LAReview
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
Traktir
Included In
It’s easy to drive down Santa Monica Boulevard or the Sunset Strip and pigeonhole West Hollywood as a neighborhood. And sure, queer culture and next-level nightlife is a crucial (and historic) part of this city. But drive further east and those dance clubs and valet lines give way to tiny bakeries, groceries, and cafes that make up the city's substantial Russian and Ukrainian community. And at the heart of it all sits Traktir.
This Eastern European restaurant is emblematic of a part of West Hollywood that predates the founding of the city itself. It’s also simply a fantastic place to eat—a local cornerstone with delicious homestyle food, a quirky waitstaff, and no shortage of vodka shots.
You could describe a meal at Traktir as “one giant hug,” but that’s selling it short. A meal here is a giant hug, plus three weighted blankets, five scalp massages, and a Casper body pillow, all at once. Save for a dill-y cucumber and feta salad, every dish that’ll hit your table will probably involve meat, potatoes, sour cream, or some combination of all three. Our advice: embrace the embrace. Pillowy, potato-filled vareniki are topped with a layer of fried onions, while chicken blintzes come smothered in mushroom sauce and sprinkled with shaved cheese. Beef stroganoff arrives looking like a creamy centerpiece built for a royal banquet. If you’re in the mood for light and dainty food put together with tweezers, there’s plenty of that nearby. The fact that Traktir has committed to exactly the opposite is what makes dinner here refreshing.
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
You can absolutely come to Traktir by yourself—we often do on chilly nights when our preferred blanket is a warm bowl of borscht—but if it’s your inaugural visit, bring friends. The portions here are generous and intended to be shared by tables of people who know each other. Most nights extended families crowd into the stained-glass-decorated space and pass giant platters of meat-filled dumplings, stuffed cabbage, and marinated chicken kebabs. A table of eight is considered intimate dining. Smiling waiters arrive with house-infused horseradish vodka shots before they bring out water. There will probably be a light sing-along to a Moldovan music video on one of the TVs. The experience speaks for itself and that’ll get just about anybody through the door. It’s the food, however, that’ll keep them coming back. Well, that and the vodka shots.
Food Rundown
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
Infused Vodka
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
Ukrainian Borscht
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
Darnitsky Salad
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
Pelmeni
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
Chicken Blintzes
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
Chicken Shashlik
photo credit: Jessie Clapp