Western European Russia
This nostalgic cafe recalls the days of the USSR, not with kitsch propaganda posters, but with cosy nooks, antiques, black-and-white TVs flickering on the…
Must-see restaurants in Eastern Europe
Bosnia & Hercegovina
Beside Jahorina's longest slope, this charming ski-in alpine chalet sets diners beside a central fire with a giant metallic chimney or on the piste-side…
St Petersburg
An old-fashioned elegance prevails at Severyanin, one of the top choices for Russian cuisine near Sennaya pl. Amid vintage wallpaper, mirrored armoires…
Veliky Novgorod
Attached to the Alkon Distillery, Zavod is a chic and cosy restaurant with exposed brick, an open fire and great food. Go for the homemade pelmeni filled…
Old Town
This superb pan-Asian eatery adjoining Manna La Roosa feels like a baroque fever dream. Picking a focal point among the opulent kitsch is hard: the…
Minsk
A stone's throw from the president's office, this charming Belarusian place boasts wooden beams, a tiled fireplace, wrought-iron light fittings and…
Kosovo
This cosy 1st-floor hotel-restaurant has friendly staff and big plates of cold cuts (including delicious local cheeses and cured meats). For something…
Lviv
One of the pretourism ‘originals’, this place is designed to feel like stepping back in time – to 1938 in particular, ‘the year before civilisation ended’…
Veliko Târnovo
Countless Veliko Târnovo inns were ransacked under Ottoman rule, as they were popular meeting places for revolution-minded locals. Fortunately Han Hadji…
City Centre
Award-winning Ö (pronounced 'er' and named for Estonia's biggest island, Saaremaa) has carved a unique space in Tallinn’s culinary world, delivering…
Western Estonia & the Islands
The name means 'shed', but this delightful harbourside restaurant easily confounds any low expectations that name sets. Smoking its own fish, welcoming…
Kalamaja & Telliskivi
Quietly but consistently the best restaurant in Kalamaja, Moon (pronounced 'moan'; it means 'poppy') is a gem, combining Russian and broader-European…
Volga Region
This warm, welcoming restaurant offers authentic Georgian food and wine to an adoring public. Evening reservations are a must. Here's the place to sample…
Novosibirsk
The Puppen Haus (Puppet House), which specialises in refined traditional Siberian dishes, is both eccentric and divine. It consists of numerous little…
Kaliningrad
Named after the character from Gogol's Dead Souls who's an obsessive collector, this cellar restaurant resembles your friends' living room, with no space…
Bulgaria
The shaded terrace of this hotel-restaurant peers over some of the finest forest views in Arbanasi. Service is prompt, the decor has traditional wooden…
Prizren
Unlike most riverside places in Prizren, there's nothing pretentious about this place. It was first established in the 1960s by a street vendor who just…
Pristina
The organic menu here (delivered by efficient, if somewhat terse, English-speaking staff) is simply dazzling: sit on the sun-dappled terrace and enjoy the…
Eastern Ukraine
There is an overcomplicated pun in the name involving mice and a retired Jewish gangster who allegedly left a handwritten book of recipes in this cellar…
St Petersburg
Anton Abrezov is the talented exec chef behind this Scandi-cool meets Russian locavore restaurant where you can sample dishes such as a delicious corned…
Tirana
One of the great classics of Tirana dining. This tiny place which consists of nothing but a small smoky grill, does one thing and one thing only – qofta …
Latvia
This bamboo hut is one of the best places on the coast to revel in the summer beach vibe. Right on the beach, it's a surfer hang-out where you can hear…
Bucharest
A true destination restaurant in the historic centre, Lacrimi și Sfinți takes modern trends such as farm-to-table freshness and organic sourcing and…
Central Montenegro
Occupying a scenic eyrie, well signposted on the way to Lipa Cave, this wonderful roadside restaurant serves traditional fare including freshwater fish,…
Dubrovnik
Nautika bills itself as 'Dubrovnik's finest restaurant' and it comes pretty close. The setting is sublime, overlooking the sea and the city walls, and the…
Suzdal
There are so many things to like about this place: eclectic decor of rustic antiques and warm wood; outside terrace tables offering river views; hearty…
Serbia
Down by the Danube, with a huge lantern-decorated garden and a soundtrack of chillout bossa nova tunes, gorgeous Pasent is an unmissable dining experience…
Krk Island
Just outside the old town, this rustic place is renowned for its Krk cooking and produces its own olive oil, as evidenced by the large traditional press…
Wallachia
This handsome restaurant, with a large terrace, marries the best of clean, modern presentation and traditional food, featuring menu items from the…
Central & Eastern Istria
Foodies from afar come to this destination restaurant belonging to Istria's top truffle company, located a few kilometres below Motovun in the village of…
Kaunas
Moksha reels you in with ambient, plucked-string music, chilli-spiked aromas and personable service. The young hotshot chef from Kerala cooks everything…
Herceg Novi
A feral is a ship’s lantern, so it’s seafood, not unruly animals, that takes pride of place on the menu. The grilled squid and homemade seafood…
Split
Offering great-quality Dalmatian fare, this friendly little Veli Varoš tavern features daily specials such as cuttlefish brujet (a flavour-packed seafood…
Western European Russia
Housed in a historic building, and done up like a wealthy merchant's home, Garmoshka is the fanciest night out in town. The atmospheric tone is…
Skopje
It doesn't look like much, but the food at Nadžak is excellent, cheap and always fresh. All sorts of Macedonian specialities are on the menu, from skara …
Kaliningrad
This restaurant, whose name means 'coals', is all about things cooked over the eponymous ugli, with steaks being the speciality. The chef does other meaty…
Northern Montenegro
This gorgeous old cottage is worth a stop even if you're not staying in Plužine. The traditionally dressed waiters may take their time getting the…
Pag Island
Eateries on the main square of a town are usually best avoided: they don't have to work as hard to bring in diners as places elsewhere. But this fine bar…
Vilnius
Lithuanian staples find elegant expression at this contemporary cellar restaurant: herring with dill foam, duck drizzled with blackcurrant and buckthorn…
The Carpathians
A recent addition to Ivano-Frankivsk's growing dining and drinking scene, this fresh, casual bistro is incredibly progressive for Ukraine. Enjoy meat,…
