Molotov Kitschen + Cocktails — Restaurant in Denver

Easily some of the best food I have had in the Denver area. This unique, quaint Ukrainian restaurant and bar offers unique drinks and delicious food.

The decor is unique and unquestionably Ukrainian. Our table had circus figures embedded into the wooden table (clowns, figures on knife throwing boards, figures riding oversized tricycles, monkeys). Matryoshka dolls lined the shelves on the wall, and the wall above the bathroom door was covered in flowers.

We ordered two bites and a main for my partner and I which was the perfect amount of food. We ordered the parsnip varenyky, stuffed Swiss chard, and lamb shank bigos for food and the “slap that baby make it free”, diva darling, and greedy peasant for drinks. They were changing their menus in a few days and unfortunately out of the borscht, veal, rabbit, and monkfish. The STBMIF tasted largely of beets but was still tasty, and the diva darling like a tart lemonade. The greedy peasant was like a decadent duck broth whose flavor kept evolving, which was quite surprising from a clear cocktail.

The stuffed chard was delicious. The bulgur wheat was perfectly cooked, well seasoned, and wrapped in nicely charred chard that was not too tough, but still held everything together in a neat package. It was well complemented by the bryndza (soured cream) and roasted tomatoes. We nearly licked our plates clean.

The parsnip varenyky was delicious. The wrapper was savory, warm (flavor wise) and crisp, and did not soak up much of the sweet pear sauce that it came with. The parsnip filling was nutty and slightly bitter, perfectly capturing the flavor of a well roasted parsnip. We cut ours open and spooned some of the sauce inside. Overall, the individual components complemented each other incredibly well but were still enjoyable on their own.

The lamb was out of this world. Tender enough to cut with a spoon, and wonderfully paired with sweet currants and sour red sauerkraut. There were also some slices of sausage in the dish that didn’t contribute much. They weren’t as good as the lamb, and didn’t go well with the other components as well as the lamb did. Still, a marvelous dish.

We were too full for dessert. Would definitely recommend this restaurant to friends...

Molotov lived up to some highly set exceptions. My date and I ordered a couple small plates to share, and a cocktail and entree for each of us. Savory and rich were the words of the night.

The sausage of the day was our first dish and was a perfect beginning to the meal. Cloves, cardamom and other warm spices were perfectly cooked into the sausage. The charcuterie-style board of pickles and mustard was perfect for settling in.

Our 2nd small dish, the Parsnip Varenyky was a highlight of the night for me. I love it when a restaurant can do a super high quality vegetarian dish, and that's exactly what was served.

For mains, I ordered the rabbit cooked in a sherry cream and porcini mushroom sauce. The rabbit was perfectly cooked and they didn't skimp on the sauce, which was extra-rich in a delightful way. And I really appreciated the attention to detail on the side dishes (dandelion greens and confit rutabaga). They both lived up to the rabbit and it was clear the cooks wanted every component to shine on its own. My partner ordered the lamb dish and said it was his highlight of the night for him.

I also loved the cocktail I ordered, which was a duck-fat washed garlic/onion infused vodka umami bomb. I almost never order vodka drinks, but it was without qualification the best cocktail I've had in the past year. Super small sips every 3-5 minutes were all I needed for the cocktail to act as a perfect accompaniment throughout the duration of the meal.

Only giving 3/5 stars on the service because, while we noticed that the tables around us seemed to receive extra warm attention and friendliness, whenever we were waited upon it felt very cold, rushed, and uninformative. For example, I only know what was in the sausage of the day because I overheard another table being told all about it by the wait staff when they sat down. In contrast, we got no info about the menu when we sat down and when we ordered it, it was just plopped down on the table and they rushed off, even though we were ready to order more food. Honestly, the only other information the wait staff provided us about their menu was the correct pronunciation of "varenyky" after I butchered it, which didn't feel great when trying...

My wife and I booked a reservation in advance of our 10 year anniversary and we are glad that we did. The anticipation of trying this highly recommended restaurant leading up to our big night could have easily overshadowed the true experience, but it did not. Molotov delivered on so many levels. The carefully curated cocktails kick started our wonderful experience followed by a delicious round of starters that brought unique flavors together which melded like a symphony in your mouth. Now for the hiccup in the night, but don't worry, it all turned out well in the end. We ordered our main entrees at the same time as our starters, and somewhere in the mix of the chaos in the kitchen our orders were lost. As we sat waiting and watching the other tables receive their meals ahead of us, despite being seated after us, we knew something was wrong. Our server kindly approached the table and informed us of the situation and insisted that the restaurant would comp the meal due to the wait. My wife and I starred at each other and immediately felt the mood at our table take an upward trajectory. The professionalism of the staff, including the manager who walked over to our table reiterating what the server had mentioned before, saved the night for us. The transparency of the situation played a major role in accepting what was happening and the readily insistent approach to solving the problem was greatly appreciated on our anniversary night. Once our entrees arrived at our tables the wait was worth it. The lamb ribs and halibut were so damn delicious, and expertly presented, that they left us wanting more. Pair that with a generous dessert shot, again on the house and delivered to us by the manager, and a dessert to top it off, you can bet that we will recommend Molotov to friends and family if they are looking to dine at a restaurant with some of the best food and staff in Denver. Thank you Molotov for giving us a special experience. We look forward to dinning in with you all again in the very...