RESTAURANTS

Restaurants

Starlie Diner

$$$$$ | American

Sometimes a big hamburger is the only cure for late night cravings and the agreed best after hours restaurant is the American themed Starlite Diner. Open 24 hours to a loyal patronage of locals and expats this classic styled throwback serves up healthy portions of greasy good food and 1950's ambiance.

Address: Bolshaya Sadovaya Ulitsa, #16a; Telephone: 959-8919

Filimonova & Yankel

$$$$$ | Seafood

A favourite seafood hot spot, F&Y serves up seafood cooked in a variety of styles. A large banquet style dining room makes for a festive atmosphere perfect for larger gatherings. A live but mellow jazz band sets the ambiance further with a classy yet casual atmosphere, much like the fun but quality fish dishes whether baked, seared, grilled or still flopping.

Address: No.2 Kiev Station Sq; E-mail: natasha@rp-com.ru; Telephone: (495) 223-07-07

Mu-Mu cafe

$$$$$

This is a series of six popular restaurants in Moscow all serving cheap traditional Russian food. Very popular with locals looking for quick eats and tourists wanting to try specialty Russian food without spending a fortune, the restaurants usually sport a pleasantly busy atmosphere. A full meal should cost below US$10.

Address: Myasnitskaya st. #14, metro Lubyanka, Kitai,; Telephone: (095) 923-4503

One Red Square

$$$$$ | Seafood

Housed within the State History Museum, overlooking Moscow's bustling plaza, this restaurant offers fine dining at a flashy price. The menus are representative of the recipe books found in 17th, 18th and 19th century Russian cuisine, housed in the Museum itself. Russian treats such as coulibiac and rasstegai, along with a creative array of fish meals, are the house specialities. Diners with a taste for exotic alcohol might want to try the Russian medovukha or kvass.

Address: Red Square; Telephone: 495 692 1196

Caf� Pushkin

$$$$$ | International

Plush, pricey, popular and professional… and if you think that's a mouthful you should try their food. Café Pushkin offers, arguably, the most exquisite dining in Moscow, upmarket enough to charge outrageously but not so pretentious so as to skimp on the portions. Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the food is fantastic whether your having pancakes for breakfast or delicious, sturgeon for dinner or a meaty steak halfway through a night out.

Address: 26a Tverskoi bulvat, Tverskaya; Telephone: 495 229 5590

Shinok

$$$$$ | Local

There's a strange paradox at work in this swanky, themed restaurant. While waitresses dress as milkmaids, goats and chickens (live ones) occupy cages near the restaurant centre and the decorative furniture consist of haystacks, the calibre of service and meals are up to the standards of the upper echelons of society. Indeed, most of the restaurant's clientele dress smartly for dinners here.

Address: 2 Ulitsa, Garden Ring; Telephone: 495 225 0888

Sudar

$$$$$ | Russian

Situated near the Borodino panorama and Poklonnaya Hill, the Sudar is a cozy yet lavish restaurant offering authentic Russian cuisine in the setting of a 19th century nobleman's house. Classical music works well to authenticate the experience. Their fish soup with sturgeon, ravioli and pirozhki are divine dining options.

Address: 36A Kutuzovsky Avenue; Telephone: 449 249 6965

Yolki-Palki Po

$$$$$ | International

This is a service on the move kind of eatery, currently with two locations near the metro stations at Pushkinskaya or Tverskaya. Actually it's a self-service on the move kind of eatery. Guests choose foodstuffs from dishes, are encouraged to be as eclectic as desired, and may choose to have their meal heated or not. Meats, vegetables, spices and sauces of all styles available.

Address: Pushkinskaya Metro, Tveskaya Metro; Telephone: 495 200 3920

Bon

$$$$$

A curiously trendy establishment, best described as Mafia chic, usually packs in Moscow's hipest crowd . While the decoration looks like a villains lair from a batman film, complete with machine gun lamps and decorative gloomy knick-knacks, the menu has reliable favourites such as pasta, seafood and grilled meats all prepared by some of the city's finest chefs.

Address: Yakimanskaya Embankment 4, Building 1; E-mail: info@bonmoscow.ru; Telephone: 495-737-8008

Metropol

$$$$$

For some of the city's finest dining, The Metropol has hosted some of recent history's most famous figures beneath its large glass dome and stained-glass windows. The food matches the opulent decoration with the best of European cuisine with some of Russia's most extravagant dishes. The classic feel will leave diners feeling like visiting foreign dignitaries and there is good chance you may meet one.

E-mail: metropol@metmos.ru; Telephone: (499) 270 1061