As a person who travels a lot, I am always trying to find good places to eat in every new city. To do this I am asking locals where they go. Most of the time their recommendations works pretty well. So, I decided to give my advices for those who comes to Moscow for the first time and wants to have really nice, “not touristic” places.
First of all, I’ll give some “keys” to understand better my list. I will give the name of the restaurant, then it’s Russian transcription in brackets. For the dishes I recommend, I will also give a transcription for you can just tell the waiter what you want. One more important thing: it’s not a rating. I’m not saying that one restaurant is better than the other. It’s just the list of my favorite places in Moscow.
Here we go…
Burcho (Burcho)
Outstanding family restaurant, serving Armenian simple home made cuisine. The design is really simple, the food is perfect. A lot of Russian oligarkhs likes to dine here. They say, mr Mikhail Prokhorov is a frequent visitor to this restaurant. And what is also nice: the prices are extremely friendly. Absolutely “must have” for everyone who comes to Moscow. Some waiters speaks English, by the way…
To order: Dumplings with meat and herbs (hinkali Burcho). Pork barbeque (shashlik iz svininy). Also I suggest you to try Armenian wine. It’s nothing great but could be a good local experience.
Where: Sadovniceskaja naberezhnaja, 77 bld. 1
Expedition (Expedicia)
Do you know a lot of restaurants with the real helicopter in the dining room? I know just one and it’s in Moscow. Called “Expedition”. One of my favorite restaurants in Moscow, serving Nordic Russian cuisine. Every few months chef Alexander Gavrilychev with his team goes to the expeditions to the small villages far away from Moscow to find local recipes, adopt them and bring to the restaurant’s menu. In this restaurant you can try some signature dishes you will never find elsewhere. One thing about Expedition I need to mention – it is pretty expensive. But if you want to have real Russian gourmet experience – that’s the first place to go in Moscow. Menu in English is available.
To order: Frozen raw fish (stroganina iz muksuna). Frozen raw venison (stroganina iz oleniny). Both appetizers are absolutely must have. For the main course try horse meat with morels, cloudberry, porridge and bread (ojmiakonskaja zherebiatina).
Where: Pevchensky pereulok, 6
Cafe Pushkin (Café Pushkin)
Of course you have to visit famous Cafe Pushkin. But don’t go there for the lunch or dinner. Pushkin is a nice place, but it is more like the “museum” than the gourmet restaurant (it’s pretty expensive and the food is not perfect). So, you have to come once, but without spending waste of money. Do it in the morning. Have the breakfast there – this is the best scenario. You will see a lot of Russian business and glossy people and you will feel the ambiance of the place. Probably, you will se me because “Pushkin” is one of my favorite places for the business meetings and negotiations in the beginning of the day. Valet service is available.
To order: baked milk (toplenoye moloko) with French croissant.
Where: Tverskoy blvd, 26a
O2 Lounge Bar at Ritz Carlton Moscow
Secret place for the real connoisseurs of Moscow’s night life. This bar is located on the roof of the Ritz Carlton Moscow hotel. It is obviously the best place to see Moscow by night. Come here after 10 p.m. and you will have the wonderful image of the capital of Russia from the really nice point. It’s not the place to have a memorable dinner (they serve nice food but it's nothing extraordinary) but if you order the nice cocktail, your life will become almost perfect. The famous Red Square will be just in front of you. Please, come here once and you will never regret. The single problem is that the O2 lounge bar is quite popular so to have best seats (outside, on the open terrace) you will need some luck. There is no other place in Moscow you will see Red Square so good. Day time is fine too, but during the night you will have really amazing views. So take you time and relax. To have the most pleasant visit, probably you have to book a room in the hotel?
To order: hookah (kal’jan) or the nice cuban cigar.
Where: Tverskaja ulitsa, 3
Meet club (Miasnoj club)
The co-owner of this restaurant – one of the best lawyers in Moscow – is a big fan of good food. He is really passionate about exceptional products and he knows more than a lot of professional chefs in Moscow. He was always dreaming to have the “perfect restaurant” and here it is. If you like meat, there is no better place to come. I would say Meet Club is the Meet Mekka of Moscow for those how can’t imagine their lives without the good meat. The menu gives you the chance go make round the world trip. Here you will have a change to get a taste of Argentina, USA, Italy, ect. Realy nice place. Quite expensive.
To order: Nice T-bone or New York steak. Or some Russian meat variations.
Where: Kuznetskiy most, 19 bld. 1
No web site available yet
Maharaja
If you like Indian cuisine – that’s the place to go. I go there often, because I love the quality of food. Maharaja owned by the Indian family, is one of the oldest restaurants in Moscow (it was opened in 1994). In Russia age means quality. Here you will find really nice Indian cuisine and it’s not too expensive. A lot of local foreigners (who works in Moscow) go there. It’s simple, delicious, not touristic at all.
To order: lamb with spinach and spices (Saag gosht)
Where: Starosadsky pereulok, 1/2
Sky Lounge Bar
One more outstanding place with the exciting panoramic views of Moscow. Located almost of the roof of the very tall building, it gives you the chance to spend hours looking to Moscow from the top. You don't have to think a lot what to order. Take the nice cocktail or some japanese food if you're hungry (they serve nice sushi at the restaurant). Best moment to come is by night. Take a cocktail and have your time.
To order: whatever you like in the menu
Where: Leninsky prospekt, 32a
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