Babushka Russian Deli & Cafe

Doesn't Recommend

otelo

Joined 3 years ago

expired dates in deli store. i noticed many sausages with expired dates, but ignored and purchased 6 inch Hungarian Salami and Georgian style sausage, total $26. Normally i would have them sliced, but this time i was not even offered slicing.

Went home to find out the salami had grey color on the inside, and the georgian sausage hade sticky liquid in the package. The date they were made was 6 months ago!

When i return them to the store, the deli gauy started: arguing "'that's how is supposed to be".

be very carefull, check the dates, and have them slice the salami for you so you can see the inside. The chicken pierogy are left all day long in room temperature at the counter. be aware.

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boddie66

Joined 5 years ago

Great Borscht. I ate here yesterday for the first time and loved it. It was a rainy afternoon and I was craving borscht. the place is small and quaint and the food was excellent. I had the Borscht and my date had stuffed dumplings. the dumbling were great but the borscht was really outstanding (always a good sign in a russian place), fairly priced and good service. I will return and bring friends.

Doesn't Recommend

LauraDV

Joined 5 years ago

Cheap but very Dirty. Now its understandable why its so empty. We were the only people there nevetheless it took 45 minutes to get the food. The owner was extremely rude, food was cold and greasy.

Doesn't Recommend

Patricia001

Joined 5 years ago

Owner-the-crook, just like the good old days. In the best traditions of a Soviet sales-people, the owner, who is also the salesperson, tries to cheat the customer the best he can, forgetting that the customers will not come back. The prices are not written anywhere, and he charges any price he can get away with. I discovered that he charged me $16 for a small bag of cherry vareniki. If you absolutely have to buy something at Babushka deli, ask for the price ahead of time and watch up that the salesperson types them up correctly into the cash register. The selection is poor, and the restaurant quality is way below average. So I would recommend staying away.

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Contributor

Joined 10 years ago

Editorial Review. Russian dining and deli in one, with featured live music and catering services available.

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wordwoman

Joined 7 years ago

Fabulous food and hospitality. We'd recommend Babushka highly. When you walk in and are seated at the beautifully-set tables, it's easy to imagine that you're in Russia, not California. The owners are among the most hospitable restaurateurs that you'll ever meet, and the food is great and served in generous portions. And the borscht? Well, it's heavenly. You won't be disappointed.

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miniwekate

Joined 7 years ago

Deli Items. I dropped by this deli/restaurant only to pick up some frozen Pelmeni & honey cookies. I did a comparison & found that my friend & I enjoyed the frozen packaged Pelmeni from European Food Market in Concord, CA better than the regular beef Pelmeni from Babushka. The filling was kind of sweet in this one, which was weird because it's not supposed to be. I'm a little disappointed with this. Haven't tried the restaurant here because based on the food I picked up at the deli, the restaurant must use the same stuff which I don't really like.

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cristeen

Joined 9 years ago

Delicious, if variable.... We had vegetarian Borscht and their soup made with 25 different sausages. Flavor of the soups was fabulous, and the portion size was hearty. The piroshki I would recommend avoiding. The purchased puff pastry and unidentifiable meat paste it was stuffed with were just edible. We had the pelmeni and the cheese vareniki for the main course. They both ranked among the best I have ever tasted. We finished with a piece of cranberry cake, that we probably would have been better off without... it tasted like the inside of the refrigerator.

We stopped by the deli on the way out, where they sell their pelmeni and vereniki frozen, as well as many other difficult to find Russian foods... including chocolate cheese (which I've never seen in the U.S. before).

Ambience was a strange melding of elegance and greasy spoon... with what is obviously a weekend discothec in one corner.