russian banya

If you're looking for a Soviet-era experience, this is it! I was in Russia a fifteen years ago, and this is very like the non-tourist spots. The eclectic music on a crackling sound system, the well-worn chairs, the New Year's decorations in February, and the abundance of delicious potato, cabbage, beet, & cottage cheese dishes. The waitestaff was friendly, but not outgoing, with Russian as a first language & some English. The prices are fair, portions are generous. Borscht is yummy, in house rye bread is the perfect compliment, and desserts/pastries are delicious. Bring friends or plan to order a variety at lunch & take home dinner.

In 1995 I spent a semester in Russia, attending a university and living with a Russian family. Over the years I have longed to share my experience with the ones I love the most, especially my husband, but travel is beyond our reach and we have two small children now. I stumbled upon this restaurant while doing an internet search prior to a trip to Dallas and I was delighted that my husband was willing to take me on a dinner date so I could share my memories with him. For those who wonder what it might be like to visit a part of Eastern Europe look no further, dinner at the Russian Banya Restaurant is the real deal. In nearly 20 years I have not eaten anything that was able to transport me back to Sunday afternoons in my host mother's kitchen when she would simmer big pots of borscht for the week while my host sister and I would sit and drink tea- and then I tasted the soup I ordered for dinner. Russian soul food is the best way to describe it. After reading the other reviews all I can say is that for the most part Americans have little experience with Eastern European culture and cuisine, both are unique and are definitely worth experiencing. Here are a few notes about how to get the most out of visiting this restaurant: For the most part grocery stores such as the ones we have are largely unknown in Russia, or at least I never saw them when I was there. Food is sold in open air markets. Vegetables are preserved by pickling because winters are cold and long. Root vegetables are the most common ones eaten; carrots, potatoes and beets along with cabbage. (My host mother also used a lot of squash in her cooking.) Milk products consisted of an amazing assortment of cheeses and fresh milk from the country, hot tea is served at almost every meal and fruit compote is a treat not to be missed (a simmered fruit drink that can be served warm or at room temperature and is a favorite among children.) If you are new to Eastern European cuisine I recommend things like tea, bread with preserves, a cheese platter, borscht and pelmeni- all the desserts are wonderful. For a true cultural experience be sure to consider coming on Saturday night when they have live music and bring a sense of wonder and adventure with you. Some of the staff at this restaurant are very new to the U.S. and do not speak much English smile and talk to them anyway and you will discover that they have hearts of gold and want to make your visit as pleasant as possible. Thanks to all the wonderful staff at the Russian Banya my husband and I had an unforgettable meal!!!

The place is kind of an awkward combination of spa and restaurant. From the outside it is not very attractive, and when walking in it doesn't improve really. The place is kind of worn down, and looks more of a place for parties.The service was OK. The whole staff and costumers were Russian. And the menu was in Russian with English translation. Not easy to get around, but at least some pictures to help know what we were ordering. The food itself was not exciting. Basically everything is a variation of dumplings. It was homemade, no question, but I did not have the meal I expected. The place is BYOB, which is fine, but the non alcoholic drinks available is very limited (coke, water, sprite and Russian kvass). And to top it all off, the price was not cheap. We ended up having lunch 3 adults for $70, with no alcohol, and eating only appetizers. Not a place I'd return to.

I wanted to give the Russian Banya a good review. I really wanted to enjoy my experience there. But this was not to be. I was in Dallas on a business trip and had an expired Groupon coupon now worth only $10. Perhaps my review is unfair because I was time limited and it was midweek, but I must review with my conscience. Nothing in this visit earned my positive nomination. I had budgeted four hours because I had another appointment 180 miles away at 5:30. So I arrived at 10am, the stated opening time on the web site. Although the opening time stated on the door also said 10 am, a well weathered sign hung on the door said they would open at noon. I wasted two hours and returned. I didn't eat at the adjoining Russian restaurant so cannot review this part of the experience. The spa area consisted of three saunas, reviewed elsewhere. The supposedly very hot Russian banya was cold because the wood fire was not yet started. The door to another sauna was blocked open and presumed out of order. The third was hot. A squirrelly little guy was building a fire in the furnace behind the banya and muttering in Russian. The resident masseur showed up to assure me that every thing would be working in five minutes while repeatedly trying to get me to have a massage. By about 1 pm, the fire was roaring in the furnace, but something was malfunctioning and the banya was filled with smoke. About 1:30, I threw in the towel and decided to leave. Before I left however, the banya cleared of smoke and I was able to get a bit of the heat. It was, however, not as hot as the sauna I use every day in my own health club. In my time there, I saw no one other than the crusty owner, the firebuilder who babbled in Russian, and the rather pleasant masseur who shared my space in the banya for a brief time. No other customers showed up. This was a cultural experience, but not in the way I had expected. I doubt I will return.

So we read again about the Russian Banya, this time from Dallas Observer (the north Texas arts/music type magazine/newspaper) which had a list of the 50 most interesting restaurants in Dallas - Fort Worth. The "Russian Banya of Dallas" (which is actually in Carrollton) got number 41. The article was more about the food than the banya/spa side but while I feel like I have a wide palate, I need to go back to adventure through the food side with someone that knows it better than I do. Their pelmini, samsa, and borscht all get good reviews but I don't have much of a clue when it comes to Russian cuisine.So on to the spa side and the whole experience. One of my friends described it kind of like you are entering into a time warp and arriving in the movie Rounders. It is an all out Russian place. You basically are outside in suburbia and enter into a full on Russian world. Don't expect a suburban US feel or service. The people there including the main owner who is a character are all gruff, they open up and are fun, but they are not filled with the midwest or southern US niceties. It is not like a Dick's Last Resort or anything like that, it seems just like the cultural difference and truthfully is almost the reason to go in and of itself. Kind of feels like you are traveling internationally without leaving the burbs.The spa has a wet heat room (Russian sauna), dry heat room (Finnish sauna), steam room (Turkish Hammam sauna) and cold plunge pool (crazy). Basically you go in the sauna, come out relax drink tea or water, go back in, repeat, all the while talking to your friends or the gruff but oddly friendly Russian folks, then if you are crazy you jump in the plunge pool and then return to hang out with your friends and drink the vodka you brought.It is definitely a crazy place and an adventure but a really good and fun break from sterile suburbia.

Please note, this is about the Texas location, not our Mississauga location :( Same goes with the reviews below, most of which are excellent, but again, not about us.