Love Café & Bar

Basics:

Kid Friendliness:

The Verdict:

Appropriate for Toddlers or Kids. Babies are tough because there isn’t much room for strollers.
Best for Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch or Dinner

Sippy Cup Rating:

I easily get into restaurant ruts so I was thrilled when Sunny and I discovered a new hole-in-the-wall charming Russian restaurant in Kips Bay called “Love Café & Bar.” When I say hole-in-the-wall, I’m not exaggerating. This restaurant is tiny but jam- packed with comfort food goodness. Decorated with an eclectic mix of old family photos, Russian folk-art, bright floral tablecloths and hand-painted floral murals, the small restaurant feels like you are literally in a great grandmother’s dining room.

Cheese pierogies

The menu is large, filled with a wide array of Russian delicacies and diner-style food.  There is a small but dependable kids menu featuring chicken fingers, peanut butter and jelly, and mac & cheese.

Sunny opted for her usual go-to –  chicken fingers and fries, and chicken noodle soup. The chicken fingers and fries were standard (fine with me, as long a Sunny liked them) and her chicken soup was amazing. Perfectly seasoned with a great balance of noodles to chicken to carrots. Sunny got lots of slupring good fun! I opted for traditional cheese and potato pierogies and the cabbage rolls – both which were out of this world. The small plump boiled pillows came in a piping hot vessel and were smothered in melted gooey cheddar cheese. Word to the wise – this is not diet food and it is worth every stinking calorie! Sunny’s guest Pinkie Pie would agree!

The service was great and our waiter was cute (always a plus!). He brought Sunny her bowl of chicken noodle soup immediately so there was no time for her to get fussy. Naturally no bowl of chicken noodle soup is complete without a side order of “ice-coobes” which the waiter presented in a lovely yellow bowl to Sunny promptly.

My Little Pony’s like chicken fingers. Who knew?

Bonus Points:

Depending on your point of view, this is either a bonus or a con. Unlike your great grandmother’s dining room, there is a large flatscreen tv in the restaurant playing sports or in our case what looked like Russia’s version of American Idol which Sunny loved dancing to during our mid lunch intermission. I’m not a huge proponent of screen time during meals however if it helps us get through our dining experience I’m all for it.