Korochka Tavern
Cocktail bar · Wallingford
2317 N 45th St, Seattle, WA 98103
Highlights
Cocktails & Eastern European dumplings, borscht, and pickled plates
Cocktails & Eastern European dumplings, borscht, and pickled plates
"For Eastern European dumplings, Korochka Tavern is the grand champion. A big bowl of their boiled pork pelmeni covered in sour cream and a few drops of housemade hot sauce is one of the most comforting dishes you can eat. If you are still (yes, still) mourning the 2015 loss of Vostok Dumpling House like us, know that these pelmeni are even better. Especially chased with something ice-cold that involves their beet-infused vodka." - aimee rizzo
"One of the city’s very prettiest cocktail bars seems to sail under the radar for most folks, but no one should be sleeping on Wallingford’s little floral drinking parlor after almost a decade in biz. Owners Lisa Malinovskaya and Kendall Murphy are old besties and veteran bartenders, and they use Korochka’s menu as a conduit to playfully tap into Moscow-born Malinovskaya’s cultural heritage. Bespoke cocktails like the Bonfire (400 Conejos mezcal, Orahovac green walnut liqueur, Zirbenz pine liqueur, Benedictine, Ango) are uniquely delicious, and served in what’s easily the most beautiful barware in the city. Slavic dishes like pelmeni served with smetana, Korean (but actually Russian) carrot salad, or the tall, many-layered slice of medovik (honey cake) are the perfect accompaniments to the foresty flavor profiles in the drinks. Don’t skip the N/A birch juice, kvass, and/or the sinus-clearing shots of housemade horseradish vodka." - Meg van Huygen
"Settle down into your grandma’s floral-print living room and prepare to get trashed, Soviet-style. This lovely Wallingford parlor features Slavic snacks — pelmeni, borscht, housemade pickles, and many-layered honey cake — as well as stiff drinks served in beautiful glassware. See, they don’t really have a cocktail culture in Russia, where folks mostly take their vodka straight, so Korochka co-owners Kendall Murphy and Lisa Malinovskaya set out to create Russian-themed cocktails, then named their bar after Malinovskaya’s childhood nickname. (Korochka means “heel of the bread,” a loving Russian epithet for stubborn people). Cottagecore vibes are strong here, with lots of earthy-foresty flavors on the cocktail list like beets, mushrooms, walnuts and birch syrup. A Korochka classic, the Bonfire, brings together mezcal, green walnut liqueur, pine liqueur, Benedictine, and Ango bitters, for example. Or you can just keep it legit and clean out your sinuses with a shot of horseradish-infused vodka. —Meg van Huygen" - Mark DeJoy
"This cozy Russian drinking parlor has a rep for its Soviet-themed cocktails and steamy bowls of dumplings — which, totally understandable. But it means that folks sometimes miss their hearty borscht, and it deserves equal billing. In the summer, Korochka serves a chilled version with yogurt and dill; in fall, it switches over to the warm, meaty, bone-sticking version. The blood-red, beet-based stew is loaded with brisket, carrots, onions, and cabbage, all simmering under a delicious garlic cloud — perfect for the cold seasons, whether in Siberia or Seattle." - Jenise Silva
"This former Lake City bar is now in Wallingford after changing locations, and a big bowl of their boiled pork dumplings covered in sour cream and a few drops of housemade hot sauce is one of the most comforting dishes you can eat. If you are still mourning the 2015 closing of Vostok Dumpling House, know that these pelmeni are even better. Especially chased with something involving beet-infused vodka." - aimee rizzo
