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In a city where onion domes and Soviet-era monoliths bespeak a long, varied, and storied past, it's easy to forget that the dining scene is relatively new, having emerged with democratization in 1991. Now, nearly twenty-five years later, the Moscow restaurant scene is still going through growing pains and has yet to find its pace. This is good news for adventurous diners. You might still find yourself being served by pantaloon-and-ruffled bedecked "serfs" beneath glittering chandeliers in one of the showy, re-created settings that arose in the post-Soviet era—and that even a tsar would find to be over the top.
But many restaurants now approach their food sensibly and seriously. A new crop of chefs is serving traditional Russian fare, often giving it some innovative twists. One European cuisine to invade the city anew is Italian, and scores of dark-haired chefs from the Mediterranean are braving the cold to bring Muscovites minestrone and carbonara. Other ethnic restaurants have long since arrived as well, and you can sample Tibetan, Indian, Chinese, Latin American, or Turkish cuisine any night of the week.
One welcome, long-standing Russian tradition that remains in place is a slow-paced approach to a meal. It's common for people to linger at their tables long after finishing dessert, and you're almost never handed the bill until you ask for it. Keep in mind that chef turnover is high in Moscow, which means restaurants can change quickly—and that there's always a new culinary experience to be had in this ever-evolving city.
It's all about the view atop this Stalin-era skyscraper that also houses the Radisson Royal hotel. The cuisine takes few chances, hewing to classics, such as lemony octopus salad and sea bream with tomato and fennel, while the desserts are fanciful and fantastic.
The menu consists mostly of classic Continental salads, sandwiches, and other light fare, though the real attraction is the pastry case, which holds house-made cakes and other sweets that pair perfectly with a steaming cup of coffee. The tranquil atmosphere with comfy window seats is ideal for a break from sightseeing or for whiling away a rainy afternoon. It's a few minutes away from Patriarch's Ponds.
Sink into folds of burgundy velour with a plate of chocolates and a cappuccino at this indulgent dessert spot off the Boulevard Ring. Unapologetically frilly and romantic, the two rooms are adorned with pink ribbons on gauzy white curtains and floral-patterned cushions atop wrought-iron chairs; gold-framed still lifes line the walls. The menu is about two-thirds sweets—truffles, praline, mille-feuille, cookies, cakes, pies—but it also includes a weekday lunch selection of soups, pastas, and pancakes, and a handful of dinner items. Service is genial and almost courtly.
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