Mari Vanna LA

It was a great restaurant and place! It was really high-​level Russian cuisine and Russian culture!
Now great new catering in central LA — Mama Janne Catering! Also russian cuisine and more!

I have always had a spot in my heart for Russian food however I never go because Russian restaurant tend to be more exclusive to Russian people. I would get strange looks when I could not respond to the waitress in Russian. This place is not like that, i would say it’s more designed to also accommodate the typical American patron. The restaurant is decorated super super cute, like a Grandmothers home. Shabby chic style with mismatched chairs and those plates with flowers on the trim. Flowers and fake fountain looking things all over the place.
Now, the important part, the food. It was lovely, Rich and Russian. I ordered the Chicken Kiev, which is technically a Ukrainian dish but same difference. It was buttery delicious chicken breaded and fried, atop mashed potatoes. The only thing I would change, i would’ve preferred to have boneless chicken in the breading instead of bone-​in. My man ordered the beef stroganoff, it was a Creamy delight with succulent beef dripping in sour cream with elements of butter. I’ve normally had it with French fries but this one came with mashed potatoes, different but not in a bad way. For our appetizers we got the Cheese Khatchapuri and the Piroshki basket. The Khatchapuri was like a cheese pizza minus the tomato, it was so very lovely. The Piroshki basket was different but decent. The Piroshki I have had is usually hearty and dripping in oil. What could’ve been a cholesterol stuffed ball was balanced and tasty. It came stuffed with cabbage, egg and veal, the veal was my favorite.
For dessert we got the Napoleon. Crispy flakes layered with vanilla ice cream and a strawberry. Typically the crème is rich, thick and «too much» but the ice cream made it light and scrumptious.
Now let’s get to the ALCOHOL! Shots after shots after shots. What I love about Russians is they love to drink, and even better they like VODKA! They have like 15 flavored options. We tried the strawberry, cucumber/​dill, cranberry, olive, horseradish and pepper. I can only remember as far as olive then it gets blurry. They also have great prices, I think their goal is to get you fucked up, effective!
I have a lot of fun and enjoyed everything this place had to offer.

Little gem on Melrose. The aesthetic of this Russian restaurant is really something to appreciate; whimsical and shabby-​chic décor. It reminded me of a little dollhouse or a quaint cottage out of a storybook.
I ordered the chicken kiev and my husband ordered the beef stroganoff. The chicken was fried and stuffed with herb butter, melting heavenously (bam, new word) in my mouth, bite by bite. It was served with mashed potatoes and some grilled veggies. It looks somewhat small, but it left me extremely full. Slightly heavy, probably due to all that butter. Didn’t really try the beef stroganoff because I’m not a huge fan of sour cream in general, but husband said it was very tasty, creamy and on point.
The receipt is handed to you in a little coin purse, which I thought was also pretty cute. It was a lot of fun and a perfect place for a «nicer» dinner on a summer night in LA after spending all day on the beach!
So sad to hear that this place closed down since I was looking forward to stopping by during my next trip to LA. Probably will be checking out its NYC location!

Mari Vanna is no more.
R.I.P.
It was good while it lasted. Thanks to all good people I met there.
Pity.

I wish I could give –1 star for their unprofessional attitude. My friends booked a wedding shower here weeks ago, finally got a confirmation weeks after calling, and sent out invitations. Then, 2 weeks before the event we get a phone call to say they are CLOSING for remodeling. This is 2 weeks before the party!
Instead of honoring the reservations they have on the books, they decided to cancel to start renovation? Who does that? We’re still speechless. Will never come back here.

We recently had a birthday here and I must say that the food was delicious.
The waiters were very nice and helpful
If you have an event you should go to Mari Vanna!
Meneger Yulia very provisional and amazing person, thank you! We’ll be back!

I came here on a Groupon and was treated like a second class citizen. The food choice was limited and was not very good. I would not recommend this place.
PS-​the vodka in the one drink we had gave us a headache, cheap vodka I think

im going to give this place a 4 because i really loved the napoleon dessert!
i came with a groupon and i was a little disappointed in the lack of options for the cocktail — you could only choose from two options, raspberry or horseradish with pickle juice, even though every cocktail on the menu is the same price ($ 12).
then the caviar was just salmon eggs, which i can get anywhere, at any sushi restaurant. the Olivier salad was actually really good — it was like a mix of egg salad and potato salad. the steamed sturgeon entrée was my least favorite. it was just a slab of steamed fish.
BUT the dessert saved the day! loved the napoleon — ate the whole thing practically by myself.
service was good, and no issues with using a groupon.

In love with this place!
We had 2 Russian Salads
I had Lamb chops. Cooked well. Our server was amazing! Very friendly! And super nice girl. My 5 stars for service, food was ok. Service is excellent

If the Secret Garden and a Russian rave party had a child.
The music here is the big downfall. Otherwise, the food (chicken soup and baked sturgeon) and house infused vodka (no artificial flavors) were quite good.
We’ll be back… Maybe with earplugs

I would come back just for the ambiance, infused vodka, and dessert!
We came here to celebrate our friend’s birthday (who is Russian), and we had a reserved table in one of the back rooms. It is so cute inside, it’s your Russian Grandma’s house on steroids!
The service was great, I ordered our server’s favorite infused vodka (apricot) and it was delicious! I could have easily had 5 of those. The food was very good, but what really stood out for me was the dessert called Medovik. It’s a traditional russian layered honey cake and WOW it was worth every penny.
So if you’re in the area looking for a cute date night place for drinks and dessert, this is a great option.

In my eyes Melrose Place can do no wrong. The man and I stepped in for dessert and coffee around 10pm and we were immediately seated inside the cute restaurant by the cute blonde hostess with the cute Russian accent. Did I mention how cute this place this?! The Euro music and authentic Russian cuisine reminded me of having lunch at my grandpa’s every week when I was a little kid. The crowd is very eclectic too.
Besides the fact I died and went to antique China and crystal heaven, the Napoleon and espresso capped our night perfectly. We couldn’t help to also order the potato zrazy which was delicious. Next time I’ll have to try the infused vodka.

Peter took me here for lunch on our 1 year wedding anniversary. On 10÷12÷14, there was an AIDS walk, and we had to park about 1 mile away. I walked in heels for one mile –_​_​–
Luckily, the experience was totally worth it! When we walked in, the first thing we noticed was how gorgeous it is! They have ample space for outdoor dining, which I’m sure most people prefer due to the décor.
This was our first time eating Russian food, so we were pretty lost. We shared the borscht as a starter. Got 6 of their flavor infused vodka shots. For some reason I was expecting sweet and tasty shots. Good God… the first sip slapped me in the face and reminded me that I’m drinking vodka.
For my main course I ordered dumplings. Absolutely delicious and creamy. I forgot what Peter ordered, but I remember it was good! :)
An absolute wonderful experience! Intimate and great for a first date, proposal, or if you’re just hungry ;)

Love at first sight!
Mari Vanna has been on my bookmark for a while now but I didn’t get a chance to check it out until last weekend! Well, I just can’t believe I never spotted the place when I go to that area rather often! It almost just blended in with all those lovely boutiques in Melrose PL but when I did spot it, wow!!! I fell in love! Their ambiance was even better than all those beautiful pictures I’ve seen of the place! I loved the lights, loved the garden/​ourdoor sitting area with beautiful trees, loved the homey yet elegant inside, loved the little sections within the inner sitting and pretty much everything about their décor! It can be a great date-​night spot or a GNO spot or even for families because it was quite intimate.
As for the Russian food itself, I don’t believe I’ve ever been to a Russian restaurant, so the menu seemed a bit overwhelming at first. However, the servers at Mari Vanna were excellent! Super friendly and probably the most memorable service I’ve received in a long time! The lady who seemed like the manager was especially nice! Because it was our first time visiting the restaurant, she gave us nice complimentary vodka cocktail shots to try and also gave us a nice gift of Matroshka Russian doll keychains with keys that supposedly opens Mari Vanna restaurants worldwide! They definitely made us feel special that night and I loved how they checked up on us while making us feel comfortable; not feeling rushed.
Food was overall very tasty and I highly recommend them:
–Bread plate came with stronger oil (I believe it’s sunflower oil) than what I am used to, along with salt, radishes and green onion! Because we had no idea how to eat the vegetable with salt, we ended up asking for direction. It was definitely interesting to learn new ways of eating bread!
–Vinegret (beet salad with sunflower oil) — this wasn’t a salad I am used to and reminded me of salsa, but good flavors and was especially good with the bread crisps it came with
–Handmade veal palmeni aka Russian dumplings (topped with herbs, butter and served with sour cream) — yummy! Similar to dumplings I am used to, but it was good with butter and sour cream!
–Beef straganoff — this dish was probably the only thing I recognized the name of, which meant we had to order it! It was flavorful and delicious!
–Chicken kiev — fried chicken with butter and side of berries was good too! Batter was extra crispy and the chicken inside was moist!
–Steak ala Russie — this sounded so good that we ordered two of these and no regrets there! This was my favorite dish which reminded me of hanburger steak with cheese and yummy sauce! Even the potatoes were cooked nicely which I normally am not crazy about
–Napoleon (layer of puff pastry, vanilla cream and fresh strawberries) — this was delicious! Vanilla cream was especially done so well and went really well with all the layers of puff pastry
–Cherry vareniki (sweet dumplings, filled with sour cherries sprinkled with sugar) — ordered this because it was a traditional dessert. It was interesting as it tasted like dumplings with tart cherries inside.
–Tea — the tea we ordered with rose, almond, and many others I cannot remember tasted really excellent as well
The verdict? I will definitely return for more of their enjoyable meals!

Ambiance-​wise, this place is very nice. It has an extremely warm, cozy, cottage-​like feel to it when you walk in. The tableware was all conspicuously embellished. My velvety-​cushioned seat was extremely comfortable, and I felt like I could lounge in it all night. The Russian pop/​EDM blasting from the speakers above me was actually kind of nice.
My server was Konstantin, whom was very pleasant and professional to deal with. When I come back here, I hope I end up with him as my server again. :)
Based on his recommendations, I ordered a Mushroom Soup and Beef Stroganoff. Both dishes were extremely flavorful, and neither disappointed me. Tip: the complimentary bread (served with scallions, radishes, oil, and salt) seems to be best consumed in conjunction with the soup and entrée, and not on its own.
Since Konstantin had made such great calls for my soup and entrée, I decided to also go with his suggestion of Hot Tea (Green Rose) and Napoleon (cake) for dessert.
Again, those recommendations proved to be solid. The tea and cake were extremely satisfying to the palate, complemented each other quite well, and made for a most pleasant way in which to conclude my meal.
I initially declined the suggestion of an alcoholic beverage due to a lifelong case of teeetotalism (intermittent lapses notwithstanding), but I caved in and ordered a Klubnichka (strawberry) Martini after some arm-​twisting by Konstantin, because … Russians?
(The heart palpitations I started noticing after consuming that single martini reminded me why I always tend to avoid the hootch and stick with the kiddy drinks. Curse my Asian flush …)
Anyway, the service provided by the staff that serviced my table was first rate. Empty plates were quickly taken away, and my water was kept topped off. My needs were checked on sufficiently without feeling like the staff was being pushy.
The check was presented to me tucked away inside a pinche Matryoshka doll, which I thought was a very original, unique, and clever touch. Including a well-​deserved 20%+ tip, the total bill was about $ 90USD (single diner).
In keeping with the rest of the restaurant, the restroom was very tastefully and luxuriously decorated, and kept extremely clean (I would not expect anything less from an establishment of this caliber).
I came on a slow weeknight, so I had no problem getting free parking on the curb nearby (the meter isn’t enforced after 8pm).
P.S.
Unless my eyes were playing tricks on me, I’m *pretty sure* that shady-​looking dude I saw when I walked into Mari Vanna was none other than Mickey Rourke (either that, or his frickin’ doppelgänger).

Why the hell is the phone disconnected? I was supposed to have my wedding reception here on Saturday, July 19^th!!!
I wanted to have a small Russian wedding and I ended up having a big Russian problem. I’ve dined here before with a group of six and we had a blast. So, when I wanted to have my tiny 25-​person wedding at a fun restaurant with vodka shots and a rogue accordion player, Mari Vanna was on the top of my list. I called, made a reservation with Elena and didn’t really stress about it since I know Russians know the logistics of how to party. Fast forward to the week of the wedding when I wanted to check in about bringing some macarons for party favors and the dreaded «this phone is no longer in service» is what greeted me.
I may have soiled my pants, but I’ll never admit it to anyone. I may have called upon my secret weapon of a Unilocaler, Steph Cha, to help me quickly find another awesome high end restaurant in a hurry, but that’s just between me and her.
Anyway, long story boring, I ended up having a blast of a wedding at Cavatina at Sunset Marquis. And, of course, starting Friday the 18^th the phone at Mari Vanna was working fine.
Sigh.
I still love this restaurant. My brand new hubby can put away a few dozen of their veal pelmeni with true gusto and my mom loves their honeycake (medovik) and cherry dumplings. So why, why was there this HUGE, INSANE slip up?
Mari Vanna, come on now…

This was the first time for me to come to this restaurant, and this is not going to be the last time. You drive into usual Melrose place but once walk into the restaurant… It’s a Russian home, a traditional one. The restaurant looks exactly like homes in the Russian village in Germany I visited last summer. The décor, some people who work there and how they dress, food they serve… Surrounded by the atmosphere, I wasn’t in WeHo, I was in the Alexandrovka colony in Germany.
They offer prix fixe for Sunday brunch. We had Potato dumplings, Crab salad, Omelette, from the prix fixe menu, and also ordered Crêpe with Red caviar from the regular menu. As soon as starting off with delicious Mimosa, they brought Russian nutty bread with salt and veggies. The bread was fresh. After the bread, the main was brought to our table. Potato dumplings were perfect. Seasoned mashed potato was inside and Dill was all over on the top. Crab salad was also delicious. I knew that it’s professionally crafted, but it had a little touch of homemade flavor. Very nice. Omelette didn’t look like an omelette. It looked like a slice of cake. It was very creamy and had soft texture, and tasted like in between an omelette and quiche. Delicious.
Crêpe with Red caviar from the regular menu was great too. The combination of the almost like French crêpe and the red caviar which I recognize as Ikura (Salmon Roe) in a sushi bar, was unique and delicious. Although I thought it was a little overpriced because I know the same amount of the Caviar (again, Ikura) can be purchased for ¹⁄₅ of their price at an Asian market, I still decided to ignore the flaw since I was having such a great time in this restaurant with the great food.
Our Russian waitress was cute and very attentive. It was a Father’s Day Sunday, and I was talking about my dad and how much I missed him and couldn’t have a Father’s day meal with him since he was away. The waitress probably heard me saying this or I don’t know, but she brought us a shot of Raspberry vodka and said it was for my dad and Happy Father’s day. This might have been just a part of their regular services for the waitress, but it definitely touched my heart. I truly appreciated the service and kindness. The vodka was super super strong by the way. Oh boy, Russian ain’t playin’…
I had such a wonderful time and thank you so very much. I will be back for your food and the whole atmosphere and ambience. Soon, definitely soon.

Came here for a midnight snack. Kitchen was closed but they were still serving delicious snacks and cocktails.
What a cool place! The décor is super cool, even the bathrooms inspire impromptu photo shoots.
We ordered salo, pelmeni and something else that wasn’t memorable. Salo was amazing, but everything else was a tad overpriced.
The fruit infused drinks were the highlight. I think we ordered most of them to try. Getting drunk helped when it came to paying the bill. Definitely do not go here if you’re on a budget.
If you’re in the mood to spend some cash, look at eye candy and have a good time, this is the place for you.

How did this exist and I not know? You have no idea what you’re walking into from the outside. It’s SO beautiful once you step inside.
We had some venison dumplings that were pretty insane. I would go back just for these. The fish plate was good, but I should have gotten something else, because I feel like you can get this for brunch at many places. Short rib stew was amaze. Chicken Kiev was very good. Next time I want to try the caviar.
Here’s my problem and why 4 and not 5 stars, because they had dishes and atmosphere to die for… all the cocktails were too sweet. I’m sorry but those «martinis» are not infused vodka only. There is a ton of sugar added, which kills the flavor for me. Don’t call it a martini if it’s a super sweet cocktail.
The infused vodka shots I tried were very good, wishing the cocktails mirrored this. Next time I go, i’ll see if they can make me something special that’s an actual martini with house-​infused vodka, which is what I was looking forward to and did not receive.
Also, the service was extremely attentive, but very pushy, like how they push a bloomin onion on you at Outback… this is how much they enforce add-​ons. Like… is this dinner or an infomercial for caviar and bread? I’m not sure. but those dang dumplings are worth it. Totally going back for those.

I’ve seen many restaurants come through this space and I wish that this new spot had lived up to its predecessors. I have to be honest, I don’t really get the thrill here. The atmosphere is quaint and cute. Sitting outside on the patio is lovely and it’s definitely an interesting experience.
I started off with sampling their cocktails. I’ve never seen this before and it’s a great way to insure you are going to enjoy your drink. You can also sample one of their many flavored vodkas, all of which are quite strong. The cocktails were all super sweet though and I ended up going with a glass of wine.
We ordered several dishes for the table including the blinis with red caviar and eggplant caviar. The blinis were great but I am not a huge fan of caviar so I didn’t love this dish. The eggplant dip was really wonderful but the bread on the table was so stale tasting that it did not provide a good platform for the eggplant.
For entrees we shared the beef strogonoff and chicken kiev. The beef was terrible. I grew up eating this dish and my mothers version was much better, and I’m not event a Russian descendant. The chicken kiev was the best thing we had all night. The potatoes that came with it were flavored with rosemary and were excellent.
Overall it was a very mediocre experience. The nicest thing about the dinner was the atmosphere.