Delicious Lamb dumplings in the tastiest chicken broth I’ve ever had. The Pierogi are so fresh! Great food!

For Ukraine Independence Day, we decided to try a local family run Ukrainian spot - Leleka. Picked it up for takeout - Borsh Soup, beef and mushroom Piroshkis, and pickled cucumber, cabbbage and carrots. All good. Washed down with straight shots of frozen Khor Platinum Ukrainian vodka (we had the Khor at home - didn't get it at Leleka). They are actively soliciting contributions in support of Ukraine's defense against the Russian war of aggression and I am there for it.

I rather liked the decor and atmosphere of Leleka. Plus the aromas that hung in the air as I made my order personally made me all the more eager to try the food. The food was wholesome and very satisfying to my tastes. If anyone else is a fanatic of the different kinds of dumplings the world has to offer and you are in San Francisco then you’ve got to give these ones a shot! “Slava Ukraini”

Great Ukrainian food! The menu does not show an option for a sample platter, but the chef was able to give us a mix of beef, chicken and potato&onion. The dumplings (as advertised) truly were amazing (the green chicken were the best) - the fried potatoes dumplings were pretty good, as were the borsh and piroshki. Ate a lot but didn't feel too full afterwards - will come again

As a Russian foodie I can’t stop recommending this place to my friends who want to have a great lunch or get introduced to Russian cuisine. My personal fav is a honey cake. Save some room for dessert - you won’t regret it!

The best dumplings I’ve ever eaten! The way my grandma used to make them:) And I’m russian and have been eating them all my life:) The borscht was really good! I found this place with google maps searching for the borscht, but found so much more. The place itself is situated in the small food court with international food, it wasn’t very easy to find it, but it’s totally worth it!! Dumplings with the cream sauce and the borscht were amazing. I also liked very much kvas, also one of the best one can find for sale in markets, off course it’s far from homemade, but that one you never find in the store. I definitely will come back, when visiting San Francisco again! The eating area reminded me a bit of the old soviet canteen, so all together it can be a very authentic experience. But if one doesn’t want that, the food is very nicely packed for take away. We personally have eaten ones there, the other time in the park.

Fresh, authentic Ukrainian dumplings. So good! Went there three days in a row when visiting SF.

This place is such a gem. This is true comfort food: everything home made from scratch and delicious. Whenever I get to enjoy these dumplings I feel so contented and cozy. In between visits I'm always plotting my return!

Love pelmeni at this place! So tasty!

A good small place in a food court, that serves Russian food. Pelmeni are great, and piroshki are delicious. Borsch is not the best in the world, but pretty good for explorers or first-time tryers.

Handmade dumplings (pelmeni) served in a savory broth. Incredibly good and reasonably priced. Tradition calls for dipping them in sour cream.

We ordered a selection of frozen Ukrainian dumplings delivered to our doorstep during their regular delivery run. OMG they are SO GOOD! So far chicken is our #1 with an incredibly well seasoned filling full of broth (how do they do it??) Lamb is #2, flavored with mint among others I think. Potato and onion also awesome and we're really looking forward to tasting cherry filled dessert piroshki. The ingredients are all local, Marin Sun Farms meats, Rosie's chicken... We're considering a subscription!

Always love this gem. Awesome pelmeni. Chicken and Lamb are so good I haven't even tried the others yet. It's like a hug from your grandma - even, oddly, if your grandma was not Russian.

So much to choose from, but I can honestly say the 3 pelmeni's we ordered were off the charts. Flavorful, amazing and fresh. I needed to try this place before I leave the Bay Area and I will say this will be a memorable dining experience. Try the organic chicken, butternut squash and salmon. You won't be disappointed. We ended up taking some frozen ones home as well since the drive to SF took an hour. The staff is very friendly. I hope they plan to expand in other locations in the future.

Great Ukrainian spot with surprisingly a large variety of vegetarian / vegan food. I got the small bowl of potato & onion dumplings along with a mushroom piroshki. The place is kind of a hole in the wall but we all got seated comfortably outside despite being a larger group. The food was great and filling, just a tad bit heavy on the oil. It's nothing too fancy but is good for a quick bite. Happy to support a Ukrainian business in solidarity during these times.

We finally made it to Leleka, and it did not disappoint! Our favorite items were the chicken and beef hand pies as well as the lamb dumplings. The lamb ones were particularly tender meat, and the mint in them just makes you want to down them as quickly as possible. We enjoyed the selection of Ukrainian beers as well! I really liked my honey beer. The service is quick and the food prices are comparable to the other casual restaurants in the area. Leleka made me wish I worked nearby again so I could come for lunch!

The best place for lunch in downtown. Dumplings are perfect. Honey cake is delicious!

Cute little restaurant serving down-to-earth food. Simple and delicious. We ordered the beef dumplings and salmon dumplings. Hard to choose a favourite as they both had their unique flavours. My brother and I enjoyed it as part of our mini restaurant hop. Friendly service!

Best place in San Francisco to have Eastern European food. Tastes veeery good!

A good spot to have a quick bite. They are bot really oriented for "dine-in customers" though.

New place is very nice! Food is awesome, especially pirozhki!

I highly recommend this restaurant. Very delicious dishes. My favorite is pelmeni. It's awesome🤤 Sergei good luck in your business 😉

Amazingly fresh and delicious dumplings! Great food and location!

Delicious! Friendly service. Go early to avoid the lunch rush. Lamb Pelmeni, Borscht, and cheese Vareniki. Chicken cutlet (not pictured) is also fantastic.

Loved the fish and chips buns, and greatly enjoyed the chicken ramen. The menu can look a little crazy, but loved the venue and decor. Service was strong. (Only weird thing was one of the bathrooms didn't have a lock on it.) Definitely coming back.

First time trying Ukrainian food and It was so tasty. I ordered both meat and veggie dumplings with broth and they were very filling. Meat dumplings were my favorite The vibe of the restaurant was pretty relaxed with a nice outdoor covered area. I hope to come back and try other menue items!

This was a real treat. Great Russian food in the heart of downtown. Glad we stopped here to eat. The beef Pelmini were tasty and served in a light broth that complemented the dumplings. Enjoyed the mushroom Pirojki very much. Loaded with mushrooms and you can really tell they are baked fresh there daily. Texture of the outer baked bread was excellent and held together nicely. Totally perfect to go food. The Verniki were enjoyable fried dumplings with an onion sauce on top that complemented well. Seating is limited at the location and it gets really busy with the lunch time rush, so go early if possible to avoid the madness.

I love this place. When I worked closer, I would get food from here at least once a week. Their pelmini is all hand made right there, which you can see and taste from the quality. A small pelmini comes with 7-8 dumplings while a large comes with 14-16. A small is perfect for yourself and the large is great to share (or keep to yourself for two meals!) The lamb pelmini is to die for, the dill is so perfect. The broth is nice and light and comes with chives. I've tried the beef, mushroom, and sausage pirojki. The sausage is by far my favorite, it is ground up with cheese inside. I love it with the spicy mayo. The location is inside of the international food court, so it can get crowded down there.

Took my Ukrainian friend here and he said the food was authentic and good. Tastes exactly like how he remembers it when living in Ukraine 🇺🇦. Only wish they were open on weekends too :)

(Translated by Google) I rarely write comments, but I can not help myself. The situation sucks (the "canteen" of the last century in a small city will be an elite place in comparison with this institution). Food in this restaurant can be called Russian only by one who has never been in Russia - even worse, decorate. It is a pity you can not put a rating of 0. (Original) Редко пишу комментарии, но не могу удержаться. Обстановка полный отстой ("столовка" прошлого века в маленьком городе будет элитным местом по сравнению с этим заведением). Еду в этом ресторане назвать русской может только тот, кто ни разу не был в России - ещё хуже обстанови. Жаль нельзя поставить рейтинг 0.

Always looking for good eastern European food, especially Borsh and dumplings. Leleka is very reasonably priced. Ordered Borsh, lamb dumplings and beef piroshki. Taste really good! Not a fancy place and love to come back again.

Decent food, the frozen takeaway pelmenis are probably the best option, but as an out of SF visitor it was not feasible. The spinach piroghi wasn't heated properly hence the 4 star review. Borsh was ok but very little meat.

Amazing food! I tried their Borsch soup, Beet salad and the Dumplings with Gouda beef! Perfect All fresh tasty and not heavy! Highly recommended.

I had lunch at Leleka on Ukrainian Independence Day. The staff was welcoming and proudly wearing traditional shirts. I celebrated with fresh borscht with dill and sour cream, Ukrainian beer and apple piroshki. Others diners loved the dumplings. Leleka is located in a festive alley lined with restaurants. Go for a great meal and experience!

It's kind of tucked away from the main road, which makes it a little harder to find, but I really like the location that they're at! They have a little covered outdoor seating area in addition to the seating inside, which would be good if you have a larger group. The food here was really tasty! I ended up getting the borscht and chicken dumplings, but I think the borscht would go together really well with any of the dumplings on the menu. I was a bit sad that they didn't have the salmon dumplings listed, though! I was kind of looking forward to trying them. Maybe next time! I'll be back for sure.

I’ve been to many places that failed terribly after the pandemic. This place, has been consistent before and after, delivering great food and great service. Borscht is my favorite and can’t get enough every time I stop by!!

Loved all the pelmeni, would definitely go to this place again! You can mix a few different types of pelmeni to be able to try all their flavors. I liked beef and Gouda the most.

Delicious food and friendly service.

Pushkin is excellent. All items on the menu are worth eating and don't forget a beer. Small family owned and ran joint used to be in the food court. Its always fresh and no matter what day a week I show up the food comes out fast with consistent quality.

Polish sausage plate with buckwheat and Olivier keto salad in the right top corner. the place is friendly, I recommend or change my mind.

Fantastic place. It got even better since they moved to the new location! This is the best Russian restaurant in SF by far. Special props for the outdoor area: the only restaurant in the alley with an actual outdoor, COVID-safe area, not the enclosed tents.

Good food for healthy version. Not quite authentic though.

My favorite spot for Russian/Ukrainian food! Their pelmenies are top notch, soooo tasty👌 You can feel that everything there is made with love, extra care and homemade feeling. Highly recommend.

Excellent food and service!

When I saw that there was a Russian popup serving borscht and pelmeni, I knew had to find a way to check it out. So one day, last year, when work was slow, I popped out for a long lunch and Ubered on down. It's located in a small unremarkably signed food court called, International Food Court, in between Union Square and the Financial District. The borscht was really good. Obviously, not as good as Mom's, but still good. They even provided the sour cream, which, is added right before you eat it. The only thing missing was some garlic, which, I can understand them not providing, as most of the diners will be returning to work afterwards. The pelmeni were also good, although I've never eaten them in a broth before. Must be a regional thing. Oh right! I was already stuffed but grabbed a perogy, which they comically call pirojki, for later. I had the beef one which was heavy but good. Can't wait to someday come back and try out the mushroom.

(Translated by Google) Lamb Peimeni ~ (Original) Lamb Peimeni~

Borscht is good. Dumplings are really good :).

Great Russian food. Pretty long lines arou nbn d lunch, but well worth it

So happy to see something new and different in the food court. The borcht soup and perogi were wonderful. I am coming back to try the dumplings - they were making them by hand.

Good lunch spot, with delicious Ukrainian food. Reasonably priced for an area

Always a good choice!

Fast, busy, and only open for lunch. Pel'meni we're falling apart, and borscht left much to be desired. Yet somehow popular and left me wanting more. One of the few places with sour cream on tap.

Highlight of my day every time I go! The lamb dumplings are especially great

Always enjoyed the food here.

Unreal, have tried other places around the world and none come close to the perogi here. Kinda hate the place as I keep getting disappointed everywhere else.

Quality Russian food!

You gotta try em

It is a little restaurant in a shared food court that's open only during lunch time on weekdays. I ordered a large borscht and a beef pastry, which were very fulfilling. Their pastries have a lot of filling inside. They also have pelmeni and pierogi, which looked great.

Try beef pelmeni. I really missed Russian food when I was in US. I recommend this place!