Meshchansky & Basmanny
This cosy and quiet cafe-cum-bar has a distinct feminine touch about it – as if Chekhov's sisters have finally made their way to Moscow and started a new…
Must-see nightlife in Moscow
Meshchansky & Basmanny
In its new location, this is now more of a bar than a musical instrument shop, although ukuleles still adorn the walls, prompting an occasional jam…
Moscow
There is little to say about this misleadingly unassuming bar, apart from the fact that everything in it is close to perfection. It has it all – prime…
Zamoskvorechie
Located just below the Patriarshy most, the bar-restaurant at the Strelka Institute is the ideal starting point for an evening in the Red October complex…
Zamoskvorechie
Euphoria reigns in this postmodern nomad camp of a bar with its strategic rooftop position on Red October. The decor is bright-coloured kitsch, which…
Moscow
Scooter enthusiast, that is. But you don't have to be one in order to enjoy this superbly laid-back bar hidden at the far end of a fancifully shaped…
Arbat & Khamovniki
This tiny coffee shop is hidden between the Old and New Arbat streets. A vibrant chain from Sochi, it envelops you in a special atmosphere of surfboards,…
Meshchansky & Basmanny
Winds of change brought US national Jerry Ruditser to Moscow in the early 1990s on a mission to create the nation's first coffee chain, which he succeeded…
Zamoskvorechie
This Shabolovka district local is an alcohol-infused version of the Mad Hatter's tea party with a hint of BDSM. It features waitresses dressed as…
Moscow
The biggest drinking and eating establishment in Hermitage Gardens, this veranda positioned at the back of the park's main building looks a bit like a…
Moscow
Fun, informal and affordable (so surprising on swanky Stoleshnikov), Gogol is great for food, drinks and music. The underground club takes its bunker…
Zamoskvorechie
The name may not sound original, but these guys do get your mojo working! Their magic formula includes outstanding cocktails, classily understated design…
Zamoskvorechie
The goatee and moustache factor is high in this hipster-ridden verandah bar that comes with a dozen pétanque lanes. Grab a pitcher of sangria or a pint of…
Presnya
Tucked into the courtyard in the old Tryokhgornaya manufacturing complex, Jagger is a super-hot bar with a super-cool vibe. Excellent cocktails, sharp…
Moscow
The scale of the craft beer craze is so terrifying for some folks in Moscow, they've decided it's time for a backlash. This large pub has no Russian beer…
Meshchansky & Basmanny
Tearoom? Gelateria? This place looks more like an academic library of tea and ice cream, an impression enhanced by it sharing premises with a bookstore…
Zamoskvorechie
This is the only place in Moscow you can drink and drive. Not to be confused with the Garage Museum of Contemporary Art, this is the reincarnation of a…
Zamoskvorechie
Plastered with covers of the namesake magazine and lit by naked bulbs, this place has the feel of an upscale dive bar. The music spans all genres and…
Meshchansky & Basmanny
This playful club-cafe invites relaxation and fun with lounge furniture, tantalising cocktails and colourful modelling clay. Containers of pliable play…
Zamoskvorechie
Ready to satisfy your thirst and hunger (both literal and social) at any time of day and night, this venue comes with human-sized maharaja dolls, waiters…
Meshchansky & Basmanny
Synonymous with Winzavod art centre, where it is located, Tsurtsum is a watering hole where all the beasts of the postindustrial savannah at the back of…
Moscow
It looks like just another cellar bar, but if you walk all the way through the underground maze you'll find yourself in the huge overground 'orangerie'…
Zamoskvorechie
This cosy little pub hidden away from the perpetually crowded Klimentovsky per has the melancholy of an Edward Hopper painting or a good road movie. The…
Zamoskvorechie
One could claim that Coffee Bean started the coffee craze in Moscow. While the original location on Tverskaya ul is no longer open, there are a few of…
Moscow
Dining, drinking and dancing are all on offer in this sexy space. There is a long menu of Pan Asian cuisine – as well as sushi, pasta, tapas and more –…
Moscow
Strategically located on the city's busiest square, this place has nothing but a long bar and lots of taps pumping from barrels, representing dozens of…
Arbat & Khamovniki
Eclectic and atmospheric, Dom 12 may be the perfect place to attend an event or chat with friends over a glass of wine. The cosy interior is enhanced by…
Meshchansky & Basmanny
Occupying what looks like an abandoned classroom in its Winzavod premises, this easygoing cafe has hip, likeable waiters, an intriguing list of lemonades…
Moscow
Amid the craft-beer mayhem, a good old – and not-so-fake – Irish pub feels like a welcome refuge. Occupying a vast cellar space with vaulting bare brick…
Zamoskvorechie
'Parka' is a banya (bathhouse) term, hence the sauna-like decor, and just like a proper banya, this is a very relaxing place. The friendly bartenders let…
Zamoskvorechie
Back in the olden days, the best place to go for a drink was your neighbour’s flat, which would be crowded with mismatched furniture and personal…
Presnya
Owned by design guru Artemy Lebedev, this tiny space invites an attractive arty crowd to sip fancy coffee drinks and exotic teas. Regulars love the house…
Zamoskvorechie
Aesthetics indeed rule this stylish little bar, but its main appeal lies in the gin cocktails based on secret potions, which its mixologists produce out…
Moscow
A flagship of the new converted factory space, Khlebozavod 9, this is a relatively large two-level bar specialising in craft beer. At the end of the week,…
Moscow
Kamchatka is a generic term for all things fringe, and this cavernous pub seems to have been designed to prove that beer can go for R80 even in a prime…
Arbat & Khamovniki
It’s hard to classify this old-style stolovaya (cafeteria) that happens to brew great beer. The place harks back to the Soviet years, when a popular…
Presnya
Named for the Mayakovsky Theatre downstairs, this is a remake of a much-beloved club that operated in this spot throughout the 1990s. The reincarnated…
Zamoskvorechie
Don't leave Gorky Park without trying one of the invigorating tea-based drinks at this kiosk-like outlet on the embankment. Here, they mix tea with sweet…
Moscow
Giant murals depicting Russian countercultural icons – Vladimir Vysotsky, Shnur and Sergei Bodrov Jr – observe a merry crowd of hipsters ticking off new…
Zamoskvorechie
This strategically located little bar is all about craft beer with a couple of dozen ales, stouts and lagers on tap, coming from Russian and European…
