Tatiana Restaurant
Eastern European restaurant · Brighton Beach
3152 Brighton 6th St, Brooklyn, NY 11235
Highlights
Showcases Afro-Caribbean flavors, NYC classics, and a '90s nightclub vibe
Showcases Afro-Caribbean flavors, NYC classics, and a '90s nightclub vibe
"There are so many angles for an opening gambit to a review of Brighton Beach's famed Tatiana Restaurant & Night Club. We could go with the fact that for most New Yorkers, "dinner and a show" means a semi-overpriced Italian joint and a revival musical somewhere in the West 40s, not a Russian banquet, fire throwing, and line dancing. Or we could talk about how a meal at Tatiana is akin to a blind taste test, given that you can't really see what you're eating about 80% of the time a dish is served. Or we could discuss how the Wall of Fame down by the bathrooms has over 40 framed pictures featuring Oksana Baiul and that guy from one of those movies. So to avoid having to make a choice, let's just go with all of the above. Tatiana will provide one of the most bizarrely entertaining nights you'll have in a town full of bizarrely entertaining options. Bordering a stretch of the boardwalk, Tatiana's outdoor seating spills out onto the strip. But the main event takes place inside, where your meal is accompanied by a very home-cooked show featuring dancers, singers, and trapeze artists. How many dinners have you been to that ended with a light show and unison clapping from the entire dining room? We thought so. And then there's the food—which essentially serves the purpose of letting you drink without getting the spins. You can come and order à la carte, but this place is known for its banquet-style meals ($80-$105 per person). You'll need numbers for this option, so round up your closest and least judgmental friends. Here's a litmus test: Anybody who is embarrassed at karaoke is out; Anybody who runs to the center of the wedding dance floor to lift the bride on a chair despite not knowing anyone there is in. Head for Little Russia, and prepare to sit back and be served platter after platter, worrying less about the menu and more about the people dancing inside giant picture frames. Food Rundown Potatoes And Mushrooms Exactly what it sounds like: a big plate of potatoes topped with various types of sautéed mushrooms. Tatiana Salad Daikon radish, some form of meat (beef? duck? probably beef), and thin, crunchy fried onions, coated in some mayonnaise sauce. The crunchy onions and radish mixed with the chewy meat is a nice combo. This one is actually pretty good, despite the description I just gave you. Greek Salad You know what's in a Greek salad? That's what's in this one too. Fish Assortment A few slices of homemade lox and butterfish. Russ and his daughters would roll over in their graves if they ate this, but if it's what you're hankering for, it does the trick. Mind the occasional bone. Blini The pancakes are a bit bigger than you might be used to with blini, but the dough is actually pretty nice and sweet. Top one of these with a scoop of salty salmon roe, and you'll have one of the better bites of the night. Spicy Beef Tongue Not necessary. At all. Pass. PASS. Shish Kabobs The shish kabobs here are very straightforward. You'll get hunks of meat, some pita, and some red sauce served up on a heaping metal platter. If you come here and don't go for a banquet dinner (which you should very much opt for), this is probably the order for you. Beef Stew "Country Style" Not sure what makes this "country style" stew as opposed to "regular stew," but what the hell do we know about the Russian countryside? This is basically some hunks of beef in a ceramic pot, served up with some veg and brown sauce. As with most everything else here, this stew isn't going to change lives, but it will allow you to keep drinking. Apple Strudle Served with scoops of ice cream, this is a big plate of dessert—about the size of your head, actually. Unless you're still starving at this point in the meal, order to share." - Ben Kopelman
"Like a ’90s nightclub plopped into the middle of NYC’s Lincoln Center, Tatiana glows blue and chain-link gold, blasts Lauryn Hill and Biggie, and serves the most exciting food we’ve tasted at a fancy restaurant, ever. You’ll have just as much fun clocking tracks on the throwback playlist as you will dissecting all the menu’s references to NYC classics, from Afro-Caribbean hot bars to Chinese take-out. You’ll even find a nod to the Cosmic brownies at corner bodegas. We’re especially fond of the absurdly tender short rib pastrami suya, served with caraway coco bread, inviting you to build sliders. Tatiana is one of the hardest reservations in town, but for a restaurant that feels like a paradigm shift in New York fine dining, it’s well worth it. Ask about the jello shots." - arden shore, team infatuation
"Verdict: Simply put: the best restaurant in NYC. Located inside David Geffen Hall on the Upper West Side, Tatiana feels like a quiet nightclub—with soft blue lighting and beaded silver curtains—and serves food that blends Afro-Caribbean flavors with iconic New York dishes. Options include braised oxtails, curried goat patties, and excellent short rib pastrami suya. Reservations are released four weeks in advance at 12pm. If you can't snag one of those, try the six-seat bar. When we arrived on a Tuesday at 4:45pm, the line was already 10-people deep, and our four-person party was seated at 5:40pm. Get a drink in the lobby of David Geffen Hall while you wait." - bryan kim
"You’ll ask yourself if Tatiana is cheesy or genuinely fun while you watch a magician poke swords through a box with a human inside. The answer is both. This Russian restaurant puts on a show on Saturdays, when groups of six or more can opt into Tatiana’s $125 prix fixe menu. In our experience, that’s a massive amount of salads, kebabs, and dessert. It feels like interloping at a wedding reception, especially when the staff encourages everyone to hit the dance floor and boogie to Bruno Mars." - molly fitzpatrick, willa moore, kenny yang, carina finn koeppicus
"Tatiana is the best restaurant in New York City, and it comes from Kwame Onwuachi. You might know of him from his DC restaurants or his run on Top Chef, but he’s also the guy who single-handedly made Lincoln Center cool again. Tatiana, located inside David Geffen Hall (the one with the Philharmonic) feels like a quiet nightclub and serves food that blends Afro-Caribbean flavors with iconic New York dishes. Think: egusi dumplings and curried goat patties, and wagyu pastrami suya—a must order. Reservations are released four weeks in advance at 12pm. If you can't snag one of those, try the six-seat bar. When we arrived on a Tuesday at 4:45pm, the line was already 10-people deep, and our four-person party was seated at 5:40pm. Get a drink in the lobby of David Geffen Hall while you wait." - bryan kim, carina finn koeppicus, kenny yang, will hartman
