Taste of Europe — Restaurant in Arlington

I've now eaten here twice, and "different" is the number one adjective I would have to use to describe it. This place is not like anywhere else I have ever seen, or am ever likely to see. You feel immediately - at least once you open a menu - that you are partaking of a different culture than many of us have ever experienced in our lives.

Neither the restaurant's appearance on the outside nor its ambiance is anything special at all, but the gift store contains a vast array of unique, even stunning items, ranging from old Soviet military uniforms and patches to a huge set of nesting dolls to intricately painted wooden boxes typical to a region of Russia.

Before describing the food, I should note that the wine list is truly unique, featuring Georgian and Armenian vintages including Stalin's favorite. On one visit, I ordered the Kolduny (potato pancakes stuffed with ground meat, served with cream cheese) and a Georgian Mukuzani wine; on the other, I got chicken blintzes with a Russian lager. The blintzes were a bit too much soft-on-soft for me texturally, but both entrees were good, simple and heavy, but solid and flavorful. Though I have never been to Eastern Europe, I could tell that the food was genuinely from a different culture and place than I have ever experienced, and I could imagine that I was eating in a peasant village in Poland or Russia. The wine was good, again of distinctly different provenance than any I had had before, with more mineral notes. The lager was reminiscent of a German or Czech pils, but again different - crisper and a bit sharper, with more apple notes. A honey cake I had for dessert was nothing special, but a jar of Belorussian caviar I bought from the gift and grocery store was delightful.

I feel I must give this place 5 stars, not because the food is spectacularly wonderful, nor because the ambiance is so compelling - although again, that gift shop is quite interesting - but because it's just so intriguing that it keeps making me want to come...

This was a really great spot! It's kinda hard to see the sign, we went on July 27th, so hopefully it's just a landscaping thing lol.. the parking lot is tight but totally accessible, the surrounding businesses do not look like they're operating, so it seems like a ghost town, yet.... When you open the beautiful wooden doors... It's bright with hand-painted wall-art and bright displays of Eastern European art pieces, nesting dolls, and of course, a few photographs of Guy Fieri, when he stopped in on"Diners, Drive-ins,and Drives"

We went on a Saturday evening, WITHOUT a reservation-and got lucky... As time went on it was filling up! Recommend a reservation during peak times!

The service was welcoming, attentive, and adequate! The atmosphere was light, great background music playing and a comfy ambiance!

We ordered the homemade sauerkraut as a side but it was basically to go with everything! Great recipe and enough for 2.

The Star of the show was the "Jaegerschnitzel!" Huge crispy, delicious piece of pork with flavor! It came with a brown sauce, sauerkraut, and mashed potatoes! A little of each on the fork was amazing.... Definitely recommend!

The other Star (because hey, there are trillions!) was the Pierogie fifty-fifty-we ordered the mushroom/onion and the original- they also have a bacon Pierogie!!! Next time I'll update on that! This came with sour cream.

They do have a great wine list as well as some Eaten European brews! We ordered a pitcher of lemonade, yet received a cask of a lightly carbonated drink that was basically the nectar of the gods! Did not catch the name of this drink and am hoping to go back soon to get another glass, and another authentic Eastern European experience!

We did not take photos because we figured it was on television and that we didn't want to completely spill the experience! Smiles and good times all around! Cheers!!!

Thank...

Update 08/12/2024: We returned on another Saturday around 12:30 and the restaurant was packed but we were seated and greeted by the manager immediately and our friendly waitress took our order quickly. We ordered a bowl of hot borscht as an appetizer-it was absolutely delicious. Our jagerschnitzel and chicken blintzes were ready shortly after. The schnitzel was hot and crisp with a delicious mushroom gravy. The chicken blintzes were superb-they were so fluffy with a perfectly seasoned filling and a cream gravy. We ordered a slice of the European Cake of the day-it was out of this world-it was so pretty, light and delicious with perfectly prepared layers-you could taste just a touch of honey throughout every bite. We are so glad we were able to experience another excellent meal here before the restaurant started its renovations and we’re excited to return later this year!

We stopped in around 12:30 for lunch this Saturday. The restaurant was moderately busy but we were warmly greeted and seated immediately. Our waiter was very friendly and hospitable and gave us a sample of Tarkuhn before we ordered our meal. We ordered the Cabbage Rolls, Kolduny, and a glass of Tarkuhn. Our meals were perfectly prepared, well-presented and delicious. We were delighted by the wide variety of Eastern European foods and gifts. We couldn’t resist buying one of the beautiful handcrafted pieces of art and a box of chocolates. We had high expectations based on earlier reviews, but this experience still far surpassed our expectations-the service and food were both outstanding. The ambience was lovely and the gift shop and groceries were an added bonus. We cannot wait to return and try the Dumpling Sampler and dessert crepes. We highly recommend A Taste of Europe to anyone...