| Dining Overview | Top  |
Finding a good restaurant in Moscow used to be difficult—but not anymore. Moscow now has a wide selection of restaurants in all price ranges, though dining out is still relatively expensive compared with other countries. Fortunately, the popularity of super-high-end restaurants appears to be ending, and moderately priced eateries have been springing up regularly.
Traditional Russian cuisine is hearty and straightforward (Russians like meat and potatoes). The bread and ice cream, however, are excellent, and pastries taste similar to those found in other parts of eastern Europe. While in Moscow, be sure to try pelmeni (dumplings), sturgeon and, of course, the Russian delicacy, caviar.
For some time Moscow was fond of themed restaurants, and the best one is Boyarsky Zal (lots of gold paint and tourists). The former Soviet Republic of Georgia (now an independent nation) was renowned for its cuisine during the communist era, and there are several good Georgian restaurants in the capital, including Tamada (in central Moscow, off Tverskaya Street). Moscow also has a variety of French, Italian and Asian eateries. The European imports tend to be better than the Asian ones.
Restaurants are usually open daily. Lunch is served noon-3 pm, and dinner is 7-11 pm or midnight. Full breakfast is usually available only in hotels, but light breakfasts are served in European-style cafes. Be aware that not all restaurants have everything that's listed on the menu. Russian is the only language spoken at most midrange establishments, so you may want to ask your hotel's receptionist to make reservations for you. Smoke-free restaurants are more the exception than the rule.
Over the past few years, a good selection of coffeehouses and traditional Russian bistros has appeared all over Moscow. Visit one of the Pirogi Cafes—the chain started with the literary cafe and club O.G.I. on Potapovsky Pereulok, and then expanded all over Moscow.
Expect to pay within these general guidelines, based on the cost of dinner for one, not including drinks, tax or tip: $ = less than 750 rubles; $$ = 750 rubles-1,200 rubles; $$$ = 1,201 rubles-2,500 rubles; and $$$$ = more than 2,500 rubles.
| Local & Regional | Top |
For dining in top style as close to Red Square as one can get, this is the place. There are two dining areas: One offers Russian entertainment, and the other features jazz. The restaurant provides a live encounter with Russian history as it offers a re-creation of historical dinners—complete with menus, toasts and etiquette—enjoyed by nobility of historical times. The business lunch, served Monday-Friday noon-4 pm, is a good value. Open daily for lunch and dinner. $. 1 Red Square (in the State Historical Museum), Moscow. Phone 495-692-1196, 495-692-1016 or 495-692-5176. http://www.redsquare.ru.
This place serves good, solid Russian food, great shashliks (kebabs) and flavored vodka in an informal atmosphere. Most Friday nights, the staff roasts a whole cow. Daily 24 hours. $$$. Most major credit cards. Ulitsa 1905 Goda 2, Moscow. Phone 495-252-3041.
In this dream world, a stuffed Russian bear and balalaika players complement the mismatched prerevolutionary silver, with which you carve your caviar-stuffed trout. Most of the menu is Russian, with a few French influences. You'll also notice the wonderful balcony, the gold paint—and the other tourists. It's kitsch, but fun. Nightly for dinner. $$$$. Most major credit cards. Teatralny 1/4 (in the Hotel Metropol), Moscow. Phone 499-270-1063 (after 3 pm). http://metropol-moscow.ru.
This three-story mansion just off Pushkin Square looks and feels like the kind of society restaurant described in one of the author's novels. The food, mostly traditional Russian, is far superior to that in many other fancy places. And prices are surprisingly reasonable, given the lavish decor and elaborately costumed waiters. Service is excellent. Daily 24 hours. All floors not open at the same time, some from noon-midnight. $$$. Most major credit cards. Tverskoy Bulvar 26-A, Moscow. Phone 495-739-0033.
Located across from the Bolshoi Theater in a part of the Zaikonospassky Monastery dating from the 1600s, Godunov offers traditional Russian fare in a pleasant setting just outside the Kremlin wall. Food is generally accompanied by Russian or Gypsy music. Try the
medovuka honey drink. Noon until the last customer leaves. $$$. 5/1 Teatralnaya Ploschchad, Moscow. Phone 495-298-5609 or 495-298-5498. http://www.godunov.restaurant.ru.
This knickknack-filled restaurant, including memorabilia from Mikhail Bulgakov's
The Master and Margarita, offers good Russian and European cuisine at affordable prices. Evening entertainment often turns the place into what resembles a Russian house party. 1 pm-midnight. Reservations required. $$. No credit cards. 28 Malaya Gronnaya (at the corner of Patriarch's Pond), Moscow. Phone 495-299-6534.
This stylish, old-Russian, art-deco-themed restaurant is so well-done that you'll think you're in a Chekhovian country house. Excellent piroshki (small pies), soups and beef Stroganoff, as well as
samogon—a home-brewed vodka (not for the faint-hearted). Try the all-you-can-eat (and drink) fixed menu for 1,500 rubles. Daily for dinner. Reservations recommended. $$$-$$$$. Most major credit cards. 5 First Monetchikovsky Per (near Dobryninskaya metro station), Moscow. Phone 495-953-6828. http://www.restoran-oblomov.ru.
This restaurant features Ukranian classics such as
salo, which is smoked pig fat with raw garlic, horseradish vodka and boiled tongue, and excellent borscht and cabbage soup (
shchi). The biggest attraction, however, is a re-created Ukranian farmyard right in the middle of the restaurant, complete with a live peasant girl, chickens, geese and a cow (which has been transported upstairs in a special service elevator). So kitschy, it's great. Daily 24 hours. $$$. Most major credit cards. Ulitsa 1905 Goda 2, Moscow. Phone 495-255-0888. http://www.shinok.ru.
This homey restaurant serves some of the best Georgian food in Moscow. If you're with someone else, order the fixed-price menu for two; otherwise choose the mixed grill, the dolma or the
khachapuri (cheese-filled turnovers, similar to calzones). The well-chosen Georgian wines won't be a blow to your wallet, either. Daily for lunch and dinner. $$. No credit cards. Maly Gnzdnikovsky Pereulok 12/27 (off Tverskaya Street), Moscow. Phone 495-229-6688.
This local chain features budget-priced Russian cuisine served by a friendly, costumed waitstaff in decor that represents a country home or a farmyard. They're often busy, so a short wait may be in order. Hours vary by location. $. No credit cards. Various locations, Moscow.
Imagine being in a trendy New York cafe with a takeaway food counter and you have Correa's. If you wish to host a party, Correa's also delivers and caters. The pizza is excellent, and the chocolate-walnut torte is to die for. In addition to the original location on Bolshoi Gruzinskaya, there are two others at Bolshoi Ordinka St. 40/2 (phone 495-725-6035) and Rublevo-Uspenskoe Highway 85/1 (phone 495-739-2586). The seating area is very small. 8 am-10 pm, holidays 9 am-10 pm. Reservations recommended. $$. Bolshoi Gruzinskaya St. 32, Moscow. Phone 495-205-9100. http://www.correas.ru.
This place serves the best breakfasts in town, as well as the best bacon burgers, turkey Reubens and shakes. Located in two genuine prefab Starlite diners shipped from Florida. American-owned and run, it's guaranteed to satisfy late-night cravings. Daily 24 hours. $$. Most major credit cards. Bolshaya Sadovaya Ulitsa 16A (Mayakovsky Square), Moscow. Phone 495-290-9638. Also at Korovy val. 9. Phone 495-959-8919. http://www.starlite.ru.
Baan Thai offers a vast menu of Thai cuisine and decor that is welcoming, peaceful and excellent. Noon-midnight. Most major credit cards. Discount cards are available for repeat customers. 11 Dorogomolovskaya St. (near metro station Kievskaya), Moscow. Phone 495-240-0597. http://www.baanthai.ru.
Located near the American Embassy and replete with jungle greenery and waterfall, this restaurant serves fresh (flown in every second day) quality Thai food. Noon-11:30 pm. Novinsky Blvd. 31 (Novinsky Passage Mall), Moscow. Phone 495-580-7756. http://www.blueelephant.com/Moscow.
This very stylish fusion restaurant could hold its own in London or Los Angeles. Top-notch lobster salad, sushi and spring rolls. Daily for lunch and dinner, open till 11 pm. $$$. Most major credit cards. Ulitsa Krasina 21, Moscow. Phone 495-232-2778.
Ignore the depressing Soviet-hotel location and go for the best Indian food in Moscow. Superb chicken tikka masala and friendly Indian waiters. Well worth the trek out from the city center. Daily noon-midnight. $$. Most major credit cards. Leninsky Prospekt 38 (in the Hotel Sputnik), Moscow. Phone 495-930-2925.
This extensive Chinese menu is possibly the most authentic in the city. Drevnii Kitai is set in an excellent city-center location. Daily noon-midnight. $$. Kamergerckii Pereulok 5, Moscow. Phone 495-292-2900.
This place serves top-notch Chinese food with an Indian twist. The chicken in black-pepper sauce or the prawns in hot garlic sauce go well with an assortment of tandoori-cooked meats. Daily for lunch and dinner noon-midnight. $$$. Most major credit cards. Svitsav Vrazhek 3/18, Moscow. Phone 495-203-1283.
The dining room is a large, cavernous room where friendly servers, who cook right in front of you, create good, spicy Korean food. Tasty Korean beer, too. Daily for lunch and dinner 11 am-11 pm. $$. Most major credit cards. Volgogradsky Prospekt 26 (east of the city center), Moscow. Phone 495-270-1300.
This is one of the best Japanese restaurants in town. It has a modern design and serves traditional cuisine as well as new dishes. If you like desserts, this restaurant has an excellent selection. Daily noon-midnight. $$$. 26 Prospekt Mira, Building 8 (enter from Grokholsky Pereulok), Moscow. Phone 495-937-8803.
This restaurant serves excellent, spicy Tibetan food, heavy on garlic and chili, at very affordable prices. In an unpatriotic twist, it serves Chinese dishes, too. Friendly service and the central location make this a favorite among expats. Daily noon-11 pm. $$. No credit cards. Kkamergersky Pereulok 5/6, Moscow. Phone 495-923-2422 or 495-961-3441.
This is the main location of a chain of high-quality Japanese restaurants found all over central Moscow. Excellent yakitori (skewered chicken and onions), sushi and miso soup. Daily for lunch and dinner. $$. No credit cards. Pervy Tverskoi Yamskoi Pereulok 29, Moscow. Phone 495-250-5385.
This comfortable French bistro has an excellent wine list. Noon-midnight; open at 8 am for breakfast only. 7 Krasinaya Building 1 (near metro stop Mayakovskaya), Moscow. Phone 495-254-7908.
Once you've finished chuckling at the mock French-baronial interior, settle down to some of the finest French cuisine east of Strasbourg. Wealthy Russians demand the best and get it at Le Duc, albeit at a steep price. Fantastic wine list, genuine French chefs and a friendly, very knowledgeable sommelier. Daily for lunch and dinner. $$$$. Most major credit cards. Ulitsa 1905 Goda 2, Moscow. Phone 495-255-0390.
This place serves exceptional French cuisine to beautiful people. The ambience is stylish and modern without being crass. Everything is delicious and original, and the wine list is also first-rate. Daily for lunch and dinner. Reservations recommended. $$$$. Most major credit cards. Ulitsa Ostozhenka 1/9, Moscow. Phone 495-202-3341.
This extremely elegant restaurant is decorated in 19th-century art-nouveau style. The food is sublime, the service is excellent, and the prices reflect that. Daily noon-midnight. Reservations recommended. $$$$. 48 Myasnitskaya Ulitsa (near Krasniye Vorota metro station), Moscow. Phone 495-925-4715.
This restaurant serves high-end, beautifully presented Italian cuisine—it's also the haunt of Moscow's oligarchs and glitterati, which will give you an idea of the prices. Excellent seafood (try the sea bass or king prawns) and desserts (sensational tiramisu) prepared by the Sicilian chef. Fantastic views of the Kremlin. Daily for lunch and dinner, open till midnight. Reservations recommended. $$$$. Most major credit cards. Kadashevskaya Nab. 6/1, Moscow. Phone 495-237-6342.
The old Patio Pizza has been reinvented with a new menu and with smoking and smoke-free sections. There are about 20 locations around Moscow with the newest in Novinsky Passage Mall at Novinsky Boulevard. Consult the Web site for other locations. Noon-midnight. Most major credit cards. Phone 495-298-2520. http://www.il-patio.rosinter.ru.
This restaurant serves superb Italian cuisine in an upscale trattoria. Fresh, simple food, including fantastic veal, pesto, salads and tiramisu, plus a decent wine list. Daily for lunch and dinner. $$$. Most major credit cards. Bolshoy Golovin Pereulok 5, Moscow. Phone 495-924-2931.
This is a favorite for Moscow's Italian-food lovers. The dishes there are not only well-prepared, they're reasonably priced and unpretentiously served. Great tomato soup, penne Gorgonzola and giant
agnolotti (a stuffed pasta similar to ravioli) in tomato sauce. Daily for lunch and dinner. $$. Most major credit cards. Bolshaya Bronnaya Ulitsa 27/4, Moscow. Phone 495-200-3057.
Italian-food lovers rave about this place. It has staggeringly authentic food, which comes at a price. Homemade pasta, too. Daily, noon till the last customer leaves. $$$$. 17 Klimashkina Ulitsa, Moscow. Phone 495-253-6505.
This reasonably priced and very popular Mexican restaurant has an entertaining decor. Daily 24 hours. $$. 52 Ulitsa Bolshaya Yakimanka, Moscow. Phone 495-238-7913.
You might not expect to find good Mexican food in Moscow, but this place has tasty
chiles rellenos, guacamole and chicken with mole sauce. Daily for lunch and dinner. $$$. Most major credit cards. Turgenevskaya Ploschad 2/4, Moscow. Phone 495-928-0390.
| Coffeehouses | Top |
Upmarket students go to this cozy, Seattle-style coffee bar for the great cakes and a variety of coffees. A perfect place for when you want to escape from Moscow for a half-hour. Daily 8 am-11 pm. $. No credit cards. 10 Tverskaya Ul, Moscow. Phone 495-788-6357.
This is the Moscow version of a sandwich bar for busy professionals, but it's also very convenient for hungry tourists. Daily for lunch and dinner. $$. 9 Ulitsa Arbat, Moscow. Phone 495-739-0014.
| Steak Houses | Top |
New on the steak house scene and now in multiple locations, Goodman's offers an upscale steak house fare, serving the best Angus steaks in the city. Background music is live jazz and blues. Noon-midnight. $$. Most major credit cards. Tverskaya Str. 23 and Novinsky Blvd. 31, Moscow. Phone 495-937-5679 (Tverskaya Str.) or 495-981-4941 (Novinsky Blvd.) http://www.goodman-steak.ru.
One of the first fine-dining, Western-owned restaurants in Moscow, Guilly's still has some of the best beef in town. The dining room looks like a wine cellar, and the desserts are excellent. Daily for lunch and dinner. $$$. Most major credit cards. Stoleshnikov Pereulok 6, Str. 1, Moscow. Phone 495-229-2050.
| Other Options | Top |
On the French side of fusion, Cafe Maner and its basement neighbor, Checkpoint, are hangouts of the stylish and wealthy of Moscow when they just want a quick snack of duck breast on
rocca or to indulge in tiramisu. Inventive cocktails. Excellent place for lunch and people-watching. 10 am-midnight. $-$$. Most major credit cards. Ulitsa Petrovka, Dom 5 (in the Berlin House), Moscow. Phone 495-775-1959.
Far and away the best brasserie in Moscow—great steaks, salmon and fish, and superb salads and desserts. Impeccably run by its Swedish owners, Scandinavia also has a summer terrace just off Pushkin Square that is unbeatable for lunch. A favorite with moneyed expats, Russian businessmen and, allegedly, President Vladimir Putin. Daily for lunch and dinner, open till midnight. $$-$$$$. Most major credit cards. Maly Palashevsky Pereulok 7 (just behind McDonald's on Pushkin Square), Moscow. Phone 495-937-5630.
This restaurant is hard to find, but we think you'll have an even harder time finding better shashlik than those at this Ossetian eatery. (Ossetia is a region in southern Russia, in the Caucasus Mountains.) Popular with oligarchs and people in the know, it's not cheap, but the service is spectacular. So are the dolmas. Daily for lunch and dinner. $$$$. No credit cards. Bolshoi Nikolopeskovskii Pereulok, Dom 15 (between the Old and New Arbat), Moscow. Phone 495-244-7262.
This was the first restaurant in Moscow to introduce fusion cuisine—and still the best. Uley is sometimes considered too complex for many Russians, but visitors comfortable in the top restaurants of New York seem to love it. The menu is diverse, with offerings ranging from nori-wrapped crab cakes with garlic-and-chipotle aioli to fried New York cheesecake. Daily for dinner, Monday-Friday till 2 am, Saturday and Sunday till 5 am. $$$$. Most major credit cards. Gashenka Ulitsa 7, Moscow. Phone 495-797-3090.
