For over 30 years Russian Samovar has been a celebrity hangout for drinks, authentic russian food, and music in the theatre district. Founded in 1986 by Roman Kaplan and later joined by ballet dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov and nobel award winning poet Joseph Brodsky.

The decor has remained the same as when it was Jilly’s Canteen, owned by a pal of Frank Sinatra Jilly Rizzo. The red banquettes remain as well as the bar and Baryshnikov’s own baby grand piano which is used daily by performers and guests.

Fish Platter

Siberian Pelmeni

The cuisine is authentic Russian with lots of caviar options. We started with the fish platter served with blini or potatoes, followed by Siberian Pelmeni (Dumplings) served with sour cream on the side. 

Chicken Kiev

Beef Stroganoff

For the main course I chose the favorite dish of the house, Chicken Kiev. The chicken was tender and buttery served with creamy mashed potatoes. My guest chose the most classic dish of all Beef Stroganoff, lean tenderloin, sautéed mushrooms in a mushroom cream sauce, served with egg noodles.

Napolean

One of my favorite Russian desserts, me being of Russian decent is the Napolean.  A light and flaky pastry cake with bavarian vanilla cream filling. We recommend this dessert to top of the meal!

There is a wide selection of specialty cocktails, lots of them are vodka based, as expected as well as a large selection of infused vodkas to sample.

Every monday evening there is a live show, performances vary, ours was in Russian so check ahead of time to choose a performance you prefer. There is a three course pre-fix menu ($45), tax and tip not included as well as an a la carte menu.

Russian Samovar is located at 256 west 52nd street New York, NY 10019 (212) 757- 0168 russiansamovar.com