Kachka Lavka — Restaurant in Portland

have had multiple, really spectacular meals downstairs in the past and stopped by the adorable market to pick something up for dinner on the way back from the gym one monday evening. the place was unstaffed and i sat there for about 30 minutes, visibly waiting in full view of the entire restaurant, without help. i put my intended purchases (two bags of vareniki, which were at this point, thawing on the countertop) back into the freezer and left, feeling disappointed but also for some reason really embarrassed? heartbroken even, as someone who really loves this restaurant. i didn't want to straight up flag down a server as they were very busy, and having worked in a restaurant i know there is nothing worse than being pulled off the floor for something. i am really not the type to write bad google reviews, but this was a really bizarre experience. if you can't staff a part of your business properly, please adjust your hours. sorry guys. love the...

I have a rule that if a business claims "Russian" (which, I think, for a long time, loosely stood for "Soviet") heritage and doesn't make its stand on Russia's current brutal invasion of Ukraine clear, I stay away from them.

Luckily, Kachka's stand is very clear – they have a clear "We stand with Ukraine" statement on their web site, and at their restaurant. Thank you!

After a delicious and lovely dinner at Kachka downstairs, we stopped by Kachka Lavka, for some delightful haul.

Everything we got (pickles, jams, candy) was pretty great, with one exception – some of the candy we got was made in Russia. I am not here to funnel money into the Russian economy to help it fund its war, so I am taking off two stars.

That said, I am assuming this was just old stock, and a simple omission, so if Kachka folks confirm that they have addressed this, I will put the...

Loved coming to this mini grocery and deli. We stopped by for happy hour bites before our flight home. We ordered the Siberian Pelmeni and Tvorog Vareniki, which was definitely enough for two people. The service was quick and friendly, which I’ve found is common here in Oregon. I also got a grapefruit sparkling soda from somewhere in Eastern Europe. Our dumplings were delicious and fresh, and we enjoyed them as we watched over the restaurant below. One thing to note is to that there is a good amount of butter on the bottom of the plate, so ask for light butter if that’s not your thing. Note that this is different than the main downstairs restaurant, with a totally different menu. And that service charges are included on all bills to ensure a fair...