Restaurants in Siberia
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Vostorg
Perched above a supermarket of the same name, Kyzyl’s best cheap eat is a plasticky no-frills self-service cafeteria where cash-strapped students and office workers fill up for a few roubles on generous platefuls of pelmeni, bliny, meatballs, plov, pork roast and Ukrainian holubtsi (cabbage rolls stuffed with rice and meat). Fresh doughnuts and pastries make this a perfect budget breakfast spot.
reviewed
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A
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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B
Kafe Natalya
Cosy, with quiet good taste, this is by far Gorno-Altaisk’s nicest café. Delicious daily specials are displayed in the heated cabinet making point-and-pick an easy option. Omelettes (from R40) make a good breakfast.
reviewed
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C
Vechny Zov
Named after a popular Soviet TV serial, this is one of Tomsk’s top dining options and boasts a mock Siberian ranch outside and a cosy antique-filled home feel inside.
reviewed
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D
Mama Roma
Herb-filled air wafts temptingly from the best Italian eatery in town. Freshly baked pizzas are half price until 6pm. English menu.
reviewed
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E
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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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F
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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Chingiskhan
A huge carved portrait of Chinggis himself offers a stern welcome to this upmarket restaurant crafted in the shape of a traditional circular yurt. The steppe bon vivant and conqueror of half the world would no doubt approve of the eclectic Eurasian menu of expertly fused Russian, Buryat and Chinese dishes and the finely tuned feng shui. The restaurant is situated in the Sun Tower, south of the river Uda. Take any tram heading south from the market and alight at the Sayany stop.
reviewed
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G
Kafe Abakan
Prancing petroglyphs and traditional Khakass motifs welcome you to Abakan’s newest self-service cafeteria and best cheap eat. Appetising sweet-and-sour chicken meatballs, plov (meat and rice), steaks, sausages and many other Russian favourites mean packed tables inside and out at mealtimes. The Russian-only menu is posted at the entrance, so you can decipher at your leisure.
reviewed
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Romanov Restaurant
Housed in Hotel Slavyanskaya, it features succulent 19th-century Russian dishes and is furnished with mock period furniture. The restaurant has a family portrait of Russia’s last tsar and his family on the ceiling, and Dmitry Medvedev visited here shortly after winning Russia’s 2008 presidential elections. Staff will happily, and proudly, show you where he sat!
reviewed
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H
Khmelnaya Korchma
Plastic sunflowers, dangling onion strings, folksy embroidered tea towels and a menu of borscht, salo (pig fat), vareniki (sweet ravioli-type dumplings) and holubtsi (cabbage rolls stuffed with rice) teleport you to rural Ukraine. Live music, liberal helpings and a low-priced lunch menu (R150) makes this arguably Chita’s best option.
reviewed
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I
Marusya
A coy 19th-century makeover with polished samovars, matryoshka dolls and waitresses trussed up in pseudo folk costume has brought the Ulger Theatre restaurant back from the dead. Enjoy inexpensive Russian meals at tightly packed tables to the sound of dreamy 1970s Russian chansons on CD, or flee the chintz for the pleasantly sunny terrace.
reviewed
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J
Korchma
Home-cooked traditional Russian food in a one-room cottage restaurant. It’s set amid other more-genuine Siberian log homes which have so far survived development pressures. Meals are presented on two-tone ceramics while an accordionist accompanies a costumed folk singer (R50 to R100 cover). There’s a 10% service charge.
reviewed
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K
Senkyevich
Overlooking the river this stylishly contemporary glass-and-steel building incorporates a small sushi bar (around Rbl40 to around Rbl140 per piece), an airy business-casual Russian café (meals around Rbl260 to around Rbl600) and an upscale European restaurant (Rbl400 to around Rbl1200) specialising in oysters and duck.
reviewed
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L
Yermolaevo
This spacious new bar-restaurant is done up in a wooden, rustic style and serves filling traditional Russian meals. The Siberian mushroom soup (R60) is recommended. Also serves kvas (a drink of fermented rye bread water) to write home about and a large selection of beers, including some homebrewed options.
reviewed
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Kafe Russkaya Dusha
The unwelcoming Kafe Russkaya Dusha sadly vacated the Trading Arches when it was gutted by fire in 2006. It relocated to a pink building in a madly out-of-the-way location, 20 minutes’ uphill walk from the centre. It’s the only café around so ask for directions.
reviewed
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M
Kafe Napoleon
The city centre’s swankiest restaurant has cork walls, gold-and-magenta colour scheme and a portrait of Old Boney ignoring a startled turkey. There’s live music almost every evening but this triggers a hefty cover charge of R150. The menu comprises Russian and international staples.
reviewed
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N
Korolevskaya Trapeza
High-vaulted ceilings with Crusader murals and throne chairs give this atmospheric place the feel of a medieval castle. The subtly delicious svinina po-burgundski (Burgundy pork) uses prunes to great effect. Enter via a courtyard behind Osminog casino and the Italika pizzeria.
reviewed
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O
Terrasa Kafe
The Luch entertainment complex contains several eateries, including fast food, fine Russian cuisine and notably the airy glassed-in Tererasa. Enjoy fine views across pl Lenina. Menus range from Japanese to Uzbek and there’s a remarkably filling R150 lunch deal, available daily.
reviewed
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Zelenaya Rosha
A canopy of plastic foliage covering the ceiling and a tackily dribbling water feature make this a low-lit retreat from the scorching sun outside. Down a few cheap beers or tuck into some basic Siberian comfort food. Chita’s most accessible semipublic WC is in the entrance.
reviewed
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Kezhik
The only central café to serve authentic Tuvan fare such as sogozha (stuffed grilled liver), manchi (mutton ravioli) and the dreaded han sausage. Gaudy black and gold decor and carefully laid tables lend it a grander ambience than it deserves.
reviewed
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P
Kochevnik
Take your taste buds to the Mongolian steppe for some yurt-size portions of mutton, lamb and steak as well as filling soups and buuzy ( pozi ). Ulaan Baatar aficionados may know its sister chain of Modern Nomad restaurants. English menu and smiley service.
reviewed
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Q
Polzunov Restaurant
Old copperware and wooden beams add appeal to this delightful upper-market restaurant. The imaginative menu (in English) includes tasty pork premyera with pineapple, walnut and mushroom sauce. Attached is a bakery-grocery and the excellent MasterFood Cafeteria.
reviewed
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Fast Fud
.The future is orange at Fast Fud, a garishly decorated McDonalds rip-off, situated on the 1st floor of what will one day be the Alexandrovsky Sad Hotel. Choose mediocre burgers, chips and salads from the picture menu – portions are stingy.
reviewed
