Russian restaurants in Russia
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TsDL (Central House of Writers)
The acronym stands for Tsentralny Dom Literatov, or Central House of Writers, which is the historic building housing this fancy restaurant. A glittery chandelier above, plush carpets under foot and rich oak panelling all around create a sumptuous setting for an old-fashioned Russian feast.
reviewed
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NEP
Waitresses clad in Red Army khaki, a decor of Soviet regalia and a menu of fun-poking takes on proletariat fare make this communist theme restaurant an amusing if pricey choice. Some English spoken.
reviewed
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Pravda
There is nothing new about a retro Soviet-themed restaurant, but somehow it never grows tired: the propaganda posters, the portraits of Lenin, the Internationale. This so-called ‘art café’ actually promises ‘communist lunches’, which is rarely the object of such nostalgia. But the place is fun, as is the menu of old-fashioned Soviet favourites (and its prices really do hark back to the Soviet period!).
reviewed
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Glavpivtorg
At the ‘central beer restaurant No 5’ every effort is made to re-create an upscale apparatchik drinking and dining experience. The Soviet fare is authentic, as is the russky crooner music (maybe too authentic for some tastes). But the three varieties of beer brewed on site are decidedly New Russia.
reviewed
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Lya Rus
Another kitschy Russian country house, this is a sweet place to sample hearty peasant soups and sip vodka while you watch traditional Russian song and dance. Typical for this type of place, the décor is folksy and the food is filling.
reviewed
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Zhili Bili
Prices are relatively reasonable in the very central, Disney-esque 'Siberian village' Zhili Bili, with English menus, a salad bar and great stuffed bliny. It's above fast-food eatery GrillMaster; go upstairs through a central wooden door.
reviewed
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Taras Bulba in Zamoskvorechie
Servers dress up in traditional embroidered outfits and Ukrainian tapestries and wood floors provide a homey atmosphere. There's no salad bar, but specialties like pork stuffed with vegetables and spicy smoked beef are tender and tasty.
reviewed
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Taras Bulba on Ul Petrova
Servers dress up in traditional embroidered outfits and Ukrainian tapestries and wood floors provide a homey atmosphere. There's no salad bar, but specialties like pork stuffed with vegetables and spicy smoked beef are tender and tasty.
reviewed
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U Palycha
This Samara institution is highly recommended for the Russian cuisine. There’s live Russian folk music every night.
reviewed
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Shield & Sword
In an all-too-appropriate location opposite the former Lubyanka prison, this novelty place is also known as the `KGB bar'. You can't miss it, with the emblem of the former security service hanging prominently in the windows. Inside, the Soviet paraphernalia continues: the centrepiece in the dining room is a replica of the Felix Dzerzhinsky statue that once graced Lubyanka Square.
The menu features Soviet specials - mains like chicken Kiev and pelmeni, served more often than not with 100g of vodka. The place is total kitsch, but it actually attracts real-deal old-timers, who may be longing for yesteryear.
reviewed
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Onegin
You have to be in the know to know about Onegin, the hippest of places to see and be seen. Down a small staircase from Sadovaya ul – and barely marked at street level – the restaurant has an interior that is an incredibly over-the-top display of New Russia. Antique and plastic furniture sit side by side, swathed in purple velvet and overhung by crystal chandeliers. Even with all this excess, the menu really delivers. Look out for decadent Russian dishes such as duck fillet with glazed forest berries in grape sauce or marble steak with foie gras and fresh asparagus. Reservations are recommended.
reviewed
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Mari Vanna
Remember when the best Russian food was served in somebody’s crowded living room, on tiny mismatched plates, on a table cluttered with dried flowers in vases and framed photographs? Mari Vanna invites you to recall these days – don’t look for the sign (there is none), just ring the doorbell at No 10. You will be ushered into these homey environs, complete with overstuffed bookcases and B&W TV showing old Soviet shows. You will be served delicious Russian home cooking and, just when you begin to think it is 1962, you will be handed your bill with the prices of modern-day Moscow. Ouch.
reviewed
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Stolle - City Centre
This is one of St Petersburg's coolest places to come for coffee, although you'd be a fool to leave without sampling one of its magnificent pirogi (pies). In fact, the entire menu is excellent, but the pies are irresistible. A 'stolle' is a traditional Saxon Christmas cake: the selection of sweets and savouries sits on the counter, fresh from the oven. It may be difficult to decide (mushroom or meat; apricot or apple?) but you really can't go wrong.
This outlet on Konyushennaya pl is one of the city's largest, with a separate nonsmoking room.
reviewed
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Beryozka
At first glance this little place appears to be your typical kitschy pelmeny bar, decorated with faux birch trees and serving up the Siberian speciality. Indeed, you’ll find more kinds of pelmeny on the menu than in any other restaurant. But you’ll also find freshly brewed beer, sometimes available for self-service from the table-side taps. Each table is also equipped with a mini-TV, often showing cartoons, old movies and other nostalgia. Pelmeny, pivo and moving pictures: what more can you ask for?
reviewed
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Shchit I Mech
In an all-too-appropriate location opposite the former Lubyanka prison, this novelty place is also known as the ‘KGB bar’. You can’t miss it, with the emblem of the former security service hanging prominently in the windows. Inside, the Soviet paraphernalia continues: the centrepiece in the dining room is a replica of the Felix Dzerzhinsky statue that once graced Lubyanskaya pl. The menu features Soviet specials – mains such as chicken Kiev and pelmeni, served more often than not with 100g of vodka.
reviewed
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Expedition
This outrageous themed 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 (Russian-style ravioli) stuffed with wild boar or Kamchatka crab; and venison stroganoff. There is also an expensive but authentic Siberian banya (hot bath) on the premises.
reviewed
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Orient Express
All aboard for a taste of the romance, mystery and history of the legendary train line. Decked out like a luxury locomotive, this fun restaurant features booths that resemble train cabins and all the railway paraphernalia you can imagine. It’s an absolute must for train spotters and anybody who is about to board the Trans-Siberian. Rest assured, you won’t get food like this once on board the real thing, so enjoy the Eastern-influenced menu, especially the selection of meats grilled over hot coals.
reviewed
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Baatarai Urgöö
Two carved Mongol warriors guard this unusual collection of restaurant yurts near the Ethnographic Museum. The central dining hall is how you’d imagine Chinggis Khaan’s spaceship, powered by a central dragon-stove. The menu includes many Buryat specialities: liver and onions, battered omul, shangi (scone-bread) and khuushuur (meat turnovers) washed down with astringent arsa (a warm, sour milk concoction). Take marshrutka 8 from pl Sovetov to the Yurt stop.
reviewed
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Yolki Palki
All visitors to Rostov should eat at least once at this amazing mix of indoor theme park and restaurant. Sprightly waiters wear twee national costumes while customers are seated in forest glades under spreading oak trees and woven wooden fencing. There’s a buffet for picking and choosing. Sample the bliny, brave the zalivnoe (jellied fish) and Ukrainian salo (cured pig fat), slurp the okroshka (cold soup) and wash it all down with a cranberry juice or kvas.
reviewed
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Varvary
Touted as ‘the first Russian haute cuisine restaurant’, this is the latest venue of molecular chef Anatoly Komm. Komm – Russia’s only chef with a Michelin star – is an artist who employs scientific process to break ingredients down to their most basic component and present the flavours in new forms. As you might expect, Vavary is an elegant affair, offering a sophisticated new take on familiar flavours, eg black bread and beet salad in the form of foams and gels.
reviewed
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Old Customs House
This restaurant is not actually set in the old customs house, although it is around the corner in the historic building that houses St Petersburg’s first museum (Kunstkamera). Costume-clad doormen and mannequins posing as customs officials ensure that you don’t mistake the theme of this otherwise classy restaurant. Famous for its wine list and excellent food, this restaurant is where you will see St Petersburg’s uppermost classes partaking of filet mignon and caviar crepes.
reviewed
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Restoran Zhurnalist
Framed cameras, old ticking clocks, newspaper-clad ceilings and a hollowed-out double-bass 'bookshelf' all add to the special atmosphere of the reliably great-value Restoran Zhurnalist. Even the waiting area is disguised as a 1920s tobacconist newsstand. Lunch deals for around Rbl110 include five salads and a perfectly filling 'small portion' main course. Try the Radega wine, a fascinating red with strong strawberry notes from Abkhazia, one of the world's least-known (self-declared) countries.
reviewed
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Red Square, 1
Appropriately for a place located in the State History Museum, the chefs are real historians, successfully re-creating the cuisine that was enjoyed in the days of yore, complete with old-fashioned ingredients and recipes. For real culinary history buffs, check out the schedule of historic dinners, re-creating specific meals in history, such as Nicholas II’s Easter dinner in 1900. The only drawback is the dark basement setting, a drab venue for an otherwise exciting eating experience.
reviewed
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Red Bar
On the 27th floor of a skyscraper overlooking the Moscow River, Red features funky decor and a fabulous view. The name refers to its colour, not its politics: the whole place is draped in swanky red, except the glistening white piano. The menu is mostly small plates - overpriced, but tasty. The real draw is the floor-to-ceiling windows and their vantage point of the city skyline. Come for a sundown drink before heading out to paint the rest of the town red.
reviewed
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Backstage
The Mariinsky’s official restaurant is tucked away rather out of sight on one corner of Teatralnaya pl. The décor is stage-worthy, and the food is excellent. Service sometimes comes with a sniff, but that somehow befits an institution so celebrated as the Mariinsky. Apparently, famous opera singers and ballet dancers are welcome to write all over the walls. Probably best to refrain unless you count yourself among the stars.
reviewed
