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Darbar
Filled with Indian families enjoying spicy Indian cuisine, so you can tell it's on the mark. The samosas, curries, and dhal all get raves. Our only complaint was a loud Indian orchestra. Darbar is off the lobby of Hotel Sputnik.
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Delis
You might go in just for the rich, dark and addictive coffee; and who could blame you. But once you spot the salads and pastries, you're likely to stay a while. The menu also features a few simple mains - grilled salmon, tiger shrimp in garlic and lemon sauce etc. Fresh ingredients guarantee delicious results, as promised by the name.
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Donna Klara
Specialising in flaky pastries and dark coffee, this little cafe is a regular stop for the French community that lives in this area. Homemade soups, sandwiches and quiches make it an ideal lunch spot after strolling around Patriarch's Ponds.
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Dorogomilovsky Market
Among Moscow's largest markets, with overflow along Kievskaya ulitsa to Kiev Station.
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Drova in Arbat District
The self-serve buffet ranges from solyanka (salty soup) to sushi to sweet-and-sour pork. It's not the best place to sample any of these items, but the price is right. Hungry student types really take advantage of the `all-you-can-eat' option: it's not always pretty.
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Drova in Chistye Prudy
The self-serve buffet ranges from solyanka (salty soup) to sushi to sweet-and-sour pork. It's not the best place to sample any of these items, but the price is right. Hungry student types really take advantage of the `all-you-can-eat' option: it's not always pretty.
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Drova in City Centre
The self-serve buffet ranges from solyanka (salty soup) to sushi to sweet-and-sour pork. It's not the best place to sample any of these items, but the price is right. Hungry student types really take advantage of the `all-you-can-eat' option: it's not always pretty.
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East Buffet
The key word here is `buffet', as in unlimited. For around Rbl450 (around Rbl550 after ), you are invited to help yourself to all-you-can-eat sweet-and-sour pork, cashew chicken and shrimp tempura. Then you are invited to go back and do it again. The selection is vast, including enough greenery to sate vegetarians.
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Eastern Quarter
Uzbeks cooking in the open kitchen and more Uzbeks filling up the dining room are the sign that this Central Asian eatery is serving some of Moscow's best national cuisine. The specialty: tasty, filling rice plov (pilaf rice with diced mutton and vegetables).
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Expedition
This outrageous theme restaurant takes diners on an expedition to the great white north, capturing the adventure and excitement of Siberia. You can imagine you arrived by helicopter, as the vehicle is the centrepiece of the dining room. Feast on typical `northern cuisine' - famous Baikal fish soup ukha ; pelmeni stuffed with wild boar or Komchatka crab; venison stroganoff. There is also an expensive but authentic Siberian banya on the premises.
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Fish
`Finish your Fish!' reads the restaurant's menu. The more difficult task is not finishing the fish, but ordering it. Choose from the vast selection of slippery, silvery creatures, posing on ice at the back of the dining room; decide how you would like it prepared - grilled, fried, baked, steamed or smoked; then pick from one of many accompanying sweet or savoury sauces.
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Five Spices
A long-time favourite for spicy Chinese. It's not the fanciest place in town, but the fanciest place does not serve such consistently tasty sesame chicken and shrimp fried rice for such reasonable prices. The Russian-novel-like menu includes lots of vegetarian options, including a delectable crispy spring roll.
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Gallery
An ultra hip place to see and be seen. Besides the cool music and hot clientele, this elegant cafe offers an eclectic menu, from the classic chicken cutlet to more sophisticated items like Chilean sea bass and leg of lamb. Service is surprisingly friendly - sometimes an anomaly at the capital's hotspots.
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Garden
This appropriately named cafe is set in the midst of flowering trees in the courtyard opposite the Tretyakov, drawing a bohemian, artsy crowd. Wide plank wood floors and antique furniture contrast with the modern, jazzy music and contemporary cuisine.
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Ginger
Seafood is the specialty, and the Asian influence is what makes it special. Ginger's blending of sweet and savoury is an art form, perfected in dishes such as spicy coconut soup, succulent sea bass with caramel sauce, and the famous crab-stuffed orange. Ginger's exotic interior - red walls, gold ceiling - is the perfect venue for such decadence.
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Glavpivtorg
At the `central beer restaurant No 5', every effort is made to re-create an upscale apparatchik dining experience. The Soviet fare is authentic, but not too authentic. So you might get a side of peas, but they will be fresh and sweet. Add three varieties of tasty beer brewed on site, and you've got a restaurant to suit any ideology.
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Goodman Steakhouse
Inside the Novinsky Passage shopping centre, this classic American steakhouse is done up in leather and wood, with B&W photos on the walls and old movies running on the big screen. It receives rave reviews for filet mignon and rack of lamb. Also claims Moscow's best burger for the bargain price of Rbl360 .
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Gorky
Gorky - referring to `hills', not to the writer - is a grandiose space, filled with heavy wooden furniture, plush chairs and marble columns. The stylish setting is perfect for the even-more-stylish guests, who look nothing but fabulous while nibbling fresh pasta and other contemporary cuisine. The menu is primarily Italian, but the clientele is all-Russian.
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Hard Rock Cafe
At long last, those souvenir T-shirts reading `Hard Rock Cafe Moscow' actually mean something. This is the real deal, complete with framed guitars, chicken wings and gift shop. The rock-n-roll memorabilia does not include enough representation from Russian rock stars, but there are a few notable exceptions. Live music on weekends.
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Il Patio in Barrikadnaya
This outlet inside the Novinsky Passage at is a great place to bring your kids, who can watch cartoons or even learn how to make their own pizza.
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Il Patio in Smolenskaya
With more than 15 outlets, this reliable Moscow chain changed its name from Patio Pizza to Il Patio recently. The pizza is the same, though - a big choice at reasonable prices.
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Il Patio in Zayauzie
Patio Pizza has gone upscale, with a new, more Italian name, and a new, more stylish look. Wood-oven pizzas and fresh salad bars are still the highlights of the menu. And fortunately, it still has a slew of outlets, each one representing a different Italian city.
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India Spices
For all things India, from na'an to curry to basmati rice.
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Jagannath
A life saver for vegetarians, this excellent health-food place with a strong Indian theme has both a self-service buffet and a sit-down restaurant. Food is superb, although if you want the really good stuff ordered à la carte you have to sit in the gloomy restaurant rather than the charming café area. There's free wi-fi and an Internet café, too.
