In search of a unique ethnic dining experience, my partner and I found Old Lviv and were very grateful that we did.  The establishment is small, but quaint and cozy, creating  it's uniquely charming atmosphere.   My partner, who has traveled extensively throughout Eastern Europe and the Ukraine, was very impressed with the authenticity of the foods we sampled from their buffet.  Both of us found the food to be very tasty and certainly fresh as it was delivered to the buffet line when finished in the small kitchen run by family.  The buffet consisted of a generous assortment of meats, fish, vegetables, and salads made in house from old family recipes.  The deserts were equally as delectable and plentiful.  Beverage choices of  Ukrainian beer and German Riesling wine complimented our dinner nicely.   Our waiter was extremely helpful, courteous, and attentive. We were thoroughly delighted with our experience at Old Lviv.  Although we live a several hours away, I'd say we're likely to visit again when in Chicago. Â
While this establishment is not fancy, it guarantees something significantly more important, genuinely good food served with a genuine smile.
The Ukrainian Village was definitely an area I wanted to visit while I was vacationing it up in Chicago. Since the Ukrainian community in Texas is small, I wanted to see what this Uki town was all about.
Old Lviv is very small so if you come with a party of 10, you will be waiting for quite a while. There are about 5 tables total and 1 waiter. Service is slow but not surprising for Ukrainians as we enjoy relaxing, talking, and taking our time with eating, as it should be. I digress.....
The borscht is pretty good although a little too salty. The potato and cheese pierogies were good but smothered in way too much butter. I know they made them fresh because it took a quite a while whereas frozen pierogies literally take 5 minutes to boil up and serve. I appreciate the fact that they were fresh!
There is a buffet which I didn't have the chance to get a glimpse of. Personally, I would just order off the menu which literally is about 7-8 items.
I asked the waiter about dessert, specifically the poppy seed roll. He looked at me like I was a psycho. Hm..... I am wondering how Ukrainian he was?
For a good homeade ukranian meal, I give it four stars for what it is. The restaurant is very small and be sure to get there before 8:00 pm and 7:00 pm on sundays. The server was attentive and helpful. At first he thought we were ukranian so he spoke to us in Ukrainian but then he realized we spoke english so he immediately switched to fluent english. The food was very good home cooking. My favorite part of the buffet meal ( which is only $10 on weekdays and 11:00 on weekends) was the hot borst soup and the items on the buffet were very good ( I.e. stuffed cabbage, chicken and pork, mashed potatoes) also I love pickles lol and the pickles were exceptional. the desert was also good. I liked the chocolate icing on the cake. I almost felt like I was in another country because all the patrons spoke Ukrainian, which is a good sign, because they probably like food from their homeland and maybe this is what authenic ukranian food is supposed to take like. I wont know until I go to ukraine lol...they also have a full bar if you want a drink. A hidden gem id say. :)
Review Source:Don't go here unless you are craving eastern european food. If it's your first time, go somewhere else. The place is set up for people in the know. If you speak Russian or Ukie, great! If not, it may be tough to navigate.
I was born in the U.S. but eastern european by blood and culture. I don't speak Russian or Ukrainian but I love liver and onions. I love borscht. Half the stuff in there(cucumber salad) was home-cooked stuff I grew up with and the rest was probably more local Ukrainian fare.
Service is different from what you are used to. Don't dare think you will be finicky and running the show. The server is the host and you are a guest. It's a different dynamic. In some ways it's more intimate. Act as if you are a guest in someone's home.
The food is just home-cooked unique goodness that somehow gets lost in the fine culinary world no matter how much they try to keep it on life support and serve it as gospel. They wind up airbrushing out all the flaws which is about as effective as rewriting a Tolstoy novel using conventional writing canons
Drink a damn beer with your meal, too. I don't care if you're 12(JK). If you can't choke down a beer, simply don't go there for lunch or dinner.
Anyway, I think you get the idea.
The last time I was in Ukranian Village on a cultural excursion was when I was in second grade in the 80s. Â It was the first cultural school trip I had taken and I remember it vividly because it was the first time I saw a Russian nesting doll and thought it was really cool. Â In retrospect, I'm surprised they didn't take us to Chinatown, which seems so much easier coming from the south suburbs.
So...fast forward an undisclosed amount of years and I'm back in the Ukranian Village because my friend from the Ukraine is visiting and she wants to see and taste how closely it resembles to her home. Â I was super excited to try Old Lviv with a real Ukranian!
We went on a Saturday afternoon and were the only girls in the place. Â It's small and somewhat resembles a suburban basement. Â The rest were dudes from the former USSR, drinking and picking on food. Â It was a buffet for $10 in the back. Â Lots of the dishes were cabbage based and some had that bright purpley beet color that you only find in Soviet food. Â My friend said that it was a mix of Ukranian and Russian food and I wanted to try everything. Â I can't tell you exactly everything I had but there were very rich blintzes (cheese and something else) and maybe 4 dishes that were in a sort of stew. Â They also had roast chicken. Â There were fresh and canned fruit for dessert along with some type of dessert bars.
We were served different soups - my friend had the borscht and I had a potato soup that was OMG delicious. Â It tasted like french fries. Â They also came by and served us two slices of sandwich bread. Â My friend pointed out that the liquors behind the register were all very authentic. Â
I had a great time because I was able to get some context to the food. Â My friend was very, very happy because Old Lviv did remind her of home.
I came in with my two American friends, and we received a great treatment at Old Lviv. The buffet on a Friday afternoon offered a great variety, especially for my American buddies, who wanted to sample a wide array of Ukrainian food. As a Ukrainian myself, I loved the buffet.
For a modest $10, the all-you-can-eat setup even includes red borscht and green borscht. The only thing not included in the buffet were varenykies (a.k.a pierogies).
I have to add that our waiter, Maryan, did a great job explaining our options and spoke both Ukrainian and English, which was perfect for our company.
All in all, while this may not be the most high-class Ukrainian establishment, it's a local gem for sure and I'd recommend it to both - those completely new to Ukrainian food as well as Ukrainian food junkies.
My boyfriend and I dined here.
Every time we talk about the experience we laugh. Let me share what happened to us on that night of adventure.
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It is a quiet, rainy, Tuesday night. We enter the restaurant. No one is in the seating area although I hear some sounds from the separate kitchen area far back in the restaurant.
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While we are being overwhelmed and starting to feel uncomfortable, a young girl enters the restaurant from the front door and rushes into the back door screaming something. Moments later a babushka with an apron and a chef hairnet and her daughter (I suppose, let me call her server) open the back door and look at us. Babushka goes right back in the kitchen and the server quietly starts wiping the table in front of us. One done...ok slowly moves to the next table...then next...
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My boyfriend whispers me that we should leave, but I convince him that we are eating here. "But....but Yelp says it's good!" works like a magic. It always shuts him up when he is in doubt about new restaurants. Oops!...I did it again...
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Without knowing if she is recognizing us as customers, we quietly grab plates from the buffet line and pick up food. AWKWARD.
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Bf brakes the silence and asks the server about the soup. The server speaks to us for the first time. She explains us there are two kinds, and she mixes up words in Ukrainian/English. He tells her he is Russian. Now the whole conversation is in Russian/Ukrainian. We both order borscht and sit at a table.
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He orders a hot tea. The server relies on her mind-reading power and decides that a glass of apple juice is what I want (...fail! I don't want juice with meal!). Well this is part my man's fault for not taking care of his girlfriend that is lost in translation.
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Drinks and soup arrive. Tea = hot water in a cup and a tea bag on the side. Borscht is good.
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I make a conclusion that food here is half good, half questionable. All is dried out maybe because we picked a quiet night. Did my boyfriend like the food? Well as a 20-something guy who is born and grew up in the USSR region, the answer was "are you kidding?".
I have been to many foreign-rooted restaurants that are far from being fancy and I usually love them. But this restaurant is the one I will not return. They gave me a good story to tell though!
The whitefish is very good, it's with tomatoes and fried in oil, for a rich-and-sweet taste. The bright pink borscht is great, anyone who's down on beets should give this a try. The goulash and cabbage rolls are fantastic. Most of the dishes have a heavy  meat and grease ratio, this is a place some people might need to be in the mood for.
Also, I'm partial to the sweet crepes, they have a delicious filling unlike anything else I've had.
I have read many exciting things about this place before visiting. So decided to go and try. Here are my sincere and honest impressions:
First, this place is really small. I mean really.  As soon as I opened the door I stood for a second realizing how cramped this micro buffet is. It's look  like a  studio with one bedroom.
"Ok",-  I said myself  "You came here not to complain about space, but  to try famous, delicious Ukranian food  many people are so happy about. Common let's go".
The waiter gently offered to us a sit. As soon as I approached the food table here was my second impression- the variety of food is really small. This is so far the smallest buffet menu  I've ever had.
However the meat dishes were good, fried pork, beef, liver.
In the soup section I haven't found any borsch. So I asked  the waiter did they have it in the menu. He said "yes" and  went to the kitchen to tell the cook.
After 5 min he brought borsch to us.
Well I tell you. In my life I've tried borsch many times. And this borsch was too thin even looks like a lit bit diluted. There were not any pieces of meat at all only sparse quantity of cabbage and beet .
My friend also told me that he got impression that the borsch was too thin and tasted like it was diluted with water. Â
Well,  It was obvious that borch was absent at that day in the menu or already ended up at the time of our visit so  the cook reheated the borsch leftovers in the kitchen for us. Was the borsch really diluted or not I can't tell you though it was tasted so.
The bass stew dish was already empty. So I tried only leftovers which I tell you  were tasty.   At the beginning the waiter promised to us he will bring more bass stew, but during the whole our meal the bass stew dish remained empty.
The seven blintz with cheese which appeared at the end were tasty too. We ate four of them, three remained. I don't know  how the rest visitors are going to divide and share them.  I simply don't know.  Hope in the mercy of the cook.
At the end the waiter asked as in mandatory tone how we were going to pay tips in cash or bill included. We didn't know that tips are obligatory in buffets.
Usually this option is  left for customer's consideration. Â
So here is the summary:
Pros:  Tasty meat dishes (though not  a great variety).
      Tasty bass stew (I've got impressions on leftovers).
      Tasty cheese blintzs
Cons: Really small, cramped micro buffet. Not cozy at all.
      Limited menu, and limited portions. Like during the time of Great Depression (as somebody here already said).
      Awful borsch (too thin and tasted like it was diluted with water) .
      Mandatory for tips.
One visit was enough for me. Â Never go here again. Â Will better try somewhere else next time.
This place is a Ukrainian Village gem. Â You can stop in and get home cooked food in a buffet for $12, which includes some really good soup (my favorites are the borsch or solyanka). Â Where else can you find liver and onions? Â Also, if you love the food, you can get it to go by the pound.
Review Source:First review ever on Yelp, I think its about time. Figured I would start with Old Lviv, since I grew up in Ukrainian Village and have been there dozens on times its definitely one of my favorite places to go for Ukrainian cuisine in the Chicago land area. Its very reasonably priced, and with the buffet available its even better.
The ambiance is low-key and if you go there a couple of time they will remember you. Waiter Marian has always been nice to me and very courteous.
So, for a low-key kind of a night, if you are on a budget, and if you are in a mood for something Eastern European its a very good place to visit.
Cheers!
New owners they say! Â ...That's good news, nobody really cared for the previous blond owner lady from what I've heard. Â Good Luck!
There is an improved feeling here with the service. Â Excellent red borscht too! Â However when I think of a buffet, I envision a wide variety of foods both hot and cold and in substantial quantities.
If there are seven (7) people in the restaurant there should be more than seven (7) chicken legs on the buffet table available ! Â Get my point?
It's a feast not a famine !
It's Saturday night, and two friends and I walk into this small restaurant and find ourselves walking into a private event. I had called in advance to find out the closing time of the restaurant, and whoever had answered the phone failed to tell me they were actually closed that night for this private event. I brought this up to the waiter, and after talking to the manager, he apologized for their mistake and allowed us to stay. This action, as well as the attentive service and patient explanations of the food, made the service really stand out for me.
The  food was served buffet style ($10 pp), and you could order cheese/potato, meat, or cherry-filled varenyky (Ukranian for pierogi). All the food, from the borscht to the varenyky to the vegetarian cabbage rolls, was very good, and given that the private party was full of Ukrainians (who ended up singing Ukrainian drinking songs later), I think it's safe to say that this place serves legit Ukrainian food.
CASH ONLY!
After walking around Ukrainian Village for a bit, we came to this buffet spot based on recommendations off Yelp. The food was delicious (we weren't sure what most things, though), and dinner for us was $11 each.
We were so full that we had to walk around for a bit afterwards before continuing on our way.
This place is fantastic!
Some friends and I stumbled upon it after walking up and down Chicago for a good 30 minutes. It's super small inside ~5 tables, the largest of which seats 6, so be sure to come in a group of 4 or less during busy hours. The waiter was very helpful in explaining what all was available and what we were about to eat.
Having never had Ukrainian before, I can't compare it to any other restaurant, but man, this stuff was good! No idea what half of it was, but I ate it all. The Saturday night dinner buffet was $11.09 total, including tax. You can't beat that. The place is really small and cozy, which made it just a tad bit awkward at first, but my friends and I really enjoyed the atmosphere once we got situated.
Definitely a place to take people who have never had Ukrainian before.
This place is beyond excellent. Â The food is like my grandma used to make it, probably because there are 2 grandma's in the back making it.
I haven't had blood sausage in a long time and they had it excellent. Â This is true Ukrainian food like you would eat if you were in Ukraine. Â Some "selections" might be odd for non-expecting people, but if you're going here, you should expect that they'll have liver, beats, blood sausage, etc.
Great place to speak Ukrainian also.
The place is very small though, only about 4-5 tables, so plan accordingly.
I only wish there was a restaurant like that in CT.
Five stars for an incredibly authentic restaurant that doesn't even have a menu!
I was nervous as hell coming into Old Lviv, but a nice young man helped me feel at ease. I disagree with previous posts saying that as a non-Ukrainian, service and acknowledgement was spotty. I experienced absolutely nothing of the sort.
My server patiently explained to me my options for that afternoon -- pierogies, lunch buffet, or soup options. I chose the lunch buffet which came with my choice of soup and bread, and an assortment of authentic Ukrainian items. I decided to be brave and for SOME REASON unbeknonwst to me, declined any sort of guidance through the buffet line. Bad decision. I loaded my plate with a ton of blood sausage and other questional meats. I ate everything because a) I hate wasting food b) there's no takeout in lunch buffets.
That borscht soup warmed my soul, though...it made me glad that I loaded up on borscht soup packets from  the deli nearby!
Good to know: Cash only!
The buffet is worth trying if you are in the neighborhood. Â Not familiar with Ukrainian food? Â Its similar to Polish. Â The place is small, but usually not crowded. Â The food is good, but the main attraction is the wide variety of dishes offered. Â
Don't forget to order the borscht, its really fantastic.
Even after having lived in the Ukrainian Village, I wasn't really curious about what the folks eat in Kiev. But, walking by Old Lviv changed all that...
A cozy little restaurant, Old Lviv is the best place to go on a cold winter's day. Warm borscht (both red and green!) will warm you to the core. So, too, will the cheese-filled crepes and the cabbage stuffing. Ukrainian food, the way Old Lviv does it, is delicious, hearty, and filling. And, at less than fifteen dollars, you can't really argue with an all-you-can-eat buffet.
I disagree with the review below that this is a bad place to take a date. Â Old Lviv is actually the perfect place for a date because you will be able to HEAR your date. As a an extra bonus, you also won't have to worry about other people listening in on your conversation, because the place will probably be pretty empty. Â I think Old Lviv might be a perfect first-date spot, since you can test the culinary bravery and capacity of your date PLUS there will be no one to overhear your awkward, stilted first-date banter.
Incredible soundtrack, full bar, and babushka in the back cooking (and occasionally peering around the corner at the diners). Â The waiter was patient with me and was willing to explain what all the items on the buffet were so that I could avoid the meaty stuff. Â My kind of place, truly.
My borscht was incredible, and my  meat-eating dining companion loved the sausage soup and bravely sampled the blood sausage (krovyanka).  We arrived at around 7pm, and by that time a lot of the food had been sitting out a while.  The apple pancake was a little world-weary, but I was happy for the hot vegetarian items on the buffet.  There was definitely enough for me to eat that I fell into a food coma at home.  Next time I will special order some piroshki!
Best Ukrainian food hands down. I love coming here after church and piling those styrofoam containers high with buttery mashed potatoes, cutlets, mushroom sauce to die for, cabbage rolls and blintzes. It's a heart attack waiting to happen but when it tastes so good, makes it all worth it!
Review Source:This is probably the best place to get Ukrainian food. Â (There's not that many places for it too.) Â First of all, this place is tiny! Â But it feels very cozy! Â The prices are VERY reasonable - 10 dollar buffet over the weekend (9 on the weekdays). Â Cheap Ukrainian beer, not bad stuff, too. Â And the food...oh my...so much food. Â The borscht was wonderful - it really brought me back to my Ukrainian friend's house, with his mom's borscht. Â I could have stopped there, but no...I had to get the chicken, the bread, the cabbage stuffing, the cheese-filled crepes (which were rockin!), the pork....I basically pigged out. Â My friend and I left the place at least 5 pounds heavier each, but it was all worth the trip. Â
Heads up though - cash only
This place puts the Ukrainian in Ukrainian Village.
Traditional Ukrainian buffet, all-inclusive with delicious soups, bread, hearty entrees, sides, and desserts for a paltry sum of $10. Â Hands down the best value on this strip of Chicago Avenue.
Amazing that a place this small has a full service bar.
Service is a bit aloof towards non-Ukrainians, but you have to understand that you're kind of invading their carefully guarded safe-space by being in here. Â Yeah, you totally broke their Old World reverie with your boisterous American guffaws and your proclamations of shock when you discovered that thing that looked like charbroiled steak tips is actually liver & onions.
Hours are a bit strange... beware the early closing times.
I was the only diner there for lunch who didn't greet everyone with a hearty "Dobry den" as I walked in - this place is AUTHENTIC Ukrainian, no doubt. Â The decor is very simple, but it was a spotless restaurant.
The buffet ($10 on weekends/holidays, $9 other times) is well worth the value - and is full of delicious potato, cabbage, and lots of meaty options to sate your palate.
They have Ukrainian beer (and a full bar) to wet your whistle, and the cabbage soup I had was delicious, served with mushrooms, cabbage, carrots, meat and fresh dill sprinkled on top.
The service was friendly - but seriously, just listening to all the Ukrainian being spoken around me made this place truly a gem. Â I'd go back and bring friends.
Also, good to know: CASH ONLY
Closest El is CHICAGO (Blue Line) and you can reach Ukrainian village by taking the 66 west for a couple minutes if you don't feel like walking 12 blocks.
I had to take a plane, three trains, two buses, and short walk to get to Old Lviv, and I'm glad I did.
The plain, tiny restaurant is comfortable, if not "cozy". Â I walked by the storefront once before realizing that the unassuming little awning had the name of the restaurant I was looking for. Â There is nothing fancy about Old Lviv, but you don't go there for the atmosphere. Â You go there for the food. Â I found the staff to be less friendly than some of the other reviewers did, but they were not UNfriendly, and they were attentive.
I could only make one trip to the buffet, and I tried almost everything on it. Â Perhaps I inherited some kind of Cabbage Appreciation Gene from my Ukrainian forefathers, but I never thought I could eat cabbage prepared so many different ways and like all of them. Â The radishes in sour cream were delicious, and I had heretofore assumed that that radishes were merely a decorative vegetable. Â I also had the borscht, topped with sour cream and dill and flanked by rye bread and butter. Â It is so cheap and so worth it; the borscht alone makes me want to move to Chicago. Â It's better than Mom's. Â Sorry, Mom.
If you're visiting Old Lviv, you might want to make a trip down the block to Ann's Bakery for entire LOAVES of cheap, delicious rye!
I love mom'n'pop establishments like this. Unfortunately the food was barely edible. I tried the borscht. Now to be honest, I don't really think that I would like any version based on how this tasted, so don't take my opinion too seriously if you're a fan. However, the buffet lacked anything that had any, I don't know, taste? The variety of items was small. The food was lukewarm, prepared in a very basic way not worthy of my money, and the killer was the liver and onions, the smell of which just makes me nauseous. The place wasn't particularly clean (I had to ask for a new glass). We went with friends who had read about it, they weren't impressed either. won't be back.
Review Source:I'll right so this is my first time having this kind of food and I know I'm no expert but I thought it was pretty good and so did my Belorus friend. Go with the pink soup, also on know Borsch  which is made with beets. And try the Dranik which was amazing. Relatively cheap at 9 bucks and a friendly hostess/waitress.  I would definitely come back again.
Review Source:Pink freakin' soup everyone. PINK SOUP.
I didn't do the the buffet and Ol' Lviv, but the did the borscht only. It was good. My borscht experiences are very limited, but I liked this one very much and if I didn't, the half loaf of delicious rye bread that came with the soup would have made the $2.50 that I paid for it, well worthwhile.
So everyone, if you are looking for pink soup, this is your place.
This place is awesome for what it is. A crapload of food for not a lot of money, and the food isn't bad, either. Of the probably 15 different trays of food, the only thing that didn't have meat in it was the mashed potatoes. I regret that I was too hung over to eat more than a bowl of borscht and two plates of MEAT before reaching my grease limit and that it was my last day in town, but if I lived any closer, I'm sure I'd weigh a lot more than I do.
A grade-A place to stuff your face, and be sure you're in the mood to EAT A WHOLE TON OF MEAT. Brazilian steak houses got nothing on Old Lviv.
Old L'viv is super authentic.
This place is a place you go to for an experience, unless you really love Ukrainian food. I really enjoyed my meals here, I just can't give more stars because it's not a place I can keep coming back to.
I had to try borscht, it was my first try. I recieved a large bowl of nearly flourescent/deep pink soup. It was packed with flavor and I think I would have loved it except that beets aren't my favorite thing in the world.
The buffet is great and I was glad to have so many options so that I could find what I liked. It's mostly just FUN - go and experience the food that initially the made the neighborhood the Ukrianian Village!
One of those fabulous small Chicago diners. I felt like I was in my Grandma's kitchen, and my Grandmother isn't even Ukranian. The buffet was fantastic..I am almost positive it is the first time I have tasted liver since the age of twelve. This time, I actually enjoyed it..(don't tell anyone) Â And it is the first time I can remember joining in on pleasant conversation with other diners and the owner..truly, it was like hanging out with the cousins and in laws in grandma's kitchen.
Review Source:This place is so small and cozy you will feel like you are in your livingroom :) Â They cook the food in the back and it's a authentic Ukrainian Cuisine. Polish people started to Americanize and alter their recepies to accommodate yuppies, so I go to this sweet little lady to have some REAL European Food. They have a small bar, the buffet is all you can eat and it's a very intimate experience. If you are craving good home cooking, potatoes with dill, golabkis, meatloaf , goulash, kopytka's, meatballs in dill sauce, red borshch, breaded pork chops, meatloaf cutlets, all sorts of veggie salads, Â from soup to main corse, to desert and a glass of wine, you will love it!!! I do and so do all my friends whom I have taken there...
Review Source:
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