“Come in here on a late Saturday night and it’s kind of like the stock market—it’s like bartending food. Those are some wild nights.”

Hark, Comrades: there’s a place in town that serves up a never-ending supply of the people’s food! The story starts in Vladivostok: two guys hopped the Bering Sea and opened a dumpling joint in Juneau, and in that place Zach and Jesse fell in love and brought those magic dumplings here. “We spent three years doing festivals, helping people understand what Pel’Meni is,” Zach says, “we learned a big sign that said dumplings helps a lot.”

Doing capitalists proud behind Lenin’s back, the Dumpling Tzar is what Zach describes as “Lo-Fi” with “great soul food” in party line with Russia’s divey dumpling joints. Painted communist red and featuring the glorious yellow star of Mother Russia, Zach and Jesse also host local art and encourage customers to play the music they want from Zach’s inherited record collection. Understandably, the Top Gun soundtrack is the most popular propaganda, er... album. Speaking of music, Zach and Jesse catered for the Black Keys at a show in Seattle and have been giving out dumplings backstage at Sasquatch for the past couple of years. Add a pickle, add a salad, and give Russia a salute. They may have lost the cold war, but the Tzar’s dumplings won our stomachs.

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Highlights
Beef or Potato dumplings: Eat up, comrade! Comes with Russian Rye ~ $7
Combo (both kinds) ~ $8
Cabbage, caraway or cucumber salads ~ $2
Pickles: great with vodka. Na zdarovya! ~$1
Free add ons: cilantro, butter, sour cream, rice vinegar, salt, pepper: demanded by Pel'Meni's toughest customers, Russians.

Hours
Daily, 11:00 a.m. - 2:30 a.m.