Piroshki — Restaurant in Seattle

First of, the food tastes good, which is why I've given it any stars at all. Secondly, the lady at the register needs a lesson in proper food handling! She wears one glove on her right hand which she uses for the register, to handle cash, and to touch the food with the help of a small piece of paper. I've never been so disgusted in my life the way Iwas this morning! I had to actually say something to her when I noticed that she didn't change her gloves. She responded with "I use paper". That doesn't make it any better! The one glove was SOILED with food, which means she's ACTUALLY touching the food with that one filthy glove! I watched her touch my ham & cheese -she did use paper, but it's a small piece of paper, not enough to cover the food at all. I did still take my food because I'd already paid for it, and there were other customers in line. I didn't wanna be "THAT" person who holds up the line. The other lady who I assume is in charge of making the pastries, wore NO GLOVES! However, as I type this review, my food is being reheated as I'm hoping the heat helps kill whatever bacteria that was transferred. Taste & general cleanliness: 5 stars, lady at the register with the soiled right hand glove:0 stars! I'm not sure who manages this location, but before customers start getting sick because of contamination at your establishment, PLEASE retrain...

There is something so comforting about entering a store and your nose suddenly turns into something you only see dogs do. Within their noses, they have receptor cells that grab hold of the odor and transmit the information along to their brains. They have an increased sensitivity to the very existence of a substance. That is how I felt coming upon Piroshki on Madison. I'm instantly turned on, and feel a sense of nostalgia wash over me like going to grandmas house and smelling fresh baked awesomeness.

This little Russian bakery is a hidden gem nestled near the Swedish Hospital and there is already a line starting to form at 11:30am. It is a small walk thru establishment with counter cases occu- PIED (get it lol) with these sweet and savory pockets of love. All with that shiny slightly egg washed exteriors and formations of cute festive flowers or braids from the scraps.

Around $5.50 a pop and they offer coffee, soft drinks, water. A very in and out process. Very few seats, like maybe 6. I find the 3 seater table in the back and post up. Good selection of condiments by me. Dijon is my choice. I almost devour my corned beef, mushroom, and cheese. Plenty of filling, very tasty. Best lunch for under $10! ...

What a wonderful place! And the owner? She is to "die for": friendly, warm, with an East European accent, and rosy cheeks. She towers over the counter, and asks, "What else?" What a trick, woman! This simple "What else?" had me buy twice as much as I'd normally buy. She is not chatty, just business: a customer comes to buy and be served quickly, and she delivers - every time I was there, I did not have to wait more than 5-10 minutes.

The store is clean, decorated with Russian artifacts, which are so important if the owner wants to combine Russian food with the cultural experience. The food is fantastic. I had a borscht with pierogi. It was delicious. And I had the poppy seed roll, various piroshki as well. A reminiscence of home in the land of fellow immigrants.

The owner has a business acumen. I remember when she had just one store, Piroshki on Broadway. Now she has several locations. She has an excellent business set up.

I wish her success just like Boudin sourdough on Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco.

Piroshki, may you prosper and have always enough products to make your wonderful food and drinks!

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