Olesia’s Place (now Olesia’s Taverne of Richfield)

Olesia’s is a Ukrainian restaurant that features delicious Eastern European and Ukrainian food. Everything is homemade and delicious. Olesia’s husband was a customer who fell in love with her food and her at her first location. I first ate here at the first location in North Royalton when it was Olesia’s Place and looked like a former Spaghetti House (complete with a large curved plastic windowed patio). It was always packed and you needed a reservation to ensure a table. It quickly outgrew the old space and relocated to Richfield in 2019.

It now occupies the old Richfield Taverne. The new location is stunning both inside and out. It boasts two elegant dining rooms with a stunning bar on the main level and a speakeasy-style bar/lounge on the lower level, a cozy patio, and a third-floor event space (Grand ballroom). It is pretty far from me, but it worth the effort to drive there. It is now billing itself as a fine dining location, but the food is hearty and filling and just as delicious as it was in the old location. According to its website, it is open Monday from 4 to 9, Tuesday to Thursday from 11 to 9, Friday and Saturday from 11 to 10 pm, and closed on Sundays.

Olesia’s saved my Easter during the pandemic. The timing of the new restaurant opening was unfortunate, just before the pandemic, and it quickly pivoted to take-out only to survive. I ordered an Easter dinner online and lined up in the parking lot to pick it up the day before Easter. It was so good and reminded me of my Ukrainian grandmother’s Easter dinner. It featured deviled eggs, shrimp cocktail, ham, Russian potato salad, brussel sprouts, green salad, and a roll. The only thing missing was the kielbasa. I ate it over Zoom with my family members on the other end. It was divine and remains one of my most memorable meals of the past few years.

Our first meal at Olesia’s is undocumented, but I remember the Borscht, the Beet Salad, Olesia’s Platter and the Beef Stroganoff being the absolute stand-outs. All are featured here in photos from other visits. Olesia’s Platter (left) features a large cabbage roll with either red or mushroom sauce, three cheese and potato pierogies with onions and sour cream, and sauerkraut with your choice of sausage or kielbasa. It definitely hits the spot. The cabbage roll was just like Grandma used to make, and the pierogi dough consistency is light yet firm and tender. The bread is fresh and homemade, and the butter is herbacious and perfectly seasoned.

Beet salad, Borscht, and bread and butter

Olesia’s also has an amazing patio. I took a group there last summer and we all enjoyed ourselves immensely. The vegetarians enjoyed the spicy fried buffalo cauliflower florets, potato pierogi, and mac n cheese. We also enjoyed watching a newly married couple take wedding photos and motorcyclists driving past.

I ordered a delicious cocktail and the deviled eggs to start, and they were absolutely amazing. Olesia’s is known for the deviled eggs, and as a huge fan of deviled eggs I was quite pleased with them. They have just the right amount of zing. The crab legs (on special) were perfectly cooked and hit the spot. I tore through them and enjoyed every single bite.

I have also had the pleasure of attending my local translator group’s Christmas event at Olesia’s. We occupied the third floor event space. You can climb the stairs or take the elevator to get there. There was a cash bar and the deviled egg appetizers and dessert plate were served family style. I ordered the beef stroganoff and it was just as good – if not better – than I remembered. The creamy short rib stroganoff in burgundy mushroom sauce was served on perfectly cooked egg noodles and topped with crispy fried onions. Soooo good!