Borsch Vodka & Tears — Restaurant in Melbourne

I love the food and drinks at Borsch, Vodka & Tears. The first time I went I was blown away with the quality of the food and amazing selection of vodka ! I enjoyed my time so much that I decided to book for my birthday. As the venue is not huge I was concerned that a group booking of 20 people might not be feasible, however on their website there was information about bookings of groups of 15-25 getting 3 hours of booking. This made me think that this was something the restaurant was prepared for and I called ahead to check how payment would work with such a large group and they assured me that we could split the pay by items at the end. The seating situation was quite cramped but I really appreciated the effort from the staff to seat us all. At first the service was fine and the food and drinks were amazing as I expected! As the group started to get larger the quality of the dishes started to decline and many people's orders were either forgotten or incorrectly brought to the table. This was understandable as it was a busy atmosphere and I'm sure the staff were trying their best to fill all orders, but it did become a bit of a mess. Additionally the music was incredibly loud and we had to almost yell to the person next to us. We also experienced some tension / attitude from some of the staff. This was not true for all staff as some were very sweet and helpful, but we were treated quite poorly at times, especially when paying for each of our orders. One of the most disappointing aspects of the service was the booking time being cut short. I had booked for 6pm, on their website and on the open table app that I reserved the table with had information in the terms and conditions that bookings of over 15 people would get 3 hours. We were pressured to leave by 8pm. I asked to double check that we had the 3 hours as I thought we would and they informed us that they could give us 15 minutes but we would need to leave the table. This caused quite a rush for us to finish our drinks, and food that had just been ordered needed to be boxed for take away. I was not expecting to be told to leave so abruptly especially considering the public information lead me to believe we still had until 9pm to enjoy my birthday dinner. I am very sad that the restaurant did not seem to be prepared for a group booking that is advertised as an option and that we were treated like an inconvenience for being there. It is understandable that on a busy night the service will be stressful for staff but the group of us left feeling like we had been pressured to leave after ordering over $600 worth of food and drink (which would have added to a lot more if we were allowed the booking until 9pm). I was really happy to share my polish culture with my friends when celebrating my birthday, many people tried pierogi for the first time and loved it! I really wanted my friends to enjoy their experience at the venue but many left upset about the service and unfortunately many people who may have either returned or recommended this place are disappointed with the experience. Overall I still love Borsch, Vodka and Tears and will be returning for more of the delicious food and drinks - but I don't recommend this venue for more...

Have been here a number of times before, so was aware that it is noisy, but this time it was ridiculously loud. (A few of the staff, with their high-volume chatter and laughter, being major contributors to the noise level.) We were already a little ticked off, as we had requested a table away from the door on our booking, which was obviously ignored, as we were given one right near the front door. The other point was there was a question on the booking whether this was for any special occasion, eg birthday, and we did fill these details out. Again, not sure why this question was asked, because nothing came of it. The food was a big letdown and is so reduced in quality to previous visits that the only explanation is that this place is under new management with new kitchen staff and that the people cooking now are not able to deliver the same standard as before. The Farmer's Zakuski, which used to be a staple on our order, is well below average. Gone is the tasty fresh rye bread basket - replaced by underwhelming dry bread and an awful hard burnt bagel, which is almost impossible to bite. The platter itself is sub-standard with favourites like the boar salami, kangaroo on rye, lamb croquette, apple jelly etc eliminated. The terrine was pasty and tasteless and there were 2 pieces of inedible paper-thin burnt rye crispbread. We ordered three different varieties of Pierogi; the beef/chicken were dry, the dough on all was very thick and the flavours did not work. The accompanying ‘sauces’ did not complement the dumplings either and in most cases were simply sour cream. Also, we ordered two large plates but were given one small and one large. When we went to pay, we luckily noticed that we were still being charged for two large plates. The Schabowy (pork schnitzels) were very thin and small with the pork being deep fried and dry. The best thing we had were the Zucchini flowers, but had to order 3 serves as there is only 1 flower now per serve. Even these though, were not as good as before. Also, not sure why, but the 4 tasting platters of vodkas that we ordered, which again were ones we've had a few times before, did not pack the same punch. The final annoyance was when my husband had gone to the register to pay, the two of us left at the table got up from our seats, when one of the loud waitresses came over and questioned us as to whether we had paid. She then pointed to the register and told us to go over there and pay. She had served our table before and knew there were 3 of us dining there. So, I pointed to my husband, who was already paying the bill and told her that that's what he was doing and we weren't about to pay twice. She came across as brash and unprofessional. Without desserts or coffees, the bill was close to $250 for 3 people, which would be fine if the dining experience was worth it. This was definitely not! Needless to say, we won't be back in a hurry, if...

Looking forward to a night at Borsch Vodka and Tears, we booked on the Monday prior, for a 7.30 dinner on Friday. Yet when we arrived we were seated at the last table near the door. Even, despite there being a corner table beside us that remained unseated for the entire time we were there. Still, we braved the cold draught that blew everytime the door opened - which was many times! Ordered a vodka tasting flight and in the short distance from the bar to our table, the waiter managed to spill most of it so the glasses dripped everytime we sipped. Decided on a farmer's board to start us off and this came to the table really quickly, was well presented and everything tasted great - the only reason I gave the two stars to be honest. Once we had finished the board we decided on a additional items to order from the online menu - that was only for viewing - not ordering! Trying to get a waiter's attention was a joke. Plenty went by, since we were pretty much in the thoroughfare, and none of them even glanced in our direction. Calling out to them was useless and I'm not sure if the blaring rap music at a Polish vodka bar helped the cause or the ambiance really. One of the waitresses finally came to the table and acknowledged that we were ready to order more food and drinks. Said she'd be right back, but was not seen again. I grabbed the attention of a waiter who was greeting a couple of new patrons at the door. He said he would seat them and be right back. It seemed like this slipped his mind though, as he went about passing by our table countless times without any recollection. The first waitress then returned and asked if we had placed our orders, but by this time the ship had sailed. We asked to settle up the bill and left quite disgusted with the whole experience. We walked up the street to a pizza joint that welcomed us, seated us in no time, and the most courteous of waiters took our order. It turned out to be one of the best pizzas I've eaten in Melbourne and they really saved the night. It's a pity, I'll have nothing good to say about the experience at Borsch Vodka and Tears. I see all the raving reviews and wish I could have added to them. Sadly, this is...