part of the world like all kinds of powerful flavors in borscht.
We also had the Spicy Georgian Salad. It was not spicy and really not very flavorful. Again, Brother explained that when they first started serving it, lightweight (my words) customers complained… ruining it for the rest of us. The salad was mostly carrot, with a little bit of tiny cauliflower. I did not see any red pepper or see or taste any garlic or onions or cilantro as was described on the menu. Very disappointing in that regard. Brother told us to tell him when ordering it next time and he will step on it «his way» for us.
The Turkish bread was good, but I suppose Turks, Georgians and Russians do not use butter, because there was no spread for the bread.
There were two bowls of sour cream provided for my wife and me. I supposed it was to be used as a dressing for most everything or maybe just the pirozkhi, which we shared. The sour cream has zero other flavors added to it.
The pirozkhi were delightful puffs of bread with beef inside (choice of beef or cheese). We were not offered ketchup or ranch as is on the online menu. Ketchup would have been a travesty, but ranch would have made them perfect… but we only were given plain sour cream.
We also shared the shashlik chicken kabob. The chicken, unlike everything else we had was very seasoned… in fact the piece I ate was very salty which is saying a lot for a resident of «Flavortown» like myself. My wife thought it was good (she lives in town with my cooking). The rice was very good albeit a bit bland, and the salad was way under dressed for us. We added salt to the salad to bring it up but did not ask for more dressing… the guys are from Russia, I am not stepping too deep in to that!
Brother gave us a plate of dolma (stuffed grape leaves) complimentary for no other reason than to be a cool dude and let us taste them. They were very good, but my wife and I agree that I blow them away at home. I also like some tzatziki sauce with mine, but alas… we had just the plain sour cream. If you don’t make these at home like me, you will probably think these are some of the best you have tasted.
We were also treated to a cup of hot Russian tea… complimentary. It was very good and we really appreciated the attention to our table and all the service, complimentary items and conversation we had with our brother (the one that served us). We learned a lot from him.
My wife wants to come back. I don’t mind and would like to give them another shot at kicking it up to «Flavortown» level by asking them to «Step all over» the seasonings when we order.
Food was 3.5 stars because of some being under seasoned and we weren’t given any sauce choices and the Georgian salad was not as advertised.
I give 4 stars because the intensely personal service and complimentary items made up for what was lacking.
Had the food been out of this world good, it would have been a solid 5 star experience.
*Also, the music in the dining room was great!

Very tasty food, cheap Newcastle on draft (!) and friendly owners. The gyro is very flavorful and unlike other greasier gyros I’ve had elsewhere.
Don’t skip the borscht, either! It’s flavorful and filling, and comes with great homemade bread. Took some baklava home and was impressed. I’ll definitely be back!
Minus one star for lackluster décor but honestly, who cares? It’s a restaurant and you’re going there for delicious food. They’ve got it, and you should give it a try.

We need more places like this in Charlottesville! Very nice homemade-​style Russian/​Turkish/​Georgian food. The carrot salad delivers garlicky goodness, the borscht is delicious, and the baked piroshki are addictive. The desserts are under-​advertised but really yummy, espeacially the honey cake. The owners are super friendly and attentive. Go!

Not sure what is going on here but it doesn’t seem to be a restaurant. No other diners when we arrived. The bartender seemed shocked when we walked in. Very limited menu. Very very limited selection of wine and beer — just a couple of choices. Lukewarm borscht. Nuked dumplings. This place used to be pretty good, no idea what happened.

This place is owned by two Turkish brothers that grew up in Russia so the food is a mix of the two cuisines– it’s delicious. They are also really nice, checking up to see if you’re enjoying your dinner and making funny/​cute jokes along the way.
M&M makes this great Borscht (beet and cabbage) soup, chicken/​beef kebabs, and piroshki which are filled with spinach and cheese or meat and cheese. Their baklava is also really crispy (not oily like at some places). The food is great, and the people working there are equally awesome.
The coolest thing, though, is that there’s a nightclub downstairs! With amazing European lasers, fog, and crazy lighting. Their stereo system is insane and they plan on having themed nights for their parties. Location isn’t great for the night scene, but I really hope people hear about this place and start going soon.