Moscow restaurants

Sadly, I found the majority of restaurants in Moscow extremely overpriced. Be prepared to pay double if you order wine with your meal because wine is a luxury in Moscow (esp. after they banned wine from Georgia). Not that there are no good restaurants in Moscow, but finding good-value restaurants is just not that easy. Many of the hip/trendy restaurants are owned by one guy, Arkady Novikov, who is seen as the 'Godfather' in the Moscow restaurant scene. I think it's quite odd that one man can dictate the entire city's culinary direction, but then what I see as 'odd' is usually the 'norm' in Russia.

Often bargains can be found at lunch time, it's best to ask for the 'bizness lunch menu', but they won't tell you unless you ask for it! Usually there is only one option and they like to keep it a secret, so you just have to eat whatever you are given. And don't expect much service, even in upscale restaurants. The waiting staff often make you feel that you are lucky to be served at all!

There are many types of restaurants in Moscow, but probably 70% are Japanese or sushi places! Don't expect high quality sushi (for obvious reasons) and authentic Japanese because everything is catered to the Russians' taste. Indian is rare and expensive, and authentic Chinese is hard to find. I managed to find a Chinese place called Dim sum, but at US$10 per basket, their dim sum was probably more expensive than the 3-Michelin star Chinese at the Four Seasons in Hong Kong!!

Good takeaway pizzas are not easy to find either, Pizza Express is probably the best in town! Steak houses vary, but the Russians prefer their meat well-done, so I don't think meat quality is their priority. As for Russian cuisine, a meal at Cafe Pushkin is enough for one trip...

Apart from sushi, caesar salad is probably the second most popular dish in Moscow, it is always on the menu! Although Russian women don't eat very much (they are always on diet), they seem to like anything with mayonnaise and sour cream, so potato and caesar salad are their favourite dishes.

After bashing most of the restaurants in Moscow, I would recommend trying Central Asian cuisines from Georgian, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan. Their dishes are usually quite meaty, but tasty and not so expensive. In an ultra-expensive city like Moscow, these restaurants are like an oasis in the middle of a desert!

However, there is one good thing about restaurants in Moscow and that is many (including high-end ones) are open 24 hours, which is unheard of even in other major cities, so it definitely is a city that never sleeps!

Here is a list of restaurants that I love and hate:

My favourite restaurants:

Cafe Pushkin - yes, it's a bit touristy, but this restaurant does live up to the hype. Not cheap at all, but you pay for the atmosphere, service and the food. This is the best place to take visitors because it feels so 'Russian' (faux pre-revolutionary style) and you can find many Russian classics such as beef stroganoff and pelmenis. A sophisticated restaurant!

Correa's - Expats' favourite and I totally understand why. Founded by a New Yorker, this place does make you forget (temporarily) that you are in Moscow. It's bright, airy and casual, very different from other restaurants in town. Fresh, simple and delicious food but most of all, reasonably priced. Best to go for one of their most popular dish: pizza with smoked salmon and sour cream!

Rip-offs:

Bosco Bar/restaurant: Great view of the red square, but you would have to pay a lot for it! Celebrity hang out, probably best to just go for coffees!

Na Melnitse: My first meal/dinner took place here and I never came back again. A theme windmill restaurant that is very Disney-like. Do not order wine here, such a rip-off!

Most disappointing:

Pavillion - Good location, with the view of Patriarch's Pond, expats' favourite neighbourhood. Food was expensive and so-so (a mixture of Chinese, Japanese and Russian etc), but the worst was its service: slow, rude and lazy. Another problem was the DJ, she started playing loud techno music during our meal, and we couldn't talk at all!

1 Red Square : This restaurant has been recommended in most guide books, but I didn't like it at all. Yes, there was live music but the service was cold and the food wasn't particularly interesting nor memorable.

Scandanavia - Expats' favourite hangout esp. in the summer. The patio is quite pleasant in the summer but the restaurant itself is characterless, and serves bland and overpriced food.

Reasonable & good:

Paname: Inexpensive French bistro serving decent good food. Quite cosy and casual, but difficult to find.

Goodmans: Probably the best places for steaks in town, simply because they refuse to serve meat well-done for their Russian customers! Also, both food and wine are reasonably priced.

Shafran: Excellent Middle Eastern restaurant with an bright, airy and comfortable dining room. Went there for lunch and it was very reasonable and delicious.

Restavratsia: Interesting restaurant serving international cuisine and many types of whisky. I really enjoyed the cool band playing live jazz when I last visited.


Expensive but good:

Coffeemania: Surprisingly expensive for a chain coffee shop! The place has an European feel and is popular with expats and wealthy locals. Good food (esp. cakes) and coffees but not really worth the price!

Peperoni: Owned by Novikov, the food here was surprisingly good! Not cheap, but proper Italian being served in a relaxing setting is so hard to find in Moscow!

AIST: Another Novikov outlet, this is THE place to see and be seen with oligarchs, models and wannabes! Usually I am not so keen on trendy/hip restaurants but the food here was very good. 3-way Foie gras starter was excellent and desserts were great too, though the mains were less interesting in comparison.

Cafe des Artistes: A high standard French restaurant but not so cheap.

For ambience & experience:

Uzbekistan: Amazing Arabian decor and setting with a courtyard. Menu is Central Asian/ oriental (including Chinese), there's also belly dancing and live music each night. The food was quite good, but best to come here for the ambience and setting.

Cafe Margarita - tiny Russian restaurant located near the patriarch's pond. It's very cosy, with lots of wood and tourists. The food was basic and so so, but people generally come here for the atmosphere and violinists/live music.

Chaikhana #1 - This restaurant/tea house is inside a huge yurt at Gorky Park/ Park Kultury. It's a relaxing and cool place with Uzbek/ ethnic setting. Tasty food and not too expensive, best to come here for Sunday brunch in the summer!