Rimsky-Korsakoffee House

This place is very cool and has a good vibe. The desserts are yummy. I was not super pleased with the service, unfortunately. This place is open til midnight and stops seating at 11:45pm. This is reasonable, but the servers had begun shutting the place down at 11:45. The lights and music were turned off despite the restaurant being half full of customers still. The servers were sweeping while playing “closing time” (the song) loudly while we finished our desserts. The servers were very forward about taking dishes - neglecting to ask if we were done when we hadn’t finished the desert. We observed this happening to the diners around us as well. I understand wanting to shutdown and go home, but the restaurant wasn’t technically closed. If you are going to have a late night desert spot, it seems reasonable to keep the lights on until close time. I really like this place, but the wait staff made it a bit unwelcoming. I’ve seen other reviewers had similar experiences. While our server wasn’t rude to our faces, there was a passive aggression that made us pretty uncomfortable. All this is to say - we left at 11:57pm.

My partner and I visited tonight, and left feeling really conflicted. The desserts and coffee were super yummy! genuinely some of the best sweet treats and coffees we’ve had in Portland. The atmosphere is beautiful too! low lighting, cozy, quirky. We waited about 35-45 mins for a table and were honestly super excited the whole time waiting! Unfortunately the service changed the entire experience for us. When our server came to the table, they didn’t greet us or say anything. they simply stood there silently with a notepad and said not one word. So I order my drink and they say “k anything else?” in a tone that felt cold and dismissive. Completely ignoring my partner sitting right there who didn’t order yet obviously? They order, Then “k is that it” again so cold and dismissive. no interaction at all, those were the only 3 words, 2 sentences they said to us all night. We didn’t hear another word. it felt inhumanly, like we were an inconvenience, and did not belong there. We don’t eat out often because money is tight, so choosing this place felt special. As two anxious people, the interaction left us feeling small and like we were a burden for being there. We even sat in silence for a while wondering if we had done something wrong, and it genuinely made the night feel sad. Seems by the reviews, we’re not the only people who have had this experience. We still tipped 20% because we know service work is hard and people have off days, but the experience left us too sad and uncomfortable to ever return.

Very disappointing. We came here expecting a romantic jazzy atmosphere with live music. Exterior of the place was very lowkey there was no sign, just a house with lights. When you hop on the porch, then you can see a very small “Rimsky” sign on the door. When we entered, there was a crowd and it was people queuing. There was no clear instruction so you just write your name in the waiting list. We waited for 20mins and it was so stuffy. The place was just too small, I wish they had a clear system for the queue, like a dedicated waiting area in the porch. But I understand how it’s kind of a small business and they don’t know how to handle that many customers. When we got our seats, I was simply just in a bad mood after waiting for so long and the atmosphere is really not it. Sooo stuffy, loud, too dark, and the LIVE MUSIC was not it. We asked the waiter if there would be live music and for the timings (we went on a Friday). They said the pianist kinda just come at whatever time they feel like it. So they don’t have a specific schedule for live music. anyway do not come here unless its on a random day and no crowd. just simply not worth waiting for!

Have been coming here over the years and felt pretty disappointed this time. Brownie sundaes were mostly just two big scoops of ice cream with little hot fudge and a tiny brownie. One of our brownies was too hard to enjoy. :(

This place is a must-go if you like the interesting things in life and you’re in Portland. Great desserts, a robust coffee menu, and a wonderful vibe. Mozart’s Symphony No. 40 was on the speakers when we entered, and Stravinsky played as we had dessert. The decor was groovy and made me feel like I was in another place entirely. The desserts were decadent… I highly recommend the chocolate pot de crème.