Russian Restaurant in Hollywood: $20 Pelmeni at Melodia

Melodia Restaurant, at 7300 W Sunset Blvd on the Hollywood stretch of Sunset Boulevard, is one of the newest Russian and Ukrainian kitchens in Los Angeles: it opened in February 2025 and is open Tuesday through Sunday from noon to 10pm, closed on Monday. Every pelmeni, varenyky and khinkali is shaped by hand each day, the Siberian pelmeni cost $20, and same-day reservations are taken by phone or online when tables are free.

Melodia is run by a couple, Vladimir and Natalia. Vladimir leads the kitchen and writes the menu, and Natalia shapes everything around it, from the service to the room. The restaurant describes itself as serving Russian, Ukrainian and European cuisine, and although it lists West Hollywood in its address, the map link on its own site places it in Los Angeles proper, on the Hollywood side of the city line.

The couple's pitch is handmade food. Their own about page says every dumpling is shaped by hand daily and the blini are made in-house, and Vladimir infuses his own vodkas with horseradish, walnut, sour cherry and cranberry. The restaurant's blog has kept posting through autumn 2026, most recently a beef tartare with caviar in early October, so the menu keeps moving even as the classics stay put.

Start with a soup. The Borscht is $10.00 and comes with garlic buns and sour cream, the way it is served in Ukrainian homes. The Solyanka, the meaty, briny Slavic soup with pickles and smoked meats, is also $10.00 and is the better pick if you want something sharper than beet soup.

Then the dumplings. Siberian Art Pelmeni, filled with beef and pork, are $20.00, and the Art Beef Pelmeni are $21.00. Both arrive piping hot with sour cream. The Olivier Salad with Salmon Roe and Crawfish Tails, $23.00, dresses up the classic Soviet holiday salad with seafood. For a main, the Beef Stroganoff at $26.00 is tender strips of beef in sour cream and mushroom sauce over silky mashed potatoes, and Golubtsi, eight stuffed cabbage rolls, cost $24.00 and easily feed two.

The honest verdict: the stroganoff is solid, but the dumplings are the reason to come. If you only order one main, get a plate of the Siberian pelmeni and pair it with the solyanka instead of committing to two heavy dishes.

Because the dough work happens in-house every day, the dumpling section is wider than at most Russian restaurants in the city. Varenyky, the Ukrainian half-moons, sit next to the pelmeni, and khinkali, the twisted Georgian soup dumplings, show how far the kitchen reaches beyond Russia itself. The blini are made in-house too, which matters, because a pre-made blin is the quickest way to spot a shortcut kitchen. A table of four can build a whole meal from a mix of dumplings, a plate of blini and one soup each, and leave the heavy mains for another visit.

Vladimir's house vodkas are the other draw. Horseradish is the sharp, savory one that pairs with pelmeni and pickles. Sour cherry and cranberry are fruitier and easier for first-timers. Walnut is the richest and works best after dinner. Ask for a small pour of two contrasting flavors rather than a full round of one, especially if you are driving down Sunset afterward.

That makes it a practical choice for a family birthday or a Russian-speaking community celebration that would overwhelm a smaller dining room.

The restaurant also runs themed nights. For Halloween 2026 it is hosting a costume party at $125 per guest, with costumes mandatory and a complimentary bottle of wine or vodka for every group of eight. Outside event nights, a weekday lunch is the simplest time to walk in. Remember the kitchen is closed on Mondays, which catches out visitors planning a start-of-week dinner.

Melodia's own description promises soft lighting, thoughtful design and a sense of comfort that makes you want to linger, and the dining room delivers a calmer, more polished feel than the boisterous old-school Russian supper clubs elsewhere in Los Angeles. It works for a date night as well as a family dinner, and the long hours, from noon to 10pm, make it easy to fit in between errands on Sunset.

Metro Line 2 runs along Sunset Boulevard between Westwood and Exposition Park, so the bus will drop you nearby from either end of the city. If you drive, allow time to find parking along Sunset, or arrive by rideshare if you plan to try the infusions.

Runyon Canyon Park, a short drive or a brisk uphill walk north of Sunset, is the obvious pre-dinner outing. Its fire roads climb quickly to views over Hollywood and, on clear afternoons, all the way to Downtown and the ocean. A late-afternoon hike followed by a bowl of borscht is about as Los Angeles as a Russian dinner gets.

If you would rather not climb, head west along Sunset toward the Sunset Strip, where the famous music venues, rooftop bars and billboards begin. It is a lively walk on a weekend evening and a good way to end a Melodia dinner with a drink somewhere new.

• Address: Melodia Restaurant, 7300 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90046. - Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, noon to 10pm. Groups up to 60. - Prices from the official online menu: Borscht $10.00, Solyanka $10.00, Siberian Art Pelmeni $20.00, Art Beef Pelmeni $21.00, Olivier Salad with Salmon Roe and Crawfish Tails $23.00, Beef Stroganoff $26.00, Golubtsi (8 pieces) $24.00. - Event: Halloween costume party, $125 per guest. - Transit: Metro Line 2 along Sunset Boulevard. - Ask Karpo in the Karpo APP to plan a Runyon Canyon hike that ends with a pelmeni dinner at Melodia.