Restaurant Day

A new restaurant of Alexander Rappoport was opened in Moscow's central Hotel National. The idea was to make it another Russian cuisine hotspot like Café Pushkin, but more affordable. The menu is rather traditional (starters, soups, second courses) and has special sections with julienne, herring, cutlets and dumplings. And their goose with whortleberry is a must try. As for drinks, they have a wide range of vodka and distilled liqueurs – try them to feel the Russian spirit though all alcohol here is really good. The interiors were inspired by abstract paintings of Malevich and Petrov-Vodkin and are all white and red. Maybe the only flaw of the place is its popularity which means tables are hard to book – give it at least two weeks to get something for New Year.

The first restaurant with modern Chinese cuisine in Moscow and a new project by a well-known lawyer and caterer Aleksandr Rappoport. It isn't just a restaurant, it is a place with real Cantonese food, which is practically unknown to Moscow while being extremely popular ouside of China. One of the things that make it special is, for instance, that all products undergo a minimal thermal treatment, and special attention is given to the healthyness of the food and the way products match. Every small detail counts – the order in which you cook the ingredients as well as their color. The menu features ducks, geese, chicken and quail, and also ribs prepared according to ancient Chinese technologies. The noodles and dim-sams are cooked by a special chef. The interior combines elements of a classic British pub, sculptures of Han and Tang dynasties, art from the Cultural Revolution era and modern Chinese art.

This highlight has actually made it to the world's top 50 restaurants - it was ranked 23d. Apart from this, chef Vladimir Mukhin's eatery on the 16th floor of the Smolensky Passage (facing the Foreign Ministry skyscraper staple) building boasts the stunning 360-degree views of the historic centre of Moscow and,certainly, food. The prominent chef gives the Russian cuisine a modern makeover using contemporary techniques and international ingredients. The wide-ranging menu blends traditional food with innovative ingredients and always has something new to offer.

Started by chef William Lamberti and restaurateur Ilya Tyutenkov, Ugolyok is a restaurant in Bolshaya Nikitskaya street that became popular unexpectedly quickly even for Moscow – so book a table here well in advance. The place's highlights are antique blast furnaces which have a pleasant smell of smoke. Ugolyok also features concrete walls covered with real moss, wooden furniture as well as irregular glasses and cups. It also boasts an open kitchen and rich portions. The menu is regularly updated, but the Black Caesar salad and Chile Sea Bass have already become the place's favourites.
You will enjoy your time at Ugolyok at any time of the day but we still recommend coming here at night when it has a very special vibe - every other man and his dog has compared the spot to a NYC bar. If you want to take the evening to the next level, go upstairs and check out a party at Bobo bar and enjoy your fav cocktail.

Cafe opened on Malaya Bronnaya in 2011 by William Lamberti and since that moment has won the praise of one of the main points on the map of Patriarshie Ponds. Lamberti here not only the chef and co-owner, he is responsible for literally every detail: for example, his idea is a red kitchen middle of the main hall. The kitchen is open, so you can follow the magic of cooking of each dish step by step. The menu is not very big, but the chef welcomes proposals by any visitor. By the way, be aware, that you'd better book a table in advance. In the summer here the locals meet for the breakfasts, lunchs and dinners, having won the most popular seats. Surprisingly, but the most popular and wanted seats are the stairs with pillows at the entrance, not the tables. It can be characterized as a place with a special "European Moscow" atmosphere.

Yet another project by energetic Isaac Correa who is trying to bring a bit of New York to Moscow. The interiors are full of restraint and industrialism. The menu serves all types of food: burgers for hungry businessmen, soups and vegetable snacks (spring rolls, cobb salad and lobster soup) for healthy-eaters, and treacherous and unpardonably tasty desserts (brownies and traditional American cobber pie with blueberry and plum) for everyone else.

Ginza Project's Mari Vanna has branches in London and New York and quite a reputation. The Patriarch Ponds location is not an exception: it boasts the same homeliness of an old Russian apartment – wallpapers, parquet flooring, granny's furniture, the shelves overflowing with knick-knacks, and don't forget about everybody's darlings, a cat and a dog. The food is actually Russian-speaking too such as bortscht beetroot soup, buckwheat, jellied meat, dumplings and kissel berry drink. Bring your foreign friends here for a memorable meal and experience.

A new hotspot is the creation of restaurateur Ilya Tyutenkovu (Uilliam’s and Ugolyok) and lures passersby with its open kitchen where every single meal is put on tables right in front of you. The design is minimalistic: wooden communal tables that are always hard to get. Nothing surprising, taking into account that Luigi Mani reigns the kitchen. Try their tender octopus meals: delicious ravioli soup and smoked octopus appetizer. The names in the menu seem simple, though the food appears really complicated when arrives.
Highly recommended is Raspberry Dream dessert – a raspberry caramel ball, meringue, raspberry and tender mousse that rather reminds of a X-mas decoration than a dessert. And drinks are just splendid: cocktails are original and fancy, echoing the cuisine. Most are quite strong but taste nice and we guarantee you've never tasted anything before.

Tacky walls, holes in wallpaper exposing brick, uncovered pipes and hanging wires – here, the brutal interior goes together with fabulous food and great care. Chef Anton Kovalkov and chief bartender Denis Kryazhev used to work in Lyubimye Mesto 22.13 (now closed) and they have prepared an original menu with local specialties – it can look strange but tastes awesome.