A Luxe Caviar Bar and Shop Debuts in Brookline

Marky’s Caviar Boston. / Photo by Adriana Dirany

This one’s for the high rollers: Marky’s Caviar, a retail shop and eight-seat caviar bar with locations in Florida and New York, opens today in Brookline. The bar’s food menu is exclusively caviar flights (with traditional accoutrements like blinis and crème fraîche) and à la carte caviar and roe. Diners won’t find the quirky caviar novelties that’ve recently been popping up as bar snacks around Boston: for example, no caviar cones, caviar-topped hot dogs, lobster-and-caviar cannoli, caviar-bedecked burgers with disco poutine fries, doughnuts with caviar. It’s all caviar (ok, there are several salmon and rainbow trout roe selections that will set you back considerably less money), and it’s all pretty damn fancy.

To drink? A $600 bottle of Cristal, perhaps, or a few other glass and bottle selections from a succinct, mostly French, wine and Champagne list. There are also several whiskey, tequila, vodka, and cognac options, plus coffee, tea, and soft drinks. In short, you’re not getting out of here without dropping some serious dough, unless you want to snack on a couple ounces of keta salmon roe and sip lemonade. But the essence of Marky’s is its high-end retail items—foie gras, smoked fish, truffles—and, of course, caviar.

Marky’s Caviar Boston. / Photo by Adriana Dirany

Marky’s features its own Beluga; the company is the only licensed United States producer of purebred Beluga caviar, via its Florida-based affiliate Sturgeon Aquafarms. There’s also Sevruga, Osetra, and more, to try at the bar or purchase in the shop. It’s enough to make a caviar newbie’s head spin, but the staff aims to guide and educate. “We always recommend starting with a preset caviar flight,” says Sam Ronkin, general manager of the new Boston location, “which gives guests the chance to taste and compare several varieties side by side. It’s a great introduction to the texture and flavor of the different species of caviar.” The team will walk first-timers through the various accoutrements, too, from chives to egg yolks, and different beverage pairings, says Ronkin. “Caviar can be experienced differently, whether it is paired with a dry Champagne or a chilled shot of vodka.”

Luxury items might feel like a tough sell in the current economy, but the Marky’s team, in the caviar game since 1983, sees caviar consumption as a growing trend in recent years. “Its popularity has grown across a range of dining formats, from casual to fine dining,” says Ronkin. “Consumers today are more informed, and caviar offers a way to add a sense of occasion to any setting. In cities like Boston, where there is a strong food culture and an openness to trying new things, that appetite has only grown.”

Marky’s Caviar Boston. / Photo by Adriana Dirany

Plus, social media plays a role in pushing a “caviar can be affordable” narrative, thanks in part to “caviar TikTok,” says Danielle Obolevitch, the strategy and business development manager at Marky’s Caviar. (Incidentally, a driving force behind “caviar TikTok” is Marky’s Caviar’s own Danielle Matzon, née Zaslavskaya, vice president of brand partnerships and granddaughter of cofounder Mark Zaslavsky.) “We’ve seen a growing number of consumers from different backgrounds trying caviar,” says Obolevitch. “Public knowledge and education around caviar and the different species has only grown with these videos of people reviewing their caviar purchases and showing their favorite ways to pair it. I think consumers are finally moving past the idea that caviar cannot be affordable.” Marky’s, for instance, offers options like Hackleback and white sturgeon, which, says Obolevitch, are priced well below classic and rare varieties like Osetra and Beluga 00. “We want to give as many customers as possible the ability to try caviar by finding them something,” as she puts it, “within their means.”

Greater Boston was an attractive spot for Marky’s expansion “as it’s a city known for its refined culinary scene and deep appreciation for quality seafood,” says Ronkin. “But what made it feel especially right is its large Slavic population. Caviar has strong roots in Slavic culture, where it’s not just a delicacy but a longstanding culinary tradition. Opening in [the Boston area] allows us to honor that heritage while offering an elevated experience in a city that truly values craftsmanship and tradition.”

Marky’s Caviar Boston. / Photo by Adriana Dirany

Marky’s Caviar, open daily from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., debuts on April 25, with opening celebrations continuing through the weekend (complimentary caviar bumps while supplies last on 4/25, live music and Champagne toasts on 4/26, and all-day caviar-and-chips tastings on 4/27). Watch for future mobile caviar services and local collaborations. 420 Harvard St., Brookline, markyscaviar.com.