New York | Mari Vanna - Hidden Gem for Birthdays 🎈

Ambiance: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Taste: 🌟🌟🌟 Service: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Mari Vanna is a Russian restaurant that seems to exist only in New York and DC. The interior is vintage and elegant, especially around Christmas when it feels super festive. The dim lighting and intricate decorations make it perfect for photos, birthday parties, or romantic dates. 🌟 The dishes are classic Russian, with potatoes being a key ingredient in many of them. Two appetizers are must-tries. 🥔 If you mention it's your birthday when making the reservation, the staff will sing "Happy Birthday" in Russian, which is super charming. If you order a cake, they'll even bring it with birthday candles already lit—no need to bring your own! 🎂 Highly Recommended: Herring under a fur coat - a must-try appetizer with carrot, potato salad, and herring fillets. 🍔 Highly Recommended: Olivier salad - a classic Russian salad and a must-try appetizer. Highly Recommended: Beef shashlik - Russian-style grilled meat skewers. 🍖 Highly Recommended: Honey cake/Medovik - a honey-layered cake. Highly Recommended: Napoleon - a classic Russian layered cake. Recommended: Traditional Chicken Kiev. Okay: Beef stroganoff - a bit on the salty side. Average: Cheese pie. 🥧 Average: Potato vareniki - potato dumplings. 🥟 Okay: Lamb shank. Other dishes recommended by others but I didn't try: Pirozhki - baked buns. 🥯 Borscht - classic Russian beet soup. Homemade blinis - Russian pancakes. Chicken tapaka - Georgian roasted chicken. 🍗 💰 Average Cost: $40+ Overall, it was a pretty worthwhile experience. 🌟 Note: For larger groups (7+), you can't book online. Call the restaurant directly. Since the tables aren't very large, it's better to keep the group size manageable. 📞 #NewYorkBirthdayRestaurant 🎈 #NewYorkRestaurants 🍔