Cafe Yarmarka

I’m sad to hear this closed. I haven’t lived up that way for a few years but was looking forward to going back. It was so good and the ladies that worked there were such sweethearts.
The stuffed cabbage and beets were so good. I thought I hated cabbage and beets until I went here. They were awesome.

Super, super, super sad they closed. I showed up one day and they were replaced. Just like that.
Ladies, if you are reading this, thank you for everything. You were a highlight at Pike Place for me. And if you ever start a new eatery, PLEASE let me know because I will be first in line. Or if you just decide to share your recipe for borcht and spicy carrots, I would be forever in your debt!

I like Café Yarmarka, but not as a place to frequent. It’s more of a once every few month type of place for me.
I always order the cheese and potato pierogies here. I love that with each order, you get to choose which sides and salads you would like to accompany your meal for no extra charge. I typically get the cucumber salad, a roll with butter, sour cream and Russian horseradish, but they also have potato and beet salads, spicy carrots, tomato sauce, and bacon fried onions. These pierogies are amazingly perfect on cold, grey days, but they are rich and buttery which is why I can’t frequent Café Yarmarka too often.
Service can be hit or miss. Sometimes the ladies working here are extremely friendly and other times I’ve been ignored. I have also gotten takeout, and at the time, they used cardboard takeout boxes and the pierogies were so hot that they got stuck to the the box and I had to peel the cardboard off of each one.

Outstanding! In giving 5 stars you must understand the setting. This is a Pike Place walk-​up restaurant with a few small hallway tables and some barstools. There is nothing fancy about this place… which is part of its charm.
Service: Could not have been better. A delightful and gracious host/​server with a smile on her face, a willingness to answer questions and a commitment to making sure you really enjoy your meal.
Food: Enjoyed the veggie cabbage rolls, borsch, spicy carrots, grilled onions and potato salad. Are you kidding me? You can have up to 8 sides with your meal? How delightfully over-​the-​top. Great food!
Price: $ 18 for lunch for 2 and walked away completely stuffed… a great deal.
Having lived in Ukraine for 3 months I think I have a pretty good grasp of Russian classics. This place was outstanding in every way. I will be back…

Let’s get the opener out of the way: I’ve been to some really great Russian joints in NYC. They were amazing. People that are expecting you’ll get some awesome East Village meal from a stall in the back of the sanitary market: you’re going to be disappointed.
That said: I really like this place. The prices are reasonable. Anytime I’ve eaten here the service has been friendly. One time it was a bit slow but I could see them making my food and knew what the hold up was. I’ve had the stroganoff, borscht, cabbage rolls and dumplings. Every meal was comfort bliss. If my grandmother was a kindly Russian peasant and not a mean German then I am sure she would have made something similar to this food. You get a choice of salad and as many sides as you want. I’ve seen some people abuse this policy, it just irks me when people waste food. Gotta say my favorite side has to be the bacon fired onions. They use some good, thick bacon although the last time I was there it was a bit fatty.
It’s a place I’m a fan of, and it’s a type of food that is difficult to get in Seattle which gives it some swagger in my book.

Yarmarka has been tucked into the dark corner of Pike Place Market for decades, but it has so few reviews compared with the other places in the Market. With a solid 4-​star average, that means you’ve found a little gem among the tourist traps.
Standing at the counter at Yarmarka feels like you’re looking into someone’s kitchen. No, not a fancy kitchen with Wolf and JennAir appliances, not some fancy chef’s kitchen, but with several pots a-​steaming’ at any given moment, it feels like you’re looking into some average family’s kitchen. And in the typical family kitchen is where you find typical family recipes. Nothing too fancy, tried and true recipes, served with love. That’s Yarmarka.
Having tried several of the entrees, I can tell you the pierogies, cabbage rolls, and pelmeni, are all good choices. My coworkers love the stroganoff. My grandmother makes cabbage rolls a little sweeter, but that could be a regional variation or something.
Every entrée comes with, I think, as many salads and sides as you want, all included. Considering that this isn’t light fare, that means you’re getting a great deal out of the meal too.
I tend to prefer the vinaigrette salad, the borscht (which is light years better than the purple water sold at Piroshky Piroshky) and one of their perfectly light and fluffy rolls. Go ahead, get some horseradish too. Try it on some stuff.
The spicy carrots are tasty, but made with sesame oil, they seem like they’d be more appropriate at an Asian restaurant.
The ladies that work here have always been great for some chit-​chat, letting us taste some samples, and managing our numerous orders.
I read a disappointed review about their piroshky, so I suggest this: Go to Piroshky Piroshky for piroshkys. Go to Yarmarka for borscht and the other dishes.
And while one person said it is cash-​only, that is NOT true. I use a credit card every time I go there. And I will go there again!

Four stars because it is Cash Only.
Being a fan of Russian food I was so excited to finally make it to Café Yarmarka, I have been wanting to go here from a long time.
Food:
Pelmeni — Beef and Pork
Pirogi — Potato and Cheese
Sides — Spicy Carrots, Potato Salad, and Beet Salad
Sour Cream, Bacon Fried Onions and Free Water
I love that for once I got to eat Pelmeni that I didn’t have to make myself. The flavor is great. The pirogi were also delish and came with a dipping sauce that I suspect goes over their cabbage rolls.
The sides bring me back to the days my mother in-​law would cook during her visits. The beet salad and potato salad are great and the spicy carrots were a new flavor for me and so tasty!
Overall: These girls work hard, all the food is made in house. It shows too. The service is great and the servers are very personable. They offer free water when eating at the venue. I will be back to try the borscht and other entrees. Next time I will be asking if I can take pelmeni to go.
Hubs was in his own version of heaven and wanted to go back three hours later — too bad they are closed then.
Remember to bring cash! I only wish they offered some Russian Desserts Napoleon or Honey Cake would be nice.

The dumplings were expensive, for only having a handful. I liked that they were pretty big, but they weren’t drained properly — soggy and watery. They were average, on a whole not the best plate of pelmeni I’ve ever had, but decent.

Inexpensive, healthy, delicious food accompanied by fast service and friendly staff. Can’t go wrong here! This is a little gem in the Post Alley. I have to be honest, when I first came here, I judged pretty hard because it is a food court restaurant… But the delicious borscht and the cabbage roll, definitely exceeded. or dare me say, «beet» my expectations. Bonus points for friendly and helpful staff. If you are ordering the plate, I recommend the beet salad and sauerkraut for the sides, delicious! :D

On our trip to the Emerald City, The Dude and I stumbled back to find Café Yarmarka off the well-​beaten path of Pike Place Market.
Their menu offers a variety of meat dishes and vegetarian dishes; I also saw on a white board to «ask about the vegan specials». That day, it was a sweet potato soup. I went with the vegetarian cabbage rolls, and The Dude got chicken pelmeni. The main dishes come with a choice of one salad (he chose potato salad; I got the beet and potato salad), but then ALSO four additional sides. And all in the range of about $ 10. A most excellent deal.
The carrot salad tasted mostly of sesame oil. The fried onions with bacon were, according to Duder, «fried onions with bacon so… pretty delicious». There was also a spicy horseradish (that’ll clear the sinuses), and kraut. Which I don’t usually like, but this one made me a fan. The cabbage rolls were outstanding. Filled with a rice and vegetable mix, topped with tomato sauce and served with sour cream — either I was so hungry or it was so good, but I kind of wanted to weep. But just a little.
The Dude’s chicken pelmeni was reported as good; proof was in the empty plate afterwards. The two women working were super nice and they also offered free tea (and ice water as well) to the customers. My only complaint (and really, it’s not even) is that I was too full to have room for more food from the great city of Seattle later on! Though in reality, this was definitely one of the best deals we came across, both price point AND taste factor. I don’t know how it stacks up to «the old country», but from this Unilocaler’s perspective, Café Yarmarka was solid.

Man oh man, this place is amazing.
We came here on our first day visiting seattle, i was a little worried considering there aren’t many russian places to eat and didn’t know if they’d disappoint. did they? hell no! I ordered the pelmeni (chicken, they were out of beef, yet they were still amazing) with the «sampling side platter». When they ask you if you want a bun, get 3! I’m not joking. they taste like your grandma just baked them! Make sure to get tomato sauce, sour cream, and bacon/​onions when you order this. You’ll be having a fiesta in your mouth. It doesn’t sound like it’s packed with flavor, but i would happily have a cup of their tomato sauce for a meal. Pile that on your pelmeni with those chives on the top and some butter, you’ll be floating on a cloud of bliss and scheduling your next trip to this place.

Had my bye-​bye-​Seattle lunch with a friend here. She highly recommended the place when I first arrived in Seattle and we finally squeezed in a time when we could visit.
I had the beef/​pork pelmeni with spicy carrots, fried onion with bacon, and couple other side dishes… my friend had the cabbage rolls. Both were really good. the girls who work there are really nice. $ 20 total and there were leftovers. Def a great lunch spot.

When I get home to visit my family this is one of the first stops I insist upon. I was really worried when I had heard that they changed hands but I have to say that the pirogies are still fantastic and the new side salads are a real treat. Best part? You get to have several little sides for no extra charge! Go for the carrot salad, sounds like not much but is really memorable.
Last time I was there my mom and I split a borscht and a veg pirogi plate and were stuffed-​stuffed-​stuffed for very little cash-​cash-​cash. The food is fresh, made right in front of you. The girls running the place now are sweet and obviously care about their product. Great touches like fresh dill sprinkled on top, real butter, excellent tomato sauce on the side, that kind of thing. Also, it is extremely vegetarian friendly as they know all of the dishes with meat and no chicken or beef stock in the borscht.
Crap, now I’m wishing I was getting on a plane. Go eat some for me.

Upon recommendation by my friend that works in the area, we met here for lunch — SOO glad we did because I do not think I would have ever visited otherwise. (Hard to find, unsure of what to expect)
There was just one girl working there, but she was doing it all! Taking orders, prepping and cooking… and being so darn awesome the whole time! She was patient with our orders (since we were so clueless) and took the time to explain all the choices. I loved the fact that you can order as many sides as you want, and they’re all included!
I had the potato and cheese piorgis and loved that… as well as the super tasty spicy carrots, sauerkraut and well… everything.
Easily my fave meal that I had in Seattle.

I was obsessed with pelmeni since the first taste at the July 4 food stand at Gaswork Park. Not content with eating it on the holiday, I searched all over for a place that serves pelmeni year-​round and found Yarmarka. It didn’t taste quite the same.
The meat and sour cream were nice but not as flavorful as I hoped. They didn’t drain the dumpling properly. It was a little soggy and I was left with this puddle of water on my plate.

I went here today with a friend for the first time, and I found that it was just okay. It wasn’t spectacular «I’ll die if I don’t come back soon,» but it wasn’t incredibly bad either.
I don’t know Russian food very well, but I thought it would be a little more special than someone taking the frozen beef and pork dumplings and dropping it into a pot of boiling water. My friend ordered those up and they tasted pretty good. I got the potato salad, but it was very ordinary potato salad. The spicy carrots on the side were amazing though, and I liked the sauerkraut as well.
Maybe I’ll get something else next time.

A very welcoming place that tries to make sure you leave full. My girlfriend and some coworkers love the cabbage rolls, but I’m more of a delicious pelmeni fan. Here’s how it works: you choose a salad (generally mayo based, and delicious), a main course, and an unlimited amount of sides. Spicy carrots are great. After reading the name, you already know the bacon-​fried onions are delicious.
The staff is very friendly and gracious. I don’t know how this place would work on a weekend, but during weekday lunches the small space isn’t a big problem.

I decided to explore a little more outside of Pioneer Square and ended up trying this place for lunch. It’s near Pike Place Market, inside a little food court area.
The café itself was just a little store front inside the food court. Nothing really special about it. In fact it kind of looked like a dinner that you see in a 1960’s movie. There isn’t a whole lot of seating so if it get’s busy then you’ll have to get your food to go.
The service behind the counter was fantastic. They were very friendly and quick.
Now what Yarnarka lacks in décor they more than make up for in food. This isn’t gourmet Russian food, it’s more comfort food. I order the beef and pork pelmini (small russian dumplings), spicy carrots, and a bread roll. The pelmini was very good. Not overly spiced or cooked. The meat in the middle was tender and juicy and still retained alot of flavor, even after boiling. The carrots were very good as well. It tasted like it has a bit of vinegar, sesame seed oil, salt, and pepper. Turned out to be a very good combo. The roll was excellent.
If you happen to be in the area then give this place a shot. I need to go back and try some of their other dishes. :)

I’d never really had russian food before. My friend who is familiar with the food told me this place is okay at best. My personal opinion was that the food is borderline good, but more than likely mediocre.
The horrible location does not help either. The borscht was interesting, and the piroshky was acceptable, but not as good as I had played up in my mind. Admittedly the pricing was… somewhat fair. At least the lady was nice.

I like their pelmeni. Having the meat flavor bursting in your mouth with a taste of the sour cream can really warm your heart on a rainy day. It’s a worth a try if you are stopping here for lunch. I would recommend splitting the plate and try other items on the menu like the cabbage roll to add a bit of variety.
The food probably a little high given the portion and other considerations. However, since it’s in a tourist spot, I suppose it’s understandable that the place needs to charge a premium for the location.