Breakfast
Cook’s Kareku
Serving breakfast 24 hours a day, this is the perfect place to go whether you’re craving Texas-style steak and eggs at seven in the morning, or eggs Benedict at ten at night. You get a discount if you order a breakfast from a part of the world where it’s currently morning, and every time zone is represented on the menu. This place will satisfy even the most fussy eater.
Sadovaya-Kudrinskaya Ulitsa, 9 str. 4 cookkareku.ru
Russian
Matryoshka
Mixing pre-revolutionary aesthetics with a hint of steampunk, this restaurant will make you feel like you’ve stepped back 100 years in time. In fact, it mimics some of Moscow’s great restaurants from the turn of the century — in style as well as in its menu. If you feel like sampling some of the local cuisine, here you can dine like Tolstoy’s heroes on caviar and blinis, beef stroganoff, and borshch, as well as a number of creative meat and fish dishes, all inspired by classic Russian recipes. Can’t go wrong with that!
Kutuzovsky Prospekt, 2/1 str. 6 matryoshka-rest.ru
Sibirsibir
Atransplant to Moscow from Novosibirsk, SibirSibir specializes in Siberian cuisine both traditional and contemporary. To build the menu, the restaurant delved into the culinary archives and the depths of the Siberian taiga, discovering hundred-year-old methods of cooking that had been forgotten. The ingredients are just as unusual, even sending Russians to their smartphones to Google muksun, capercaillie, and agaric. Don’t miss the wide selection of infused vodkas. This is Russian food that’s far off beaten track, you certainly won’t get it anywhere else.
Ulitsa Smolenskaya, 8 sibirsibir.ru
Cafe Kranzler
Dining in the Heart of Moscow
The picturesque view over the Moscow River, Red Square and St Basil’s Cathedral inspired the best Russian artists more than 100 years ago. Today, throughout the summer, Café Kranzler offers guests the chance to enjoy the famous panorama en plein air. To whet the appetite, the menu offers watermelon salad with soft cheese and lemon dressing, rocket salad with quinoa and tiger shrimps, oysters, a caviar assortment, and organic vegetable salad. Guests who are looking for a wholesome main course will love the crab risotto, home-made pizza from the oven, sea bass fillet and grilled dishes. For a hot summer day, the recommended highlights would be tartars from the chef’s selection, and the café’s famous cold cucumber soup with crab meat. The signature dish of the hotel’s executive chef Maxim Maksakov is vareniki (dumplings) with suluguni cheese. To complete the treat, guests can enjoy refreshing fruit drinks, summer cocktails, various kinds of beer, wines and iced teas, along with delicate desserts.
Hotel Baltschug Kempinski Moscow
Ulitsa Balchug, 1 kempinski.com/moscow
Uhvat
Restaurant Uhvat of Modern Russian Cuisine With Russian Stoves
After carefully studying the features and peculiarities of cooking on a village stove, this restaurant has revived the Russian culinary tradition in a very modern way. Stoves were once used in every Russian house, but now they are rarely used. There are many Russians who will have happy memories of the taste of milk heated on the stove, using special pots and sticks, which their grandmother skillfully managed. Uhvat (a wooden stick with a large metal fork) is the main tool they use at Uhvat when working with the oven, hence the name of the restaurant. The heart of the restaurant is three Russian stoves in the middle of the hall. But not all dishes are simple and traditionally Russian. Chefs also prepare modern dishes like pumpkin with dried goose, fondant with ice cream, syrnitsa and varenitsa with plums. The wine list is a matter of pride that was created by the famous Russian sommelier Mikhail Volkov.
Rochdelskaya Ulitsa 15, str 41 uhvat.moscow
Italian
People&Pasta
Moscow might not be known for its Italian food, but People&Pasta is a great place to stop for a bowl of pasta, if a large helping of carbohydrates is what you’re craving. They make their pasta fresh and prepare it right behind the bar. They also offer pizzas.
Tsvetnoy Bulvar, 25 str. 1 people-pasta.ru
Zotman Pizza Pie
One of Moscow’s best pizza joints, the pies here are prepared Brooklyn-style, with a crispy, soft, and slightly blackened crust. The menu also features some great appetizers, salads and pastas. Make sure you call to make a reservation in advance.
Ulitsa Bolshaya Nikitskaya, 23/14/9 zotman.ru
La Bella Societa
Grab a Delicious Lunch While Waiting for a Movie
During the past two years, “La Bella Societa” has become a restaurant of traditions — with a glass of excellent wine and tasty Italian food you can have lunch while waiting to see a movie in the Moskva cinema. The menu, consisting of dishes from the North of Italy and Sicily, is extensive. Celery mousse and truffles with scallops, black caviar and crab tartare, created by brand chef and founder Oleg Krymasov, have already acquired a large number of fans. Delicious food is complemented by exemplary service and excellent staff. An enormous, seven-meter wall, stones, mandarin trees and aquarium create a bright and pleasant atmosphere of unity with nature that attracts many visitors. In 2015, “La Bella Societa” became the owner of the Grand Prix MGFestival 2015 and TOP 100 “Spoon Guide” gastronomic guide and is the first restaurant in Russia that officially hosts the SlowFood world movement.
Four Seasons Hotel
Okhotny Ryad, 24th floor of Shopping Gallery labellasocieta.com
Asian
Nha
Vietnamese cuisine has boomed in Moscow in the last few years, but you can still find some of the best pho in the city at Nha. It comes in a huge bowl, accompanied by a variety of hot sauces, as well as vinegar and soy sauce, so flavor to taste. Grab some nem (spring rolls), or a banh bao (meat-filled buns) to accompany it.
Stoleshnikov Pereulok, 6 str. 3 facebook.com/nhamoscow
Kitaiskaya Gramota
This Chinese restaurant may not be the most authentic in Moscow, but it’s a great place to visit; besides, the food here (which could be classified as contemporary Chinese) is top-notch. The chef hails from Guangzhou, and on the menu you can find many Cantonese and Sichuan dishes.
Ulitsa Sretenka, 1 chinagramota.ru
Kitaiskiye Novosti
Come here for the delicious Chinese and Taiwanese dishes, stay for the uber cool interiors and friendly staff. Kitaiskiye Novosti (China News) has three branches, two in the city center and one in the suburbs in the southwest of the city. Make sure to try their dumplings with truffle oil and the spicy Kung Pao chicken. If you get back to your hotel and find yourself craving more, they also deliver.
Ulitsa Spiridonovka, 25/20 chinanews.moscow
Georgian
Yest Khinkali & Pit Vino
In Georgia, food is sacred, and perhaps at the top of the Georgian pantheon are khinkali. The tradition is to eat them unaccompanied by any other dish, and in quantities that will leave you full for a whole week. Khinkali are the specialty at Yest Khinkali & Pit Vino (Eat Khinkali & Drink Wine). Wash it down with a glass or three of Georgian wine from one of the oldest wine-growing regions in the world.
Ulitsa Malaya Bronnaya, 4 str. 1 eatkhinkali.com
Khachapuri
This chain is a huge hit among locals and expats alike. They offer all the usual Georgian favorites in their relaxed restaurants, which you can find in a number of locations throughout the city. Don’t miss their Adjarian khachapuri and homemade lemonade. Their branch in the city center is the most buzzing location and has an in-house pianist to serenade diners. Make sure you make a reservation, especially on weekends.
Bolshoi Gnezdnikovsky Pereulok, 10 hacha.ru/en
Natakhtari
Although little-known outside the boundaries of the former Soviet Union, Georgia is home to one of the world’s great cuisines. Natakhtari is a good bet for trying Georgian cuisine outside the republic. This homey cafe offers all the classics, from colorful balls of pkhali (minced vegetables), to 11 kinds of khachapuri (cheese bread), as well as khinkali (meat dumplings).
Ulitsa Maroseika, 6/8 str. 1 cafenatahtari.ru
Vegetarian
Moscow-Delhi
When you walk into this tiny Indian cafe, you will be asked to take your shoes off, then seated in the midst of a bustling, soulful kitchen. There is also no menu, but you won’t notice it’s missing, and the vegetarian thali-style meal allows you to try a little of everything. Make a reservation beforehand, as space is limited.
Yermolayevsky Pereulok, 7 facebook.com/MoscowDelhi
Avocado
Vegetarians, vegans and raw foodists, if you find yourself in Moscow and are discouraged by the blank stares you receive when you explain your dietary restrictions, you will no doubt have better luck here. Dishes are international, and you can order anything from pelmeni to burgers and pasta.
Chistoprudny Bulvar, 12, k. 2 avocadocafe.ru
Fresh
Ask any vegan or vegetarian in Moscow where their favorite place is to eat and they’ll probably mention this place. They have an impressive menu — including detox options, all-day breakfasts and an extensive juice selection. Even if you’re not vegetarian, this is the perfect place if you need something refreshing after all those salty bar snacks. Make sure you try their delicious veggie burgers.
Ulitsa Bolshaya Dmitrovka, 11 freshrestaurant.ru
Quick Eats
Stolovaya 57
А throwback to the days when GUM was an affordable place to shop, this cafeteria is a great place to grab a bite to eat after the mandatory visit to Red Square. Cafeterias were a part of daily life in the Soviet Union, when the government pushed for maximum efficiency, including for lunch, which for Russians is a four-course meal consisting of a salad, soup, main course and dessert. It’s not complete without a glass of kompot.
Krasnaya Ploshchad, 3 (GUM), 3rd floor. gum.ru/cafe/stolovaya-57
Lepim I Varim
Pelmeni are the beloved Russian take on dumplings. Students buy them frozen for a quick and cheap dinner. Babushkas will sit for hours making them by hand. Some of Moscow’s best can be found at Lepim i Varim, where aside from the traditional pork and beef filling, you can try 20 other variations, from tuna to cherry.
Stoleshnikov Pereulok, 9/1. lepimivarim.ru
Danilovsky Market
A bourgeois iteration of the traditional Russian market, Danilovsky combines vegetable and meat hawkers with about 15 different food stands. The longest line is always at Bo, with Muscovites waiting for giant bowls of Vietnamese pho. On a nice day, enjoy your meal on one of the outdoor picnic tables.
Mytnaya Ulitsa, 74. danrinok.ru
Armenian
Noah’s Arc
Enjoy the Authentic Armenian Fare in this Moscow Favorite
It was the seventeenth day of the seventh month when Noah’s ark came to the top of Mount Ararat. On the same date, the legendary restaurant Noah’s Ark was opened. It has been open for almost 20 years, offering traditional Armenian cuisine, and is one of the most prestigious and popular restaurants in Moscow. Dishes are a combination of ancient traditional recipes, organic products and special cooking methods. The chef has created a unique menu, where classic dishes of the Ararat valley are supplemented by modern hits of southern cuisine.
Almost every dish in the restaurant has its own history and legend. For example, the name of the signature dish “Kare-kyufta” comes from the word Kar that means “stone” in Armenian This stone was used for the best veal and beef to ensure that the meat was as tender as possible. Chefs recreated the consistency of this meat dish, adding piquancy with juicy tomatoes and fragrant basil. The meat itself is brought from the farm lands of the Ararat Valley, and choosing a cooking method, boiled or fried, the guest will be able to appreciate the special taste of the famous. The menu offers not only classic dishes, like homos, haviara, eggplant caviar, kutabs and meat, but also exclusive dishes such as “Ishkhan” — Sevan trout, which is only found in Armenia. The restaurant interior is beautiful. Handmade carvings, wall paintings, copper engraved panels depicting subjects from the Bible, beautiful lamps and lights create an atmosphere of Oriental luxury.
The main pride of the restaurant is a stone barbecue, on which most of the dishes from the menu are prepared. All guests can watch the main culinary process – fish and vegetables are baked, and all types of meat are prepared. Guests will not fail to notice the delicious aromas.
Maly Ivanovsky, 9 noevkovcheg.ru
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