La Caverne

Bah. J’avais faim.
J’ai mangé.
J’ai même mangé à ma faim.
Mais était-​ce savoureux? Non, pas particulièrement.
Le décor est horriblement étrange. Animaux empaillés, photos du propriétaire avec des célébrités russes et québécoises (vraiment, pourquoi?), le style «pseudo-​caverne dans le sens que les murs sont peints pour donner un style caverne moyennement réussi», la télé au fond qui joue des succès pop russes (on a déjà compris que la pop est la même partout, est-​ce qu’on doit se taper les clips aussi?).
On né m’a pas servi d’eau ni offert quoi que ce soit même si ça faisait un bon moment que j’attendais une amie. La nourriture était très ordinaire. Le charme n’était pas au rendez-​vous, et pour une assiette mixte un peu fade et tiède, le prix (au-​dessus) de 20 $ devrait être révisé à la baisse. Serveur bien gentil et doux comme un agneau, mais qui né nous a pas demandé une seule fois si tout était à notre goût.
Merci quand même, mais non merci, malheureusement.

Russian cuisine has always been on my to try list for a long time and I’ve finally had my chance at La Caverne. The Russians are no joke — mounted bear heads and torso perpetually give the dungeon-​like restaurant a robust feel.
The service was straightforward but friendly. The obvious choice for me was the mixed platter considering the fact that I’m a novice. But because of my inexperience with the cuisine, I couldn’t judge the authenticity of the food but I can tell you that it wasn’t bad at all. I really loved the thick glass mug of kvas, a fermented rye bread beverage that somehow reminded me of plum juice mixed with beer. The frozen mug was perfect for the hot summer day that it was.
I’d recommend this restaurant to anyone who wants to try Russian cuisine without the need to book a plane ticket to Russia. Montréal has very few Russian restaurants so consider this place your chance.

Hands down best place in town for authentic Eastern european food. I can gladly say that the only food that can compete with my Babushka’s home made pelmenies would be the ones served at La Caverne. I even brought my aunt when she came from Ukraine and she absolutely loved it. Would recommend to everyone.

Authentic Russian/​Slavic foods are to be had here.
Don’t expect your standard (horrible) run of the mill pierogi, you know the ones you can buy in the freezer bags at your grocery store and somehow make it onto restaurant menus, this is the real deal.
For sure try the Khartcho (lightly spicy & sour beef soup with rice), and the pork & beef Pelmeni (small dumplings), they’re amazing.
It’s a small place, located, as the name suggests, in a basement of sorts.
It might be a little hard to spot at first, since the sign is rather small, but don’t let that deter you from your ultimate goal: Tasty stuff & vodka.

I have been many Russian restaurant and tried their food many times, but this place was one of the best Russian restaurant! Fantastic atmosphere, delicious food and most importantly great service !!!
Thank you for the great night, can’t wait to go back :)

Are you lost? Run away from this place as fast as you can! Not only the vodka will ruin your stomach but also the horrible thing they call food. At $ 35 ($ 45 with taxes and tips) the holidays menu is a total rip-​off.

Interesting little family run place. We came here after a day spent snowshoeing, and appreciated the hot hearty food.
After you descend into the basement restaurant, the wooden cottage-​like décor and stuffed animals (a bear!), certainly get you into the spirit. A huge Russian family birthday party was adding authenticity to the place when we visited.
Now for the food: The Soljanka soup was wonderful. The other dishes mostly consisted of dumplings with pork and sausages, and were quite tasty. I would have liked to see more veggies, though. But if you are into hearty meaty fare, this is a not a bad place.