Leleka Ukrainian Comfort Food — Restaurant in San Francisco

I was born in Ukraine and have been eating authentic Ukrainian food my entire life, so I know what it should taste like. I came here while visiting from Sacramento, encouraged by the many positive reviews I had read. Unfortunately, my experience was the complete opposite.

The first red flag was the condition of the restaurant itself. The dining area looked neglected, with visibly dirty floors, unwashed dishes, and an overall sense that cleanliness was not a priority. I honestly questioned whether I should even order food, but I decided to give it a try despite my hesitation.

Another thing that stood out was the staff. The cashier and the woman reheating food in the back did not appear to be Slavic or connected to Ukrainian or Russian culture, which immediately made me wonder if the restaurant had recently changed ownership or management. It certainly did not feel like a place run by people familiar with Ukrainian traditions or cuisine.

The food itself was extremely disappointing. The borscht tasted nothing like the real dish—it was watery, flavorless, and reminded me more of dirty dishwater than soup. There were barely any beets in it, and it didn’t even come with the traditional slice of rye bread that is essential to the meal. The vareniki (both potato/cheese and chicken) were equally bad—bland, rubbery, and unappetizing. They lacked the freshness and flavor you would expect from homemade dumplings.

Overall, this was one of the worst Ukrainian dining experiences I’ve ever had. If you are looking for authentic Ukrainian food, I would strongly recommend...

I was excited to try this Ukrainian spot since I realized it’s the only Ukrainian restaurant in SF. And even though the interior and vibe of this place is very simple (I’d say it’s more like an eatery) the food is really good and authentic. Our party of 5 was interested in trying everything they have to offer and it seemed to be feasible because the menu is not large. The only option we skipped was pelmeny (as their origin isn’t really Ukrainian). So the summary is: Borscht 5/5 Very rich taste, tender vegetables and good amount of meat Cabbage rolls 5/5 My personal favorite! Very juicy, good quality of meat in the filling and well cooked cabbage leaves Vareniky (dumplings) 5/5 We got vegetarian versions (potato and potato with cheese) and love them. Delicate dough, well balanced filling. Hand roll with mushrooms 5/5 Lots of filling, good thin crust Beets salad 5/5 Fresh and zesty! Syrniky (cheese pancakes) 5/5 Delicate and fluffy. Raspberry jam matched perfectly for them. Honey cake 5/5 Moist and creamy. With the honey taste in layers. Kompot 5/5 Bright fruits flavor, not too sweet Beer good but nothing special

Definitely recommend this place for the quick intro to traditional...

Went in about 6.30pm on a Friday evening. One table was taken inside, and one outside. Ordered two beers, lamb dumplings with broth, and coleslaw (wanted Olivier salad but they had apparently run out). About 15 mins later the food turned up. The broth and dumplings were barely lukewarm, and the coleslaw looked like it had been sitting out exposed to air for some time. Had the dumplings actually been hot, they probably would have been quite tasty, but nearly cold, not so much. We never saw our server again after taking our order. The beers never arrived. Eventually I went up to the counter to pay and asked for the beers to be removed from the bill as we never received them. The server’s response “oh, I never brought them to you?”. I confirmed he did not, then he asked me if I wanted to cancel them. Ah, yes. I’ve finished my food and I’m ready to leave now. I didn’t receive an itemized bill to pay, just a total on the screen, and based on what we ordered I can’t quite back into the total, so not exactly sure what we paid for. We were excited to try this place based on the reviews, but our experience fell well short of...