Rasputin

never again!!! food is not good at alll, service is is even worse

Don’t waste your time with these criminals.
In April 2013, I called Rasputin and made a reservation for 12 people. The dinner was to occur on Saturday, May 11, 2013. In order to hold such a reservation, Rasputin requires a $ 100 «deposit» on a credit card. I put quotations around «deposit» because Rasputin charges your credit card right away.
Around 6 PM on Friday, May 10, 2013 (the day before), Rasputin called me and cancelled my reservation, they would not give me a reason, although I assume it has something to do with the federal charges against the owner. They did not offer another evening, they did not offer any apologies or gift certificates or anything. They simply stated that they would be closed. When I inquired about the $ 100 they had charged on my credit card they told me that they would try and refund my money. I am still waiting. I have called and left messages and have yet to hear back.
Basically, they stole $ 100 from me and made me scramble to find a new restaurant that could accomodate a party of 12. Thankfully, National was around and able to provide a great evening.

Disgrace to Russian food!
Please do yourself a favor and Never spend a dime in that place. The food is awful (steak stinks and rubberish) entertainment is awful! You can get so much better in other Russian restaurants with MUCH BETTER FOOD AND MUCH BETTER SeRVICE!!!

I went to this place for a regular dance party (I can’t remember what Russian band was in town but it definitely was something like that). So, there I was with my two friends of mine. As we went dancing, we put down our purses on our chairs (maybe it sounds bad in retrospective, but I always did in other Russian restaurants where you meant to dance). When we came back, we learned that all cash from all of our three purses was stolen. It was late night/​early morning and I had to wake up my mother to bring me down cash for car service. Later I found out that this place has quite a reputation for stolen things. Maybe they should rethink their hiring practices.

I had an amazing time at Rasputin. The Russian show was amazing and there was a cute dance floor where everyone can just get up from their meal and start dancing to whatever music they were playing to that night. I had an amazing groupon deal from last year ($ 45 for 2 people which included a salad, an appetizer, and 2 entrees) We ordered a fresh salad, pheasant julien, filet mignon and chilean sea bass. There was nothing that disappointed us that night. Thank you Rasputin for a great girls night out!!!
Just FYI: this is the kind of place you want to bring your BLINGS BLINGS out. and show it all off. Everyone was very well dressed and was ready to party!

This place is tough to review. We came here with a groupon, which, if judging by the other reviews of people who did the same, is the death knell for a good experience.
As has been mentioned, the groupon included either a glass of wine or a shot of vodka per person, along with an ‘eight course meal!’. Okay great. We arrived a bit early, and were seated after checking the lady’s coat. Here, an interesting exchange happened with the party in front of us. The waiter was telling them the coat check was downstairs. They asked if they had to check them and he literally raised his eyebrow with a rude smirk. Classy. We got seated right away in the empty restaurant. It’s two relatively small levels with a big circular dance floor and stage. The bigger tables were piled with food wrapped in saran wrap (I thought this weird. When did they put them there? When did they make it?)
Our waiter brought us our included wine and a few minutes later we got 4 salads. Yep. A garden salad, a caesar salad, a seafood-​ish seafood salad of sorts and a salad with chicken and berries. All cold, nothing to write home about. We didn’t even touch the garden salad. How much lettuce can one person eat? At this point, other people were finally starting to mill into the place. Most of them seemed to be in larger parties along with cameramen, videographers, etc. It really did feel like a wedding in there. Then the waiter brought us a sad looking plate of lox. Didn’t look good, didn’t smell good, didn’t taste good. Didn’t eat it.
It was around this point that the show started. The band played a few songs, some in Russian, some in English — the MC even said hello to the guests of honor in a few different languages. Interspersed through the entertainment were our remaining 3 courses. First up came a plate of potatoes and mushrooms. Basically home fries. This was the first thing we both agreed tasted good. We then got a small cheesy dish called pheasant julienne. It was actually very tasty, but all of 2 bites. It was also the first thing we got that was truly hot. A long time after this we got our final course which was supposed to be ‘kebabs’ of lamb and chicken. We received two small pieces of meat each and some vegetables. The meat was dry and overcooked. We had a couple of bites and that was that.
In the end, it was all about the entertainment. I want to give the place higher marks for the genuinely fun entertainment — I mean, to see a Russian Dave Navarro look alike sing Psy’s Gangnam style was fabulous and hilarious, but in the end, I’m only allowing that to bring up the score by one star. It’s probably much better in an a la carte setting, but the treatment of the groupon users means I won’t go back. I’d have been happier if they just gave us a pizza and let us watch the entertainment than insult us with the ‘$ 160 value!’ bs.

I came here with a GroupOn deal. Had a great time and all the food we had was decent to good! It’s one of those places that you should at least do once while living in New York. The entertainment consisted of a mix of Russian, Latin and pop songs sung and performed by a Dave Navarro look a like, a older Russian version of Bill Murray and a long white hair sax player — oh and also some dancers in a variety of costumes. And you have to get up and dance! It was like we crashed a Russian wedding. Overall a good time!

One of my favorite restaurants in brooklyn. The food is yummy and always fresh. Great mix of french and russian cuisine. The people are always dressed appropriate for the venue, nice looking manhattan crowd. They have a live band playing songs from the 90’s, 2000 and today. Later in the night the music changes to house and electronic so everyone can get up dance the night away. very fun place with great food and music.

OK the food is not bad. There is a lot of it — some of it is hit or miss. You should think about Russian cuisine and what they are good at when ordering. They are good in smoked fish, pickled food, not so much on the meats.
The drinks are plentiful.
The service is pretty good.
The show is entertaining but nothing fancy. It is cheesy but entertaining.
but what is most interesting is the crowd. Feels a little like you have just crashed a wedding in Russia. Come here to eat, dance, and be a part of the show.

Rasputin is known for a Russian dinner with a cabaret show. It’s incredibly over the top and outrageous– precisely the way Russians want it. I came here the other night to celebrate a relative’s birthday and the old New Year so I was lucky enough to see both an evening show and a New Year’s show.
The food is amazing. Since I grew up with it, I never had much of a taste for Russian cuisine. Naturally, going to Russian cafes and restaurants in Brooklyn is always a bore for the buds. I wasn’t expecting much, especially given the not-​so-​fabulous reviews. But I must say I was pleasantly surprised. We preordered the Banquet Noble menu which came out to around $ 80 a person (this is more expensive on Saturdays so find out in advance). If you are ordering a la carte, I recommend the avocado and veal salad, the asian seafood salad, the yukon potatoes with mushrooms, the seafood pasta, and the fillet rolls stuffed with crab, shrimp, and salmon. These dishes really stood out and made the experience much better.
The venue itself is impressive. There is a stage with a circular dance floor a few steps down and dozens of tables surrounding it. I recommend picking a seat facing the stage. I had the unfortunate luck of sitting with my back to it– very uncomfortable.
The show was nice. I liked the host and all the singers and dancers. Lots of fun outfit changes to keep track of. There was an older crowd the night I went so a lot of the music they sang were old and slow Russian songs. Occasionally they livened up and you saw all of the younger guests run up to dance.
The service is a hell of a lot better than any other Russian restaurant I’ve ever been to. It was incredibly attentive without being overbearing– not an easy combination to pull off. I liked not having to reach for any plate or bottle– everything was taken care of by your 5 waiters per table. The service definitely slowed as soon as the place was full capacity and the show well under way, but that’s to be expected.
Downsides: expensive and at times very boring because of the slow music.
Regardless, I would definitely go back to Rasputin. I’m curious to see the crowd on a weekend night. Oh– and a side note: it is BYOB so don’t be afraid to come with plenty of booze. It will be served to you.

Ugghh what a hell hole this place has become. Now it’s only good for your OTB Russians and those old Ol’School russians who cling to this place to remind them of their earlier, better days.
Today, this place is SUPER over priced. Food is just absolute crap. They try to attract crowd by throwing their famous shows and dance parties together, but even those are not enough to justify the crazy high prices, super bad food, and the slimey ass customers, who are the lowest of the Brighton Beach.

I was there for a big event party last night. The restaurant was decorated fancy for the holidays. The buffet was beautiful looking but the food was all blah– even the sushi was mediocre. The employees we not very professional. When we first came in they made us hag up our coats even through it was freezing in the hallway and in the basement where the coat check and the bathrooms are. They promised that it would be warm in the main room but even though I was wearing a pant suit, it was still very cold– they just have to make money on the coat check.
I would not have my party here.

Rasputin! Rasputin!
I always look forward to coming here to see their amazing Cabaret show on the weekend nights. It’s Las Vegas quality right here in Brooklyn. The costumes, the music, the dancing, the lighting. I love it!!!
The food here is not my favorite out of the Russian restaurants in Brooklyn. Some things are better than others, and somethings are totally inedible.
I definitely come here for the show and the experience of Russian restaurant. There are plate fulls of food, and gallons of alcohol flowing. I enjoy the atmosphere.
The waiters are quick and helpful. They speak Russian and English! Don’t Worry!
Don’t forget to dress to impress!

What a wonderful restaurant. Courteous staff good food great show an experience worth the time. Reasonable price.

Seven of us celebrated my girl’s birthday at Rasputin’s. She and I were intrigued with the idea of the Russian dinner shows after we saw one on Bourdain’s New York episode on the Travel Channel and scooped up a Groupon deal shortly thereafter. It must have been fate!
I had to do some prepping. «Wear your snazziest, sexiest, tightest outfit with your highest heels and your most blingin’ jewelry». Even with that preparation, we were still underdressed. We had nothin’ on these people at least twice our age!
The entertainment starts off with the emcee announcing various birthdays, anniversaries, and miscellaneous special occasions. Then the partying begins! Various singers and dancers in colorful and interesting outfits take the stage and perform Russian, Spanish and American songs with sometimes shocking dance moves (we all agreed on the ride home that our favorite was the long haired Spanish singer who randomly did pelvic thrusts on the floor and humped the microphone). As the birthday girl put it, «this is like a poor man’s cirque du soliel». The guests also do their part by boogying down on the dance floor.
The food was good! I don’t usually expect much when it’s a combo dinner/​dance/​show, so we were all pleasantly surprised. We ordered the duck salad, red caviar with mini blinis, lamb chops, seabass, cheesecake and tiramisu. Not really an authentic Russian menu, but good nonetheless. The salad portions were out of control and they were not skimpy with the red caviar!
Service was kinda spotty, sometimes borderline rude and we were seated in the worst possible section to view the show. Given that it was a prime Saturday night and we were using a Groupon, I’m not all that surprised.
You can BYOB if you go for the banquet menu. If you go for the a la carte menu, you have to purchase their alcohol, but the prices are still reasonable.
We left at midnight and that was «intermission». Man, those crazy Russians sure know how to party!

Rasputin is supposed to be the ultimate Russian experience in Brooklyn. So here’s my experience with it:
1. The food was good — try the duck salad and the lamb chops.
2. The service was average — for a Russian place this is actually good because typical Russian service is shit. Trust me, I know — I’m Russian.
3. The ambiance was not as nice or extravagant («over the top» Russian) as I expected it to be. It looks like the place needs to renovate a bit pretty soon.
4. I was disappointed with the show. The show had very little Russian flavor to it — very few Russian songs were sung and the acts weren’t anything specifically Russian. A lot of Spanish and American music, but not Russian. I found that disappointing.
This is supposed to be the ultimate Russian restaurant and cabaret in Brooklyn, but, honestly, it didn’t feel very Russian at all.

This is a best-​in-​class Russian restaurant. I say best-​in-​class because Russian restaurants are a unique category of venue, incomparable to other restaurants. The Russian restaurant, conceptually, is closer to a supper club /​banquet hall than a proper restaurant. Russian families (I come from one) come to the Russian restaurant only on special occasions. They go in large groups and plan to spend 9 pm — 4 am there. Large quantities of very rich food is brought out over the course of the night. The food tends to be comprised of non-​Russian cuisine for Russian eaters, rather than the expected Russian cuisine for non-​Russian eaters. People who come to Russian restaurants tend to be Russian, and have taste that seems tacky and over the top to Americans. Expect to see guidos and women in leopard print. The diners take breaks during eating to go up and dance to live music. There is even a canon of Russian restaurant music, which is a combination of Russian, Jewish, Latin, club, and disco music. I have heard the same songs in Russian restaurants all over, such as the obligatory Bamboleo by the Gipsy Kings. There is also often a show with impressive acrobatics and/​or stunts.
Now that I’ve given you a sense of what to expect, I will offer that Rasputin is one of the best. I’ve been to many Russian restaurants in Philadelphia, and a few in NYC. I must say, Rasputin is big, red, lavish arena. Upon entering the main area, my breath was taken away. There were multiple stages connected by steps. There was one circular hardwood floor stage down by the diners, one in the front, and one up and to the side. There was a second floor balcony with more dining tables, but banquets seemed to happen on the main floor.
At 8 pm, the place was empty, but by 10 pm it was packed with birthday parties. The music started, with a variety of performers serenading us, ranging from pretty Russian female dancers in costume to a scraggly-​haired middle aged Russian saxophonist to a Latino singer. We were impressed by this performance, but had expected more. At around 11 pm, a Russian man with a mullet unexpectedly announced the beginning of the show. Apparently, what had transpired up until this point was not considered «the show». The arena went dark, with a movie projected onto a screen informing us of safety rules and regulations. What followed could not be described, it could only be experienced. I will just say it lasted about an hour, involved very impressive costumes, some magic, and acrobatic harnesses. The show was over in about an hour, with the musicians resuming until 3 am. What was originally a setting for slowly grooving old Russian couples now became a club-​like dance floor.
The food was decent, but not better than other Russian restaurant food. We had a forgettable duck salad, and a pretty solid seafood salad (Russian seafood salad is always drowned in mayo). For appetizers, we got pelmeni and vareyniki (dumplings, like what Polish people call pierogies), and blinis and caviar. For an entrée, 3 of us got filet mignon and I got the lamb chops. Caution, Russian people overcook their food. We ordered rare filet mignon and got medium well. For dessert, we got tiramisu (Russians restaurants all serve Tiramisu) and cheesecake. For drinks, it’s usually bring your own. We ordered a bottle of Kindzmarauli, Georgian wine (republic of Georgia, not the state). It was very sweet.
If you want the Russian restaurant experience, set aside a night, get dressed up, and check it out.

I was really looking forward to coming here but we came on a night where there was no show :(. I found groupon for $ 85 that includes the pre fixe dinner for 4 (2 salads, 2 apps and an entrée each-​no dessert) m so me, my bf, my gf, and her bf decided to try this place (on my gf’s rec who has been here before).
Contrary to some experiences here, they were cool with our deal and said we had to exclusions. We wanted to make reservations to come here on Sat but they were booked, so we had to go for Friday at 8. Two tips: 1) Go on Sat, and 2) Go later if you want a «local» flavor.
I’ll start with the space. The attire ranges from dressy casual to dressy; we more or less dressed up (guys wore jackets, but not necessary). It’s really beautiful and romantic in here with candles, and chandeliers– like you’d see in Czar times. The place is pretty massive– with 2 floors of seating. The top was COMPLETELY empty– it was pretty dead that night with maybe only 6 or so tables– a mix of locals (you can tell where there’s a 50 year old oogly man and not 1 but 2 hot 20 something Russian girls that this is a local establishment), and newbies (grouponers like us, though my gf is Russian). It has a big stage, dance floor and is really… red. The bathrooms were nasty for a place marketed to be high end (they had someone handing you paper towels).
As it’s been said, you don’t come for the food so I’ll get that out of the way. The pre fixe is from the a la carte menu. I was surprised by the elegance of the presentation, but the food was just ok-​good. More ok. I also don’t love Russian food but glad I got to try some authentic (big portioned, banquet style) dishes. We ordered:
1. Caesar salad– standard, anchovie-​less salad, and the duck salad– this was the best thing we had all night. came in a big tortilla shell but was the right combo of yummy duck leg, grapes, sweet dressing and organic baby greens.
2. Went with an authentic app– red caviar with mini Blini & sour cream (this is noted as Crème Fraiche online). This was… interesting. I prefer black caviar as red caviar is really salty/​fishy. Apparently the way to eat this is as a spread with butter, according to my gf on flat Russian bread (which is what we got in the basket… it’s nothing fancy, just stale-​ish flat sandwich bread) I loved the taste crêpe though. We each were served this (as opposed to leaving in on the table).
3. I got the sea bass, per our waiter’s recommendation. It was really good actually– not overcooked but it was ruined by loads of tartar sauce! I didn’t like this. but others might have. The veggies were fine– nothing spectacular.
4. My bf got the lamb chops which were really good, he said. I didn’t try– don’t eat lamb. But they had a really nice nutty flavor. Came with the same greens (this is true for all dishes, it seems)
5. Both my gf and her gf got the steak, which they both liked. Portions of the actual meat might look small but don’t be fooled because the plates are just REALLY big. Same veggies.
For dessert– my gf and her bf ordered the tiramisu. This actually looked like the one of the best things all night (with the duck salad). It was very artfully prepared, with cut out pineapple fruit and designing the plate with flowers.
I would NOT recommend ordering the wine we ordered, which was a white zinfindel from California. It was like grape juice. I wanted to try something super regional– like Tsinandali from Georgia but that and the other Russian stuff was considered a dessert wine– too sweet (ours was too). The bottle of zin was $ 32?
Ok the good stuff. Even though we didn’t have the cabaret (show with costumes, acrobatics, etc– which was a big boo, would have liked to see that), the musicians started around 9:30−10? They were REALLY good, and sang in Russian, French, English (favorites like Moves like Jagger and Stereo Love were present) There was a guy that played piano and sang, and a guy that played sax and sang and a main girl who had really hot blunt bangs haircut… and sang. She was really good too– with a little dancing and outfit changes (a la Russian style). Of course, she was supplanted with two back up dancers, that were totally out of sync but had nice costumes. It was fun to dance– most people did.
Our waiter was really nice but I would not say the service was attentive much. we poured our own wine, flagged people down for water, etc. And they charged us 20% tip on the FULL amount (it’s usually $ 130 per person). true, we save almost $ 300 but the bill, post groupon still came to $ 132 accounting for the extra dessert, 2 teas (my gf, her bf), wine, tax, tip.
I would like to see a cabaret someday but I’d probably try that at another Brooklyn Russian establishment.

It’s interesting. The Ambience field below the review box offers Hipster, Romantic, Dive-​y, Classy, Trendy, Upscale, Touristy, Casual, and Intimate. Let’s immediately cast off Hipster, Romantic, Dive-​y, Casual, and Intimate. To be honest, it seems like Rasputin is no longer Trendy with so many other places imitating their and Tatyana’s template (dinner, singing, dancing, and a «show»). Classy/​Upscale? Well, it’s trying to be… Touristy? Somewhat, probably, given their guidebook presence. The only apt term to describe a place like this is probably… Russian-​American. It’s a combination of haute cusine, Soviet and post-​Soviet-​era decadence, and straight burlesque with plenty of cheese on top.
This was my second time at Rasputin and the first coming here for dinner (the other time I was at a concert). Immediately we were greeted by a guest (I think) getting wheeled out on a gurney by paramedics. We exchanged knowing glances, as if we’d missed the fun (I hope this person’s OK, of course). Next I was struck again by how small the interior in, compared to some other rooms like Paradise and National. It’s a bi-​level cabaret-​style interior with groups of American friends and coworkers awkwardly staring at the spectacle of wasted Russians Americans and Russian-​American Jews spinning around on the dance floor to Top 40 American and Russian pop after downing four of five courses from their banquet table. This is one of the best parts of your experience, and if you’re here, you have to get out on the dance floor.
So you’re hungry, too? The food, while overpriced by Russian restaurant standards (if you don’t purchase the ridiculously expensive pre-​fixe packages you’ll get the a la carte menu, which they bizarrely call pre-​fixe, with $ 20 appetizers and $ 25 – 50 entrees), is not bad. The duck salad and fried potatoes with mushrooms were very dependable. We stuck with salads and appetizers and were really quite happy not to overeat. Bring a bottle of booze with you – Russians are good about BYOB. The service was quite good for the category. And, of course, the night was capped off by a wild and totally unfiltered dance by two inebriated middle-​aged Russian men, who were performing something resembling a cross between a traditional dance from the Caucuses and a scene from Dirty Dancing. Cheers!

I never would have ended up here if it wasn’t for Groupon offering a crazy deal that was just irresistible. First off, the food… The duck salad was as big as my head and served inside this crispy fried tortilla shell that I could have gotten away with eating for dinner in itself. The shrimp scampi was awesome, could have probably used more shrimp, but who cares. The filet mignon was overdone, but the lamb chops were so delicious they made up for it. And I had to remind the waiter about my wine twice before it actually arrived at the table.
BUT. All that aside. This place is an awesome place to come with a big group of people who aren’t afraid to drink, dance, and get crazy with a boatload of Russians. As soon as the music starts, the dancing starts, and the only time it stops is for the show, which is around 11pm. The only thing I can say about the show is that it’s like a cross between Cirque du Soleil, Halloween, and your drunk buddy that thinks he can do acrobatics after a fifth of vodka. Add a leaky ceiling with water dripping down onto the stage and you’ve got a damn entertaining show.
I had a blast and I’d definitely come back again if there’s another Groupon or some other way that my otherwise broke ass can afford it!