Zhivago’s Cafe

This is the spot, the place that made a discerning tongue with a russian stepmom start yodeling to the hillsides after being treated to the warmest, freshest, most satisfying piroshki and overflowing bounty of fresh hummus.
…the place that made me finally break down and get a Unilocal account.
I went in with a friend around 2 pm. The very kind, helpful and adorable barista told me which piroshkis were fresh (almost all out of the oven that afternoon) and which was her favorite– (beef and potato) — I decided to throw the quality control for a loop and ordered a curried chicken with onion, and a hummus platter. The girl put some french pop on the ipod, brought out our well presented food within minutes, and bingo. Fresh, hot, not too much pie /​not too much filling, extra pita with fresh tomato, spot on.
Based on the outside signage, I was hoping for some Stalin busts, maybe some stone seats, but the place is adorned with canvases from local artists, it’s spotless clean, it even has wifi. Seems pretty decedent and capitalist to me, but I’ll let it slide.
So, here I am, Unilocal.I’ll be back to write a trashing review of Galerias some other day, but for now, trust in zhivagos for afternoon perfection.

stopped by zhivago’s café today. They seem to feature Russian cuisine (piroshki and borscht) and cuisine that is middle eastern (shawarma/​hummus etc.). I ended up getting the lamb shawarma which was tasty enough. They warned me that it would take some time to make and it took about 20 minutes. The folks who work there were very nice and engaging. Have yet to partake in the more russian parts of the menu but will try it soon.

I came here the other day with my BF and ordered the ham & cheese piroshky to share. The bread was dry and tasted like it was a few days old. The ham and cheese was tasteless. Honestly, I questioned if it was actually ham. I think they must have microwaved it before they brought it out to us.

Went to Zhivago’s last night for dinner. I had the lamb kabob and rice plate with tomato and cucumber salad. It was excellent !! I love Zhivago’s !! The atmosphere is very comfortable and the staff are very kind.

I went here with my monthly ethnic food group to try some russian. Big mistake, the barista was not friendly and the piroshkis were very bland. Should have stuck with the place by my house in crossroads. Was hoping for a new experience. Oh well. The only good thing I can say is the owner in back was very friendly. If only her staff would have been. Sorry but I will not be able to come again as she asked.

Maybe it was an off night, but both my and my wife’s piroshoki (beef and cheese, beef and onion) were quite bland. The red cabbage salad was good, and the eggplant salad was adequate (but definitely inferior to the one at From Russia With Love in Bellevue).
It’s still a decent value for the money, but it’s not a replacement for the late lamented Piroshky on Broadway. On the plus side, the piroshki are less greasy here; and while the service is still café-​style, it’s a much nicer place to sit and linger. But I don’t think I’d ever come here if Piroshki on Madison had decent hours.

Went in again a few days ago, had another great experience. Great coffee, cute chick barista and tried the Russian Tea Cookies which were OUT OF THIS WORLD!

I went there with a couple of friends for dinner. I ordered piroshkis with borscht. Borscht was pretty good, but piroshkis sucked: it was mostly pie and very little filling with very little flavor.

This place claims to be all organic and special, but everything we ordered was microwaved, and most dishes are pre-​prepared and sitting in a window all day before they’re heated up to order. It was pretty empty around dinner time. just wasn’t very impressed.
The one girl working the register was nice, and the sandwiches were reasonably priced. so maybe a better choice for lunch than dinner?

Delicious piroshky: spiced, delicious fillings nestled in a shell of fresh, tender bread. The borscht is also delicious. Comes with a roll of equally tasty bread. The whole meal was well under $ 10 too, so there’s no complaining about price. I came away not bloated but by no means empty: just the right size for lunch.
Appetizers run the gamut from Mediterranean to Russian. Some vegetarian options among the starters and entrees. Plenty of baked sweets, including good looking cheesecakes. Espresso bar on site.
I’ll absolutely be back, especially as the piroshky can be taken home and warmed there for a kid-​pleasing meal.
Just learned Zhivagos has closed. Total bummer.

A friend and I popped in here because I’d been dying to try the food here for weeks. She ordered the cabbage, carrot and mushroom pastry thing, and I got the lamb schwarma. The gentleman who took our order, who I think one of the owners, if not the owner– was extraordinarily spacey. He added something on to our tab that we didn’t order and got my friend’s order wrong (he gave her the cabbage, onion & mushroom one) after we had to repeat our order three times. My lamb schwarma was decent, but nothing special. The white mocha was disgusting– it didn’t even taste like espresso. I don’t think I’ll be coming back, especially when I can get the same type of fare for larger portions and lower prices in the Udistrict.

Had a couple friends up from Tacoma and we all needed a bite to eat, and they asked if there were any new places to try out, and as there are a few I was trying to figure out one I had not been to yet, so it would be new to all 3 of us, so i said head for Broadway
I am so glad we did also, I know you think since you have had these huge over flowing Piroshki’s that that is how they are meant to be, but no these are perfect, not everything needs to be super sized people, it is like eating Sunday lunch with my Grandma
the dough is just right and the filling was very tasty but not over powering, I had the meat, potato and cheese, it was a little strong on the garlic but hey if that’s how you grew up making it then that’s how you make it who am i to complain about a good tasting Piroshki
and the Borscht Soup, wow just fucking wow, Grandma was watching over me tonight, this was some good soup and with the sour cream added just before serving it was heaven in a bowl
I love the feel of the place and the Jazz playing made for a great meal, and the Apple Tart was just wonderful also, and they have Mexi Coke :)
as we all agreed we will be back for sure

Delicious, friendly, and cheap! I was delighted when a friend brought me to this new place the other night and I will definitely be back. The atmosphere is nothing super special but who cares when the food is so good? Try the chicken kebab — yum!

I love this place. The piroshkis are amazing; the epitome of comfort food! I’ve had only vegetarian piroshkis, and eating them makes me so happy. I had the babaganoush today, which was also quite lovely — I can’t wait to try more of their middle eastern food.
Furthermore, the espresso drinks are really great. I typically go to Vivace (which ruins me for most other places), but these people make really good coffee, too! The americano was very flavorful. It would be a mistake to not acknowledge that the owner is something akin to eye-​candy, and also incredibly nice. Hehe.

The people were very nice and the place was clean but good lord the piroshkis SUCKED! My partner and I split two and we had the spinach and feta one and the broccoli and cheese one. The broccoli and cheese one was by far the worst. Both were low on cheese and SUPER bland. Each one is around $ 5 too. Hopefully some of their other stuff is better.

Just tried out this new place on Broadway, The name of Zhivago caught my attention. It was my first time trying out Russian food. These were the items I had:
Borscht soup $ 3.95: Cabbage/​potato/​tomato with sour cream, I would prefer it to be more spicy and hotter (temperature wise). 3 *
Chicken and onion Piroshki $ 4.85: Nice and fresh, also not too spicy. 4 *
A large cup of Latte $ 3.65: Very tasty, with excellent creamy design: 5 *
So my overall rating:
Food: 4
Cleanliness and ambiance: 4.5 (a few wall paintings will add more attractive décor. The hand painted ladies on the menu was nice work)
Service: 4.5 (The server was friendly, cute and a great barrister)
I was told more additional menu will be added. So I guess I will be back some time soon when I will be in the neighborhood.

I’ve been here a few times now and I love it. The food is tasty and works well for a quick, cheap, warm meal. The staff is very friendly and the place has a nice atmosphere. It’s also a great place to study — they have wifi and coffee!

Decided to go in on a whim while walking home tonight. Got a turkey with cheese, and a beef piroshki. I got them to go, and so they were a pretty cold. I stuck them in the oven to heat them up. Tasty, but my s.o. and I agree, needs a tad more spice and filling. Good but a tad pricy.
That all said, I really liked the (owner?) people working there, so +1 on the star rating for that!
FYI: They *will* accept credit cards in the near future, but they are cash only for a couple of days.

Sunk my teeth into a flaky meat pie from Zhivago’s last night and decided that for a light meal, it would be worth it to return.
I had the smoked turkey with cheese piroshki and the mushroom piroshki and liked the turkey better. The mushroom was fine but needed more seasonings.
Covering the innards is a light, flaky crust that was nicely browned. Because we got them to go, the temperature was a little cool for my liking but next time I’ll try one in the café for the full effect.
I’ll definitely return and try the other items on the menu like the borcht and the baklava.

I’m so happy that there will be piroshkies in Capitol Hill again! We went in today and the space looked nice and open. The waitress and barista who helped us both seemed very friendly. There was a good selection of piroshkies, veggie and otherwise, and the broccoli and cheese piroshki I got came with some tasty cabbage slaw. The cabbage slaw tasted a bit like tabouli to me, probably because of whatever herbs were in it.
It was a bit quiet today since they’re just getting going, but I have high hopes for this place.