During recent years a great many of restaurants, bars and coffee-houses were opened in Moscow. Virtually every week a new restaurant or a coffee-house is opened in Moscow. Restaurant boom started at the beginning of the nineties of the last century and now there are several hundreds of outlets, where one can have a cup of coffee of a pint of beer or enjoy “high” cuisine for several hundreds of dollars.
Listed below restaurants are grouped in accordance with offered cuisine. Although, one should bear in mind, that restaurant division by type of cuisine is rather relative in Moscow. So in Italian pizza-house you can find Japanese sushi (raw fish and rice) and susimi (raw fish), and Chinese dishes can be part of the Japanese restaurant menu. Many restaurants included into international cuisine section have no any nation cuisine at all, but they are worth visiting anyway.
In conclusion, it is worth mentioning here, that majority of Muscovites as opposed to, say, those who live in Paris, do not think about food 24 hours a day. Week-days and during day time the majority of restaurants are rather empty. But from Friday night and till Sunday the picture changes. There are practically no vacant tables in many restaurants and bars and coffee-houses are overcrowded.
The majority of outlets work from midday till early hours in the morning and some are open round the clock. As a rule, the majority of restaurants accepts credit cards and provides free parking. One should bear in mind, that tips are virtually never part of the bill and are at the client's discretion. Normally, minimal tip is 10% of the bill. People do not give tips in bars.
Azerbaijani cuisine eating-houses network. All eating-houses have similar interior: semi-darkness, sofas, painted walls and national music. The menu includes salad-bar at $5.5 and various dishes of national cuisine. A dinner for two costs roughly $20–30. All major credit cards accepted.
Address: 59 bld., Zemlianoy Val str. Taganskaya Phones: 912-3615, 912-3621
Address: 50 bld., Vorontsovskaya Str. Proletarskaya Phone: 276-4096
“American Bar&Grill” is a chain of American restaurants with the atmosphere of western and southern state of the USA. The interiors of these restaurants feature wooden furniture, low ceilings. The walls are decorated with harnesses, saddles and stuffed animals. The menu includes various burgers (from $8–10), traditional “Caesar” salad for $13, different types of stakes (from $25–28). Chicken wings “Buffalo”, baked potatoes “Skins” stuffed with bacon, onions, sour cream and Cheddar cheese, traditional desert cheesecake is always popular with clients. “American Bar&Grill” at Taganka is more spacious and there is a summer veranda there. Dinner is from $50. All major credit cards are accepted.
The bar is named in honor of bootleggers – American alcohol dealers who operated during the Great American Depression. A big choice of alcoholic drinks and cocktails accompanied with modest snacks. At night it's rather a lively place, but very overcrowded Fridays. Open round the clock. All major credit cards are accepted.
An American restaurants chain, which name suggest joy only at the end of the week, but in Russia it works different way. It is full of people regardless day of the week. Food, as in majority of American restaurants, is good. The menu includes various types of stakes, including salmon stake ($13.75–14.75), chicken wings, burgers and sandwiches. One should bear in mind, that evenings its a noisy place, so one should find a different place for a quite dinner. Dinner is from $50. All major credit cards are accepted.
Arabic Cuisine
Sindbad
Address: 23/9 bld., Bolshaya Nikitskaya str. (entrance from Nikitsky blvd). Pushkinskaya Phone: 291-7115
Rather typical “middle range” outlet, say, for somewhere in Beirut, but quite specific for Moscow. The walls are decorated with man-made flowers and Lebanon landscapes. Strangely enough, this is the only Moscow outlet to ever receive Wallpaper magazine review. The menu provides for cheap, but nevertheless, tasty food (homos, kebabs, mess of pottage), Arabic coffee with cardamon and cloves. Dinner for one doesn't exceed $20. Credit cards are not accepted.
A fashionable restaurant of Armenian cuisine situated on the ground floor of a five star hotel in the center of Moscow. The restaurant is irreproachable in everything, in table appointments, cuisine and aristocratic atmosphere. Dimmed light, muffled music. Best dishes are: “Kololac” with meat balls, “Dolma” made from mutton in grape leaves, “Burum” – rolls of bread with spinach, onions, cheese and mushrooms. Dinner for one is from $ 50. Wines from France, Italy, USA, Austria and Armenia are from $52 to $350 per bottle. All major credit cards are accepted.
Noah's Ark
Address: 9 bld., Maly Ivanovski pereulok. Kitay-Gorod Phones: 921-5856, 917-0717
It is worth visiting, especially if you are Armenian cuisine lover. Chefs are excellent. The menu provides detailed description of every dish, so one shouldn't be scared by unknown names. “Ker u sus” – beef fillet, fried with onions, tomatoes and green peas, “Tzhvzhik” – baby sheep liver, fried with onions, “Kololik” – soup with meatballs. Dinner with no brandy will cost around $30–40, with brandy around $100.
It's the only Bulgarian cuisine restaurant in Moscow. There is a real Bulgarian tavern situated in a basement with no windows. Late in the day the waiters dance and sing. The menu consists of Bulgarian meat, Bulgarian vegetables, and Bulgarian wine. Mekhana Bansko provides tasty food at reasonable prices. Average dinner bill is $35–45. They cook very good beef with mushroom sauce, aborigines, various types of bannitsa – Bulgarian national pie. All major credit cards are accepted.
Georgian Cuisine
Genatsvale
Address: 12/1 bld., Ostozhenka str. Šà®¯®âª¨áª ï Phone: 202-0445
“Genatsvale” is a cozy Georgian cuisine restaurant with reasonable prices. Local home food is very tasty. The menu includes khachapuri, beef kebab, Black sea fish. Dinner for one costs $15–30. Visa and MasterCard are accepted.
Kavkazskaya Plennitsa
Address: 36 bld., Prospect Mira. Prospect Mira Phone: 280-5111
The interiors of the restaurant depict scenes from a popular soviet comedy film of the sixties. All dishes are very tasty. As opposed to the majority of Georgian restaurants, there is a buffet dinner – “pumarili” ($60), which includes any main course, desert and two glasses of wine. The menu also includes khachapuri mengrelian style (bread baked with cheese and eggs) for $12, mutton kebab for $23, and Georgian wines in clay vessels from $30 to $70. Modest dinner costs $60–80.
It is one of the most famous Georgian restaurants. It is situated on the landing stage of the Frunzenskaya embankment. Food is very tasty and prices are reasonable. Dinner is from $28 per person, Georgian wine Rbs 600–700 per bottle. Credit cards are not accepted.
Tiflis
Address: 32 bld., Ostozhenka str. Park Kultury Phones: 290-6139, 290-2897
Nice interiors with old photographs, colorfull dolls, verandas with wild grapes are part of “Tiflis” atmosphere. The restaurant is situated in a three-story house in the center of Moscow. “Tiflis” is an expensive, respectable restaurant of Georgian cuisine. The menu includes all the major dishes of Georgian cuisine. Dinner with wine is from $40 to 60. Credit cards are not accepted.
Indian Cuisine
5 spices
Address: 3/18 Sivtsev Vrazhek Str. Kropotkinskaya Phone: 202-1283
It is a restaurant of Indian and Chinese cuisine with chefs from India and China. There are a smaller variety of Indian dishes, rather than Chinese. The menu includes various kebabs, tandur chicken, which perfectly matches homemade cheese, baked in tandur with green pepper and red tomato. Major credit cards are accepted.
A small cozy restaurant with windows faces the quiet lane, far away from city noise. The national music plays evenings. Every afternoon (12:00–17:00) a business lunch is offered for $7.5. There's tasty and rather inexpensive food there: Masala chicken ($8.5), green rice ($4) and from $20 total for a dinner without alcohol. Together with affable personnel, the restaurant deserves your visit. All major credit cards are accepted.
This is the most popular restaurant of Smolensky Passage restaurants. “Shampur” is an Indian style stake house. “Shampur” is famous for its open kitchen with clay furnace. The menu includes 17 dishes; waiting time is less than 10 minutes. Dinner costs around $30. Major credit cards are accepted.
Intenational Cuisine
011
Address: 10/13 Sadovaya-Triumfalnaya str. (entrance from Vorotnikovsky pereulok). Mayakovskaya Phone: 209-0963
Some time ago a very popular restaurant of Yugoslavian cuisine, now it also offers Mediterranean and Russian cuisine. Regular visitors like this restaurant for tasty meat dishes and good service. National Serbian dishes and Yugoslavian wines ($27 per bottle) are a good match. Dinner for two is from $50. Major credit cards are accepted.
Beer restaurant, where Australian beer Foster's brewed in Scotland is served ($2.9–3.9). The menu includes exotic dishes from kangaroo meat, but they are mainly for kangaroo meat lovers. Most popular is “Pilgim's Lunch” – salad leaves with spicy beef inside ($6), duck with orange sauce. Dinner is from $50. Major credit cards are accepted.
It is famous for the quality of cooked meat. One of the specialties is veal on rib ($44). Sturgeon dishes, pelmeni (ravioli) are also very nice. In the middle of the restaurant a whole calf or lamb is being fried. Dinner for two costs from $80. Major credit cards are accepted.
B. B. King
Address: 4/2 Sadovaya-Samotechnaya str. Tsvetnoy Bulvar Phone: 299-8206
It is a club type restaurant with international cuisine. It's probably the only place in town with live jazz and rhythm and blues. Good food, but good music is supposed to be the main thing in this restaurant. Before weekend it is rather crowded. Dinner for one is from $50. Credit cards are not accepted.
Pompous restaurant pretending to look like a high society parlor of the 19th century. It features wine-colored velvet and gold, theatre alike boxes, a huge chandelier is under the ceiling. A very rich menu. Variety show after 21:00. Dinner for two is from $100. Major credit cards are accepted.
Elki-palki po...
Address: 18a bld., Tverskaya Str. Tverskaya, Pushkinskaya Phone: 200-3920
One of well known in Moscow “Elki-Palki” inexpensive restaurants chain. It features many dishes of Mongolian cuisine. The most popular is “Tamerlan's Plate” (around $6). Every visitor may choose any from the offered ingredients and restaurant chef will cook them immediately on a big metal stove. One can buy any drink or beer at the bar to accompany the main course. Dinner bill hardly ever exceeds $10; probably that is why this place is always crowded. Credit cards are not accepted.
Small and cozy french restaurant in the modern style. Dishes of European mixed cuisine are offered by quite reasonable prices. Dinner for one may cost around $50. In case French champagne is ordered the price will increase two fold. “Café des Artistes” is one of a few places in Moscow, where delicious deserts are offered. The majority of credit cards are accepted.
The restaurant is situated in the very same once known to all Moscow building of a restaurant, which had the same name before. Having moved to the existing building in 1848, Yar became one of the most popular Moscow restaurants. Chekov and Kuprin, Ryabushinski and Morozov visited this restaurant. The restaurant observes old traditions. The menu is very rich. Major credit cards are accepted.
It is one of the best Italian restaurants in Moscow.
Modest interiors are compensated by wonderful cuisine.
There are probably the best deserts in Moscow –
buccelatti, pinocatta, sfinci, and other Sicilian delicacies.
Dinner for one is around $30. Credit cards are accepted.
Bosco Café is a delicate cafe-restaurant in GUM. There is
a summer veranda with Kremlin view. Deserts (from $3 to $9) are excellent,
the same with cappuccino ($4.5). The menu includes crab salad, various
types of pasta. A glass of wine is from $7. Major credit cards are accepted.
Italianets
Address: 13 bld., Samotechnaya str. Tsvetnoy Bulvar Phones: 288-5651, 288-6401
It is a rather new Italian restaurant. The food is delicious.
Credit cards are not accepted.
Moya Mamochka
Address: 34 bld., 2 block, Piatnitskaya str. Novokuznetskaya
It is an inexpensive café on ground floor
and a restaurant is on the first floor. The food is well
cooked and tasty. Cakes and strong coffee are offered at
a reasonable price. The main menu includes salmon salad
with avocado ($5) and lasagna for $6. It is an ideal place
for a tasty and inexpensive meal. Credit cards are not accepted.
Marinero
Address: 7/5 Pushechnaya str. Kuznetski Most
It is a quite restaurant offering dishes of Italian and French cuisine.
The restaurant is rightly proud of its cuisine. “Marinero”
is an ideal pace for quite family dinners. Dinner for one is around $30.
Major credit cards are accepted.
The restaurant consists of two halls: one is strict in claret
color with a fireplace; the other is lively, yellow resembling
cheese ball from inside. The menu includes asparagus with sauce
($15) assortment of 8 Italian cheeses ($29), buffet with various
Italian snacks ($40). Dinner with wine is from $50. Major credit cards are accepted.
Chinese Cuisine
5 spices
Address: 3/18 Sivtsev Vrazhek str. Kropotkinskaya Phone: 202-1283
Arbatskaya