1. You can eat very well in the Russian capital. There is a good choice of all world cuisines, starting from Uzbek and Armenian, finishing with fine French or rustic Italian. (Not to mention countless Japanese fusion restaurants like Nobu, Megu or, my favourite, Nedalny Vostok)
2. Going to Moscow on a budget and enjoying it’s best places can be tricky. Great choice, top interior design (e.g. iPad menus) and high-quality ingredients (often flown from another part of the world) comes with a price. It’s one of the most expensive cities in the world after all.
3. Most of the restaurants have sushi and some Russian specialities like pirozhki on their menus as well as a wide choice of freshly squeezed juice. Strawberry, pomegranate, mandarin, you name it.
4. Very good and attentive service.
5. Natural (and local) products trend has been picking speed recently. You have Uilliam’s trattoria (one of the hottest restaurants in the city at the moment ), where you can have warm hummus dip, fresh garden vegetables with yoghurt sauce or grilled fish, and no sushi for a change…
7. Nostalgia for the past. You will see a “Back to the USSR” section on the recently opened The White Rabbit restaurant menu; you can even have lunch at a typical Soviet cantine (those, who lived during Soviet times know what I am talking about) called Stolovaya No. 57. It is located few steps away from the Red Square, on the third floor of GUM department store.
8. Cheap caviar is no more. Because of the sturgeons fishing restrictions in Russia, black caviar in Moscow cost as much as in Europe or the US. At least officially.
