Check Out the Menu for Kachka’s Incoming Russian Deli

Smetana-butter-and-roe sandwiches, ‘Soviet Lunchables’ with doktorskaya bologna and druzhba cheese, and hard-boiled-egg-and-scallion piroshki are coming to Southeast Portland starting next month. After a long, three-year wait, Portlanders will get to visit the small grocery and deli from celebrated Russian restaurant Kachka November 11 — and the menus are finally out.

Kachka Lavka will open in the mezzanine space above Kachka’s newer location on SE 11th, up a flight of stairs near the main entrance. There, visitors will find shelves of Russian groceries and pantry items, a deli case full of Kachka’s house-cured meats and fish, and a freezer full of its famous pelmeni and vareniki for visitors to make dumplings at home.

At the counter, customers can also order off a separate menu for a quick lunch: Much of the menu works well as a grab-and-go bite, but those dining in can sit at the upstairs deli’s small bar or within Kachka’s lounge space. The menu sticks to picnic-ready items broken up into three categories: buterbrodi, or open-faced sandwiches; na pososhok, or boxes of dips and Lunchables-style charcuterie; and piroshki, the famous Eastern European filled buns. The buterbrodi toppings range from salami and cheese sandwiches to a style of chicken salad called salat olivier, while the na pososhok use more cured fish like sprats and herring.

All the fundamentals of these dishes are made downstairs, in the Kachka kitchen: the bread for the various sandwiches, the charcuterie for the ‘Soviet Lunchable,’ even the smetana butter swiped on a sandwich with house-cured salmon roe. Plus, customers can take home containers of herring under a fur coat. Those interested can peruse the Lavka menu below; Kachka Lavka will be open from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. starting November 11 at 960 S.E. 11th Avenue.

Updated October 30, 2019, at 2 p.m.
This story has been updated to include more information about Kachka Lavka’s seating and dumplings.

• Kachka [Official]
• Kachka Lavka [Official]
• Kachka Lavka menu [Official]
• Previous Kachka coverage [EPDX]
• Portland’s Most Anticipated Restaurant Openings [EPDX]