Korchma Taras Bulba

Wonderful place! Like returned home but even tastier.

The news clipping on the wall says «a day in SoHo, a night in Ukraine», and it is very fitting. This restaurant has amazing ambience that really made us feel that we were in Kiev, not New York. The hostess and waiters were all dressed in traditional Ukrainian garb, quite different than mpst ethnic cuisine in New York. There was live music this Saturday evening, and plenty of guests clapped along to the accordian player. We started with the borscht for soup and the Kiev blini, recommended by our waiter. We loved both, and would certainly recommend them again! We had the chicken Kiev and beef stew as entrées, and both were done quite well. I would certainly order the beef stew again, although I think the chicken came out a bit dry. We finished off with a traditional Ukrainian goodbye, drinking a complimentary horseradish vodka with a pickle. This place was absolutely amazing and we would strongly recommend it to everyone!

The place is really awesome with a great atmosphere and Ukrainian dishes, costumer service is nice just one thing is bad it’s a prices so high (but if you want to enjoying great food this place that what you’re looking for

This place is a MASSIVE tourist trap! Avoid at all costs!
We were walking down W Broadway on a quiet night and not in the mood for anything in particular other than sitting outside. We stopped to look at the menu outside Korchma and noticed it had stellar Unilocal reviews. Within a few minutes, the «host» came out with lots of good cheer and basically pushed us into the restaurant saying «happy hour 2 for 1!» Sure, we were n a good mood and thought why not.
We should have seen it coming: the kitschy décor, the costumes, the excessive pushiness. This place is a TRAP and I have no idea how it has so many positive reviews. Or how it’s paying rent on one of the most expensive streets in Soho.
Our waiter «recommended» we get two salads, two soups and two mains each (oh and dessert). Sorry sonny we werent born yesterday even though we were dumb enough on this occasion to fall for this lure. I cannot STAND the pushy attitudes of the wait staff here as if the food is Michelin quality. AS IF.
The food was nasty — bland and unappetising. I asked for no «boiled tongue» on the salad and of course it was piled on top of the salad. The borscht was bland like boiled water. The herring was tough and the «famous garlic rolls» could have come out of a United economy class flight.
When we asked for the bill with ¾ of our food still on the table, the waiter has the nerve to recommend dessert! Can you not see we don’t like the food??? Get a clue!
Also, the insistence on drinking their infused vodka on the way out was abhorrent. What if I dont drink? Am pregnant? Hate vodka?
NEVER again. Please avoid at all costs. Take your money somewhere else and pick from the row of amazing restaurants in the area. Felix, Novocento and others are right next door.
Oh and it’s overpriced too. Boiled cabbage water and rolls should not cost what they do here.
Last note: if you care about having photos taken with «traditional Ukrainian headgear» and seeing people wearing these gimmicky costumes more than you do about the food you eat and money you spend, then this may be the place for you. If you love bland unseasoned food, then this is your dream come true.

This place is a little different which is great! I have no idea if it’s authentic Ukrainian buy my guess is that it probably is. Wait staff was great, food was great (I got borscht and meat vareniki)

Great dinner! The mushroom crepes were awesome… And you have to try the homemade infused vodka! I had the horseradish to start and strawberry to finish.

It is definitely worth visiting as the interior and the theme is very Ukrainian looking. Food is pretty good. I give 3 stars because of the service, as we were moved from our table, and then our waitress was moved to the 2^nd floor, so we were sitting there with no attention to us. We were not even offered «an posishok» when everyone else were. I’ve been there and probably wouldn’t go back.

TL;DR: Really cool place, especially if you’re not dreadfully poor.
No idea why I love Eastern European food so much, having grown up with no affinity to the place whatsoever. But whatever the case, Korchma Taras Bulba hits that jonesing just fine.
It’s a charming place that wholeheartedly embraces the wackiness of Ukrainian culture. The servers are all dressed in traditional Ukrainian garb, and there’s old Ukrainian tv playing in the background. They have kvass, which is the freaking bomb and you should get if you have ever liked malta/​malt beer. They will also being you funny Ukrainian hats to wear! Like I said, this place totally rolls with its quirks.
Their vodka is out of this world, and you should use the Unilocal check in to get a free shot! Their prices are a bit higher than what I could afford daily, but this place is perfect for birthdays our special occasions where you want to focus on fun!

I stepped out of Soho’s sidewalk and into an old world home. Very uniquely and traditionally furnished. The menu boasted some amazing dishes. I wanted to try them all. I ordered the chicken Kiev and my friend order the rabbit with buckwheat. Both dishes had great flavor and were very healthy. Each dish cans with a side salad. The waiter was very friendly and this local gem was family run. We were able to chat with our host as well and enjoyed our night out. At the end of our meal we were offered a horseradish vodka shot which was a nice compliment to the meal. We each got a shot and a desert pickle. Nice folks and great atmosphere. I will come back to try more next time in Soho.

Be prepared to experience a little bit of Ukraine in the heart of New York! Traditional, authentic and a lot of fun, the servers are very friendly and make sure that you have an enjoyable meal. I visited with a Russian friend of mine and she said that the food was as authentic as it good get, for someone like me who had never had Ukrainian food before, it was a little intense but extremely tasty. I particularly loved the herring appetiser and the borscht.
Would love to visit again sometime for dinner because the place gets much more lively around then

This restaurant will lighten up the mood! I enjoyed seeing the servers dressed in traditional clothing and the live music playing throughout dinner. The best part? You get to pretend to be a part of their culture by wearing their traditional hats while you dine. So fun!
The spread that comes with the bread is addicting. I’m not sure what it was made of but I do know I couldn’t stop stuffing myself with the bread before the entrée came.
I think their Chicken Kiev is one of those basic, fundamental dishes to try. It was pretty good but a bit too heavy for my liking.
Check in on Unilocal for free homemade shots.
And be warned: when you’re leaving the restaurant, they’ll give you shots for the road. It took us by surprise, for sure.

Wow, what an unique restaurant that really focuses on giving its patrons an experience to remember!
If you check in on Unilocal,you get a free shot of vodka of your choice (these usually sell for $ 10/​shot so it’s a really great deal)! The vodka is infused in house, and is absolutely amazing. Try the sea buckthorne — yeah, I had no idea what it was either (it’s a fruit) — but it is delicious and you probably won’t find it anywhere else. The horseradish vodka is surprisingly good; the bite of the horseradish meshes well with the vodka.
I’ve also tried the kvass here (fermented drink that tastes a bit like malt beer), the piroski with meat and potatoes (bun with filling), and the beef tongue (sautéed with mushrooms, spinach, and onions in cream sauce). All were superb! The prices are a big on the high end of the $$ on Unilocal,at around $ 24 for an entrée. And there’s no way you can come here and /​not/​try some of their vodka or appetizers.
If you’re lucky, during your meal, they will come over with traditional Ukrainian hats/​flower garlands, and the host will take a picture for you! When you leave, they present you with a «shot for the road». :) No wonder I have so many warm and fuzzy memories of this place…

Reserved a large table through OpenTable and had no problems even though my half of our party arrived late. Décor is cozy and charming in a country style with hand painted walls and farming implements mounted out of the way. Even the exterior of the building is whimsical and enticing. It was a chilly night so the coat check was appreciated even though our table was spacious enough to have stored them with us.
The food was fantastic although not exactly what we expected. My wife had the duck and was delighted to receive a large properly cooked and not overly salty portion. Their beer selection includes some fresh Eastern European brews which was a big surprise. I asked for our waitress’ recommendation on a few items and she was quick to suggest her favorites. No complaints from me. The Stroganoff was delicious.
After gathering our coats the hostess offered us a shot of vodka for the road as well as a tasty little cellophane-​wrapped pastry cookie. Lots of fun for our whole party, including a pre-​schooler.

What do low-​life douchebags know about Ucranian culture? Absolutely nothing.
My apologies.

Very authentic and tasty Ukrainian food! I the
Best time to got here is lunch in my opinion. Highly recommend their borsch. Also tried Chicken Kiev which was delicious!
Staff is very friendly and provides great service!
The interior as Ukrainian as it gets! Ask your waiter for the ukrainian national headbands for the awesome and colorful pictures! Being from Ukraine originally myself, I really felt like home I this place! Great job guys!

As other Unilocalers have already mentioned, this place is super cute! The décor made me feel like I’d just stepped into a family friend’s cozy, cluttered kitchen, and I felt warmed as soon as I walked in out of the biting weather. The servers all wear adorable outfits as well! As the dining area is a bit cramped, they check your coat for you and give you a number so that you can pick it up on your way out.
My Ukranian friend did all of our ordering for us, thankfully! We got:
Shuba — This is a spread that you can enjoy with bread. According to my friend, it consisted of (layers of) beets, potatoes, and herring. It was quite fishy, and I don’t think I would have liked it on its own, but it was good spread over the complementary bread that they served.
Julien — This was the most interestingly presented dish of them all. Basically, these were mushroom filled crepes where the crepes had been wrapped to look like little sacks! See my picture below if you aren’t getting the imagery. You should probably order enough to have at least one per person. We’d ordered quite a bit of food so we all made do with ½ to ¾ of a crêpe.
2 orders of Vareniki (dumplings) with potatoes and cabbage — I found these kind of bland, and they all stuck together after they had cooled, making them difficult to separate.
Potatoes w mushrooms — Definitely my favorite of everything we ordered, kind of like breakfast potatoes, but much more thoughtfully seasoned. I could eat a whole plate of this just by myself! The cool pickled cabbage went delightfully with the hot, crispy potatoes!
We also got a pitcher of the kompot (fruit juice), and it was so refreshing! I don’t usually drink juice because of the sweetness, but the kompot was so good! It wasn’t too sweet either.
Finally, two of us checked in on Unilocal and got the complimentary infused vodka shots (1.5oz). I got the strawberry vodka shot, which went down way easier than pure vodka. Don’t mistaken — this is NOT a shot of vodka with a splash of fruit syrup — it is100% vodka!
It was a pretty pricey meal, coming to $ 33/​person for lunch. However, for the good food and the even better company, it was worth it!
As we were wrapping up our meal, one of the servers came by with four flower headbands and asked if we wanted to have our pictures taken (on our on phones). Of course we weren’t going to miss out on such a great photo opportunity! This was a really nice touch, and I’m glad we were asked! :) I don’t know if the service we received was typical, or if it was because we had our Ukranian friend with us, but all in all, it was very outstanding!
We got a cute little dessert as we were heading out. Since our lunch was on the weekend of Orthodox Christmas, I wonder if this was a holiday thing or if they do this every day. Either way, the gesture was appreciated.

I loved the décor of the place, it felt very homelike and welcoming. This was my first time trying Ukrainian food, and I really enjoyed it. I got the Chicken Kiev and tried the mushroom-​potato Piroshki (which I absolutely loved). Tried the Kvas as well, which I thought was very interesting.
Great place. The only issue, though, the wait was a little too long. Other then that, loved the place. May be I’ll try one of their desserts next time.

The place is everything you’ve read on past reviews: fun. The service is sweet, welcoming and professional at the same time. The décor is a journey to the Ukrainian countryside. Even if you have a reservation, you might have to wait a bit at the bar for your table to be ready, but in the meantime there are plenty of home-​infused vodkas you can taste. This way you’ll be ready and toasty for your meal, and what a meal! Keep in mind that portions are quite big (we over ordered).
Cow tongue: like my mom does it; tender and flavorful.
Meat-​based borsh: a great balance of traditional ingredients without overwhelming flavors.
Pelmeni: very delicate, and simple but delicious.
Roasted duck: a huge portion of succulent meat covered with flavorful sauce and caramelized apples; the buckwheat is kinda plain, though.
Beef Stroganoff: the disappointing dish of the evening; the meat was a little tough, and boring.
One word about the service: slow. We didn’t mind because we were having a good time, but they do make you wait on weekend nights. We waited for 25 minutes at the bar for our table to be ready. Then, one of our entrees came 15 min after the other. Again, for us it wasn’t that big of a deal (this way we could share food slowly before it could get cold), but I can see others being bothered if they need to get somewhere else afterwards.
Check in on Unilocal and you’ll get 1 free vodka shot. And at the end of your meal you’re entitled of an additional vodka shot or a cookie. What more do you want?

Sorry, but the Vegetarian Lunch $ 20.00 just didn’t do it for me:
–Vegetable vinigret (beet salad) — by salad they mean 2.5 huge, unchopped leaves of lettuce below some beets and such
–lean borscht — really underwhelming
–vareniki with potatoes and mushrooms-​lackluster
(bread on the side was weak, too)

No value for money: in terms of quality or quality or service. Did I say the service was pushy.
Chicken Kiev was bland and just squirting butter. The $ 20 dumpling sampler was too little in quantity. I ordered a 2^nd glass of wine «twice» which never came.
Not a pleasant experience

Muy bueno. Nunca había probado comida ucraniana. Me gusto
Pidan la ensalada Olivia que es como la rusa. Muy rica. Así como el pollo kiev
Las sodas ucranianas también son muy ricas y diferentes.

Déco: plutôt sympa et j’imagine traditionnelle ukrainienne. Les costumes des serveurs avaient également l’air typique.
Cuisine: Nous avons testé le borsh et la salade Olivier. Honnêtement c’était plutôt bon mais très simple.
Service: Aouch ! Alors là on est tombé sur une serveuse qui paraissait attentionnée mais qui finalement nous à limite imposé les plats, était désagréable, n’a pas laissé le temps au convive de finir leurs plats avant de proposer puis distribuer la carte des desserts (liste non exhaustive) …
Prix: Vu la quantité de nourriture, la complexité de la cuisine et le service c’était cher. Comptez 105 $ (tips inclus) pour 5 pour un plat (considéré comme entrée donc moins cher) et une boisson /​pers.
En bref déco et cuisine pas mal, le reste bof. Je n’y retournerai pas et je né le conseille pas !