World Travel Guide

City Guide  - Moscow  - Food and Drink
Food and Drink

As the former capital of the Soviet Union, Moscow attracted people from all parts of the federation and this is reflected in the variety of cuisine available in the city. Of course, traditional Russian cuisine is the most common and is generally featured in at least one of each hotel's restaurants. Typical dishes include the renowned borsch (beetroot soup served hot with sour cream), okrosha (kvas (see below) soup served cold), beef stroganov (beef stewed in sour cream with fried potatoes), blini (small pancakes stuffed with caviar, fish or sour cream) and aladyi (crumpets filled with sour cream and jam). A Russian speciality known to many is ikra or krasnaya ikra (black or red caviar). Other dishes are based around ingredients such as meat, cabbage, mushrooms, cucumbers and sour cream. Breakfast often comprises cold meats, boiled eggs and bread served with chai (Russian tea, usually without milk). Kasha (porridge made with milk and oats, buckwheat or semolina) is another staple. Desserts include morozhenoye (ice cream), ponchiki (hot sugared doughnuts) and vareniki (dumplings containing fresh berries, cherries or jam).

When it comes to alcohol, vodka is the drink of choice in Russia. The most popular brands are Posolskaya, Stolichnaya and Rossiskaya, and flavoured and coloured vodkas are also common. Russian champagne is reasonably priced and surprisingly good. Imported wines from Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova, and Armenian cognac are other good options. Alcohol, especially spirits, should only be purchased in shops, as there are a large number of very inferior counterfeits on the street. Kvas is a refreshing and unusual drink with next to zero alcohol content, made from a fermented mixture of rye bread, jam, yeast and water.

Moscow's restaurants either tend to be very expensive or fully booked, so it is a good idea to reserve ahead. Most people tend to eat between 1800 and 2000; restaurants generally stay open until 2300 or 2400. A 10-15% tip is standard, unless a service charge has already been added to the bill. There is a Room, Food and Beverage Tax (VAT) of 20% in Moscow.

Restaurants

The dining scene has changed tremendously over the past few years; all types of international cuisine and different styles of restaurants can be found from take-aways, pizza joints and American grills to a branch of the French restaurant Maxim's in the Hotel National. Located at Mothovaya ulitsa 15/1 (tel: (095) 258 7000), diners should expect to pay US$50 for two courses. It is best to ask around for the latest hotspot, as the fickle moneyed set tend to move on to somewhere new every couple of months. Some restaurants boast a historic pedigree, including Praga at Arbat ulitsa 2 (tel: (095) 290 6152), which offers fine cuisine in five separate rooms, each with its own style. Budapest, in the Budapest Hotel at Pertrovskie linii 2/18 (tel: (095) 924 4283), serves up Hungarian food accompanied in the evenings by folk music (from US$90). Some of the most gourmet restaurants are in the best hotels, and Le Romanoff in the Baltschug Kempinski at Baltschug ulitsa 1 (tel: (095) 230 6500) is no exception. Russian-European and nouvelle cuisine is served in an elegant setting with views onto the Kremlin and Red Square. The other of the hotel's restaurants, the Baltschug, offers buffets based on a different national cuisine each evening (from US$58). Another elegant venue is the Metropol Restaurant in the Hotel Metropol on Teatralny proezd 1/4 (tel: (095) 927 6061). A beautiful glass ceiling allows you to look down on guests partaking of afternoon tea or the international and Russian cuisine on offer in the evening. The Metropol is also one of the best spots for a fine Sunday lunch (for approximately US$50).

History buffs and unimaginative diners (20,000 of them a day) may appreciate a visit to the first McDonalds to cross the Iron Curtain (in 1990) - it is on Pushkin Square at Bolshoya Bronnaya ulitsa 29. Better examples of American fare can be had at the American Bar and Grill at 1st Tverskaya-Yamskaya 2/1 (tel: (095) 251 7999) from US$20, or at the nearby Starlite Diner at Sadovaya Bolshaya ulitsa 16 (tel: (095) 290 9638); both are open 24 hours a day and reasonably priced. Another 24-hour spot is the Chevignon Café-Restaurant, accessible through the clothing shop at Stolezhnikov pereulok 14 (tel: (095) 733 9203).

Among the cheaper restaurants are those serving dishes from some of the former Soviet states. Taras Bulva Korchma, at Petrovka ulitsa 30/7 (tel: (095) 200 6082), serves Ukrainian vareniki and borsch for under US$15 for a two-course meal with a drink. Georgian cuisine continues to be cheap and popular. Two places to sample it are Guriya, Komsomolsky prospekt 7/3 (tel: (095) 246 0378), and Dioscarius, Nikitski Bulvar dom 5, Str 1 (tel: (095) 291 3759). Uzbek and Armenian fare costs somewhat more; the former can be enjoyed at Navrux, Begovaya ulitsa 36 (tel: (095) 945 0451), and the latter at Elegance, Maly Ivanovsky pereulok 9 (tel: (095) 917 0717), where there is a good selection of Armenian cognacs.

For more expensive tastes, the Grand Imperial, at Gagarinsky pereulok 9/5 (tel: (095) 291 6063), is definitely an option - unless US$30 for soup can be considered too dear. Brand, at Smolenskaya ploshchad 1 (tel: (095) 241 5089), has an intimate French restaurant with overwhelming prices downstairs but also offers cheaper Russian pub food in the club upstairs. Borodino, in the Aerostar Hotel at Leningradsky prospekt 37 (tel: (095) 213 9000), offers classical French cuisine in intimate surroundings. The Central House of Writers, at Povarskaya ulitsa 50 (tel: (095) 291 1515), has a beautiful, historic interior where French and Russian cuisine is served.

For something a bit different, there is Mephisto's Castle, at Shmitovsky proyezd 10 (tel: (095) 259 6497), serving meals from the grill and other surprises in an eerie setting from 1200-0800.

Cafés

Many of the best cafés in Moscow can be found in the city's top hotels. The Vienna Café, in the Olympic Penta Hotel, has a winter garden and a good selection of wines. Café Kranzler brings a little bit of Berlin to the Baltschug Kempinski, Balchug ulitsa 1, while Café Français enlivens the Sofitel Iris Hotel, Khorovinskoye Shosse 10. Café Confectionery, on the ground floor of the Hotel Metropol, Teatralny proezd 1/4, has homemade cakes and pastries to go with their selection of teas and coffees. An interesting spot for a cappuccino (or jazz in the evening) is the Café Nostalgie, Chistoprudny Bulvar 12a, with an eclectic mix of marble and wooden furnishings. Café Margarita is a trendy spot at Malaya Bronnaya ulitsa 28.



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