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In a city where onion domes and Soviet-era monoliths bespeak a long, varied, and storied past, it's easy to forget that the dining scene is relatively new, having emerged with democratization in 1991. Now, nearly twenty-five years later, the Moscow restaurant scene is still going through growing pains and has yet to find its pa
In a city where onion domes and Soviet-era monoliths bespeak a long, varied, and storied past, it's easy to forget that the dining scene is relatively new, having emerged with democratization in 1991. Now, nearly twenty-five years later, the Moscow restaurant scene is
In a city where onion domes and Soviet-era monoliths bespeak a long, varied, and storied past, it's easy to forget that
In a city where onion domes and Soviet-era monoliths bespeak a long, varied, and storied past, it's easy to forget that the dining scene is relatively new, having emerged with democratization in 1991. Now, nearly twenty-five years later, the Moscow restaurant scene is still going through growing pains and has yet to find its pace. This is good news for adventurous diners. You might still find yourself being served by pantaloon-and-ruffled bedecked "serfs" beneath glittering chandeliers in one of the showy, re-created settings that arose in the post-Soviet era—and that even a tsar would find to be over the top.
But many restaurants now approach their food sensibly and seriously. A new crop of chefs is serving traditional Russian fare, often giving it some innovative twists. One European cuisine to invade the city anew is Italian, and scores of dark-haired chefs from the Mediterranean are braving the cold to bring Muscovites minestrone and carbonara. Other ethnic restaurants have long since arrived as well, and you can sample Tibetan, Indian, Chinese, Latin American, or Turkish cuisine any night of the week.
One welcome, long-standing Russian tradition that remains in place is a slow-paced approach to a meal. It's common for people to linger at their tables long after finishing dessert, and you're almost never handed the bill until you ask for it. Keep in mind that chef turnover is high in Moscow, which means restaurants can change quickly—and that there's always a new culinary experience to be had in this ever-evolving city.
This one-room café has home-style Georgian food so good that you'll feel you've found your way to a tavern deep in the Caucasus hinterlands. The house specialty is succulent hinkali, fist-sized dumplings filled with ground meat that you eat with your hands; the variety with herbs is best, and all the better if you add crisp-crusted hachapuri (cheese bread) to the order. There are many vegetarian-friendly options on the menu, including pkhali, assorted vegetables blended with herbs and walnuts. Ordering might be difficult unless you or someone in your party has at least a moderate knowledge of Russian.
This upstairs cafeteria-style café is a throwback to the Soviet era, packed with students drinking cheap beer, pensioners reminiscing over meat-filled pancakes, and business people of all ages from the offices nearby. A larger downstairs room gets rowdy on weekends. The no smoking policy is a huge plus and a rarity in Moscow, but you may have to walk through a cloud of smoke to get near the door.
7 ul. Kuznetsky Most, Moscow, Moscow, 105187, Russia
Sink into folds of burgundy velour with a plate of chocolates and a cappuccino at this indulgent dessert spot off the Boulevard Ring. Unapologetically frilly and romantic, the two rooms are adorned with pink ribbons on gauzy white curtains and floral-patterned cushions atop wrought-iron chairs; gold-framed still lifes line the walls. The menu is about two-thirds sweets—truffles, praline, mille-feuille, cookies, cakes, pies—but it also includes a weekday lunch selection of soups, pastas, and pancakes, and a handful of dinner items. Service is genial and almost courtly.
For a fun, retro-Soviet experience, step into this new hot spot owned by one of Moscow's best known restauranteurs for a cold beer and a caviar sandwich. The menu and price list are reminiscent of a typical Soviet beer bar with a modern touch of today's Moscow scene.
7 ul. Kuznetsky Most, Moscow, Moscow, 107031, Russia
Some of the new Russian elite undoubtedly have closets bigger than this hole-in-the-wall student hangout. But what this jammed little place lacks in size it makes up in hipster-bohemian charm. The menu offers many options ideal for a late-night snack or a late-morning pick-me-up—along the lines of salmon-and-spinach pie, Russian-style sweet-cheese pancakes, and fruit smoothies. Service can be inconsistent and hectic, but a "no smoking" policy might make a wait more tolerable.
1/4 Solyanskiy Tupik, Moscow, Moscow, 109240, Russia
Join the masses for pancakes and kebabs at this popular cafeteria-style chain. This location is just a block away from the Lubyanka, once the home of the KGB, and still the main building of that notorious agency's successor. Compared to the offerings at similar Russian fast food joints, the food here is of a higher quality. Even so, unless you love mayonaisse, skip the mystery salads for simpler meats and sides that include stuffed and fried cutlets and dumplings, grilled meat and fish, and classic Russian soups, including borsch and shi, made from cabbage. The staff doesn't speak much English, but you can generally get by with gestures.
14/2 ul. Myasnitskaya, Moscow, Moscow, 101000, Russia
This British pizza chain has slowly cornered the market for inexpensive Italian fare in Moscow with several branches. The Tverskaya location is the largest, serving decent pizzas and pasta dishes to local business people, students, and foreigners who pack into the two floor of dining rooms. Reasonably priced wines are available by the glass.
This citywide chain is one of the few trustworthy spots to get fresh, tasty food on the fly. With many shelves of low-cost wraps, salads, soups, and even sushi, there's a lot to choose from. There's also a pastry case with surprisingly good fresh-baked cinnamon rolls, and even a worthy chocolate mousse. When it's warm, sit under a patio umbrella here, on a pedestrian street near Red Square, and watch every class of Muscovite go by.
Moscow has waited years for the arrival of a sophisticated French-style bakery like this. In addition to the mouthwatering choice of pastries, biscuits, and cakes, this is also an ideal place to pick up a sandwich or a freshly prepared salad, or to simply grab a coffee. There are lines out the door at all three locations, and this branch has a small seating area and a range of quiches and pastas for a sit-down lunch.
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