Vlada Klymova
Google
I have such mixed feelings about this place. I was asked to leave a review, and I’m always happy to do so. However, I always prioritize honesty over flowery praise, even when it’s hard to do.
I’m a native Ukrainian, and my husband and I were celebrating our anniversary on July 17th. I mention the date so it’s clear who was working that day. We wanted to start our celebration with a traditional Ukrainian breakfast.
To begin with, the staff was amazing! We had wonderful conversations with the chef and the young woman working at the counter. Throughout our visit, they were very considerate, communicative, and friendly. The chef even showed us what the dishes looked like to help us choose based on our preferences.
The Ukrainian food was good: the syrnyky tasted right, and the crepes were made properly. As a Ukrainian, I’ll note that nothing was outstanding—though I admit, I’m hard to please. One disappointing part was that the crepes were supposed to come without actual berries, but the chef was very nice to us and added fresh berries at no extra cost. Without the berries, the pears lone would look very plain. My husband ordered the Middle Eastern shakshuka, and that was a bit of a letdown. It was mushy and far too watery. Honestly, it didn’t look like authentic shakshuka at all—it looked sad and empty. The taste was okay, but the tomato sauce completely overpowered the rest of the dish. It felt more like a diluted tomato soup. That said, the spices were great…so, mixed feelings about the food.
The coffee was a big frustration. For the price, the quality was underwhelming. Our iced banana-caramel latte was good, but not nearly good enough to justify $6.25 plus a service fee. And my hot latte tasted like warm milk with a hint of coffee—I wasn’t expecting that at all. I even got up and asked for an extra shot of espresso because it was undrinkable. It was also cold from the start, and they don’t have a microwave, so it couldn’t be helped… The young lady was very polite and gave me the extra shot free of charge, which I appreciated. Once again, the staff was responsive and attentive to every request. But unfortunately, I had to make so many requests because there were so many small disappointments…so again, mixed feelings about the coffee too.
Finally, the prices… not only do they tack on a random service fee, but even the base food prices—given the portion sizes—are absolutely ridiculous. $19 before tax for two tiny syrnyky? $16 before tax for three minuscule plain crepes with a teaspoon of jam? Come on… I want to leave a good tip for the great service, but with prices like these—when our three small dishes and two coffees totaled $86—I just can’t justify paying $100 for a breakfast that didn’t even fill me up.
The aesthetic and atmosphere were pleasant, but I understand why some people mention a strange feeling of messiness or gloominess. The place looked a bit worn—almost dingy. Some things just looked messy, old, or poorly maintained.
As a Ukrainian, I entered this place full of excitement and anticipation. I was genuinely happy to discover a Ukrainian food spot in Adams Morgan. And the staff completely lived up to my expectations. Everything else, though, left me so sad and hesitant to return. I’m very disenchanted with my recent experience…