At Varenik & Pelmen, six toppings come with every bowl — sour cream, crispy bacon, fresh herbs, sautéed mushrooms, fried onions, and berry jam. All included. No extras, no upsell, no decision fatigue beyond the best possible kind: which ones do you want, and how much of each. Here is how to use them properly.
Our Six Signature Toppings
This is what you are working with. Learn what each one does and the combinations become obvious.
Sour cream is the classic. Rich, cool, and tangily dairy, it is the topping that binds a dumpling bowl together. It softens the dough, cuts through the richness of meat fillings, and provides the background note that every other topping sits against. Most combinations start here. If you are only going to use one topping, this is the one.
Crispy bacon is the salty crunch that transforms a meat bowl. Small, rendered, and properly crisp — not floppy, not fatty — bacon on pelmeni is one of those combinations that is so obviously right it barely needs explaining. The salt, the fat, the texture: it amplifies everything in a meat filling and adds contrast to the softness of the dough. The combination of bacon and sour cream is one of our most popular for a reason.
Fresh herbs bring brightness and colour. We use dill, parsley, and chives — the classic trio of Eastern European garnish. Herbs do something that heavier toppings cannot: they lift the bowl. They cut through richness, add freshness, and make everything look and taste more alive. A bowl without herbs risks feeling heavy. A bowl with herbs feels balanced.
Sautéed mushrooms add earthy depth. Cooked down until soft and flavourful, mushrooms are the topping that works across everything — meat, vegetable, sweet dough. They make pork pelmeni richer. They make potato vareniki more substantial. They pair with sour cream in a combination that has been earning its reputation in Eastern European kitchens for a long time. Earthy, umami, deeply satisfying.
Fried onions are sweet, caramelised, and slightly crisp. Onions cooked slowly until golden are almost a different ingredient from raw onions — the sharpness disappears, the sweetness develops, and the texture becomes something between tender and crisp. On pelmeni, fried onions add warmth and complexity. They work particularly well with pork-based fillings, where their sweetness provides counterpoint.
Berry jam is the sweet option. On the menu for a reason: sweet vareniki — cherry or strawberry — are best with something that meets them where they are rather than fighting them. A spoonful of berry jam on cherry vareniki intensifies the fruit flavour and adds a tartness that keeps the sweetness from becoming cloying. It is also excellent on syrniky and bliny. On meat dumplings, it is unexpected. Some people love it. Try it before you decide.
Best Toppings for Meat Dumplings
If you are building a bowl of pelmeni — lamb and beef, pork and beef, chicken, or pork — this is where to start.
The classic: sour cream and fresh herbs. Universal, always correct, deeply satisfying. The sour cream softens the filling; the herbs lift the whole bowl. This is the combination that has been working for generations and will continue to work indefinitely.
The full build: sour cream, crispy bacon, and fresh herbs. This is the combination for when you want a proper bowl. The bacon adds crunch and salt. The sour cream binds. The herbs cut through. Three toppings, each doing a distinct job.
The earthy version: sour cream and sautéed mushrooms. For pork or chicken pelmeni especially — the mushrooms deepen the savouriness of the filling and the sour cream keeps everything cohesive. Add herbs if you want colour and freshness.
The caramelised build: fried onions, sour cream, and fresh herbs. The sweet, golden onions bring warmth. Sour cream provides the creamy base. Herbs do their usual work. This is a quieter combination than the bacon build but no less satisfying.
Best Toppings for Vegetable and Sweet Dumplings
Vareniki come in both savoury and sweet varieties, and the topping strategy changes depending on which you are eating.
Potato and cabbage vareniki are savoury and earthy. They want sour cream — that is non-negotiable. From there, sautéed mushrooms are the obvious next choice, adding depth to the vegetable filling. Fried onions are equally good here: potato and onion is a pairing as old as cooking. Fresh herbs add brightness and should almost always be included.
Mushroom vareniki are already earthy and rich. Keep toppings light — sour cream and fresh herbs is the combination that works best. Adding more mushrooms risks making the bowl one-dimensional.
Cheese and spinach vareniki are herby, slightly savoury, and lighter than potato. Sour cream and fresh herbs is the natural fit. A small amount of crispy bacon, if you are not keeping the bowl vegetarian, adds contrast.
Cherry and strawberry vareniki are sweet and fruit-forward. Berry jam intensifies the fruit flavour and is the first choice. Sour cream — cool, tangy, dairy — is the counterpoint that makes sweet vareniki feel like a proper dish rather than just a dessert. The combination of berry jam and sour cream on sweet vareniki is, frankly, one of the better things on the menu.
Combos That Work
Some combinations are reliable. Keep these in mind when you are standing in front of the bowls deciding.
For pelmeni: sour cream + crispy bacon + fresh herbs. The crowd pleaser. Order this on your first visit if you are unsure.
For potato vareniki: sour cream + sautéed mushrooms + fried onions + fresh herbs. The full savoury build. Every element complements the others.
For cherry or strawberry vareniki: berry jam + sour cream. Sweet and tangy. Simple and correct.
For mixed bowls: herbs on everything. If you are mixing pelmeni and vareniki in the same bowl, fresh herbs are the one topping that works across the whole range.
The sweet-savoury gamble: berry jam on lamb and beef pelmeni. Not traditional. Not obvious. Genuinely interesting if you are curious.
All Included, By Weight
Here is how the pricing works at Varenik & Pelmen: dumplings and dishes are priced at £5 per 100g. The average bowl runs to £10–12. The six toppings — all of them — are included. You do not pay for toppings separately. You do not choose a number of toppings within an allowance. You take what you want, we charge you for the bowl by weight.
The toppings are free because they are part of the dish, not an addition to it. Pelmeni without sour cream is not a complete bowl. It is an unfinished one. The six toppings are there because that is what the food needs.
Build your bowl. Take your toppings. Pay for what you take.
Frequently Asked Questions
What toppings go with dumplings?
The classics are sour cream, fresh herbs, and crispy bacon for meat dumplings, and sour cream with berry jam for sweet vareniki. Sautéed mushrooms and fried onions work across both savoury pelmeni and vegetable vareniki. At Varenik & Pelmen, all six toppings — sour cream, crispy bacon, fresh herbs, sautéed mushrooms, fried onions, and berry jam — are available for every bowl.
Are toppings included in the price?
Yes. All six toppings are included in the £5/100g price. You pay only for the weight of your dumplings and dishes. Toppings are free and unlimited — take as much of each as you want.
What’s the best topping combo?
For meat pelmeni: sour cream, crispy bacon, and fresh herbs. For potato or cabbage vareniki: sour cream, sautéed mushrooms, and fried onions. For sweet vareniki: berry jam and sour cream. If you want a single recommendation that works on almost everything: sour cream and fresh herbs.
Can I mix sweet and savoury?
Yes, and it can work well. Berry jam on meat pelmeni is unconventional but genuinely interesting. A mixed bowl of savoury pelmeni and sweet vareniki with appropriate toppings for each is completely valid. The self-serve model is designed for exactly this kind of experimentation. Take what you want, see what you think.