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Like other large restaurants in Brighton Beach, Gambrinus, named after a celebrated beer bar in Odessa and resembling the interior of a ship, combines the starchy meat-and-potato dishes of the former Soviet Union with a full sushi menu. Unlike the rest, however, traditional options here are so heavy-handed that the sushi section stands out. Salty, dried beef overpowers a Greek-style salad, and an innocent salmon filet is covered in a thick, saffron sauce (though garlicky fried potatoes almost make up for the drowned fish). The slew of sushi rolls, however, is creative and well-executed, boasting names like the American Dream and Snow White, and a massive vegetable-sushi platter arrives with perfectly seasoned seaweed-salad rolls. Still, it might be the beer, served by the liter in huge frosted mugs, that keeps the animated crowd coming back to the outdoor patio night after night. — Jill Weiskopf

Vegetable sushi, $13; Fried potatoes, $6