Ruta Ukrainian Restaurant

Ruta is a new restaurant in on the quiet side of Cordell Ave in downtown Bethesda. We had brunch there today and very much enjoyed our meals. Three of us with various orders, and the server was kind enough to bring us the dinner menu to order from that even though it was lunch time. We started with red (beets, carrots, cabbage) borscht for two of us, while I had the green (sorrel and spinach with potato) borscht. Theirs came with a garlicky roll and sour cream. Mine with dark rye bread. Really excellent. Main meals were shakshuka (perfectly cooked eggs, tasty sauce, side of more rye bread), potato pancakes, and a village omelette (very light and full of ham and butter). Everyone was very pleased.I had dark kvas to drink, a fermented rye beverage. I was surprised that it was lightly sweet. It tasted great and there is a blond version if you want something lighter.We were celebrating a birthday and they brought a piece of cake to the table and sang. Delightfully sweet and creamy cake, but honestly, even better was the slice of honey cake we brought home for later. We are cake snobs: this is one of the best slices of commercial cake I have ever had. You should go. You'll like it.

A group of friends and I went to Ruta Bethesda on a Saturday morning for brunch. In the past, I had ordered the deruny (potato pancakes) which were excellent but I wanted some variety. So......I ordered the village omelet and was very happy with it. I expected it to be simple, but the eggs were cooked with bacon and tomatoes and tasted great. Alongside it were some lightly brined vegetables (sweet red and green pepper, radish, and cucumber) with some greens that I never identified. It's a hidden star on the menu.

Really wanted to like this place but even a week after, there is still an after taste. Service is LONG. And rude. They take a long time to deliver appetizers (!) and they will yank, yes, YANK your plates even as you are still eating. Where did your waiters learn about customer service? Borscht was bland. Vareniki - seriously, 1 hour wait for 6 vareniki? And they were not mixed vareniki, they were all with chicken. Deserts - medovyk was very heavy, the so-called poppy seed cake was just inedible. This is not "traditional Ukrainian food done well". You want good Ukrainian food, go to Chicago or NYC. This was sloppy cooking and poor service. And we were all Eastern Europeans around the table, we know a thing or two about cooking.

Came here with friends and tried Ukrainian food for the first time. The food was unique and service was good! We tried a variety of soups, appetizers, main dishes and desserts. We liked everything except for the Ruta cake (poppy seed cake). It was a little pricy, but definitely worth it for the experience!

Their sister restaurant in D.C. is well established. Now Maryland gets its first Ukranian restaurant and is fortunate to have itOur first appetizer was borscht with sour cream and cubes of beef. It had a hearty stock that was a perfect start to the meal. We also had the burrata salad with tomato , beets, and greens. Fresh ingredients with a subtle marinade.My entree was beef bourginone. A hearty dish for a big appetite. My wife tried the pasta with mushrooms in a cream sauce. Savory, rich, and satisfying. We finished off desert with honey cake.New to Bethesda, this restaurant is one of Bethesda's best, and a visit is a must for those looking for a change from the more common ethnic restaurants in the area.

Absolutely loved this restaurant. We invited our Ukrainian friends from out of town to visit and they said it became one of their favorite Ukrainian restaurants. The cocktails were awesome; if you like honey liquor, you have to try theirs. We ended up ordering half the menu and enjoyed everything including the beef tongue appetizer, Odesa forshmak (herring on rye bread), green and red borscht, verenyky (particularly potato and sauerkraut), meat holubtsi (meat stuffed cabbage), and the Ukrainian honey cake. SO good. Service was friendly and quick. Ambiance was fantastic with all the decor connecting the restaurant to the Ruta flower found in Ukz

Came today for brunch which is noted on their website but not in yelp. Staff welcoming and happy to make recommendations. We enjoyed the green borscht and the red borscht (with meat). Delicious! We then enjoyed the Ukranian breakfast and the farmer cheese pancakes. Both very good and recommend. We like strong coffee and their coffee is both strong and served as it should be, hot. In reviewing the dinner menu, we'll be back to try that next.

(4.25) ~ Very good Overall food & Service. Note: Parking Lot next door & outdoor seating is available.DRINKS:** Espresso = (4.5) ~ Very Fresh!** Water (tap) = (4) very good...must be filtered;)FOOD:** Salo = (4.5) Very Good & Shareable! The Pork fat tastes like bacon & is rolled up (see photo).** Borscht (beef) cup = (4.25) Very good & best when you add the sour cream to it;)** Honey Cake = (4.25) Very good & Shareable** Tsvikli = (4) very good & shareable** Bigos = (4) very hearty** Homestyle Potatoes = (4) very good, added to my Bigos;)

I got the healthy bowl of "truffled" chicken, buckwheat, and a salad, all served in a bowl heavy on the buckwheat and light on the somewhat dry chicken breast. My friend had the combination plate featuring Ukrainian specialties, including dumplings, potato pancakes,sausage, and what appeared to be a type of Cole slaw. We'd never had Ukrainian food before so our lunch was an opportunity to be educated. Service was good under an extensive covered patio. I'd like to return for dinner but I'm gluten sensitive ( server didn't seem to know what that was) and don't eat pork. I was limited in what I could order, so I'll need to check out the menu thoroughly. I do want this restaurant to succeed.

Never have I had "high end" Ukrainian food as I grew up with it. So I compared each bite to ones I recognized growing up. I have to say, I was skeptical. But I'm impressed. I'm a cold green borscht kind of guy as my mom specializes in that version. But their hot green borscht was excellent. Vareniki also impressive (got the assortment). Salo and farshmak were the winners for me though. Salo is a great filling dish. I grew up w farshmak. It may scare you, but trust me. Kvas on tap was also excellent. Never had a version I enjoyed. Dark was better than blonde imo. Also, never had a honey cake like this one. Subtle on the sweetness, honey flavor comes through just right.