Try something exquisite but affordable at Chestnaya Kukhnya
It translates as “honest cuisine” and so it is – simple yet exquisite Russian food at affordable prices. The restaurant is similar to a
dacha (country house), with wooden cupboards, plaid chairs and jars of pickle and jam lining the shelves. The open plan kitchen allows guests to engage with the chef, who spends weekends hunting his own game. The result is a unique menu, which includes succulent wild boar burgers, deer tartar with quail eggs and stuffed moose. And what better way to round up your meal with the chef’s very own homemade liqueur, which mixes whisky with berries, and chilli and tarragon gin with blackcurrant and nutmeg?
www.chestnayakuhnya.ru
Enjoy food, wine and song at Kvartira 44
Tucked away off a little alleyway, Kvartira 44, or Apartment 44, is a secluded restaurant-cum-wine bar where young intellectuals mingle over long boozy dinners. The dark interior is reminiscent of a French bistro, with wooden furniture, tiled floors and scattered books. Weekends get particularly lively, with guests engaging in music sing alongs at the little piano until the small hours of the morning.
Dine on the veranda at DoDo
This sophisticated restaurant with a leafy interior offers international cuisine with a pinch of the exotic. The dishes are prepared using healthy, seasonal and local products, and can be enjoyed in the stylish interior or on the popular summer veranda in the warmer months. The menu includes red mullet roasted in grape leaves, and cloves and ginger meatballs served with mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce.
Sit in a Soviet setting at Mayak
This longstanding favourite located above a theatre attracts an international crowd of bohemian Muscovites, who revel until the early hours over copious amounts of vodka and endless cigarettes. The interior is set out like a Soviet drawing room with heavy wooden furnishings. Weekends get particularly lively, with singing and dancing, and guests taking control of the piano in a drunken state of euphoria.
Indulge in incredible views at Strelka
More of a bar than restaurant, this stylish place is located on the site of the former Red October Chocolate Factory – now home to some of the capital’s trendiest bars and clubs. The cocktails are superb and there’s a wide range of international dishes on offer. The summer terrace is undoubtedly one of the city’s best, with incredible views over the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour and the Moscow River.
www.strelka.com
Get friendly with the chef at Ragout
Set out like a gastro-pub with a hint of French bistro, Ragout has a light and airy interior with an open plan kitchen where the chef can be seen hard at work. Twice a week there are “live kitchens” right in the dining room: on Sundays the chef interacts with customers while preparing Sunday roasts, while on Wednesdays the restaurant celebrates its very name by preparing a huge seasonal ragout. There are excellent breakfasts, too.
