Kozak Ukrainian Restaurant brings handmade pierogies and shashlyk to North Shore
The North Lonsdale location is the latest expansion for a Vancouver restaurant group that has hired over 100 Ukrainian refugees since the start of the war in Ukraine.
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Owners Irina Karpenko and Sergiy Kuznetsov moved from Ukraine to Vancouver in 2012, selling food at farmers markets before opening their first restaurant in New Westminster in 2015. Following the start of the war in Ukraine, the couple hired more than 100 Ukrainian refugees and continue to support those back home. Today, Kozak has five locations across Metro Vancouver, with the newest at the bottom of Lonsdale Avenue in a space that once housed Burgoo.
The restaurant honours Ukrainian traditions with handcrafted clay pots, or "glechyk," displayed at the entrance and used to serve dishes like glechyk lamb stew. The menu spans familiar staples — steaming borscht, hearty potato pierogies, meat-stuffed cabbage rolls — alongside creative takes on traditional fare.
The varenyky (handmade pierogies) stand out, with fillings ranging from mushroom truffle to duck and basil to wild boar. Unlike the thick, doughy pierogies of many childhoods, Kozak's are delicate pouches. The wild boar varenyky come topped with sour cream, strawberry and wine reduction, smoky paprika, mustard shoots, and caramelized onions — a combination that balances sweet, savoury, and smoky flavours.
Other highlights include the Deruny Potato Latkes, made with finely grated potatoes, eggs, and onions, topped with crispy bacon, grilled mushrooms, and sour cream. The Shashlyk arrives as a huge meat skewer served dramatically on what looks like a sword, alongside roasted baby potatoes, fermented red cabbage salad, marinated onions, and house-baked lavash. The Cherry Love cocktail — made with traditional Ukrainian cherry nalyvka, lemon, and sugar syrup — is bright and refreshing without being overly sweet.
Dessert brings sentimental resonance: sour cherry varenyky drizzled with sweet condensed milk dressing and sour cherry jam, finished with crunchy poppy seeds. Everything is made in-house with fresh, natural ingredients and no preservatives.
Good to know
What kind of food does Kozak serve?
Kozak Ukrainian Restaurant serves traditional Ukrainian dishes including handmade pierogies with fillings like mushroom truffle, duck and basil, and wild boar, as well as borscht, potato latkes, shashlyk meat skewers, and cabbage rolls. All food is made in-house with fresh, natural ingredients and no preservatives.
Where is Kozak's North Shore location?
Kozak Ukrainian Restaurant's North Shore location is at the bottom of Lonsdale Avenue in a space that once housed Burgoo.
What's special about Kozak's pierogies?
Kozak's varenyky (handmade pierogies) are delicate pouches with creative fillings such as wild boar topped with sour cream, strawberry and wine reduction, smoky paprika, mustard shoots, and caramelized onions.
