Author Liz Dejkun Blog, Destinations, Moscow, Russia May 2, 2018 1 comment

As MeetnGreetMe is going to support international travelers coming to Russia during FIFA 2018, we decided to launch a series of articles about where to eat an what to do in these 11 Russian host cities.

Let’s start with Moscow!

Traveling to Moscow, you probably want not only to eat some delicious food but also enjoy the authentic atmosphere.

At MeetnGreetMe, the tourists’ great emotions and a full stomach is our highest priority, so we asked our local MeetnGreeters to recommend great and unique cafes and restaurants in Moscow!

Here’s a list of the most authentic places to eat in Moscow where you can enjoy not only a great meal but also the spirit of Moscow.

Make sure that you’re not hungry because this article is too appetizing to read it on an empty stomach 😋

Mari Vanna – Spiridonyevskiy Lane, 10A

Homey dining room for traditional Russian delicacies, decorated with standard lamps, bookcases and old photos on the wall. Its traditional Russian living room decoration and some Russian old school music playing in the background really gives you this “lovely Russian babushka” vibe which is part of the fun.

Portions are quite big and the price is reasonable. The menu itself is really interesting for tourists. Try out these traditional soviet Russian dishes: homemade cakes, borscht, Bird’s milk dessert.

This is the right place to enjoy the delicious authentic meal, attentive service, and excellent ambiance!

A great bonus for cat lovers: A resident cat Benjamin will stroll around now and then.

(Spoiler: you will fall in love)

Lepim i Varim – Stoleshnikov Ln., 9/1

The relaxed and laid-back atmosphere along with fantastic dumplings (or as they say in Russian “pelmeni”) and reasonable prices in the central downtown of Moscow — sounds like a great idea, doesn’t it?

Lepim i varim is a bistro that specializes in dumplings with a great variety of stuffing and dressing, for instance: Mom’s Siberian (with pork and beef), Minty lamb (with lamb and mint, obviously) and Uncle from Kamchatka (with king crab and cream cheese). There are also several kinds of soup and don’t forget to try Russian wheat ale — white bumblebee — you won’t regret it!

Moreover, the prices are the cheapest in the area and the staff is really nice and always ready to help you make the choice in this wide variety of handmade dumplings.

As it’s said on the official website of Lepim i Varim — “Our mission is to cook the best dumplings on Earth.” And I tend to believe these words.

Farm Restaurant Lavkalavka – Spiridonyevskiy Lane, 10A

Located within walking distance from the Bolshoi Theatre, Farm Restaurant Lavkalavka is the place of a new Russian cuisine. All the ingredients are delivered from local farmers and the dishes are cooked in a simple yet sophisticated way. The menu is an interesting twist on traditional Russian food: you can try such unique specialties as meat tartar and deer heart.

The restaurant itself is beautifully decorated, the staff is really nice and there is also a nice feature: a menu lists the name of the farmer who supplied the ingredients for the dishes.

Each guest has a chance not only to try delicious meals with an original recipe but also to reconnect with the great tradition of Russian cuisine.

Stolovaya №57 – Krasnaya Sq., 3 | Inside GUM

Stolovaya №57 (canteen №57) is set up as a vintage Soviet canteen where you take a tray, move along a line and lift a window taking the dish that appeals to you. It offers a wide choice of authentic Russian dishes: salads, soups, bakery, appetizers, main courses, dessert. Here you can sample such dishes as Herring Under a Fur Coat, Hunting Appetizer of pork fat, sauerkraut and rye toast, and a few sponge cakes. It is a really fun and pretty cheap introduction to traditional Russian food with a bit of a Soviet vibe.

It is located on the top floor of GUM shopping center which makes it a great spot to enjoy a nice meal before or after shopping. But please notice that the line can be long during lunch and dinner hours! But it’s worth it: the place is very colorful and is full of old Russian charm of the Communist era.

Rukav – Zemlyanoi Val St., 59/2

This is a very unusual place (in a good way)! It’s an art center which combines a restaurant, a workshop for artists and a creative kitchen. Your adventure starts when you push the fin-de-siecle doors and find yourself in an atrium surrounded by modern art in all its guises and sizes, from tiny expressionist figurines to huge statuaries. In the middle of the hall on the ground floor, there is a large table with some food, inviting to choose a hearty art lunch for just 310 Roubles (about 5 USD), including starters, soup, main course and drink, with the new menu for every working day.

You are two times luckier if your visit is about 8 o’clock in the evening because you will hear fine live concert which adds some additional points to this fine arty atmosphere.

By the way, every object you see is for sale so don’t miss the chance! Definitely worth visiting.

And of course, if you’d like to get a personalized gastronomic tour in Moscow according to your taste and interest, don’t hesitate to contact our MeetnGreeters in Moscow.