Moscow Travel Guide

Restaurants in Moscow, Russia

Restaurants
Gastronomic

Barashka
Restaurants serving the cuisine of the Caucuses tend to be chintzy and unsophisticated, but Barashka (little lamb) breaks the mould. The graceful dining room is spread over two levels, joined by a spiral staircase which rises in front of a wall of glass jars full or preserved lemons. The imaginative menu is dominated by modern Azeri cooking, which bears more similarity to Greek cuisine than other foods from the region!

Petrovka ulitsa 20/1
Tel: (495) 200 4714.
Price: $$$

Café Pushkin
Close to Pushkin Square, this elegant cafe offers the chance to dine out in 19th-century style as if the 1917 revolution never happened. The Pushkin's food and service are impeccable, with prices to match. The ground floor is decorated in the style of an old pharmacy complete with apothecary's bottles and scales. The more exclusive second floor is set in a handsome library, and there are grand views from the rooftop summer terrace.

Tverskoi bulvar 26a
Tel: (495) 229 5590.
Price: $$$

Kavkazskaya Plennitsa
Named after the classic 1970s film Kavkazskaya Plennitsa (Caucasian Prisoner), this fine Georgian restaurant has a split personality. Half of the restaurant is slightly kitsch, with mock caves and rough wooden furniture, while the other half is modern and multicolored. However, the menu is traditional and excellent - try the kharcho (stewed beef in a walnut sauce) and khinkali (spiced dumplings). Evenings feature live and loud folk music and maybe even some dancing.

Prospekt Mira 36
Tel: (495) 280 5111.
Price: $$$

Noev Kovcheg
There are restaurants in Moscow serving dishes from the furthest corners of the former Soviet Union, offering some surprising tastes that are well outside the experience of most travelers from outside the region. Noev Kovcheg (Noah's ark) specializes in authentic Armenian cooking, served in a rustic dining room with plush red divans. Try the basturma, a spicy smoked beef dish, or the bean stew in a casserole dish made from black bread.

Maly Ivanovsky pereulok 9
Tel: (495) 917 0717.
Website: www.noevkovcheg.ru
Price: $$$

Yapona Mama
Japanese food is all the rage in Moscow - for the freshest and best quality ingredients, head for Yapona Mama. The sleek, modern interior is lit by natural light from a floor to ceiling wall of glass that leads out to the summer terrace. Japanese prints and wooden furniture ensure that the atmosphere is welcoming rather than austere. The atmosphere is lively; bookings are essential at weekends when a DJ plays to aid digestion.

Smolenskiy bulvar 4
Tel: (495) 246 9967.
Price: $$$

Trendy

Bosco Café
Set inside the famous GUM shopping arcade, Bosco has fast become as much of a fixture on any tourist itinerary as Red Square, which it overlooks. The restaurant's futuristic Barbarella-style (think plastic orange chairs around a space-age bar) is a great contrast to the historic sights outside and the view are especially welcome on cold winter days. Work your way through a long and sophisticated menu that runs from Russian staples to sushi and salads.

3 Red Square
Tel: (495) 620 3182.
Website: www.bosco.ru
Price: $$$

Galareya
Appearances are everything at Galareya: from the eclectic menu of Japanese, European, Asian, Italian, French and Russian fusion dishes, to the ‘elitny' people who dine there. Galareya (Gallery) describes itself as an 'art cafe' and there are always quirky prints, photographs or paintings for sale on the walls. Dark polished wood and low lighting give Galareya an intimate feel that attracts the glamorous ‘modniki' set.

Petrovka ulitsa 27
Tel: (495) 937 4544.
Price: $$$

Pavilion
Overlooking the Patriarch's Ponds, this stylish cafe is set in a 19th century boathouse, with huge bay windows looking over the water. The outlook at Pavilion is modern and upbeat, attracting many young professionals, who come for fresh-tasting, healthy dishes that combine ideas from Russian, European and Asian cooking. It's a trendy spot, with a DJ soundtrack, but the face control is not too oppressive.

Bolshoi Patriarshy pereulok 7
Tel: (495) 203 5110.
Price: $$$

Vogue Café
Vogue Café is arguably the place to be seen, and 'face control' is predictably strict, but it's undeniably an elegant and sophisticated place to dine. In keeping with Muscovites' obsession with haute couture, walls are adorned with fashion photography from the archives of British and Russian Vogue. The menu mixes classic and contemporary dishes, offering a genuine fusion of global ingredients and ideas. Advance bookings are essential.

Kuzneckiy most 7/9
Tel: (495) 923 1701.
Website: http://eng.novikovgroup.ru/restaurants/vogue
Price: $$$$

Budget

Kruzhka
Beer halls are a Russian institution and this cheerful chain does the concept proud. Appropriately, the logo of the Kruzhka (which means mug) chain is a distinctive foaming beer mug set between a knife and fork. The beer is excellent and the simple but tasty food covers a broad spectrum from hearty soups to roast trout and chicken wings. There are branches all over Moscow, including one near the Ploshchad Revolutsii Metro station.

Nikolskaya ulitsa 15
Tel: (495) 710 7199.
Website: www.kruzhka.ru

Maki Café
Maki is a breath of fresh air in Moscow - good food, informal service and atmosphere and very reasonable prices. As well as the namesake maki rolls, you can enjoy varied dishes from Asia and across the former Soviet Union - there is even a good selection for vegetarians. The interior of Maki is ‘remont-chic' - a playful twist on the idea that everything is Russia is permanently ‘in remont' (under refurbishment).

Glinishchevsky pereulok 3
Tel: (495) 292 9731.
Price: $$

Matrioshka
If you want to sample hearty and authentic Russian but don't want to pay Café Pushkin prices, head to folksy Matrioshka. True to its name, the restaurant features a giant matrioshka (Russian doll) in the middle of the room! It's kitsch, but not too kitsch, and prices are excellent for Russian favorites such as borscht and blinis (Russian pancakes) with mincemeat and sour cream. The ‘bisness lanch' represents excellent value for money.

Triumfalnaya Ploschad 1
Tel: (495) 727 9651.
Price: $$

Moo Moo
Look out for the life-sized model of a Friesian cow on the ‘old' Arbat street, marking the way to cheap, tasty Russian food, served canteen style. You'll find all the classics, from borscht and dumplings to chicken fillets, lamb shashlik and salads. But the beauty of the Moo Moo concept is the cafeteria-counter where you can point to the dishes that appeal, even if you don't know the names in Russian.

Ulitsa Arbat 45/23
Tel: (495) 241 1364.
Price: $

Yolki Palki
Students, travelers and families have come to love Yolki Palki for its bottomless salad bar, its bargain prices and its home-style Russian cooking that reminds locals of the food that mama used to make. With rustic, wooden furnishings and waitresses in traditional sarafan (tunic-like dresses), there is a definite folk theme running through these restaurants but all the branches of the chain offer excellent value for money and late opening hours.

Klimentovsky pereulok 14/1
Tel: (495) 953 9130.
Price: $

Personal Recommendations

Aist
Aist - the Stork - is a swish ‘elitny' restaurant with a lounge featuring divans and low tables for more intimate dining. The imaginative menu covers everything from sushi to beef carpaccio with black truffles and asparagus. For the full formal dining experience, head to the first floor, with its oak tables, plush red velvet armchairs and view over the open kitchen. Face control is very much in evidence and booking is strongly advised.

Malaya Bronnaya ulitsa 8/1
Tel: (495) 736 9131.
Price: $$$$

Coffee Mania
Coffee Mania is a small chain of coffee shops serving a fantastic range of teas, coffees and juices, as well as soups, risotto, pasta and meat dishes and delectable cakes. The decor at each branch of Coffee Mania varies to match its location: the outlet next to the conservatory is classic with huge windows and stylish wooden furniture, while the branch near the Detskiy Mir children's department store has pop-art comic strips of Hollywood stars.

Rozhdestvenka ulitsa 6/9/20 (corner of Rozhdestvenka and Pushechnaya)
Tel: (495) 924 0075.
Website: www.coffeemania.ru/eng
Price: $$

Glavpivtorg
A blast from the Soviet past, Glavpivtorg roughly translates to Central Beer Restaurant No.5, and it manages to exude a sense of nostalgia without descending into pantomime. As well as superior beers brewed on site, you can sample some excellent Russian fare, while performers sing rousing revolutionary songs on the stage downstairs. Prices are moderate and the location is perfect - the notorious Lubyanka KGB headquarters is just down the road!

ulitsa Bolshaya Lubyanka 5
Tel: (495) 928 2591.
Price: $$

One Red Square
You would struggle to find a more ostentatious address than One Red Square, but refreshingly, the restaurant at the State Historical Museum is not a 'elitny' hang out for the rich and famous. Instead, One Red Square offers a trip back in time through Russian cuisine, at prices that won't bankrupt ordinary travelers. For something truly extravagant, check out the themed historical dinners, using menus that were actually served to the tsars.

Krasnaya ploschad 1
Tel: (495) 292 1196.
Website: www.redsquare.ru
Price: $$

Nightlife

Nightlife in Moscow has moved on since Soviet times. Modern Muscovites are free to enjoy the hedonistic pleasures of a 24-hour city - but it comes at a price. Like fine dining, going out in Moscow can be a very expensive business. Nightspots can be divided into 'democratichny' establishments, where the doormen just keep out hooligans, and 'elitny' venues, where even wearing the latest Prada may not get you through the doors. Dress to impress and book ahead if you plan to go anywhere that attracts the A-list. Moscow also has a seedy side after dark, with lots of lap dancing bars, though visiting them is less taboo than in many other countries. Casinos are now a thing of the past as a ban was enforced on 1 July 2009, making them illegal in the hope of reducing crime.

Moscow has plenty of 24-hour bars and 'night restaurants' that may stay open until 0500 or 0600. Otherwise, bars tend to stay open until 2400 or 0100. The minimum drinking age in Russia is 18 years, although the minimum purchasing age is 21 years. Live music is played all over the city but the quality of the music varies widely. Keep an ear open for nostalgic performances of music from the Soviet era and the up-and-coming bands who play the Moscow student circuit. The Moscow Times (www.moscowtimes.ru) has a weekly entertainment supplement with listings.

Bars: Trendy bars abound in this most urban of Russian cities. Bilingua, Krikokolenny pereulok 10/5, is a student favorite that also attracts older, arty Muscovites; they play some great live music here. Keks, ulitsa Timura Frunze 11/3, is young and trendy without being naff or expensive; Friday and Saturday are the big party nights. Hungry Duck, Pushechnaya ulitsa 9/6, has a reputation that can than only be described as notorious - it's not for the faint-hearted, but it's certainly an experience.

You can't visit Moscow without sampling the vodka, and one of the best places to try the local firewater is Vodka Bar, Lva Tolstovo ulitsa 18B. It serves every type of vodka you could hope to try and if shots aren't your thing the cocktails are excellent. Moscow has gone crazy for cocktail lounges: for fantastic views, dress your best to please the face control at the ultra-pretentious City Space, set atop the Swissôtel tower at Kosmodamianskaya Naberezhnaya 52, for swoon-inducing views over the river and city. Even swisher is the glass domed O2 Lounge, perched on top of the sleek Ritz Carlton hotel at Tverskaya ulitsa 3.

Suzy Wong Bar, 11 Timura Frunze, is a laid back but elegant warehouse bar. Tinkoff, Protochniy pereulok 11, is a microbrewery with restaurant that plays live acid jazz and funk at the weekend. For those who pine for something more ‘spit and sawdust', there is the John Bull Pub, 2/9 Smolenskaya Ploschad, which has decent music and real ales on tap. The Irish pub Rosie O'Grady's, ulitsa Znamenka 9/12, is another popular spot with the expat crowd.

Clubs: Many of the new wave of clubs that opened in the 1990s closed after the economic collapse of 1998, but Propaganda, Bolshoi Zlatoustinksy pereulok 7 (www.propagandamoscow.com), is one of the city's great survivors. It's a cafe by day, a warehouse club by night. Gaudi Arena, Skladochnaya ulitsa 1 (www.gaudiarena.ru), attracts all the top-flight international DJs and is committed to showcasing the best in techno and party nights from international names such as Gatecrasher.

The huge and popular B2, Bolshaya Sadovaya ulitsa 8 (www.b2club.ru), has something for everyone, from karaoke to dance music, spread over four floors. Gay and lesbian clubbers could do worse than head to the small 12 Volt, Tverskaya ulitsa 12 (http://12voltclub.ru), or the larger Tri Obezany, Nastavnichesky pereulok 11 (www.gaycentral.ru), one of Moscow's oldest gay clubs, which features out-there drag shows in its techno mix.

Live Music: Many of the bars and clubs have live music (usually rock but occasionally country, reggae or folk) for a couple of hours in the evening (generally 2200 to 2400/0100). Dom u Dorogi, 8 Dovatora ulitsa (http://roadhouse.blues.ru), is an intimate club for aficionados of jazz and blues. Le Club, Ulanskiy pereulok 16 (www.le-club.ru), was founded by jazzman Igor Butov. Bunker, Tverskaya ulitsa 12, sibling to the famous B2 nightclub, scores points for its diverse music. For good, honest rock, head to Tabula Rasa, Berezhkovskaya naberezhnaya 28 (www.tabulaclub.ru) or 16 Tons, ulitsa Presnensky val 6 (www.16tons.ru), housed above an English-themed pub.