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Russian Vodka Room
265 W 52nd St, New York, NY 10019, United States
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Russian Vodka Room

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Sh
Review №1

Has always been a spot for good drinks and cool vibes. Have been going here for years. They recently reopened with outdoor seating. Good selection of infused vodka. Food is of the European variety (its Russian!). I miss hanging at the bar, but if you just want to hang with some friends over smooth vodka. Hit this place up.

Pa
Review №2

I love this place. Its so quaint and the drink is excellent.

Al
Review №3

Went there to cap off drinks ended up ordering lamb dumplings and some kind of Pirogies which came wrapped in filo dough. Staff was very nice and service was great

yu
Review №4

Such a cool experience! Drinks and food were delicious, the service is great the staff is helpful and nice and make this experience complete. I liked the decorations that really supports the theme and how the melow music sips in and make the time spent there, special. My sister couldnt join me and its a shame

Do
Review №5

Excellent Russian cuisine and great selection of vodka, plus a fine pianist! Very romantic!

La
Review №6

Dont let the Christmas forever interior turn you off. The food is excellent! We tried the borscht, the eggplant trio appetizer the duck and the lamb shank. They were out of this world.The chicken Kiev was a little bit dry for my taste, but I am not a big fan of the chicken breast to begin with.Their dirty martinis are wort the trip for sure!

Ma
Review №7

This place has stood the test of time by being consistent, no-nonsense, yet jovial (its a piano bar at its core!) Vodka infusions that taste like fresh ingredients (garlic dill and pepper is legitimately refreshing) work together with some almost comically high end options to make space for anybody to enjoy a little dark corner of fallen opulence with a Russian sense of both humor and style. The late night food is also a welcome alternative to surrounding faux-diners - both authentic and Americanized enough to work with any palate.

Ol
Review №8

Best Svekolnik I ever had. The ambiance is great. Go there on Saturday night, order some vodka.

Na
Review №9

I think it was my favorite place in Manhattan. Theres something about infused vodka. That stuff is straight up defy gravity fuel. I Thoroughly enjoyed my time there. You know what Im just going to leave it on my bucket list in the hopes of returning . Theres something to be said about culture , Russian Vodka Room is truly cosmopolitan.

Am
Review №10

Amazing food, especially their pelmini (dumplings) and if you like cherry you should try their dessert pelmini! Their drinks was amazing as well! Good service, cozy place and good live music.

Le
Review №11

Beware of the 18% tip added to the bill for the party of two! And then the credit card slip provides you with a convenient spot to add gratuity! Horseradish vodka was excellent. Food and service were good. But the bill really left a bad taste!

Sh
Review №12

If you want a strong drink this is the spot!!! Great live music too and very authentic all around!

Na
Review №13

I wont come here the third time.

Th
Review №14

Great drinks. Relaxing atmosphere and home cooked food. Best to go with friends but be sure to make reservations as it gets crowded fast

An
Review №15

Try the horseradish vodka. And please sip your vodkas. Great ambiance. Good service. Furniture there needs to be updated or upholstered. Great for late night...no frills business meeting.

FC
Review №16

A wonderfully comfortable & quiet place. Live piano, authentic menu, extensive choice of Vodkas.One of my go to places to spend the occasional afternoon (and evening).Super friendly service - all of it at significantly less $$$s youd expect.

Cl
Review №17

Great service, amazing atmosphere, authentic. The live music was lovely. One thing to note, a tip is automatically included when you sit in the dining room but not in the bar (it was so good we went twice)

Na
Review №18

I love this place, its become a favorite between my friends and I. Drinks are awesome and the food is great!

De
Review №19

I absolutely LOVE the Russian Vodka Room. The food is delicious and everything is authentic. The vodka is dangerously good— it tastes like jam, but it is... vodka. Would especially recommend the strawberry and apricot varieties. On certain days they have live music which adds to the already lovely experience.

MA
Review №20

Good list of Vodka infusions. Service was good. Not very busy at all. Happy Hour was only in the bar area so we were charged for dining room prices ( 12 feet away). A little dingy but friendly people minus the drunk regular at the front. Good selection of food however the cheese pastry definitely tasted like it was previously frozen. The mushroom dumplings were excellent and the cold chicken appetizer was a little questionable. Piano player was talented.

MB
Review №21

This place is pretty dark. Ambience was good and service was great.

Ек
Review №22

Great service and good taste

Ar
Review №23

Nice and strong infused vodka shots. Their happy hour is until 7 pm when beer and vodka shots are $4 and infused shots are $5 and select cocktails for $8.There is of course Russian food and live music starting around 7 PM.The lychee, cranberry and strawberry infused vodka are a favorite.

Aa
Review №24

Kitcshy Sovietesque dive bar with Christmasy/Russian New Year/Valentines Day decor and a house pianist. Loved the horseradish infused vodka (they have many other flavors too) and pickled vegetable plate. Also enjoyed Russian dumplings (пельмени), potatoes and mushrooms, and kielbasa. You must check this place out for yourself. Seeing is believing!

Ed
Review №25

This place is very cozy and welcoming, I love the Soviet decor and their wonderful and vast selection of vodkas. That being said, this is more of a bar than a restaurant. If youre going to come visit, sit at the bar, because service at the tables is dreadfully slow. The food was O.K. and definitely left more to be desired. Come for the vodka, not the food!

Eu
Review №26

I used to like Russian Vodka room. However I feel that experience declined over time. It gets crowded and loud. The food is ok. Feels overpriced comparing to other places that offer same level of service.

Mi
Review №27

Vodka flight was fun! And very nice live music

De
Review №28

Good infused vodkas and music however martinis are soso. Salmon roe and blinis are pretty good

Ra
Review №29

Friendly staff , amazing food & the infused menu has enough for all tastes.

Th
Review №30

This place is so good, I wish they had more locations outside of NYC

Sh
Review №31

Must try their infused vodka.. live piano.. lamb Momos are amazing! Our server was lovely...overall great place to have a few drinks before heading out to party

Uk
Review №32

Nice decor but the service and food are hit or miss. I made a dinner reservation with my friends but when I arrived there was no chair for me to sit on. So I took one from a neighboring table. However, a waitress said there is no room and exchanged it for a smaller flimsy one (while my friend had a normal chair). Of course I got it exchanged back to a normal one but that left an unpleasant feeling. As far as the food, hot borsh and shuba salad were really good but beef stroganoff had a very difficult to chew meat. The potatoes that came with it were on a drier side. Overall not a great experience. There are better Russian restaurants if you go to Brooklyn.

Ch
Review №33

What a wonderful bar and restaurant. Expect traditional fare and more than a hundred vodkas. They make their own infused vodkas there and they are delicious and strong. Very friendly staff and patrons. Food is good, if genuinely Russian, so be prepared for lots of fish and lots of pickled goods.

Kr
Review №34

Just a surprise! Service, drinks and food were amazing. We thought we were coming for a couple pre-dinner appetizers, but they were so generous and like an entire dinner. All from scratch!! So glad we wandered in!!

Sr
Review №35

Nice fun place, live Russian music n singers. Servers are very Russian, love the accent great bar, must go if you are in the area

Ly
Review №36

Run downish but wonderful. Stopped in for a drink pre-theatre and loved the infused vodkas. We had a peach-apricot, a red grapefruit and a horseradish. Horseradish was our favorite.

li
Review №37

Historical, nostalgic space. Strong drinks and friendly faces. Yummy dumplings and traditional Russian dishes

Ta
Review №38

The vodka was great, food was very good, but the service was not that grear because 2 times i went there the waitress forgotten about my orders .

Da
Review №39

Place is excellent. Highly recommend. Service is outstanding.

Ma
Review №40

A nice place with a large selection of cocktails, liquor and tastes of infused vodka (nastoyka).If you are in the mood for a Russian cuisine, try my favorite - pelmeni and salmon caviar blintzes (great appetizers and/or something to share).

El
Review №41

Wonderful bar. The infused vodkas are made in house and are delightful. Definitely get the dumplings. Easy to get drunk here if that’s the goal too

Da
Review №42

Excellent experience visiting the room. Came on a busy night, without reservation. Staff was able to wicked make room for us. Thoroughly enjoyed infused vodka and select items in the menu. Everything was generously sized, easily shared. Everything was tasty. We were served quickly, tables were kept organized and decluttered continuously. Excellent experience overall. Will be back, hopefully soon.

Li
Review №43

First time there. What a delightful surprise!! Food was great. Service exceptional. Comfy, cozy atmosphere. Live music (not too loud). Will definitely go back.

St
Review №44

Nice cosy place on Tuesday night, quite music, pleasent appetizers

La
Review №45

Great Russian food & tasty shots. Live piano music gives a French-like bistro feel. Loved it!

Cl
Review №46

Love here for happy hour; offering 5 flavored vodka. Great atmosphere too you feel like your transported when your inside the curtains

Ty
Review №47

A little bit late with the Christmas photo; that was this year’s decoration.This place is awesome! Authentic Russian vodka spot that specializes in “fruit infused vodka shots”. Great place to get cultured but the space is small

Al
Review №48

I was only at the bar. I needed help of the bartender to understand the pricing written on the menu. Shot and rocks? Single or double... To be honest, the collection of vodkas especially russian vodkas could be more explicit, as long as you are vodka room or bar. Me and my friends enjoyed our choices of vodka, except cranberry drink which I ordered in a hope it has anything to do with the one from back home in russia. It didnt work for me at all. The vodka they use is very poor quality and it feels like it.

Ni
Review №49

Authentic food and authentic staff loved it

Ph
Review №50

I have been going to The Russian Vodka Room for decades; since it first opened. Walk through its portals, and you are instantly transported to Odessa, Russia, circa 1990, without risking your life on Aeroflot Airlines. Dark, sultry, and furtive, the Russian Vodka Room envelops you in a world of Natashas, live singers, attractive bartenders, and black leather. The men are polite, but keep smiling and dont stare at their hot girlfriends or their elaborate tattoos.The alcohol flows, everyone is alive, and pretension is not necessary. This is Russia, not America, and flaws are accepted as a viable aspect of life. The Russian Vodka Room is non judgmental. If you have money, spend it. If not, drown your sorrows. Dostoyevsky wasnt cheery.Stagger out of the Russian Vodka Room, blink a couple of times, and exclaim, Huh, where am I? Back in New York is where you are, with two choices: Turn around, go back in, and forget about life for a while. Or, keep walking and face the trials and tribulations unabashedly. I love The Russian Vodka Room.

Mi
Review №51

Suuuuuuuper slow service, but when it happens, its attentive. Come for the old school vibes. Leave for another bar after a drink or two.

Kr
Review №52

Olya was a wonderful bartender and its beautiful inside!

sc
Review №53

Absolutely great Russian food. Very home style and the vodka is superb. The music is a little loud but still enjoyable

DC
Review №54

Too drunk to explain. rate 5 star. use code muselk int he fortnite item shop

Sa
Review №55

When visiting NYC we always make a stop here. Drinks are strong and the fruit infused Vodka is a must try. Food is phenomenal! I love the Christmas decoration’s in March!

Ir
Review №56

Very friendly local bar. Great drinks.

Ge
Review №57

Great place with great food. Not too expensive either. 5/5

Ém
Review №58

Excellent choice of vodka. Weird but tasty. The bartenders are nice.

Ya
Review №59

A great decline of a marvelous place.I have visited RVR for years and recently started noticing the quality going down every time I was there.On Thursday night was my last time and I was deeply disappointed. I ordered herring under the fur coat, potatoes with mushrooms and lamp leg. The herring was OK, not as good as it used to be but nothing too bad.The potatoes with mushrooms was not cooked to order, it was obviously cooked before and warmed up. This is unacceptable for a restaurant of this level. Not mentioning offensive to costumers.The lamb leg was also precooked. It was a bit funny that it was served so quickly although I know very well that it takes time to make it. The vegetables were saggy and everything was in an unpleasant sauce of unknown origin.I dont know reasons for this: maybe, new ownership? But I would strongly encourage the place to get their stuff together soon before its too late.It was my moms birthday dinner which wasnt successful. Being Russian, I am very proud of my national cuisine and was upset it was presented so badly.

Iv
Review №60

Great drinks

Mi
Review №61

Very nice & quaint Russian cuisine. Authentic to a tee...We had a great time.. Food and service was good.

V
Review №62

Terrible experience, most of the food was not tasty at all.Even vodka wasn’t that good.My friends that visited place a few years ago, was shocked

Da
Review №63

This is the place to come too for a good drink! Came here for date night with wife and had the best time. Great bartenders and really good drinks

gi
Review №64

This place is great. The cherry didnt have a stem, though; I wasnt happy about it. Spread the love. HAIL PUTIN!

wy
Review №65

Super good infusion drink which are just flavored shot sized drinks. Very tasty and worth trying. Cool coomie decor too. Excellent service but many of the patrons are a bit pretensious but thats to be expected in the area i suppose. 9/10 soviet bears

Te
Review №66

Great service, a great food, great Russian restaurant experience.

Ka
Review №67

Great cultural experience. Delicious traditional food. Highly recommend!

f
Review №68

These guys and staff were so welcoming. We didn’t eat but had sample flights of their in-house infused vodkas. Great experience. Love piano music was excellent as well. Definitely recommend

Da
Review №69

Between the decor and the music it was like I was living in a Woody Allen movie. The soft lighting, and jazz music from the 40s created a unique atmosphere.

Pa
Review №70

Bartender was knowledgable, she knew just what to serve me on that hot September afternoon. I loved the selection of vodkas, Ill be back.

Va
Review №71

Been there on # of occasions: seems to be impossible, but they manage to get the food better every time ;)

Pa
Review №72

In the website said they close at 2 am everyday but I went last Sunday night and they took me out at 12. Even though they have a full bar, I couldnt have an old fashioned. and the music was boring

El
Review №73

Fantastic old New York experience. Wonderful live music and terrific vodka of course.

Ly
Review №74

It was a bit quiet on 4th of July but I am sure it wouldve been a very lively place to visit during Russian holidays!

An
Review №75

Great drinks and service...need I say more

Ca
Review №76

Great place to put you in the Christmas spirit

Je
Review №77

Fun place the infused vodkas are really good. Staff is great

Hi
Review №78

Portions are huge. The twin waitresses are exquisitely beautiful. The vodka and caviar are out of this world. Roast duck was perfectly cooked. Persian mule and shots of various infused vodkas perfect. Did I mention the waitresses were beautiful?

Ni
Review №79

Best vodka offer in nyc

Er
Review №80

Excellent food and great atmosphere! Traditional Russian fare at its finest. The horseradish vodka is great!!

Ma
Review №81

A good place to drink difficult flavoured vodkas in Manhattan downtown. Live music and lovely personas frequent this joint

au
Review №82

Huge selection of vodkas and excellent authentic Russian fare.

El
Review №83

This place is definitely interesting and worth a visit. Plenty of authentic Russian dishes and drinks, accompanied by an authentic Russian crowd.

ol
Review №84

If it wasnt for vodka drinks, Id give this place less stars. The appetizers and deserts were fine but the main course was quite mediocre.

Ar
Review №85

The place is my favorite one to introduce Russian cuisine to my American friends. It serves a variety of authentic Russian dishes, not just Vodka as the name of the place might imply. I wish they would use wild mushrooms in their cooking, but that one thing aside, the food is really great.The men bathroom is under construction (as of April 2018), but I would chalk that up to a typical Russian experience as well :).Live music is another nice touch, they play easy listening stuff and old-time Soviet pop variety. Very nostalgic.Спасибо за вкусную еду и приятную атмосферу. Обязательно прийду ещё!

Ma
Review №86

Great ambiance and people. We were visiting, but many locals here who said this was their favorite local bar. Small, quaint space. Dumplings and caviar were great. Roast duck was good. Infused vodkas were...intense.

Di
Review №87

We (party of four) came here at around 9:30pm after seeing a Broadway show. The interior was very cute and I felt like I was transported to Russia. There is live piano music which sets a nice ambient environment, and when we were there, there was someone singing as well!The infused vodka is a must try. Even if youre not a huge vodka fan, the novelty of the different flavors is worth it. I really enjoyed the peach, and the blueberry flavors, while not having the best impression of the dill & pickle and horseradish flavors (because of personal taste). The Russian beers were also up to par.Service was excellent, with the waitress providing good suggestions.Would recommend this place for a drink or a date and would definitely come back in the future.

Je
Review №88

If you love vodka- then you need to stop in and check this place out!

Se
Review №89

Nice place for small parties!!!

Da
Review №90

I loved the atmosphere. You feel like you are in your friends house. plus food was delicious. highly recommend

Ma
Review №91

Quaint little place. Very friendly. Love the vodka

il
Review №92

Awesome place... great food, music and drinks.

An
Review №93

I cant describe how I disappointed with this place because of the rude and uncontrolled manager. If this woman is the manager of the this place, the place will have trouble soon. Incredibly rude and arrogant!!! When I called restaurant and spoke to her, she just hang up on me! How many balls she has to do it to the customer?! She should get fired because of her attitude and the way she talks to customers! Definitely not recommending this place because of this insane woman who cant control herself

RB
Review №94

The absolute most pre-theater or anytime fun. Love this place. At a minimum, order a few infused vodka flights and a smoked fish platter then get happy listening to the lounge lizard pianist.

Ja
Review №95

Expect to walk out of here drunk. If you dont, you didnt do it right. Im not saying you should be black out, white gurl wasted drunk, but drunk because you tried a lot of the different vodkas.Forget the cost. Forget the decor that hasnt changed since the 70s. Forget the service, which sometimes, can seem indifferent. Forget the creepy restroom. Forget what you have to do tomorrow. Just drink and live life tonight in the moment, because youre here for the vodkas. If you really do it right, you will be walking out of here happier than when you walked in.Oh, and dont forget to try that pate. I havent had a lot of pate in life, but theirs is at the top of my list.

mi
Review №96

An option if you want to experience Russian cuisine. Not too expensive, great service, funny signs on waiters t-shirts and menus( if you understand Russian ). I liked herring appetizers, and infused vodka happy hour.Main course not so much - I thought beef stroganoff was overdone and cutlet Kiev was way dry.Id recommend stay with vodka and appetizers, time your visit to happy hour, and youll leave happy :)

Da
Review №97

Good food, good drinks...good atmosphere

Ri
Review №98

I always have a good time going here. I do always come with a Russian friend of mine to make ordering food easier. Great staff. Great happy hour deals. Cant complain.

Ma
Review №99

Love the cranberry vodka, the food, the music, the vibe and the memories!

Ja
Review №100

Very unique and aesthetic place in the middle of boring midtown. A little outdated. But maybe it brings more charm?!

Information
100 Photos
100 Comments
4.5 Rating
  • Address:265 W 52nd St, New York, NY 10019, United States
  • Phone:+1 212-307-5835
Categories
  • Blues club
  • Bar
  • Russian restaurant
  • Jazz club
  • Lounge
Working hours
  • Monday:4pm–2am
  • Tuesday:4pm–2am
  • Wednesday:4pm–2am
  • Thursday:4pm–2am
  • Friday:4pm–2am
  • Saturday:4pm–2am
  • Sunday:4pm–2am
Service options
  • Takeaway:Yes
Highlights
  • Live music:Yes
Popular for
  • Dinner:Yes
  • Solo dining:Yes
Accessibility
  • Wheelchair-accessible entrance:Yes
Offerings
  • Coffee:Yes
  • Comfort food:Yes
  • Late-night food:Yes
  • Small plates:Yes
Dining options
  • Dessert:Yes
Atmosphere
  • Casual:Yes
  • Cosy:Yes
  • Romantic:Yes
Crowd
  • Groups:Yes
  • Tourists:Yes
Planning
  • Dinner reservations recommended:Yes
  • Accepts reservations:Yes
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