Moscow Restaurant Tips by Canadienne

Restaurant Name: Cafes/Bars/Pubs

This patio cafe/restaurant was located quite close to our hotel, but we didn't make it there until our very last day. In retrospect, it was a pity, because it offered a beautiful view over the Teatralnaya Ploshchad. . .as well as some surprisingly good food.

Favorite Dish: We had salads, wine and desserts ~ the food was good, but it was truly the location and the patio that made the meal a memorable one.

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Theme: Other
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Address: Tealtralnaya Ploshchad.
Directions: Next to the Hotel Moskva.

Restaurant Name: Quick eatz

We fell in love with these fast food kiosks, which offered cheap and tasty food. They were very inexpensive ~ about $3 for two jacket potatoes ~ and very filling (for us). I wish I could find one of these in downtown Toronto, instead of hotdog vendors for a change.

Favorite Dish: Baked potatoes mashed with butter, cheese and your choice of various toppings (sour cream, mushrooms, etc.). Somtimes the simplest food is the best. . .mmmm. :-)

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Theme: Street Vendor
Comparison: least expensive
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Address: Various places around the city.
Directions: Look near any metro station and you'll find one.

Restaurant Name: American Cuisine

We had joined a Patriarshy Dom tour and the meeting spot was the Starlite Diner, so we decided to go a bit early and have breakfast. This turned out to be a very bad idea ~ the coffee was okay, but I highly recommend avoiding food at this restaurant.

Favorite Dish: I had French toast and my mother had eggs and ham or bacon. Neither one of us quite knew what to make of our food. My French toast bore no resemblance to anything that had once been bread. . .instead it was like uncooked dough in the middle. It was entirely unedible. My mother's eggs were rubbery and equally distasteful.

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Theme: American
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Address: Two locations

Restaurant Name: American Cuisine

You would think we would have learned our lesson from the bad experience at the Starlite Diner experience, but my mother's "sheltered" life in Saudi Arabia meant that she was really craving a hearty, traditional breakfast. We gave it another try at this popular ex-pat restaurant. It wasn't as bad as Starlite certainly, but if you can wait for the return home to have your eggs & bacon breakfast, you'll be much better off doing so.

Favorite Dish: I had a sandwich and fries, my mom had an omelette. . .both were edible, but unremarkable.

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Theme: American
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Address: ul. Zemlyanoy val 59
Directions: 10 min. from Taganskaya metro

Restaurant Name: Mob Bombay

Mos Bombay was a terrific dinner ~ nearly on par with my favourite Indian restaurant in Toronto. The restaurant's decor is a little fancier than we were prepared for, but he service was highly attentive and we soon felt very comfortable.

The topper of the whole evening though, was the young woman who came out and danced to Indian songs (beginning with Silsila Ye Chahat Ka from Devdas) every 20 minutes or so. She was doing a mix of Kathak and improvisational (read, Bollywood) dance, and she made the most of her limited space and inattentive audience.

Favorite Dish: The food was excellent - we had butter chicken, channa masala, naan and wine.

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Theme: Indian
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$21-30  » Currency Converter
Address: Glinishchevskiy per. 3
Directions: 5 min from Pushkinskaya metro

Restaurant Name: Quick eatz

There are numerous Sbarro outlets to be seen in Moscow (this one at Okhotniy Ryad mall, plus one in GUM).

It's certainly not what you've come all the way to Russia to eat. . .but this patio offered a fantastic vantage point for people watching and enjoying the beautiful weather. A cheap meal, decent (if not exceptional) food, and the bonus of location, location, location!

Favorite Dish: We had salads, pizza, beer and took our time eating it all and enjoying the view.

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Theme: Pizza
Comparison: least expensive
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Address: Okhotniy Ryad mall
Directions: Bordering the Manezhnaya Ploshchad.

Restaurant Name: Asian Cuisine

This restaurant is set back a little bit off Kamergerskiy pereulok, which is a pedestrianized street with a number of patio restaurants.

Business was pretty slow when we stopped in for dinner, so the service was quick and attention.

Favorite Dish: We had soup, spring rolls and a noodle & veggie dish. . .the food was a bit bland, but all edible and filling.

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Theme: Other
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Address: Kamergerskiy per. 5/6
Directions: 5 min. from Okhotniy Ryad metro.

Restaurant Name: Quick eatz

I've written about Koshka Kartoshka separately, but there are plenty of other fast food kiosks as well. They may not be the healthiest fare you can find, but they are convenient, inexpensive and very tasty. For anyone who is concerned about eating cheaply, this type of food could easily supplement grocery store supplies and the occasional bistro meal.

Favorite Dish: This row here is in the Zamoskvoreche area and is neighboured by a juice bar, a chicken kiosk and another local chain. The juice here was fantastic. . .and we had blinies (crepes) from another fast food stand near the Theatre Square.

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Theme: Street Vendor
Comparison: least expensive
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Address: Various spots.
Directions: Look near metro stations.

Restaurant Name: Ice Cream Carts

In Moscow, as in St. Petersburg, you can hardly go ten feet without running into an ice cream vendor. They are not only on the street, but in the department stores, in the underground. . .

It was heavenly. . .you can have your pick of a fancy Nestle creation, or a simple vanilla and chocolate cone. . .whatever you pick, you can consider it a true "local custom" to be enjoying the same treat that the Russians do.

Favorite Dish: A plain, old-fashioned ice cream cone.

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Theme: Ice Cream
Comparison: least expensive
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Address: Various spots around the city.
Directions: Almost everywhere you turn.