Hye Life Cafe & Bar

If you enjoy Armenian and Ukrainian food, you will definitely like this restaurant. We've returned many times! Delicious food, excellent service!

I've been to Crossroads so many times but didn't realize that there was a Ukrainian restaurant and Eastern European grocery right behind it. Would definitely recommend visiting as it's not every day that you find Ukrainian food.Service was a tad bit slow given we were the only ones there but the food was pretty good. We ordered the BBQ sturgeon, BBQ Beef Lulu and the Chakhokhbili. The taste and texture of the BBQ sturgeon was pretty good; it comes with wedges, a sauce for the fish and veggie mix. The BBQ Beef Lula was recommended and I was really surprised that kebabs were found in Eastern Europe too. The Chakhokhbili was a heavily spiced chicken stew. It comes with a crispy flatbread. We also ordered borsch and it was different that I imagined it to be. It seemed to be more tomato than beet based.

Oh my GOD. This place is the best stop I've ever decided to make in my life. We WERE just going to get some coffee although after seeing the menu online I think I subconsciously knew we were going to do a lot more damage than just that. And I have NO regrets. Food: A+. Service: A+. Ambiance: A+. Pricing: A++++++. We walked in and the whole place is just so cozy. There's a bar up front and the seating is spacious and just well designed. My boyfriend was also so impressed with the bathroom lol. The entire meal, they were placing um, eastern European hip hop or house music? Idk but it was a bop. We ordered the Ukrainian pancakes, cabbage rolls, piloaf uzbek, and beef and pork khinkali. Not a bad bite. The server was so prompt bring our dishes out one by one and clearing them as we finished that I felt like I was at a fine dining restaurant. Same with the plating. I love the physical dishes they used and they plated so prettily too. The fist bite I took was of the cabbage roll and from that I knew I was in for a good ride. So juicy, and with the sour cream (I had a LOT of sour cream for this meal), it was also just tangy and a medley of flavors. The piloaf was spiced and seasoned to perfection and the little niblets of beef in there were just crazy succulent and tender. We could literally smell it as it came out of the kitchen. The khinkali was kinda like a big xiaolongbao? At least that's the closest reference point I have. It's similarly shaped but the dough is a bit more thick and chewier. It's also way bigger than a xlb. When cut open, the broth spills out and we just slurped it off the plate because that stuff was NOT something we'd let sit waste. And the meat filling had dill. Honestly liked it a lot more than a xlb. And the best thing we got was the ukrainian pancakes. They tasted like custard and I literally couldn't piece together how good it was in my mouth. A perfect bit with pancake, a dallop of sour cream, a scoop of jam, and a berry or two and your life will be changed. I kid you not. It makes me wonder what else is possible and how good everything we didn't get to try might be and there is no way I'm not coming back and bringing a hoard of friends with me so I can show them the light.

My friend wanted us to try this place, and I'm glad we did! They had a wide variety of European dishes to choose from. I let my friend order since she's familiar with these cuisines. We got to try several dishes and they were all delicious and unique to me. There was easy and free parking in the lot right in front of the restaurant. It's right next to a European grocery market to shop before or after you dine. One less star because the service was okay. The server didn't seem too thrilled to be there, and we were the only customers dining there on an early Monday night.

Amazing Ukrainian (?) Food in a cozy spot located on a strip mall. The menu has lots of interesting items.Herring and Potatoes ($8.99) - loved the crispy potatoes and the chopped herbs. Julienne ($9.99) - super creamy baked mushroom dish.Khinkali ($3.99 per dumpling) - juicy, amazing, ample filling. Also got a few glasses of wine ($7-9).

3/12/2023 3.5 STARSVery unique restaurant with dark lightening. I felt like it was more like restaurant & bar. Table setting was little bit odd because chairs were line up facing each other with no table, or most of table had "reservation" plate, so I was unable to find a table and try their bakery. She assumed it will be "to-go" coffee when I ordered from cashier and did not introduce any bakery. I'm going to bring Europian friends next time, so I'll feel more welcomed.

Extremely spacious and beautiful restaurant - the plating was lovely and everything was delicious! Tucked away behind the crossroads, this place offers a lot of unique options on the menu

Okay, so this place serves Eastern European food with a specialty in Georgian food. One of the few places in the Seattle Area that does so! It has a variety of great food that you can't really find anywhere else. And the khachapuri here is my favorite! I've only had the non alcoholic drinks here. The stuffed chicken breast is good but has lots of dill, so be warned if dill is not your thing. Overall, I really enjoy the food here. Ambiance is okay, they play a lot of music videos on the screen above the bar, which is both entertaining and distracting. This is a good spot for trying new food or having a bite to eat before hitting up the market next door, I recommend it.

This little hideout establishment in Bellevue is a true gem! Great selection of food and wine (Armenian and Georgian wines!), also desserts, which, I was intrigued to try them all. Since we did not have enough in our party to try all the items, we ordered borscht, crapes, dumplings, bread boat, Uzbek style pilaf, and trout for dinner (for 5 girls). Portion is very generous here, and we comfortably shared all items amongst ourselves. I find it is very interesting how dumplings from the different regions opt to the herbs naturally grow in the soil, also how they evolve - you would find chives in the dumplings in China, and in mid to Western Asia/Eastern Europe, the herb replacing chives is parsley. They are always in the similar shapes - rolled-out doughs filled with the goodies (anywhere from cheese, meat, and seafood depending on where), and they almost never fail me. Anyhow - we enjoyed everything we tried at Hye Lite. Pilaf reminded me of mom's keema (Japanese style), Borscht was a hearty goodness, Bread boat was soft and fluffy, and Roasted Trout was amazingly delish with the balsamic graze and the perfectly roasted potatoes. I am already craving for more goodies (and it has only been a week or so since I last visited, lol). I am regretful I did not take any pics of the dumplings and our dessert (honey cake), but am reporting they are superb.Menu is showing great BBQ platter selections for the large party - I hope we get to try that someday on a very special occasion. They look amazing! I believe they will open up the patio seatings when weather permits - this could be the perfect lunch/dinner/drink spot after taking a nice walk in the Crossroad Park, or a round of golfing.

Everything I had here was amazing and the service from Kolya was amazing. This was a great lunch! I love the music they play here and the ambience. Good vibe and really great food! Had the cabbage rolls, the dolmas, and the chicken cutlet Kiev. Ordered a little extra for home for dinner! All the food and service was spectacular. I highly recommend this place and will definitely return.