For the entire time I've lived in Cap Hill, I've driven past Molotov and never made it. It was only when I moved outside the neighborhood did I come try this place with a friend and I wished I had come sooner! When you walk in, you immediately feel the cozy dining environment. It was raining when my friend and I went which made it extra cozy. Their menu ranges from appetizers to huge entrees. If you are coming here with a small party, I would recommend a variety of their apps, which they call zakusky. We ordered the rye flatbread, corn + crab varenyky (pierogies), sauerkraut stuffed squash, and elk tartare. All were delicious and I would recommend all of these dishes. The standouts for us were the rye flatbread with pork liver terrine and the sauerkraut stuffed squash. The varenyky would have been a standout, but it was too salty for us. If you're ever in the neighborhood, definitely check this place out!

What a hidden gem!!! Very unsuspecting from the outside but so adorable inside, very eclectic decor. Would make a resy cuz it's so small. Had some awesome very flavorful unique Ukrainian inspired dishes. Very different than anything else you'd have around Denver!

We had an early reservation for a Friday evening. Loved the decor! So much of it reminded me of my childhood in Ukraine from my grandparents love of cuckoo clocks to the lace-like curtains. I was a little disappointed our server didnt sound Ukrainian but he was excellent. The food was really interesting! We shared the borscht, Lobio, corn and crab Varenyky small plates, the Fish Kyiv main, and the hazelnut karpatka for desert as well as getting a couple of mocktails for me and my child. Probably our favorite was the reimagined vegetable Borscht which i can only describe as an experience! My husband really enjoyed the Varenyky in an interesting broth and sauce. We didnt really understand the Lobio which was kind of like a chili in vegetables but it was interesting. The rock star (for me) of the Fish Kyiv dish was the sour cream and dill mashed potatoes which balanced out the saltiness of the fish. The fish was a bit on the salty side for us and i couldn't really distinguish the fish from the lobster filling but my palette is admittedly not all that refined. We finished off with the chocolate hazelnut butter cream donut karpatka. They were tasty and very rich with an unexpectedly chocolatey rich flavor for butter cream. All around we had a great experience.

My first visit to a Ukrainian restaurant & it was a success! We made reservations & showed up a little early with no problem. We did move from the table that was immediately against the window - it looked super cramped for a party of four. We tried all the small plates and my favorite was the Red Cabbage Holubtsi (fire roasted eggplant ikra, buckwheat stuffing w/ smoked pepper ajvar, rye bread crumble). For the main, we tried the NY Strip & it was so tender! For dessert, we tried the honey cake & the cheesecake. The honey cake seemed a bit dry & the cheesecake was a huge favorite. Pair it with your favorite flavored vodka (horseradish) & enjoy!

Finally, a Ukrainian restaurant in Denver. Now, this isn't your mother's Ukrainian food. Chef Bo takes Ukrainian classics and puts a twist to them to elevate them and truthfully, make them more palatable to non-Ukrainians. Many have noted the small space. Im sorry but if you're looking for a massive table and a huge restaurant, go to a chain restaurant. If you're looking for a thoughtfully cozy home feeling then that is personally what I look for. Now, the menu changes seasonally plus Halloween. We've been multiple times and RAVED about the menu and we've also been and felt okay about the menu. But what we can say is that each time it's thoughtful. They don't just toss a meat and mashed potato's and call it a day. If you didn't like a certain season, try again. Chef Bo is also a treat to watch and dine with in the kitchen / bar area. Worth getting a chance to chat with him. Lastly, try the horseradish Horilka. We always get a carafe (and then some).

I was pretty excited to try Molotov when I heard it was taking over the old To the Wind Bistro space, and the positive reviews it's garnered since certainly didn't hurt either. For those of you who were familiar with the prior setup, Molotov has taken the still small and cozy space and added a sexy dark color palette with some Eastern European flair thrown in. The cocktail menu was thoughtful and included some infused "horilka" options as well. I had the Generous Aristocrat which I really liked and a friend of mine had the beet cocktail, which was excellent too. (Despite asking to hang on to our drink menus, they were shuttled away at some point, and we were never asked if we wanted another round...the service was not super attentive throughout the night despite the small size of the restaurant.) We made a point of trying and sharing a number of dishes in our group of four, including the Rye with Corned Beef Butter, the Sausage of the Day, the Veal Piroshki, the Parsnip Varenyky, the Rabbit in Claypot and the Lamb Shank. Of the smaller plates, the piroshki was the clear winner amongst our group. The corned beef butter was an interesting feature (but the rye loaf a bit small). The sausage was sausage (nice but nothing earth shattering), however, I really enjoyed the accompanying beet horseradish. The varenyky were artful but divisive. The pickled flavor of apple overtook the whole dish, which was disappointing since we ordered two orders to better split amongst our group (only 3 per order). As for the mains, we definitely liked both the shank and the rabbit, but I personally found them a bit oversalted, and it was tough to get much flavor contrast from the other components. (I'm not sure if that's just because we were sharing...maybe the other ingredients were more of an accent--but admittedly, the dark vibe made it sort of hard to see the food, so I'm uncertain.) All of that said, I would dine here again. I appreciate that they're bringing something different to the food scene in Denver (even if a modern, less authentic take). That said, these were also fairly pricey bites given portion size, and not all of them were hits. So it's probably a 3.5 star place in my book for now. Pro tip: there is apparently "Blue Bird District" parking in a lot just across the street. (I realized this as I was walking the several blocks over from where I eventually parked my car. Ha.) As this area of Colfax gets more and more popular, this is something that will certainly make a dinner out here easier.

You know when you have the kind of meal that just makes you happy? That was this meal. My husband and I do a date night once a month that he plans and he chose Molotov this month. The space is warm and inviting and service was immediately friendly. We started with purple potato bread with sunflower seed butter - hot, tender, delish. Then we moved on to beef tongue salad. Perfect blend of salty, sweet, savory, crunchy. My husband went for the rabbit and pork meatloaf with parsnip mash but the mash was silky smooth and did an amazing service to parsnips which can have a woody and sometimes bitter flavor. That was not the case here and I snuck a couple bites. I did the schnitzel with celeriac and fennel with pickled cabbage. Seriously good vegetarian dish that I'd get again. For drinks we both opted for the pear spiced old fashioned riff and split a Madeira for dessert. 10/10 - would recommend!

Does 6 stars exist on Yelp? We walked in on a Saturday night around 8 and didn't have to wait to be seated at the bar. The place itself is very small and cozy. The chef himself was working the kitchen and helping to plate the food. We got the babka, varenyky, summer radish salad, stuffed cabbage, borscht, lamb porchetta, and carrot cake. And man, let me tell you...we were STUFFED as a party of 2. The highlights were the babka, stuffed cabbage, and lamb. I considered getting a few babka to-go to enjoy later! Definitely get the horseradish shot or peppercorn or any for that matter. They were perfectly executed and so delicious. Also, they change their menu seasonally, so every 3 months so be sure to check their website for the most recent. If their menu changes that often we will certainly be back every 3 months.