- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
Berezka International Food Store
Rating Details »
Category: Specialty Food [Edit]
Neighborhood: Allston/Brighton1215 Commonwealth Ave
Allston, MA 02134
(617) 787-2837
- Nearest Transit:
-
Harvard Avenue (Green)
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
18 reviews for Berezka International Food Store
Pretty good. The prices are a bit higher then bazar and some of the prepared looked a bit stale. But the set up is much nicer then Bazar. The aisles are wider and there wasn't so much pushing. The store also appeared quite clean and well stocked.
The candy selection is extensive. Every possible candy from my childhood is present. Go pereistroika!! Lots of greeting cards with envelopes. Also good selections of canned goods and kielbasas. The staff is kinda rude [read ruder then it would be acceptable for a Russian store].
I'm pretty new to the Berezka experience, but I'm going to keep coming back for the convenience, charm, and prices (+1 for the 10% discount with a student ID). I'd always overlooked the unassuming store front, but after coming regularly to marvel at the baked goods, candies, and canned goods while my boyfriend shops the deli and produce, I've decided that this may be worth the extra trip from my normal food stop to buy some goodies from time to time.
For people who like deli meats and cheese, I imagine that this place is to die for. Fresh produce can be hit or miss, but most recently we snagged a box of strawberries for less than $2 (ripe but not past their prime). The boy also got some help in choosing a salami from their impressive selection - the staff know their stuff and were very pleasant.
A well-kept store and a well-kept secret, Berezka is a winner.
I'm sad to say that there was a Russian store that was once on Harvard Ave. in Allston which had much nicer store-owners running it which has since gone under. Although I really enjoy this store's wide selection of produce, meats, cheeses, and candies, the service is absolutely terrible.
This has been a consistent feature of the store, unfortunately; during the last (and maybe final) visit I made to the store my boyfriend and I waited for an extremely long time to buy one item before finally giving up and leaving (although the store-owners saw us they appeared to be too busy to ring us up).
If you have a lot of time to spare waiting around for the Green Line, this might be a good alternative to the McDonalds next door. For that matter, the rudeness is just a bit too much for me and simply not worth the price of a few Russian goodies that I can get in Brookline.
May I please set up a tent and sleeping bag in your store, and never leave so I feel like I am back home in my country? Thank you.
oh um.. can I get some of that caviar please?
this place offers nothing more than other Russian food stores in the area, except rude service and higher prices
if you want to buy quality Russian foods at a good price, you should go to Bazar on Cambridge Street; it's much bigger space and much nicer people, easier parking too
I was buying New Year's cards at this place, and asked to envelopes for them ... to which the reply was "what envelopes?!! the cards are good without them!!!"
wtf?!!!
How many times can you walk past a russian food store before you are inexplicably drawn in? Well a number. It was quite some time before I went inside this store despite the fact that it is the closest "food market" to my apartment. I mostly went in to get some bread but I also wanted to see if there was anything that I was missing out on. As it turns out I wasn't missing out on much. Their bread and fruit sections are not what one would call good. They do however have an interesting spread of meats available and plenty of jams and packaged goods. I would recommend a visit but don't expect a lot.
The straight-russian packaged goods
What's good-specialty foods, kinder eggs
The slap-some stale bread, impolite service(perhaps they could tell I'm part ukranian or were mad that I don't speak russian).
I love Berezka! It's truly a hidden gem in that messy crowded area of Commonwealth.
Though I've never purchased anything, I like to scope out the array of fresh pastries at the counter. OH, and the darling little Russian candies sporting squirrels and bears.
I'd bet, from the looks of them, that the staff is very friendly and helpful. I'm just a bit shy and embarassed to ask them about the different treats. Someday. Someday.
I have quite enjoyed Berezka, both for the museum like quality of exploring food stuffs from a distant land, and written about in language I personally cannot read. I love eavesdropping on the conversation among the employees and some of the Russian or Ukrainian expats. It reminds me of what a melting pot this area is.
The offerings change with the season, and the meats, fish, and baked goods seem fresh and as though they are either prepared on the premises or somewhere nearby.
Candies by the bulk are great, quite different than you'll find in American shops, and because they're available in bulk, you can go ahead and take a chance. By one of each and some you will love. Keep the wrappers of the ones you like!
There are some quirky products too, sure to make for a hilarious white elephant gifts for non-eastern European friends like little bags of what you expect to be potato chips - but they are really little rye bread croutons flavored with onions and caviar, or gouda and onions.
My favorite thing about this shop - the unassuming but utterly delightful, very well priced locally made and packaged sunflower seed halvah. such good stuff, though it looks like greenish clay.
Three cheers for Berezka!
The very first time I came in here was a on new years eve, 1999. My friend lived across the street and we were having an 'all day' drink fest. Well, I was set out to the Store 24 (or Sevs, or whatever it is) to get some OJ. I kinda shuffled my way across the street and in the store ... now I'd been to this S24 many a time and I knew something was a bit amiss. The newspapers were in Cyrillic and nothing was as it should be. What the hell? Why is their Borscht where the OJ normally is? What's with the frozen Pierogies - what is this, Wisconsin?
Oh wait, I'm in the wrong damn store.
Ooops.
After that, I went in there a few more times (intentionally) and always had a good experience.
I love this place.. the people who work behind the counter are darling and the selection of Russian staples & treats will blow your mind! Don't be intimidated - the prices are good so you won't blow your piggy bank trying a few new things here. The cookie & candy selection is totally amazing.. it's ok to ask about things you don't know (-: Some of the chocolate bars are so cute I've given them as gifts!!! Always a good choice!
Try the Impra Strawberry Green Tea or one of the huge apricot danishes on the counter.. I love this place
This rating pertains largely to the quality of their half-sour pickles. I like mine pretty green.
I am not calling the other reviewers liars for saying the staff were typical icy slavs - maybe they're only nice to me because I come here three times a week for pickles. Perhaps they find this amusing.
I can't comment on the baked goods because I've never bought them, but I come here for all my deli needs. They sell stuff to me in grams, which is nice if you're a dumb Canadian.
They have everything a European deli should - mozart chocolates, ten kinds of dijon mustard, pickled everything.
I enjoy Berezka for the simple pleasure of people watching and the predictable icy Slavic customer service. It is a shop primarily used by local Russian and other eastern European types. A great selection of unusual cured meats, cheeses, and pickled items. Great candy and pastries too.
Berezka has great deals on lots of food, and lots of stuff that might be food. They sell porcini mushrooms, currants, chocolate,prepared food, and lots of things in jars - i think russians really like jarred food. go there!
You don't have to be Russian to enjoy the friendly service and good food at Berezka. I go there for chocolate, bread, and juices. But, they have a deli and prepared foods, and seafood, and alot of other things that I can not try to pronounce. Check it out if you're in Allston or nearby, the service is good and it's small enough that you won't get lost.
Great place to buy caviar, which was why I went initially. The staff is friendly but I have been boxed-out by overly zealous Babushka's when I took too long deciding at the deli case. Chocolates at xmas is my other big item here. I like the liqueur filled variety.
i go here for the russian candy, which i got hooked on in st. petersburg. the people who work here know who is russian and who isn't, so they pretty much always ignore my attempts to conduct the conversations in russian, but that's ok.
they don't seem to carry most of the tea cakes and cookies i'm looking for, nor do they have a good selection of russian teas. but they do have a lot of pickled things and meats and cheeses, if you're into that sort of thing. the place kind of smells weird, but if you're looking for some kind of eastern european food, they probably have it, and since it's *right* across from the T at harvard ave, you can't miss it.
Nice store with decent prepared goods, feta, etc. Bazaar has a wider selection, but both stores are worthwhile.
This place is great and the prices are relatively reasonable (especially on produce). The flavors are authentic, the selection is pretty large, and the offerings are in good Eastern European tradition. The service is great, the atmosphere is communist museum-like -- all in all, great fun. The one downside is the customer. For instance, I was there recently and there was a woman standing in line to pay. When it came to her to pay, she ordered from the meat counter (this usually happens when you stand in line), but then she proceeded to "retrieve" some ingredients she had forgotten to get from the shelf. All in all, she shopped for another 15 minutes from the front to the back of the store, while holding up the line. I guess you just have to deal with self-important people like that when you shop here. Nonetheless the store is great.
