Kachka
Eastern European restaurant · Buckman ·
Russian fare & house-infused vodkas with kitschy Soviet decor
Russian fare & house-infused vodkas with kitschy Soviet decor
"Whether you come for zakuski happy hour or a full dinner, Kachka’s creative Slavic menu delights beyond the expected meat-and-potatoes stereotype: try Herring Under a Fur Coat (a molded beet-potato-herring salad), Siberian pelmeni, meat or eggplant skewers, rabbit in a clay pot, or pork loin schnitzel. The convivial, family-style atmosphere is reinforced by a mock cottage exterior inspired by the owner’s great-grandparents’ cottage, and for groups the pre-ordered Plov Party—a long-cooked Uzbekistan duck-and-garlic feast—makes a celebratory communal meal; wash it down with horseradish-infused vodka made at Kachka’s nearby distillery." - Hannah Wallace
"Now open in Northeast Portland after debuting the second week of July, this new seafood-driven cocktail bar—announced by owners Israel and Bonnie Morales in March—occupies the former Aimsir Distilling tasting room and centers on an eight-seat bar with additional seating throughout the space. "Imagine tinned fish but on full blast: steelhead jerky, imported and domestic caviar, scallops on the half shell with corn milk foam and buckwheat furikake." The drinks are meant to highlight the bar's own spirits, with six original martinis and vodka flights alongside nonalcoholic options and wine. The bar is open 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. Thursday, Sunday, and Monday, and 4 p.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday; limited reservations are available on OpenTable." - Paolo Bicchieri
"A Slavic dinner hall notable enough to be singled out among Central Eastside highlights, often paired in recommendations with its adjoining market." - Dianne de Guzman
"It’s hard to understate how influential this Buckman Russian restaurant is: When Bonnie and Israel Morales opened Kachka in 2014, it ushered in the great Eastern European culinary renaissance, as restaurants around the country popped up celebrating the cuisines of the former Soviet republics. The iconic herring under a fur coat is a staple here, a colorful layered salad of pickled herring, beets, potatoes, and carrots; so are the dumplings, from beefy Siberian pelmeni to Ukrainian sour cherry vareniki with sour cream. For mains, go for tender rabbit in a clay pot, swimming in a braising liquid of cherries, porcini, and garlic. Drinkers should opt for a few pours of the restaurant’s fun vodkas infused with the likes of sea buckthorn or horseradish, available in flights or single pours. The house rassol — pickle juice — is the ultimate back to any savory vodka here." - Katherine Chew Hamilton
"Kachka is almost always a default restaurant rec given to many newcomers in Portland; oftentimes, it also serves as an extravagant introduction to Eastern European cuisine, emphasizing Russian dining of the Soviet era. The colorful, homey interior serves as an energizing backdrop to charcuterie boards covered with herring salad, pickled vegetables, and smoked fish buterbrodi. Ordering the Ruskie Zakuski Experience will incentivize the team to customize an array of these items for you, which should rightfully be served alongside one of the dozen-plus vodkas infused with spices like horseradish, caraway, and sour cherry. Other must-have items unique to Kachka include pelmeni and vareniki dumplings served with their addictively savory “fancy” broth, along with the clay pot rabbit braised in a liquid of sour cherries, porcini, and smetana." - Katrina Yentch