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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 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.
A short and frequently changing menu features dishes rooted in Continental and Eastern European traditions and often includes a selection of pâtés, gratins, savory pies, and confits. A sweet beetroot and black bread ice cream duo is usually on the dessert list. The metal-and-wood surroundings are quiet and relaxing.
Meals at Moscow's best Ukrainian restaurant often include a plate of assorted salo—a specialty of cured pork fat. If such traditional country favorites seem out of keeping with the sleek interior, take a look at the far side of the main dining hall for a glimpse of a quaint Ukrainian farm scene, complete with rabbits, a cow, and even a milkmaid and a pair of beautiful peacocks.
Steps away from ploshchad Lubyanka, chef Marc de Passorio serves pared-down takes on his haute- fusion cuisine for reasonable prices. The long menu includes now-familiar international dishes like chicken quesadillas and beef spring rolls, as well as such Russian classics as borsch and beef Stroganoff. Especially noteworthy are some of the more creative options, such as grilled goat cheese and fig salad.
One of the very few places in Moscow with a terrace on Red Square is on the first floor of the GUM department store. You pay for the view, but the Mediterranean fare is tasty, and you can just order a coffee if you're not hungry for a meal. The terrace closes once it gets cold.
In convivial and laid-back surroundings north of Novokuznetskaya metro station heading toward the river, you can enjoy a large selection of well-prepared tarts and cakes. Some say their coffee is among the best in the city.
As if to reward you for locating the place (it's hidden in a courtyard with a front sign that says "Thanks for finding us"), staff members seem driven to make you join in their revelry. Greetings come first from the pirate-moustached owner, then from the team of gregarious bartenders, who will soon cajole you into trying one of the house-made liquors. Fresh flowers brighten the windowless space; menus are presented on clipboards; and the drink list is written in chalk across a wall. The casual fare includes well-prepared pizzas and pastas, and a selection of juicy burgers.
The menu consists mostly of classic Continental salads, sandwiches, and other light fare, though the real attraction is the pastry case, which holds house-made cakes and other sweets that pair perfectly with a steaming cup of coffee. The tranquil atmosphere with comfy window seats is ideal for a break from sightseeing or for whiling away a rainy afternoon. It's a few minutes away from Patriarch's Ponds.
After entering through a tunnel of vine leaves, you're seated at oak tables in a somewhat Disneyfied version of an old country house in Georgia (the country). The food—rich stews, aromnatic rice dishes, grilled meats and kebabs—is genuine, however, and in the evenings you can enjoy an authentic Georgian choir and traditional dancing.
This cheap and cheerful replica of a classic Parisian bistro, open 24 hours a day, is almost always busy, and little wonder: the selection of wines by the glass is the best in Moscow; the daily lunch special, with a choice of soup, salad, and main, is a great value; and water is free, an unusual treat in Moscow. Some of the mains are hit or miss, but the steak is reliably good.
Bookshelves line the walls of this two-floor café, popular with students and intellectuals who enjoy good food at budget prices—salads, braised and grilled meat and fish, vegetable dishes, and seasonal selections, such as roasted pumpkin in fall and gazpacho come June. It can get smoky, but there's a small nonsmoking area.
Gilded ceilings and low lighting provide a dark and romantic setting in which to enjoy fresh Pan-Asian cuisine that appears to be irresistible to a smart crowd. A long list of cocktails prepared by expert bartenders keeps the place hopping late into the night.
Find the unmarked entrance, ring the right doorbell, and you will be taken back half a century to an idealized Soviet home. It could be Red Army Day, the way the tables are garnished with white cloth and water goblets—and the flour-and-water baranki crackers on the table evoke bygone scarcity. Stolid, apron-clad waitresses glide from table to table delivering beet salads, mushroom soup, and other nostalgic fare. Wooden shelves and the bric-a-brac on them—glass cookie jars, an old radio, a deer figurine—make this place feel truly homey. The experience isn't entirely homespun, though—Mari Vanna has branches as far afield as New York and Los Angeles.
One of the most serene dining rooms in the city, with comfortable wooden chairs and upholstered benches, also has a nice terrace and beer garden for summer dining. The Swedish chef mixes modern European and Scandinavian choices. If you're out for purely Scandinavian fare, try the herring with boiled potatoes, which comes with a shot of aquavit; for casual dining, the burgers are considered to be the best in Moscow.
This chain scattered throughout Moscow serves sandwiches and burgers in brightly lit 1950s settings and is popular with late-night workers, early-morning partygoers, and American travelers and expats looking for a taste of home. This location is especially busy because of the city-center location and secluded summertime patio. Waiters are young and friendly, speak English, and serve fast.
This well-known restaurant specializing in the spicy cuisine of Georgia is across the pond from the convent. If you're visiting on a weekend, you may want to book ahead.
The tangy and savory Uzbek food here is served in a palatial dining room that appears to have been decorated by a particularly extravagant sultan. Walls are swathed in Persian rugs, transparent curtains, embroidered pillows, and turquoise-and-white tiles, and the food selection is just as lush. On the menu is a choice of more than 20 fresh salads, plus grilled meats, tandoori breads, and such classics as plov, the Central Asian take on rice pilaf, served with lamb and dried fruit. Another choice is a hearty lamb-and-noodle soup called lagman. Servers are friendly but can be a bit pushy, so be firm if they offer something you don't want.
Among the numerous cafés along the Arbat where you can take a break and have a drink is this quirky place that feeds on nostalgia for the Soviet Union. Fortunately the service and the food are better than they were in the old days. There's a large dining room and a small, cafeteria-style cafe for light and quick snacks.
