REVIEWS
- Very nice place, friendly and professional staff, impressive memory of waiters and waitresses of the cafe, guys are working without any notes whatsoever (at least that is what I saw the day I have stopped there). Personally I was impressed.
Great place to taste real Russian (North Caucasian) cuisine, home made and (seriously) delicious food. Rest assured - they will take a good care of you!
- It was a cool experience! I've never really had food from Russia, Ukraine, or Georgia. I've only had the Americanized versions. Honestly, I've been wanting to try this place since it first opened near USF. There are 2 locations. The other restaurant is in the Hyde Park area. This review is for the original location.
Our first impression was a good one. I love the rustic look and ambiance. I felt like I was Little Red Riding Hood visiting Grandma's (Babushka's) house. It's like a cabin in the woods, but decorated with flowers and cool light fixtures. It's cozy, yet the wooden bench tables are spaced out and have individual seat cushions for a more comfortable experience. The table set up gives a very nice homey feel to it. Service was good. There were 3 other tables that were occupied with one waitress. She did a great job. Fortunately, we already knew what we wanted. She took our order and brought our drinks out. The food did take a while, but that was expected. Our appetizer was the Hot Buterbrod. It was definitely unique. It was 4 good sized slices of ciabatta bread with a mixture of cheese, ham, peppers, and a dressing that is baked in the oven. I think there may have been some shallots in there. It kind of tasted like an elevated pimento cheese, but more zesty.
We thought it was pretty good. We got our main entrees about 15-20 minutes later. Not too terribly long for something that is cooked to order. His Beef Stroganoff arrived first. The beef was very tender and the sauce was very good. He really seemed to enjoy it. He got it with mashed potatoes instead of egg noodles. My pan fried salmon came out shortly after. It was so wonderful! One of the best salmon recipes I've ever had. I totally loved the crispy skin under the salmon along with the seasoning. The filet was very tender and juicy inside. The young potatoes had slivers of garlic. It was a simple preparation that felt very comforting. That homemade dill sauce (blended with sour cream) went so well with the salmon and potatoes.
I'm not usually a big lover of sour cream, but I used it on everything. It was great. We didn't have any leftovers to take home. However, we did get Napoleon pastries for dessert. We had it boxed up for later. I think that was our only disappointment. It tasted okay. It definitely had a good pastry cream filling. It was just that the pastry layers were soggy. It wasn't fluffy or crispy. Perhaps we should have tried the Honey Cake that everyone raves about. Other than that, all was good. We want to eventually go back and try the stuffed peppers and braised cabbage. We just didn't have enough room to try everything.
- Different and unique in their own way. Confort food that leaves you satisfied and full. Flavor profiles are different from the American, Italian, and American/folk/fusion dishes that are prevalent in Tampa right now, but this is a good thing and I tell you this to be aware before you go in and/or leave a bad review. Different, unique, and satisfying, Babushka's dishes stem from Romanian/Ukrainian home cooked meals. Dishes from steak, cabbage and mushrooms, stuffed peppers, lamb perogies, and caviar toast, you will find food that breaks the mold here and leaves you satisfied. Our server was genuinely a pleasant person who handled our table with the utmost sincerity, showing care and eagerness for us to be comfortable and happy. My favorite dish was the Honey Cake. We ordered it to go because of how stuffed we were and I had a bite before bed a few hours later which was a mistake! I ended up eating half the cake before my self control kicked in to save some for my wife.
The dishes come out when they're finished so each eating experience is different. We had a party of around 10 so we all shared and took some from each other's plate as the food hit the table. You'll always know your food is hot and just off the grill or oven and that it's not sitting under a heat lamp waiting for everything at once to come out. For a unique experience on home cooked meals, this place is one you'll come to love
- I've been wanting to come to this restaurant for several months and finally went. It did not disappoint! I'm from Poland and the quisine here is AMAZING! So many dishes that I grew up eating. Russian and Polish quisine share quite a few similar dishes.
We ordered quite a bit of food and every dish was delicious! I am IN LOVE with this restaurant. My daughter and I will be regular monthly diners. And I can't wait to go back.
- My first time trying Russian food and it was great! Recommend the lamb plov. Prices are affordable and the food is great. Can't speak to authenticity but I can speak to flavor!
- Stopped in for lunch with coworkers a few weeks ago and was blown away by this place! Everyone working there was super sweet and helpful, and the food was incredible! Will definitely be back to try more of their amazing food.
- Had the Stroganoff, and it was fabulous. Nice place and fills up fast. Enjoy and relaxing
- I prefer this location to the Hyde Park one, mostly because it is smaller and looks more "local." Staff is very friendly and courteous. During this visit we had pastry. I tried the Napoleon. I was expecting it similar to what we have in Italy, crunchy and filled with cream, but it was very soft. I don't know if the Russian version is supposed to be this way.
ABOUT
История Бабушки началась в мае 2018 года, когда иностранный студент из России в USF заметил очень интересный факт: русские блюда сильно недопредставлены в Соединенных Штатах, особенно во Флориде и районе Тампа-Бэй. Здесь можно найти широкий выбор блюд интернациональной кухни, от корейской до ямайской, но не русской. Зная, что наша кухня абсолютно уникальна и, что самое главное, вкусная, студент убедил свою семью открыть первый ресторан в Тампа-Бэй, где подают аутентичные и домашние блюда русской и украинской кухни.
Название ресторана Babushka's происходит от русского слова Бабушка, буквально переводящегося как «Бабушка» на английский язык. Название было выбрано по нескольким важным причинам. Во-первых, Бабушка в большинстве семей в России, как правило, человек, который готовит абсолютно лучшую еду. Это всегда теплый опыт, приходящий к вам в дом Бабушки, делящийся отличной едой и любовью. И это те качества, которые мы хотим подчеркнуть в Babushka's - отличная домашняя еда и теплая домашняя атмосфера, полная радости и любви.
В ресторане Babushka's мы предлагаем широкий выбор блюд русской и восточноевропейской кухни. Здесь вы найдете все, от классического борща и пирожков до сладких и соленых блинов, пирожок и домашнего медового торта! Бабушка предлагает завтрак, обед и ужин и всегда рад удивить наших прекрасных гостей отличными блюдами! Бабушка также принимает специальные заказы и готова воплотить в жизнь любую из ваших пищевых фантазий. Приходите к нам сегодня, и мы можем заверить вас, что вы не будете разочарованы
