Tatiana's Restaurant — Restaurant in Lower Allen

As someone who eats Eastern European food a lot, considering my wife is from a country where Ukrainian and Russian food is consumed almost every day, we know very well what Ukrainian food is. We cook it at home, we always go out to Eastern European restaurants, and we were never disappointed this much with the food.

Weirdly enough, when we arrived and were getting out of the car, the server/owner came outside and asked us to sit on the patio, saying the floors were being mopped inside. It was a bit strange considering it was the middle of the day, but whatever all we wanted was some delicious Ukrainian food. Plus, the server was pretty nice and fun to talk to, so we didn’t take it personally.

When we received the menu, we were stoked to see that everything was made with organic ingredients and even grass-fed meat, which is a big YES for us since it’s pretty rare for restaurants to use natural and healthy ingredients.

Again, as people who love eating out, we know what red flags to watch for, and the first one we noticed was that the menu had too many items, especially for a very expensive, fine dining establishment. At such places, menus tend to be shorter so the kitchen can focus on perfecting each dish. Basically, less is better.

Another interesting thing we noticed was that there were no authentic Ukrainian dishes. We were expecting things like varenyky, holubtsi (stuffed cabbage rolls), or real borscht (more on that later). Instead, there were only small hints of Ukrainian food. At the end of the day, it’s the US, not Ukraine, so you can’t be too judgmental.

We forgave them for that and ordered Tatiana’s Signature Ukrainian Stew and the Lamb Shank Osso Buco. My wife also got the hot Ukrainian tea and specifically asked for no sugar, saying she prefers to sweeten things only with honey.

They started us off with complimentary soups, which I assume were meant to be borscht, but they were nothing like real borscht. They didn’t have meat, were overly salty, and had little to no vegetables. My wife said it was the worst borscht she had ever eaten and she’s been eating borscht her whole life. The tea wasn’t bad, but it was just bagged tea. Mind you, high-end restaurants usually serve loose-leaf tea.

The entrees came out very quickly, which was another red flag. We weren’t even finished with our soups when they arrived. If everything were truly made from scratch, it should have taken longer.

When it came time to try the entrées, we had high expectations, especially since the Osso Buco cost $59. (Forgot to mention: multiple items on the menu were listed as “Market Price,” and they weren’t even seafood. They were beef, pork, and lamb, which we found odd.) I personally liked the lamb since lamb is flavorful no matter how it’s cooked but the sauce was weirdly sweet and didn’t complement the meat. The tomatoes also looked canned and soggy. My wife didn’t like her stew at all. She said it was overwhelmingly sweet and nothing like real Ukrainian stews, which are usually savory, earthy, and slightly sour. The bread rolls served with the entrees didn’t look fresh either, they tasted store-bought.

We got full pretty quickly after only a couple of bites, so we asked for to-go boxes and were ready to leave. But the waiter encouraged us to try dessert, saying everything was sweetened with pure honey, no sugar. We decided to give them one more chance and ordered the White Lemon Cake to go.

We tried the cake in the car, and it didn’t taste anything like honey. It also didn’t seem fresh, it just was too dry. We think the waiter specifically said it was sweetened with honey and no sugar just to sell it to us after hearing that my wife doesn’t like sugar much. It made us wonder if they even actually use organic food and grass fed meat.

Overall, unfortunately, this place was a big disappointment and did not meet our expectations. We honestly think they added fake reviews, because most of them sound the same and were left by people who have never reviewed anything...

We tried Tatianna's for the first time since my parents were in town for a visit and on the website, they had options for vegetarians. Plus we went by the rave reviews that we saw on google. I work in resettlement with lots of Ukrainians and they do not recommend this place so I should have listened. The food is tasty, but not necessarily 'Ukranian" and way overpriced. I called to reserve a table for 5 and upon entrance the restaurant is quite cozy and clean and BYOB. For a Friday night there were only 2 other occupied tables, I am not sure about the upstairs. We waited a bit and the chef came out basically barking at us and being quite terse and abrupt, not really explaining the menu and seemly annoyed at our presence. At one point he said he's 'very busy' and he has to go cook now, so I guess they were short staffed, but for people who have not been to your restaurant that was not a welcoming feeling. Before he left, he asked my dad where he was from, then made a weird joke about Indian people. We didn't appreciate the racist humor and we are not Indian, so he basically racially profiled us and was rude for no reason.

He came back to the table a few minutes later after we ordered to say that the Chilean sea bass was market price $59, we were like fine, we are not changing our order. That was a bit sly to upcharge after we order, but at this point we were hungry. We never saw him again but Tatiana, his wife came over to check on the table once after that but was literally walking away before we could ask for more water. We tried 2 appetizers, vegetable flatbread and meatballs in a champagne sauce which was good but overpriced with a rosemary sprig sticking out of it. The entrees came out and were pretty much repeats of the same ingredients a protein, the same vegetables and either quinoa or rice and one piece of broccoli and the redundant rosemary accent. My dad's osso Bucco was really small and dry, and my husband's sea bass looked more like a flat slice of tilapia from Giant, not the thick moist whitefish that we are used to getting. I had coconut chicken with Shimp and mini crab cake and it was good, but not for the excessive price point. I don't think coconut, quinoa and crabs are authentic Ukranian ingredients. My mom had vegetables on Quinoa which was $25. All of our food amounted to close to $400 before tip. While the atmosphere was good, the food was mediocre, not anything authentic and ethnic that you would expect from a Ukranian restaurant. we have eaten food all over the world, in Michelin restaurants, in holes in the wall, street vendors, beach shacks etc and had better service and meals. We are not a picky family and I usually write really great reviews on Google. But I had to share this experience. This was not a welcoming environment and certainly the ingredients were not worth...

It's a pleasure to dine at Tatianas. Ukrainian restaurant. I have dined at 5 star & Michelin restaurants in Chicago, NY, San Fran. Tatianas, in my opinion, ranks among the best! we were welcomed as long as we liked. Do try the homemade teas are delicious & sweet. Portion sizes are huge and satisfying. We dined outside on the shaded back patio, facing a quiet wooded area. Great for bird watching. I have dined there twice and will return often. I prefer to dine outside because indoor dining needs more sound absorbing Décor. The first time I visited, I ordered the salmon. The food a bit too salty and busy with spices. Salmon was cooked to perfection. My friends steak was a beautiful pink medium rare. The waitress was stressed with over 10 tables. Run by Chef & waitress, thats understandable. They are both hard working and delightful. ( I dont know if they are related.)The second visit, I had coconut crusted sea bass with crab patty & shrimp w/ baklava dessert. The coconut flavor pronounced and toasted coconut texture was perfect! Only a 5 star chef can make coconut flavor shine through like this dish. Perfectly cooked fresh sea bass melted in my mouth. Crab patty was deliciousness. Free of fillers, sweet & tender. The shrimp was seared in a subtle curry rub which complimented And brightened both crab & sea bass beautifully. Served on gently seasoned, tho a bit salty quinoa. Otherwise, this dish was a work of art. My friend and I visited for three hours over dinner & never felt rushed. The baklava was brilliant. I have previously owned a bakery. Highly recommended. Best baklava in tri-state area. I would return for just dessert and coffee! First, baklava came warm out of the oven. HEAVENLY! Baklva was served "correctly," with two diamonds, not just one. You could share this dessert easily and both be satisfied. With flakey, crisp pastry with thick layers of crushed nuts and heart warming spices. The generous honey syrup had hint of floral tones. It was baked to a golden brown. Since Cafe 1500 closed, I'm grateful for this 5 star talented chef and his vision. I Hope that he finds joy in feeding people! Praying for the people in Ukraine. I'm so grateful for this gem of a restaurant here in Mechanicsburg!...