Red Tavern

This place is absolutely amazing. Food is great, we felt completely at home. The owner is absolutely great and very hospitable. Will definitely return!

We made reservation for 7.30pm, easy and fast,
When we got there (earlier then reservation time) it was not busy at all.
But 20 – 30 min later it was packed! Which is not surprising because food there is DELICIOUS!
Solyanka is amazing!
Olivie and blini w/​red caviar are so good!!!

Great great food! First time trying Russian food and I’ll definitely be back for some more

Had the borsch, zucchini pancakes, beef stroganoff, cabbage rolls, and some mixed berry drink. The borsch and the crust on the stroganoff were the best parts but that’s not saying much. The zucchini pancakes had the soggy consistency of something that had been reheated in a microwave. The beef in the stroganoff was dry and tasted like glue. The cabbage rolls had a little bit better flavor but not anything great. The server was very pleasant.

This is the place to go for Russian food in SF. Tried almost everything on the menu and had to waddle out of restaurant. Parking hard to find on street.

This is hands down the bestRussian restaurant in SF! I’ve tried pretty much everything here and it has all been amazing!

Came here for the 3^rd time last night and I must say it, it doesn’t just gets better with every visit, it becomes addictive. Of course if you are Russian, you know we eat meals as a community and share portions. This place has plates that encourages people to share. I like that waiters speak Russian, it’s nice to practice your mother tongue! Yesterday they just started serving perozhki — which are very delicious and not far off from traditional perozhki in Russia. I am definitely going to order them every time. I would also recommend Blini platter. I am a sucker for pancakes and Blinis with sour cream and caviar. It also comes with smocked salmon and it is to die for. It’s my 3^rd time ordering it and not my last. Red Tavern is an amazing restaurant! If you want a taste of Russian food, you must visit!

Great fun. Great food. Purely Russian cuisine with some blends from surrounding countries. Great potato dumplings, crunchy cabbage salad with sesame and tomato … YUMMO! Enjoy the vibe and the meat!

Good authentic Russian food, awkward service.
1. Reservation
I called to make reservation a day earlier. We came 20 mins past our reservation time. When we arrived, the place was empty, only 3 tables were being used. I called at the time of our reservation and then again after 8 mins to make sure if it was still okay to come as we were running late due to traffic in downtown San Francisco. This whole time I’m assuming the place is packed and I need to come on time, if not, inform and get approval. She said it was okay to come on the phone even though running late. But somehow after a whole 40 min drive from union square to Richmond, she decides maybe they won’t like us to eat there anymore. 20 mins isn’t that long, we called twice to get permission, Place was empty, reservation was totally not needed that day. Like, seriously? We had to beg to sit. Still don’t get what had happened.
Bad start. I know.
We ordered like there was no tomorrow.
2. Food:
— Borsch: good, simple
— Olivier: my favorite in general and they did good! I hate soggy ones and they really did a great work!
— cucumber salad: great! Simple ingredients, magic result
— red cabbage salad: I don’t like cabbage, so I am biased.
— grilled beef tongue: I can eat it for the rest of my life!
— Baltic herring: was good!!!
— Siberian pelmeni: highly recommended
— lamb: they can really cook
— Blinis: I never get it for dessert, so it was new and I loved it.
3. Service:
This part is really related with part 1 pertaining to the reservations. The waitress is angry. Just have minimum contact and eat your food. You’ll be fine, but definitely not your cozy and friendly service. But will bring your food on the table fast.
4. Atmosphere:
This place isn’t that cozy. Its decorations are very rich colored, wooden, old school Russian interior. I mostly saw older folks or families eating here. Not the most romantic dating spot.

Wonderful service the food is just terrific when you order is just unbelievable all I can say is you just have to go there and try it on your own it’s a great place to throw a party to

Good overall, but… odd. I’m not sure how else to describe our experience at Red Tavern. Our server, the only one we saw all evening, was more than a bit taciturn. Reading other reviews here I have to wonder if that might be a cultural thing. My beloved and I are both on the wagon for health reasons, but I did notice quite a selection of wine and beer available. We ordered iced tea. «No iced tea. Only hot.» We were both sort of taken aback by that. (We had water.)
I had the borscht and he had the cabbage salad. My soup was good, but salty, and not quite to my liking (not their fault – I make a mean borscht and that’s my standard). Beloved loved my borscht. It was a generous helping and contained a lot of meat. He loved his cabbage salad, too, and I liked it, but it was dressed with a healthy portion of sesame oil. Odd, at least to my palate, but that’s just me.
We each ordered the mushroom appetizer, which was insanely good. The portions were teeny-​tiny, though. The server correctly insisted that we each get our own order, but at $ 8 a pop, it was pricey for a soapdish-​sized portion of shrooms with melted cheese and two slices of grilled bread. (Still crazy good, though.)
Beloved’s Beef Stroganoff was a show-​stopper, served in a deep bowl with a huge dome of brown, fragrant bread covering it. (No noodles.) My lamb was odd and kind of sad. I should have asked them how they prepared it – my bad – but they were gray and just… sad. They were served with a tomato/​cilantro salsa – I kid you not – and angel hair cabbage that had been very heavily cooked. Not bad, but not great, to my liking. I would never order the lamb again. I wondered if it had been cooked and reheated. (Is cilantro a Russian thing?)
We shared an order of blintzes for dessert, and they were simple and very delicious. Tip: get an entire order for yourself. I ordered coffee with cream and sugar. I was served, halfway through our dessert, a cappuccino, with a packet of sugar and a packet of Splenda on the saucer. As the server set it down, she announced «Coffee with milk.» I didn’t feel like arguing, especially since she was serving the entire dining room and trying to clean up the beer an exuberant patron had accidentally swept onto the floor. A man who I presumed to be the owner sat in the corner with a handful of people, pouring drinks from a fancy round bottle of something that looked expensive. I think if he’d at least made motions of helping clean up that spilled glass of beer and replacing it I would give this place an extra star.
As I mentioned earlier, good but odd. We may go back, if the proprietor will let us, for the mushrooms and the blintzes.

3^rd time here. This time I got the rabbit stew AGAIN! Mmmhhhmmm, the boyish soup and the zucchini appetizer. The food is great… I get Russian food once in a while to switch it up. The service looked awkward in the beginning since I waited longer than usual to b seated, anyway I took advantage to use the restroom so it was not a big deal. I did appreciate the attention I received while taking my order, when I questioned the kind of beers I could choose from and the patience and kindness of the female server that took care of me and my friends. Overall delicious food, decent price, good beer and great service.
Thumbs up!

As a Russian boy who grew up with my mom’s and grandmother’s cooking, I can say that the food here is very authentic. This will give you the real Russian cuisine experience.
I’ve heard that this is the most authentic Russian food you’ll find in the Bay Area, and I was not disappointed. I’ve been to a couple of other Russian restaurants that «Americanize» their food, but the food here tasted almost like my own babushka made it!
My friends and I got borsh, blinchiki with meat, veal pelmeni, and salat olivier. I would recommend all of the above for anyone who is trying Russian food for the first time.
The only downside is that almost everything on the menu is overpriced. We didn’t even order an entrée and our bill came out to $ 45 (before tip)! Otherwise, the food is top-​notch and the service is friendly!

For those who enjoy homemade, authentic, delicious, natural and truly satisfying food, the Red Tavern is the best place for you! If you are unfamiliar with Russian cuisine, this is an excellent place to learn why it is some of the best food around. If you are Russian or love Russian food you will appreciate the attention to detail and the quality of the food and its preparation.
Our favorites were (names taken from their menu): Borsch, Combination of Pickled Vegetables (solenya), Siberian Style Pelmeny (absolutely fantastic! so fresh and delicious, best I’ve ever had), Red Caviar (for true Russians), and Golubtsy — Stuffed Cabbage Rolls (meaty and yummy). Our waitress Katarina was fantastic, the restaurant was very clean (but please turn down the bright lights), the plates, glasses, etc. complemented the meal, and the food was top notch.
When Mari Vanna LA closed we were heartbroken but now we have an even better Russian restaurant to the north! You will love the Red Tavern.

Nice place, clean feeling and very pleasant. Parking is fairly bad but not impossible. That and that slightly disconnected Eastern European service attitude/​communication are the only real reason not to give five stars. (Curt responses like «No Cabbage rolls. Not yet ready.» Not understanding that my friend and I did not want to share a single bowl of soup with two spoons).
Otherwise, reasonably priced good food with reasonable service. Borscht was served warm with potatoes and beef. Vareniki were perfect with grilled onion. Goulash was a bit disappointing with egg noodles that looked to be from Costco. I expect fresh pasta with this dish.
They could serve sour cream with all the dishes as a condiment. Only the borscht was so accompanied.
I will be back. Maybe for the damn cabbage rolls, and this time with my wife, so that sharing a bowl of soup is less awkward.

Been here a 3 or 4 times. Each time there was only 1 or 2 tables taken in the whole restaurant, but for some reason it seemed like the waiter/​waitress was always busy in the back (they might not have enough cooks in the back?).
I always come for the stuffed cabbage, it reminds me of home :)

Russian/​Ukrainian food. As with all ethnic foods, the experience can be a mixed bag if your expectations are skewed. What are you looking for? Russian food that the Russians eat or Russian food for Americans? Authentic Chinese food is not always so tasty to Americans — and likewise for Russian food — so be prepared to enjoy «real» Russian food.
We walked in to a fully booked restaurant 5:30 and was told there were no table… but as we were leaving another employee told us that one table canceled — so we were spared! She explained that the place is booked for the pre-​set menus or «Banquet» meals. These are the $ 45 a plate fares where they bring out food. I saw the food on those tables and thought, «I want some of this!»
We ordered:
Solyanka — Flavorful Smoked Meats Soup. Sofie use to eat this back in Russia and loved it. I told her it was «good» but the bits of meat floating round in the soup looked like cheap lunch meat. She said, «Yeah, that’s what it’s all about. They get the cheapest smoked sausage and chop it all up into the soup.» Yep. It was indeed good — the broth was delicious and so was the meat. I guess you might call it «Russian comfort food».
Borscht — Beets, Cabbage & Beef Soup. This was a beautifully prepared soup with color and bulk.
Russian Blinys Tower — Smoked Fish & Salmon Caviar. This was salmon, sturgeon smoked fish, salmon caviar a few kalamata olives, chopped green onion, sour cream and blini (Russian crepes). It was all good! I especially enjoyed the sturgeon! It would have been better with vodka — but they sell only beer and wine; so bringing in your own vodka may put a little pep into this dish.
Golubtsy — Stuffed Cabbage Rolls — this was delicious! I’ve made something similar with stuffed bell peppers from an Russian cooking website
which was a lot of work… but very tasty.
Lula Kebob — Minced Lamb & Herbs. Heavy duty! Spiced meat cooked on a skewer served with fresh onion and roasted potatoe chunks. I need help eating this one — but that was not a problem as we all shared our food. I would have added broiled onions and peppers with this as the plate as it is a simple matter to put those on the skewer also.
They have a nice selection of beers — European beers — but we drank a bottle of Cabernet instead. The beers are mostly Russian — but they have a Czechoslovakian beer that I think would have been quite good. (Russian beer is awful in my opinion.)
We all agreed that we would come back and enjoy a banquet meal. The staff are helpful and friendly and we enjoyed our meal at Red Tavern.

I had an excellent meal here. There are so many items on the menu j wanted to try, between my partner and I, we probably are for 5.
The bilini appetizer with smoked fish and salmon caviar is definitely fun and yummy. The Siberian style veal pelmeny was a bursting with flavor! The stuffed cabbage was also delicious with a fluffy filling, my partner had the chicken shashlyk and it was cooked perfectly! We definitely had left overs already at this point, but there’s always room for dessert, so we got the Napoleon cake, which was a great way to end the meal.
I will definitely be back, next time with more friends.

BOURSCHE! that’s it… so good!- I must get this every time I go.
The Zucchini cake was really good too, as Unilocal reviewers previously said.
Goulash was all meat and butter noodles, if you love meat you would love this. For me I think I would past next time and try something else.
Cucumber Salad was refreshing with all that meat.
Stuffed Cabbage, real yummy also, moist big stuffed with rice and meat. Yummy sauce on the bottom.
I went on a Thursday after work, it was dead. I was the only one there, hungry waiting for my friend to arrive. I wanted to order ASAP but the lady said hold on and continued setting plates and forks on 2 tables! Ummm. I would think she could get back to that After taking my order, not like it was super busy or something.

Had another great dinner the other night. We have learned the portions are large, so we now share. Their salads are so fresh, nice dressings, the smoked salmon always a good choice, zucchini pancakes, yum. We shared the potato dumplings with onion topping, grilled chicken, side of fried cauliflower, excellent. Made room for their excellent Napoleon for dessert, deliciously rich creamy filling, many layers. Unfortunately there was no draft beer last night, they usually have our favorites, but they had a good choice of Bottled beers. Nice neighborhood spot fun to share platters of delicious foods. Great service.