Vostok Dumpling House

Coming from a Russian background, I was excited to find out there was a dumpling café’ in the area. When I walked in, they were slammed. I ordered chicken dumplings the Sputnik way which I guess comes with sauerkraut and pineapple and KGB sauce. This stuff was good! Tangy due to the fermented cabbage but sweet (pineapple) and spicy (dill). This is a good place to come munch on some comfort food and have some beer in the process. FYI, there is a Brewery next door and it sounds like I might be able to get Kvas there soon!

Cute little spot in downtown Tacoma. Basically you get to choose your type of dumpling & sauce. Several selections including vegetarian. Staff was attentive and helpful with selecting menu items. There are several appetizers, soup & couple of deserts. Oh and the fresh bread is excellent!

I only had a half order of the Potato Cheese dumplings with the garlic sauce but it was delicious. Service was a little slow even though it was pretty dead when I went there but the woman serving us was nice and was knowledgeable about both the beers and food. The interior is pretty neat and I love that they stock Russian/​Ukrainian beers. I’ll definitely be returning to try the borscht and more combinations!

Been once thus far. Ordered Chicken dumpling/​potsticker with traditional «sauce» which had butter/​vinegar in it. Though very flavorful, the sauce was a mere coating on the dumplings which gave them a slippery texture… I noticed other tables where their sauce options were like a gravy and more plentious. I also thought the chicken tasted curiously like pork. Eating pork to me doesn’t guarantee a spot in hell, so I didn’t mind if it were pork. The dumplings were juicy and greasy, and they did taste good. Bread came with them, but i thought it didn’t really «go» given there was no sauce with which to dip/​smear in. There’s that rant.
I also tried the side of «Fries» which were potato and cheddar stuffed dumplings that were fried in oil to crisp them, and topped with dabs of sourcream, friend bacon chunks and green onions. Those were good and cost less than the chicken dumplings when comparing volume.
Lastly, the dessert dumplings. They struck me as pie filling placed in a tortilla, folded over and deep fried, then drizzled with a sweet frosting. For the price, I didn’t feel they were worth it… seemed like something you make at home in a pinch.
They share a doorway with a beer bar which looks to offer quite a lot of craft beers on tap. If you say you’ll go grab a beer next door, they hand a coupon. You can bring the beer into their space, so that’s nice.
I will go back, try some different sauces and better familiarize myself with the somewhat confusing «you build» menu. Glad it’s here in Tacoma and maybe I’ll bump it up a star after trying some different things.

The dumplings that I tried were tasty, but I can’t tell you what they were, as they were not actually what I ordered. I only discovered the mixup when I got home, and I was far too tired to go back. I feel sorry for whoever got my order, as it was less food.
I’ll give Vostok another try some time but I do suggest you check your takeout orders for correctness before leaving.

As a half Russian half Ukrainian, I grew up eating both ethnic food types and the quality of their food here is very good in comparison. The potatoes in the vareniki are the perfect consistency and they just melt in your mouth. So far we’ve tried two of their sauces and they had a lot of flavor in every bite. We had the Russian fries and those were such a balanced appetizer and made me want to order some more. The staff are very friendly and the theme is appropriate for its name.

This place was interesting. We had great customer service, we thought that the potato dumpling «fries» were the best part of the whole trip.
The prices seemed to be really expensive for what you get.
I would think that this would be a good place for pre-​beer /​pre-​party appitizers so that you’re not drinking on an empty stomach, but as for a full on meal, I’d say that would be a no go.
The dumplings tasted good, but we got several with cold spots in the middle, we didn’t like the chicken ones at all either.
They’ve got some kinks to work out if they’re planning on staying open for long, but they’re on the right path I think…

The food here is descent.

Dumplings were nicely prepared, but service faults make it so I likely won’t come back. Disappointing as I had been waiting for this place to open for quite some time.
I took a friend there for lunch and we waited 50 minutes for an order I was told would take 15 minutes — tops. When finally getting the food back to the office, I found that they had missed an order of fries. Emailed the only contact address I could find and never heard back.
The food was just ok, but overall I would say that it’s not worth the hassle.

Really yummy dumplings! Had a half size traditional chicken dumpling dish and the fries, which was more than enough for me. The dumplings were juicy and tender and there was plenty of sauce leftover for the bread. The borsch was also very tasty as well.

I’d expect a bit more mature preparation for a branch of a Seattle restaurant. The borscht was watery and bland, with no sausage, so very different from St. Petersburg! The dumplings were decent and taste the way you’d expect based on the sauce descriptions. The Russian fries are a stand out. Overall middle of the road.

I went to the VDH to see what they had to offer. I had some Russian Fires (potato cheddar Vareniki fried and topped with sour cream and bacon) which were awesome. I also had the Chicken Pelmeni with Herb and Garlic. They were interesting enough for me to go back and try other combinations.
The second visit I skipped the Fries and had the Chicken Pelmeni with Jalepno & Cilantro w/​a side of sour cream. Hands down my favorite so far.
Today I had the Pork Pelmeni with the Butter & Thyme… if you love savory food, this is the one you need to try.
Personal Down Side — no recycling bin.

Yummy dumplings! Saw a post on Facebook and figured I’d try it out. I love Asian potstickers and dumplings so I figured what the heck. Love the flavoring! The staff was friendly, super clean place, being my first time they helped me with my order and explained everything. I tried 3 half orders of different flavor and all were good. My favorite was the chicken with jalapeño and cilantro sauce add bacon. Will be back to bring my wife. First time eating Russian food.

This place is awesome! I can’t believe they opened a Tacoma location. Pork dumplings Ivan style are ridiculous. Eat here now!

The dumplings are really good and it’s conveniently located next to a brewery as well.

I just waited over 30 minutes for a half order of potato and cheese variniki to go. While I didn’t expect «fast food» I thought it should be out within 10 – 15 minutes, which is how long the staff told me it usually takes after I had been waiting 20 minutes. It is just a very inefficient operation, with the counter to order in the middle, and the kitchen separated down a 30+ foot hall at the back. People had to walking all the way back to check on missing orders, or see what was going on and bring out food.
On the plus side the dumplings were delicious. Good enough that I may go back in a few weeks to see if they can get their act together. Not for a work day lunch. Or any meal that I wanted in short order.
The cherry and apple dessert piroshki were intriguing, but there was no way I was going to add them to my order and wait longer.
They had beers in bottles/​cans and some canned hard cider, pepsi products, no coke, and something called «Leninade» which looked like Orange Crush — which was also in the case.
Give them a try. Just be prepared to wait.

Russian dumplings in Tacoma no way I said! Since I am married to a beautiful Russian I had to see what she would say. She is very picky about things that claim to be Russian and are not even close; so here we go.
Opened since Saturday this place is nice and cozy inside with some cool Russian revolution posters hanging. The menu consists mostly of dumplings which I am told they are made to order in the back. TIP: the half orders are big!!! We took lunch for two home!
The place has a few family style tables and more in the back. You order at the bar so make your mind up before you get there. (We took awhile) Food comes out pretty quick, but they are being made to order so this is not Wendy’s. Staff was more than friendly and quick to help.
Anyhow two thumbs up from the wife. The dumplings were true to form and were fantastic comfort food for a cold night like last night. The dumpling were soft (chicken, pork, potato & cheese), with great flavor and a plethora of sauces to choose from. The wife is extremely picky about her bread too. So I am happy to say we both enjoyed it and I just read was from a bakery Kusher’s bakery in Fife.
My favorite was the potato & cheese dumplings with the Sputnik sauce which includes sauerkraut. Wife did disapprove because she likes the plain dumplings, but being 3^rd generation German myself we put kraut on everything; well except peanut butter.

Tacoma, you are sooo lucky. This is a HUGE flavor success. It’s rare that you order something that says spicy and it’s actually spicy! We ordered 4 styles of dumplings. We talked with poor Russian accents about how these dumplings were worthy enough to be served in Mother Russia. Every one was so flavorful that we made a pact: «No Dumpling Left Behind». We even made a hashtag: #ndlb

Top notch dumpling house. A gem in the midst of urban sprawl. Family friendly with a friendly staff and a side of excellent and traditional Slavic culture! A wide variety of bottled beers and several on draft accompanies the dumplings. Excellent overall.