Russian Cafe-Gallery Cossachok

Was in town and required a quick lunch spot, and this place looked interesting. Interesting, it was as well. From the eclectic eastern european artwork dotted about, to the music and general aura of the place, it makes you feel very much in ‘that’ world. The lunch menu, to my surprise, was very reasonably priced and I thought: «this must be very minimalist» but hey, it wasn’t. I’d say the food is very rustic, and has a home made vibe about it, but great. I had the georgian chicken and, for the money, it really was remarkable.
The one notable downside was the coffee, which was just poorly prepared. I’m guessing that’s not really something they specialise in, but I mean, a latte is a latte. I wasn’t exactly being demanding. If you cant make a good latte then just stick to filter, and leave the milk steaming and espressos to the pros.
All in all a good experience; would recommend for midday breaks, lunch time shenanigans, etc.

Beautifully presented food made with fresh ingredients, excellent friendly and speedy service and a nice relaxed atmosphere.
Brilliant value for money (the cocktails are particularly good for the price).
If you’re visiting you MUST try the honey sponge cake!
Will definitely be back!

I’ve been meaning to eat here for years (including the old location before they moved) and finally got around to it courtesy of a 5pm 2 course dinner deal. My wife and I had a great dinner, absolutely up to expectations. The menu is pretty varied, we got some help from the staff to narrow down our choices. Wife definitely won this round — her pick of lamb shashlik is a very simple but massively satisfying dish, definitely the star of our visit. We had desert too which was great (one honey cake, one mascarpone ice cream) plus a few drinks. Points awarded for some clever cocktail names but I was more interested in the vodka and the range of East European beers. Again a little steer from the staff was greatly appreciated! All in all I’m very happy with the meal and will definitely be coming back.

When my boyfriend said he had made reservations at Café Cossashok, I wasn’t too excited. It’s not that I wasn’t grateful for a night out with our friends, but when I think of Russian food, I don’t think of very much more than potatoes and cabbage. Haha, I’m not sure where I get my idea of what Russian food is, but let me tell you, it is so much more than that!
The five of us sat down and looked over the various menus available. The vodka menu is crazy long and have random flavours like jalepeno and toffee. None of us ordered any vodka, but a few of us ordered beers and ciders.
There’s a lot to look at on the food menu, from starters to mains to desserts. Loads of salmon, both smoked and baked, and loads of potato and beef dishes. Some of our friends were running a bit late, so those of us who were there were able to look of the menu to get a good idea of what we wanted to order.
I ended up ordering the smoked salmon starter which came with I swear, a full salmons worth of salmon, plus some saurkraut, beet root and a carrot salad. Very tasty! My boyfriend and one of our friends ordered their mixed salads starter which came with potato salad, carrot salad, beetroot and another little salad. Someone also ordered a greek salad, which we were all super jealous of, because it looked so amazing!
For mains, I went with the chicken kiev, which I had never had before. To be fair the chicken and veg on the plate were really tasty and the what I think was like a creamed spinach was to die for, but I just wasn’t too keen on the amount of butter that came pouring out of the chicken. There are so many other options to choose from, next time I’ll choose something better. My boyfriend ordered the salmon and veg that came with rice which he loved. On of our friends ordered the baked/​fried ravioli, which came with a smokey cheesy sauce which he wasn’t too keen on. He said it was a little too rich for his taste. Another friend ordered the chicken kabab which he loved.
Only one of us ordered the dessert, and he ordered a puff pastry cake thing, which he thought was delicious. We stayed for coffees and a bit of chat, before we paid the bill and left.
The staff was very friendly. I think all of the staff came around at one point to see how we were getting on with everything, which was nice. There was a movie playing on the wall behind us and tapestry hanging on he ceiling. Almost made me feel like I was in a dorm room of an old friend of mine.
All in all, I think we’ll all be back and appreciate my boyfriend stepping outside the box and suggesting Russian food for a dinner out. Yum!

Café Cossashok was a random and pleasant surprise last week. I’d been away playing with my nieces when the Mr told me he’d booked us a table for dinner with a friend.
It’s somewhere I keep meaning to go, but never got round to. But based on this experience, I’ll definitely be back.
I originally wanted a either of the Russian cakey desserts, but the lady who makes these was on holiday, so I opted for Borscht as a starter. As far as creamy, cabbage soup goes, this was great. Very enjoyable and not too heavy. For main, I had the chicken stroganoff, which was the most beautifully tasty version of this dish I’ve ever had. Creamy, mushroomy, peppery and chickeny — all things I like!
The staff were super attentive, friendly and happy to explain bits of dishes to us. And the vodka shots (I had the homemade cranberry — oh, yes!), in between courses as palate cleansers was a great touch.
The only reason I’m giving this 4 stars is because I couldn’t get the desert I wanted — but I will soon!

Went just for the Borscht — sooooo delicious and filling but not too heavy soup!
There was friendly service, drinks weren’t expensive either, and the atmosphere was fine. I’ll be back to have a proper menu (which will start with the borscht again because it is so good)

Having a wee nosey around Trongate 103, a selection of unusual looking cakes caught my eye in Café Cossachok’s chiller cabinet. Not in the least bit hungry but curious to try this Russian café we went in and ordered a portion of the almond and honey cake. It was served with a generous drizzle of honey and a raspberry on top and it was quite unlike anything I have ever eaten before, in a good way!
I really like the look of the menu and will have to save my pennies for a return visit. Its not super-​expensive, but its not cheap either. Options range from rich hearty stews and stroganoffs to blintzes, lighter fish dishes and some decent looking vegetarian choices (possibly vegan too). Something for almost everyone!
Love the décor and cultural vibe, the hard chairs and pews not so much! Apparently they have weekly gigs and concerts for which there’s a modest charge; Russian folk and gypsy music, that sort of thing. Definitely a place to return to for a more in depth exploration!

£3.50 mojito?! SAY WHAT, now?
The blindingly good cocktail prices had my mum swayed by the tequila sunrise during our afternoon stop for tea and coffee at Russian Café-​Gallery Cossachok. It was a fleeting visit but enough to have me craving more. I wasn’t disappointed with my latte and my mum was certainly fond of her cocktail. — She did say that it was a strong one!
I really really like the décor. There’s a creative, bohemian vibe with art that you can purchase on display and a Russian movie projected on the wall. Interesting surroundings and a relaxed, homely atmosphere. — Just lovely! Service was fast and friendly to boot.
I’ve no complaints at all from this quick stop, and I really do want to come back for food. I have a feeling that, ultimately, it’s the cocktails that will tempt me back!
MMMmojito. And, yes, really…£3.50; all day, everyday.

Cossachok saved us on a dark rainy day with its cosiness, delicious food and colourful carpets on the ceiling. Borsht is the best I’ve tried in the UK and it’s only £3.50! Some dishes come with complimentary shots of vodka. Very authentic and friendly!

I like this restaurant. I go there from time to time because the food is interesting and not over salty.
However when we went as a group because some couples had bought a 2−4−1 deal it was obvious that those who did not have a 2−4−1 deal received much bigger portions of food. Also, those with vouchers were not offered the A la Carte menu. So this a deal or no deal!
Le Savignon plonk en boîte was warm but we gave up trying to get some ice cubes and just got on with enjoying our grub.

I was invited to join a bunch of friends to try Cossachok and it was a great experience! This was my first real time trying russian food so I can’t compare, but everything was delicious and my friends assured me it was pretty authentic. Everyone ordered something different and they were all delicious, the prices were very reasonable and the vodka was cheap ;).
The décor is nice, being part of a gallery always helps, and the service was also great. I think this is a nice little get away in the heart of Merchant City, great for friends, family or date nights out.

This was my second visit to Russian Café-​Gallery Cossachok, but my first visit was pre-​Yelp (those were dark days, I tell you). When I first visited (4 years ago!) I remember thinking it felt more gallery than restaurant, but that didn’t seem to be an issue this time.
I started with rye bread and cheese, garlic, mayo dip (on the menu it’s called Cossachok nibbles, cute). For £3 you get a huge portion of bread and dip which is actually probably more suited as a sharing starter as it was pretty filling! I loved the dip, smooth and creamy but with enough flavour that it wasn’t bland.
For mains I went for the potato pancakes with chicken and mushroom sauce. I was really going for excess carbs, I tell you. Again, a massive portion and carb-​tastic. The pancakes have a lovely crispness to them around the edge which is just delicious and the sauce was nice and rich.
And then I ordered dessert. Why? Peer pressure. Rocco G, Alison M and Aaron B, I’m looking at you. Why did I think that crispy blini (deep fried pancakes with banana, topped with chocolate sauce and honey) would be a light option? It wasn’t. It was massive and actually looked a bit like a hand towel wrapped up on a plate. The banana was wrapped inside the blini with a nice amount of chocolate sauce and some orange segments and strawberry on the side. I’d expected the banana to be something on top so I was a little disappointed the blini was wrapped around it, and I tended to avoid the banana and just eat the pancake.
Service was great, warm and friendly and he was really helpful with all the menu questions we had. That being said, he did forget drinks orders quite a few times. The bill was about £28 for three courses which I thought was pretty reasonable. It’s a pretty fun restaurant to try something different from other cuisines available in Glasgow.

I enjoyed a meal out with some fellow Unilocalers this week for Unilocal Glasgow International Food Night #5.
I remember visiting Café Cossachok with my parents just over 10 years ago while I was a carefree GCU student, and remember being really impressed with the quality of the food back then, and loved the surroundings/​décor… So I was excited for an overdue 2^nd visit to this place.
Again, I really love the décor — the restaurant is spacious, yet cosy, accessorised to the max with beautiful Russian shawls on the ceiling and over the lighting…
Our waiter was excellent… very friendly and helpful, and answered all our questions and was enthusiastic about the menu.
The menu is impressive with a huge range of dishes to choose from for every course.
I opted for the Borscht to start with, which was served with rye bread and sour cream. Fact — I Love Borscht! Beautiful hearty soup perfect for an Autumnal evening.
For main, I chose the Chicken Kiev served with mash and mixed vegetables. I was a little disappointed to be honest with the Chicken Kiev. I found it a little dry, and the crumb coating was quite heavy. Good flavour, just not quite what I was expecting. I hate it when you order something off the menu, and think I prefer it when I cook it myself!
For dessert I ordered the Blini Glacé — warm pancake served with vanilla ice cream and honey. This is a very simple dessert, but really well done, and was the perfect choice after 2 filling courses for starter and main.
I would definitely go back to Café Cossachok, as overall I think it is a great restaurant. I was a little disappointed with the Chicken Kiev, but there are plenty of other dishes on the menu that I would like to try.

We live really close to this restaurant and constantly walk past it on our way to places. So after a few years, we finally decided to give it a try a couple of weeks ago. It’s really big inside wit lots of choice re seating. We sat beside the window which felt nice and cosy as the nights get darker and rainier. The service was very attentive and helpful. The waitress kindly replaced a bottle of Russian wine when we realised it was off. Lots of choice on the menu. To start, my husband and i shared Selyodochka pod Vodoch’ku which is a traditional Russian platter of herring served with potatoes and complimented with a shot of the house vodka. The herring is served cold and was tender and fresh. There was a wide range of pickled vegetables to eat and the serving was generous enough for two people. For the main course, i ordered the Siberian Pelmeni which is Russian beef & pork mince ravioli, served with mustard, vinegar and sour cream. The sauces arrive in separate small dishes, so it’s up to you to decide how much of each you combine for the ravioli sauce. Personally i was disappointed it wasn’t served with sour cream and a sprinkling of bacon as that how pirogi usually is served. I know it wasn’t pirogi, but i hoped it would be similar. Very delicious nonetheless but perhaps a little unexciting. I think i will be more adventurous the next time. For dessert, we shared the Kutuzov Cake (honey cake) which was more than enough after a big feed. I found it quite light and not stodgy at all. By this stage, we noticed an interesting range of flavoured vodkas on the menu so treated ourselves to several salted caramel vodkas. So moreish — and they come served in chilled shot glasses. I would go back just for these :) All in all, a very pleasant dining experience, and i will definitely be back.

After saying for years that I wanted to try this place the opportunity finally arose, in the form of an Itison deal. The offer was dinner for 2, inc 2 courses for £19, plus a traditional vodka palette cleanser.
We booked for Friday evening, and arrived to a fairly quiet restaurant, and were seated next to the window; my favourite spot, as I’m an avid people watcher. We were given the set menu, which had a range of 4 – 6 each of starters and mains, however dessert was limited to a single choice.
We both chose savoury over sweet, and took a starter and main each, and chose a cocktail to accompany. The salmon blinis were not what I expected; the smoked salmon was tasty, but small in portion size, and the blinis were more like large crepes. It was served with sour cream dip, and salad on the side. My friend chose the pâté with bread, and although she had a healthy serving of pâté the bread was a slice of, what appeared to be, lightly toasted own brand pan bread. Now, when I’m visiting a skint friend I wouldn’t look for anything fancier than standard bread, but in a restaurant I certainly wouldn’t expect to see that on my plate, especially not accompanying a very delicious, rich pâté.
To follow I had lamb kebabs, with a tomato sauce, and roast potato. Again, the flavours were beautiful, but I felt let down on portion size. The two lamb skewers were quite small, and the potatoes appeared to be half a small potato cut in to three chunks. My friend’s Russian style sausage and mash looked a bit more filling, with a decent sized smoked sausage, and good portion of mash.
The waiter and manager who were there on our arrival were polite enough, though our lovely waiter at the end, who was straight off the plane from holidays could not have been more friendly, funny and welcoming. Though in the chaos of all the chat, and candle lighting, we realised after leaving that we hadn’t received our vodka palette cleansers.
All in all, if their intent behind having these deals on Itison is to entice customers in, and wow them in to returning, I’ve gotta say Café Cossachok need to work a little harder. As I watched main menu dishes arrive at other tables I couldn’t help but feel we had been given cut price quality, which, in my opinion, doesn’t do justice to their cause.

I was taken here for a late birthday lunch due to the fact that I am an utter self-​confessed Russophile. I was in love within minutes of stepping into this café/​restaurant/​art gallery which satisfied my insatiable hunger for all things Slavic! The décor is simply stunning — art covered walls, scarf covered lamps, ceiling rugs, bathrooms plastered in sheet music, Russian dolls scattered about the place, rustic jewelry for sale and traditional balalaikas. I was in heaven!
The menu is decidedly more ‘Soviet’ than Russia (that’s the Eastern European historian in me) which was great as it incorporated dishes from Mother Russia as well as Georgia and the Ukraine and beyond (as far off as Moldova!) This is really unique in Glasgow, and even in Scotland, as far as I am aware! I really enjoyed the Georgian dish of Chakhokhbili — a spicy chicken dish in a tomato and basil sauce. Seasoned to perfection and in perfect portions, served with tasty rice and a colourful dressed salad. My other half really enjoyed his authentic Salmon Baikal in an aromatic orange sauce (which after a few Budvars I sampled and rather enjoyed, not being a fish eater myself.) We both decided because it was a special occasion we would order a dessert each and share — he had the Blini Glacé, pancakes with ice cream and I chose the Kutuzov Cake, a delicious, moist, layered walnut cake. Nomnomnom.
My only tiny, teeny, wee reservation about this place is that it is rather on the pricey side. I noted that for a group of more than 8 (I believe) there is a seating charge which I know is pretty commonplace in mainland Europe but almost unheard of in Scotland. Nevertheless, we were quite happy to pay a little extra for what we had and for the experience! I also noticed that they do lunchtime deals and also deals for students (I believe the deal was ‘punnily’ called «PUTIN STUDENTS FIRST» — and included two courses with free Borscht for a reasonable price at certain times during the week.)
The one member of staff that was working when we were there was great — friendly and chatty and gave me a free birthday beer on the house! Will definitely be looking for an excuse to go back here!

I apologise for not writing anything sooner but I have been awash in a sea of my own self-​involvement and pity. So here’s some self-​indulgence whilst I avoid doing my French homework! Yay!
I gleefully stepped in here with a friend, knowing full well what the menu would offer — some blinis here, some pelmeni there — but I had no idea that we had stepped in on their student day: 2 courses for 2 people for £15 TOTAL. Ochen’ horosho!
We sat ourselves down and I immediately took notice of the delightful décor. The lamps were draped in scarves, the rugs were on the ceiling (or so I remember, I might have dreamt this), the walls were Communist red and we were sitting on what appeared to be hand-​carved wooden seats. Even the bathrooms were wonderfully decorated as the walls were plastered with sheets of classical music!
Then came the borsch. Oh, the borsch, the borsch, the BORSCH. Bearing in mind that I have lived in the former Soviet bloc and that I know very well how a good (Ukranian) borsch should taste, I was lost in each sweet-​yet-​tangy mouthful. And joy of joys, the recipe was given on the back of the menu! After photographing the menu (possibly illegally), I tried to pace myself with this godly soup but I found it to be impossible. After dropping the traditional smetana (sour cream) in it, I inhaled the bowl in less than two minutes. If you ever try the borsch here, you will also find it impossible to eat slowly or at a moderate pace. Honestly.
I then picked, for my second course, the Moscow Blinis (or, as they put it on the menu, «blintzes» which confused my little Moldovan brain). Warm pancakes with a mix of beef and turkey mince stuffed inside, all drenched in spinach sauce. My dear Ronald Jeremiah… too perfect! And like Saint Ronald, they’re very filling. My friend chose the Uralskie Pel’meni and kindly offered me a bit and, despite the simple face that these are just potato-​and-​mushroom dumplings, they were also terrific. They did, however, have me tripping back to my days in Moldova. I sort of forgot where I was for a moment.
There isn’t much else to say other than to continue giving this place big, wet kisses… great food, great service (handsome, smiling waiters, what’s not to love?) and such a pretty, pretty place. I shall be returning here this week (hopefully) to educate a Greek pal o’ mine on Russian/​Ukrainian cuisine. I shall annoy him more than I have annoyed you. Spasibo, i naz’drovye!

Amazing place: nice beautiful, spacious
Service: really friendly and really Russian
Food: refreshing, different, beautiful
Drinks: the biggest selection of vodkas!

This place is great — nice range of Georgian and traditional Russian food. We started with a cold beef platter with pickled peppers and cabbage. It was pretty good. They were out of the pork for the Tzar platter, which is what we were really hoping to have as a starter instead. Nonetheless, the beef was nice. As for mains, I had the Moscow Blintzes and my husband had the Tzimes (duck). Both were really quite good, but what really knocked us out was the dessert. I had Kutuzov Cake, and my husband ordered the Alenushka. They were both just amazing, out of this world! We’ve declared it the best cake we’ve had in Glasgow.
Service was perfect, though we were the only diners there at the time. The restaurant itself is quite charming, and done in a sort of modern adaptation of traditional Russian café décor. Lots of red, folk art, birds, richly printed fabrics, etc.
We’re hoping to return on a night when one of the owners, who is a virtuoso violinist, plays.

Yum!
Came here while on holiday in the UK. I can’t remember how we found this place; I think we might’ve found it in a brochure we got from our hotel. None of us had ever had much experience with Russian food and we were feeling experimental so we decided to go.
We each started with a salad (which came with lots of lovely things, including strawberries). Then my sister and dad each ordered the blintz with beef and I ordered the chicken stroganoff. For dessert we had the blintz with ice cream which came with a sprig of red berries and some interesting looking yellow berries. Everything was really yummy.
The ambiance was nice — murals everywhere, lots of red, wall hangings, colorful tiled ceiling — and the waitress was really friendly and nice. I would definitely recommend it.