Couple of people mentioned Slavic Shop to me and I finally got to posting it here. Slavic Shop is a convenient neighborhood Russian store that has a neat deli section along with your traditional Russian grocery products. The cheese selection is pretty good. Also, I found a few mentiones of the chopped chicken liver and borscht being exceptional. Slavic Shop is conveniently located on Saratoga Ave in San Jose.

1080 Saratoga Ave
San Jose, CA 95129
(408) 615-8533
Directions

Babushka European Deli in Lynbrook, NY is a small family-owned deli. They always have fresh home-made food - everything from deserts to pelmeni and freshly cut salads. You will also find plov and other Kzahstan dishes at Babushka’s. The place is famous among Long Island residents as a local ethnic attraction.

Babushka European Deli
284 Broadway
Lynbrook, NY 11563
(516) 599-7070
Directions

Samovar is located at 1077 Independence Ave in Mountain View. It is a cozy deli cafe that usually has fresh bakery along with salads, traditional Russian foods such as buckwheat, bird’s milk candy, and pelmeni. The selection has greatly improved over the past year and definitely has great value. There is also the Russian Club bookstore/movie rental place in the same space. I find it very convenient - get some pirozhnye Kartoshka then rent a Russian movie that recently came out and maybe get a nice book to read.

Not that long ago Samovar started a catering service as well as “cooking on demand” - they will make fresh dishes upon request. There is also a new banquet room that is available on the weekends.

http://www.bestrussianfood.com/

Samovar Deli & Bakery
(650) 969-5327
1077 Independence Ave
Mountain View, CA 94040
Directions

One of the readers has recommended me Moscow2 - Russian cafe and grocery store. It is located in Spring, TX, only a few miles from Houston. Here is a quote from their website: “Moscow2 is located at the corner of Sawdust and Borough Park.  We offer 100% authentic Russian food in a comfortable home-style setting. One need only try our famous Chicken “Kiev” or Borsch and one of our elite Georgian wines, all of which are affordable, to escape to Russia and enjoy its food.”

Moscow2 also has a good selection of Russian books and movies.

www.moscow2houston.com

202 Sawdust Road
Spring, TX 77380
(281) 298-6236
Directions

Open Monday - Saturday 11 am - 9 pm, Sunday 11 am - 8 pm

While in my search for Russian food places I missed Moscow Deli Russian store in Orange county (Costa Mesa). One of the visitors of my website has recently told me about it (many thanks!). This place has been around for over a decade and has raving reviews by the OC residents as well as travelers from LA and San Diego. This store features a good selection of Russian traditional dishes that are always fresh along with books and videos.

Moscow Deli of Orange County 
3015 Harbor Blvd
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714) 546-3354
Directions

A friend of mine recommended me EuroMix as a place that has friendly staff and a great selection of not just Russian food, but other European delicassies as well. Located in the heart of Oakland, this store is something worth visiting while in the area.

EuroMix Deli
http://www.euromixdeli.com/
4301 Piedmont Ave
Oakland, CA 94611
(510) 595-3649
Directions

One of my earlier posts is about Europa Express restaurant in San Francisco. I also mentioned there was one to be opened in Mountain View. It finally did. I was craving for some vareniki so I decided to stop by and check it out. Not just I found vareniki but also quite a few other great necesseties. I was pleasantly surprized by the variety of foods and beverages the store has. Just the meat section itself is worth coming for. The prices are lower than average, there is a deli section for a quick bite, a wide books and videos selection, along with quality foods. This store is definitely worth checking out.

Europa Express
(650)968-1686
2554 W. Middlefield Rd.
Mountain View, CA 94043

Russian Family Bakery, Deli and Bistro serves the real Russian food according to various sources. If you are ever in the mood for some kasha with beef stroganoff - that is the place to visit. There are not many other Russian restaurants in the area which makes this place more valuable.

Russian Family Bakery Deli & Bistro
(650) 588-2950
719 Camino plz
San Bruno, CA 94066
Directions

One of the full-sized Russian supermarkets in San Francisco, Gastronom is located on Geary and 22nd Ave. Not just it has the traditional choice of foods but also accepts orders for special occasions (i.e. birthday cakes, anniversaries, etc.).

Gastronom
(415) 387-4211
5801 Geary Blvd
San Francisco, CA 94121
Directions

There are a lot of good food places on Geary street in San Francisco. Among them is Berezka. As a few other Russian stores this one sells event tickets along with Russian traditional dishes. It is located on Geary and 20th intersection - the area of the city popular among Russian communities.

Berezka

(415) 668-3442
5612 Geary Blvd
San Francisco, CA 94121
Directions

This is a grocery store in San Ramon. European Deli and Low Card Food is listed under different names - either the full name or just as “European Deli”. I have never been to that place, so please share your thoughts about it if you have any.

European Deli
(925) 820-2053
2211 San Ramon Valley Blvd # F
San Ramon, CA 94583
Directions

Russian Cafe and Deli is a cozy place that has all the necessities: pelmeni and olivie are always in stock, fresh out of the kitchen. The deli is located at 1712 Winchester Blvd in Campbell back to back with Nevsky’s restaurant. The deli also has a nice choice of beverages for any taste - you can get a glass of Igristoe champagne or a glass of black current juice to go along with pirozhki or vareniki. The owners are at the deli all the time, very friendly, can recommend something special to the newcomers.

Russian Cafe & Deli
(408) 379-6680
1712 Winchester Blvd
Campbell, CA 95008
Directions

The first couple of months after moving to bay area from Russia I was completely disoriented. Not just I didn’t have a car nor friends, but I couldn’t figure out where to find my favorite food. I tried searching on Google but the most results were not on target. I read Russian community websites, but people their were mostly talking about San Francisco restaurants so that wasn’t helpful either. Over the past few years I discovered some russian supermarkets and got to try a couple of restaurants in the area and now I am going to share this information with the world. It would be great if you shared your thoughts about these places. If anybody knows of something that I have not mentioned yet, please let me know.