Chaika — Restaurant in Tokyo

Russian here. Just want people to know that this is not really russian food. I don't know how the owner got their inspiration but I've never seen noodles in pirojki. I believe it's to save money instead of going with genuine pirojki recipes. I loved borsch though, if you're here, definitely try it. As for other dishes.. blini are very dry(very similar to other pancakes in Japan thought), beef stroganoff is far from what you get in Russia, golubcy barely have any filling. It's all pretty expensive. The tea is good! It comes with jam. Kvas is.. well,kvas, but with lots of ice? To save money, I suppose. You'll never see this in Russia. The salo is decent too. Overall, this is probably the best you can get if you want to try Russian food in Tokyo but it's sad how far it's from original. And do try pelmeni, they are small compared to what we eat in Moscow, but they are quite good. There's nothing Russian...

I really had hopes for this place but I was quite disappointed. I am white guy working in Japan. The first thing that completely turned me off as soon as I went in here was when the young Russian lady came to me and spoke to me in Japanese knowing full well that I don't speak Japanese, hell not even Japanese attempt to speak to me in Japanese when I eat in their restaurants. She was trying to show off for whatever reason. At any rate, I bit my lip and ordered the food and didn't tell her off. The food was decent but not worth $200 that I ended up paying. The food is not really Russian because this place is owned by a Japanese guy who wanted to open up a Russian restaurant as a novelty. In short, this place is decent but it is not worth the costs of the meal. The service leaves much to be...

Gonna reevaluate this place after 3 long years

Short tips:

Visit during lunch hours

Stick to their beef stroganoff which is their signature dish I suppose. The beef is boiled instead of sautéed yet is really good.

The best item they have on their menu is the piroshki, remember to grab some extra even if your course comes with one already.

Good borscht and kompot. Most food stuff is underseasoned by conventional wisdom but that's what the salt shaker is for.

Won't say it will make boris proud, but it's at least on the same level with a certain "Moskva restaurant" I once used to calibrate...