Eating and drinking"When I eat pork at a meal, give me the whole pig; when mutton, give the whole sheep; when goose, the whole bird. Two dishes are better than a thousand provided a fellow can devour as much of them as he wants. - Dead Souls, Gogol
As the above quotation suggests, quantity rather than variety has long characterized the Russian appetite. Especially under Communism, when haute cuisine was wiped out, citizens made a virtue of the slow service that was the norm in Soviet restaurants by drinking, talking and dancing for hours. The Western notion of a quick meal was unthinkable.

Nowadays, the gastronomic scene has improved enormously, with hundreds of new cafés and restaurants offering all kinds of cuisine and surroundings, aimed at anyone with a disposable income – from mega-rich New Russians and expense-account expatriates to fashion-conscious wealthy teenagers. While some places at the top end of the market can rightfully boast of their haute cuisine, there are lots whose decor and pretensions surpass their cooking, where the clientele's main aim seems to be to flash their money around.

While all bars, cafés and restaurants take payment in rubles, more tourist-oriented places may list prices on their menus in so-called "Standard" or "Conditional Units" (using the Cyrillic abbreviation УЕ), equivalent to US dollars, euros, or some point between the two currencies, converted into rubles at the current central bank rate or the rate of exchange advertised on the premises (which may be less favourable). It's often (though not invariably) true that a menu in dollars is an indication that the establishment is overpriced by local standards.

Credit cards are accepted by most top-range or foreign-managed restaurants – we've indicated in our listings which ones are accepted using the relevant abbreviations (Amex = American Express, DC = Diners Club, EC = Eurocard MC = Mastercard, JCB = Japanese Credit Bank) – but you shouldn't take it for granted. As for paying with travellers' cheques, forget it.

Breakfast, bakeries and snacks
At home, most Russians take breakfast (zavtrak) very seriously, tucking into calorific dishes such as pancakes (bliny) or buckwheat porridge (kasha), with curd cheese (tvorog) and sour cream (smetana), although some settle simply for a cup of tea and a slice of bread. Hotels will serve an approximation of the "Continental" breakfast, probably just a fried egg, bread, butter and jam; the flashier joints, however, provide a Shvedskiy stol, or "Swedish table", a sort of smorgasbord – and may feature a slap-up Sunday brunch.

Pastries (pirozhnoe) are available from cake shops (konditerskaya) and some grocers (gastronom). Savoury pies (pirozhki) are often sold on the streets from late morning; the best are filled with cabbage, curd cheese or rice. It's advisable to steer clear of the meat ones unless you're buying from a reputable outlet.

Bread (khleb), available from bakeries (bulochnaya), is one of the country's culinary strong points. "Black" bread (known as chorniy or rzhanoy) is the traditional variety: a dense rye bread with a distinctive sourdough flavour and amazing longevity. Karelskiy is similar but with fruit; surozhniy is a lighter version, made with a mixture of wheat and rye. French-style baguettes (baton) – white, mixed-grain or plaited with poppy seeds – are also popular. For wholegrain, focaccia or fruit breads, check out the Baltic Bread chain of bakeries.

Like other Eastern Europeans, the Russians are very fond of cakes (tort). The Sladoezhka chain of patisseries sells all kinds of freshly made fruit or chocolate gateaux, while supermarkets stock various cakes whose main ingredients are sponge dough, honey and a distinctive spice like cinnamon or ginger or lots of cream and jam. Whatever the season, Russians are always happy to have an ice cream (morozhenoe), available from kiosks all over town. Much of the locally produced ice cream is cheaper and of better quality than the imported brands; try the popular créme-brûlée or eskimo, a sort of choc-ice. Alternatively, there are a few Baskin-Robbins outlets around town.

Department stores, theatres and major museums feature a stand-up buffet, offering open sandwiches with salami, caviar or boiled egg as well as other nibbles. Less appealing buffets can be found in train and bus stations, and around metro stations and markets.

Zakuski
Despite the popularity of Western fast food, Russian culinary traditions are still strong, especially with regard to bliny (pancakes), one of the best-loved of Russian zakuski – small dishes or hors d'oeuvres, which are often a meal in themselves. Zakuski traditionally form the basis of the famous Russkiy stol, or "Russian table", a feast of awesome proportions, in which the table groans under the weight of the numerous dishes while the samovar steams away. Among the upper classes in Tsarist times, zakuski were merely the prelude to the main meal, as foreign guests would discover to their dismay after gorging themselves on these delights. Salted fish, like sprats or herrings, are a firm favourite, as are gherkins, assorted cold meats and salads. Hard-boiled eggs and bliny, both served with caviar (ikra), are also available. Caviar is no longer as cheap as during Brezhnev's era, when people tired of eating so much of it, but it's still cheaper than in the West. There are two basic types: red (krasnaya) and black (chornaya), with the latter having smaller eggs and being more expensive.

Meals
Russians usually eat their main meal at lunchtime (obed), between 1pm and 4pm, and traditionally have only zakuski or salad and tea for supper (uzhin). Restaurants, on the other hand, make much more of the evening, though many now offer a set-price business lunch to attract extra customers.

Menus are usually written in Russian only, although more and more places offer a short English version. But beware: the Russian menu is usually typed up every day, whereas the English version will give only a general idea of what might be available. In such cases, you'd probably be better off asking what they recommend (shto-by vy po rekomendovali?), which can elicit some surprisingly frank replies.

If your main concern is price, you'll need to stick to fast-food outlets or cafés, the latter providing some of the best ethnic food in the city, including Armenian (Armyanskiy), Georgian (Gruzinskiy) and Korean (Koreyskiy), as well as traditional Russian cooking.

Russian cuisine owes many debts to Jewish, Ukrainian and Caucasian cooking, but remains firmly tied to its peasant origins. In former times, the staple diet of black bread, potatoes, cabbages, cucumber and onions made for bland eating – Shchi da kasha, pishcha nasha ("cabbage soup and porridge are our food"), as one saying goes – with flavourings limited to sour cream, garlic, vinegar, dill and a few other fresh herbs. These strong tastes and textures – salty, sweet, sour, pickled – remained the norm, even among the aristocracy, until Peter the Great introduced French chefs to his court in the early eighteenth century.

Most menus start with a choice of soup or zakuski. Soup (sup) has long played an important role in Russian cuisine (the spoon appeared on the Russian table over four hundred years before the fork). Cabbage soup, or shchi, has been the principal Russian dish for the last thousand years, served with a generous dollop of sour cream; beetroot soup, or borsch, originally from Ukraine, is equally ubiquitous. Soups, however, are often only available at lunchtime and Russians do not consider even the large meaty soups to be a main meal; they will expect you to indulge in a main course afterwards. Chilled soups (okroshki) are popular during the summer, made from whatever's available.

Main courses are overwhelmingly based on meat (myaso), usually beef, mutton or pork, and sometimes accompanied by a simple sauce (mushroom or cheese). Meat may also make its way into pelmeni, a Russian version of ravioli, usually served in a broth. As far as regional meat dishes go, the most common are Georgian barbecued kebabs (shashlyk), or pilau-style Uzbek rice dishes called plov.

A wide variety of fish and seafood is available in Moscow. Pickled fish is a popular starter (try selotka pod shuby, herring in a "fur coat" of beetroot, carrot, egg and mayonnaise), while fresh fish often appears as a main course – salmon, sturgeon and cod are the most common choices, though upmarket restaurants may boast lobster and oysters as well.

In cafés most main courses are served with boiled potatoes and/or sliced fresh tomatoes, but more expensive restaurants will serve a full selection of accompanying vegetables. These are called garnir and often have to be ordered and paid for separately. Where the meat is accompanied by vegetables, you may see an entry on the menu along the lines of 100/25/100g, which refers to the respective weight in grams of the meat (or fish) portion, and its accompanying servings of rice/potatoes and vegetable garnir. In ethnic restaurants, meat is almost always served on its own. Other vegetables are generally served boiled or pickled, but seldom appear separately on the menu.

Desserts (sladkoe) are not a strong feature of Russian cuisine. Ice cream, fruit, apple pie (yablochniy pirog) and jam pancakes (blinchikiy s varenem) are restaurant perennials, while in Caucasian restaurants you may get the flaky pastry and honey dessert, pakhlava (like Greek or Turkish baklava).

Ethnic food
The influence of diverse culinary traditions on Russian food is epitomized by pelmeni (ravioli). Originating as dim sum in pork-eating China, they spread as manty to the mutton-eating cultures along the Silk Road and westwards with the Tatars to Crimea, before being adopted by Russian peasants in Siberia – whence the recipe spread to European Russia. Closer to home, Jewish, Russian and Ukrainian cooking were so entwined that the only dishes not claimed by all three traditions are ones using pork. The cuisines of the Caucasus were also a lasting influence; most Russian restaurants have shashlyk, the Georgian kebab, or tolma, Armenian stuffed vineleaves, on the menu. Yet each ethnic cuisine is distinctive and deserves to be experienced in a proper "national" restaurant.

In Soviet times Georgian restaurants were the most esteemed, and Caucasian entrepreneurs supplied Russian cities with fruit, wine and flowers. Georgians have a legend that God took a meal break from Creation, tripped over the Caucasus range and spilled his food onto the land below – their cuisine was "scraps from Heaven's table". Its distinctive ingredients include ground walnuts and walnut-oil for cooking; condiments like khmeli-suneli (dried coriander, chilli, garlic, pepper and marigold petals), adzhika (tomato, red pepper and chilli sauce) and tkemali (plum sauce); and lashings of fresh dill, coriander, parsley and cilantro, which are also eaten raw, to cleanse the palette between courses, and used to garnish cheeses made from sheep's or goat's milk. Traditionally, dishes of aubergines, tomatoes, garlic and beans were the staple diet, but feast days were marked by banquets of meaty soups, stews and kebabs, with repeated toasts in wine or brandy, orchestrated by a tamada (toast master). Favourites include satsivi, a cold dish of chicken in walnut sauce; chikhirtmi, lemon-flavoured chicken soup; kharcho, spicy beef soup; and khinkali, dumplings stuffed with lamb or a mixture of pork and beef. Khachapuri, a delicious, cheesy soft bread that's served hot, is a filling starter.

Armenian and Azerbaijani cuisine is closer to Middle Eastern cooking (with the addition of dried nuts, saffron and ginger), while Uzbek features khinkali (a spicier kind of pelmeni) and sausages made from pony meat (kazy). Ginger and garlic also feature prominently in Korean food, originally introduced by Korean railway workers exiled to Kazakhstan in the 1930s. Marinaded beef dishes like bulkogi are fried at your table, accompanied by raw vegetables and hot pickled garlic relish (kimichi). One dish often found even in non-Korean eateries is spicy carrot salad (morkov po-koreyskiy). More recently, Russians have fallen in love with Japanese food – though arguably sushi and sashimi aren't far removed from smoked fish zakuski, or the salmon and crab diet of Russia's Far Northern peoples. Thai and fusion food are also currently chic, while a decade's exposure to Indian and Chinese cuisine has acclimatized sophisticated locals to curries and spicy dishes that were previously toned down to suit Russian tastes.

Drinking
The story goes that the tenth-century Russian prince Vladimir, when pondering which religion to adopt for his state, rejected Judaism because its adherents were seen as weak and scattered; Catholicism because the pope claimed precedence over sovereigns; and Islam because "Drinking is the joy of the Russians. We cannot live without it."

A thousand years on, alcohol remains a central part of Russian life, and the prime cause of falling life expectancy of Russian males. It's a sobering experience to visit provincial towns where almost every man is stumbling drunk by midday, or villages where dozens have died from toxic hooch. In Moscow, alcoholics congregate in parks and around kiosks; virtually all cafés serve alcohol, and it seems as if every fourth pedestrian is swigging from a bottle of beer. As the price of drinks in cafés and bars is at least double that charged by the street kiosks, many Russians still prefer to buy booze from them and drink it at home, or on the nearest bench. Partly due to the prevalence of bootlegging, the City Government prohibits the sale of spirits from kiosks, though many continue to sell vodka under the counter, and cans of ready-mixed gin and tonic or vodka and cranberry don't count as spirits anyway. It is illegal to drink spirits on the streets or in parks (though the law is flouted by alcoholics), but beer drinking is not an offence.

Drinking spirits in a bar, the usual measures are 50 or 100 grams (pyatdesyat/sto gram), which for those used to British pub measures seem extremely generous. If invited to eat with Russians, it can be difficult to avoid drinking a succession of toasts in vodka, each glass tossed back do dna – to the end – as refusal may cause offence. The only ironclad excuse is to pretend that you have a liver problem, or suffer from alcoholism. If you do submit to a drinking session, be sure to eat something after each shot – Russians say that even the smell of a crust of bread is better than nothing.

Vodka and other spirits
Vodka is the national drink – its name means something like "a little drop of water". Normally served chilled, vodka is drunk neat in one gulp, followed by a mouthful of food, such as pickled herring, cucumber or mushrooms; many people inhale deeply before tossing the liquor down their throats. Drinking small amounts at a time, and eating as you go, it's possible to consume an awful lot without passing out – though you soon reach a plateau of inebriated exhilaration.

Taste isn't a prime consideration; what counts is that the vodka isn't bootleg liquor (podelnaya, falshivaya or levnaya in Russian). At best, this means that customers find themselves drinking something weaker than they bargained for; at worst, they're imbibing diluted methanol, which can cause blindness or even death. To minimize the risk, familiarize yourself with the price of a few brands in the shops; if you see a bottle at well below the usual price it's almost certainly bootleg stuff. Among the hundreds of native brands on the market, Smirnov and the varieties produced under the Liviz and Dovgan labels are probably the best, though many drinkers regard imported vodkas such as Absolut, Finlandia or Smirnoff as more prestigious. Always check that the bottle's seal and tax label are intact, and don't hesitate to pour its contents away if it smells or tastes strange. A litre of decent vodka costs about $5 in the shops.

In addition to standard vodka you'll also see flavoured vodkas such as pertsovka (hot pepper vodka), limonaya (lemon vodka), okhotnichaya (hunter's vodka with juniper berries, ginger and cloves), starka (apple and pear-leaf vodka) and zubrovka (bison-grass vodka). Some Russians make these and other variants at home by infusing berries or herbs in regular vodka.

Other domestic liquors include cognac (konyak), which is pretty rough compared to French brandy, but easy enough to acquire a taste for. Traditionally, the best brands hail from Armenia (Ararat) and Moldova (Beliy Aist), but as both states now export these for hard currency, bottles sold in Russia are often fakes. More commonly, you'll find Georgian or Dagestani versions, which are all right if they're the genuine article, but extremely rough if they're not. Otherwise, you can find imported spirits such as whisky, gin and tequila in many bars and shops, along with Irish Cream, Amaretto and sickly Austrian fruit brandies.

Vodka folklore
Russians have a wealth of phrases and gestures to signify drinking vodka, the most common one being to tap the side of your chin or windpipe. The story goes that there was once a peasant who saved the life of Peter the Great and was rewarded with the right to drink as much vodka as he liked from any distillery. Fearing that a written ukaz would be stolen while he was drunk, the man begged the Tsar to stamp the Imperial seal on his throat – the origin of the gesture.

Fittingly, the Russian word for drunk – pyany – comes from an incident where two columns of drunken soldiers advancing on either side of the Pyany River mistook each other for the enemy and opened fire. Given its long and disreputable role in Russian warfare, it's ironic that the Tsarist government's prohibition of vodka for the duration of World War I did more harm than good, by depriving the state of a third of its revenue and stoking class hatred of the aristocracy, whose consumption of cognac and champagne continued unabated. Stalin knew better during World War II, when soldiers received a large shot of vodka before going into battle.

In Soviet society, vodka was the preferred form of payment for any kind of work outside the official economy and the nexus for encounters between strangers needing to "go three" on a bottle – a half-litre bottle shared between three people was reckoned to be the cheapest and most companionable way to get a bit drunk. Whereas rationing vodka was the most unpopular thing that Gorbachev ever did, Yeltsin's budgets categorized it as an essential commodity like bread or milk. Yet despite Yeltsin's notorious fondness for vodka, one would rather not believe Shevardnadze's claim to have found him lying dead drunk in the White House during the 1991 putsch, though at the time Shevardnadze told the crowd outside that "I have met the President and he is standing firm in defence of democracy." At least Yeltsin never lent his name and face to his own brand of vodka – unlike Zhirinovsky (who professes not to drink the stuff) – while Putin is well known to prefer beer.

Beer, wine and champagne
Beer is the preferred drink of younger Russians if only because it's widely available – and consumed – at any time of day or night, and hardly regarded as alcohol, but simply as a refreshing drink. (A clinic for child alcoholics opened in Moscow in 2004.) Most of Russia's best-selling beers come from St Petersburg breweries. Baltika beers come in 50cl bottles, numbered from 1 to 12 (mainly in order of their strength). The most popular are #3, "Classic" lager (ask for Troika), #4, "Original" brown ale, and #5, "Porter" stout; #6 and #7 are often found on tap in pool bars and discos; #9 is the strongest; #10 has an aroma of almond and basil, and Medovoe supposedly tastes of honey. Stepan Razin (named after the peasant rebel hero) produces eleven different beers, including Spetsialnoe (only 3.6 percent alcohol), the light pilsner Admiralteyskoe, the potent Kalinkin (7 percent), and Zolotoe, with a fine aroma of malt and hops. The Vena brewery is best known for Nevskoe Originalnoe (which won second price at a beer festival in Britain) and Porter (which got a gold medal in Denmark); it also makes Svetloe, a light beer, and Kronverk, without alcohol. More recent newcomers are Bochkarev, whose Svetloe (light) and Tyomnoe (dark) are very popular, and Tinkoff, which bottles some of the unfiltered beers available on tap at its microbrewery in Moscow. Other Russian brands include Afanasy, a mild ale brewed in Nizhniy Novgorod, and Sibirskaya Korona (Siberian Crown) lager. You're bound to find some of these on tap (razlivnoe) in bars, together with foreign imports such as Tuborg, Carlsberg, Holsten, or Guinness, which may also come in bottles or cans in shops.

The wine (vino) on sale in Moscow is either imported from the European Union or California, or from the vineyards of Moldova, Georgia and Crimea, Russia's traditional source of wine. Georgian and Moldovan wines are made from varieties of grapes that are almost unknown abroad, so it would be a shame not to sample them, but since the cheapest generic brands in shops are either bootlegs or simply disgusting, you should stick to the dearer versions ($6 and upwards). The ones to look out for are the dry reds Mukuzani and Saperavi, or the sweeter full-bodied reds Kindzmarauli and Khvanchkara, drunk by Stalin. Georgia also produces some fine white wines, like the dry Gurdzhani and Tsinandali (traditionally served at room temperature), as well as the fortified wines Portvini (port) and Masala, which are also produced in the Crimea and known in Russian as baramatukha or "babbling juice", the equivalent of Thunderbird in the US.

Despite notice from France that Russia's concession to use the word champagne has expired (it was granted after World War II in gratitude to the Soviet Union), not all local manufacturers have relabelled their product "Soviet Sparkling" (Sovietskoe Igristoe), and consumers still request "Soviet champagne" (Sovetskoe shampanskoe, or shampanskoe for short). Besides being far cheaper than the French variety, some of it is really pretty good if properly chilled. The two types to go for are sukhoe and bryut, which are both reasonably dry; polusukhoe or "medium dry" is actually very sweet, and sladkoe is like connecting yourself to a glucose drip. It's indicative of Russian taste that the last two are the most popular.

Tea, coffee and soft drinks
Traditionally, Russian tea (chay) was brewed and stewed for hours, and topped up with boiling water from an ornate tea urn, or samovar, but nowadays even the more run-of-the-mill cafés use imported teabags. Quite a few places also offer herbal or fruit-flavoured teas, which were traditionally prepared at home using herbs and leaves from the forest (travyanoy chay), or ginseng and ginger from the east. Most Russians drink tea without milk, and you need to ask for it in cafés. Milk (moloko) itself is sold in stores alongside kefir, a sour milk drink that's something of an acquired taste for foreigners. There are full-cream and low-fat versions of both.

Coffee (kofe) is sold all over the place and varies enormously in quality. Kiosks and cheap cafés use vile powdered stuff; avoid places with automats and look for a proper coffee maker on the premises. Seattle-style coffee houses are all the rage in Moscow, with chains like Coffee Bean and Coffee House offering espresso, cappuccino, lattes, mocca, flavoured coffees and alcoholic coffee cocktails. A few old-fashioned cafés prepare Turkish or Arabic coffee by heating it in hot sand, a method used in Soviet times.

Pepsi and Coca-Cola jostle for sales with cheaper brands of fizzy drinks imported from Eastern Europe, or manufactured in Russia. Besides generic colas, lemonades and orangeades, you'll see such distinctly Russian drinks as kvas, an unusual but delicious thirst-quencher made from fermented rye bread; myod, or honey-mead, which is seen as a soft drink but contains alcohol; and tarkhun, a bright green, sickly sweet drink made from tarragon – all of which have made a comeback since they fell out of fashion with the demise of the Soviet Union.

The days when the only mineral water (mineralnaya voda) available was Narzan and Borzhomi from the Caucasus (both a bit salty and sulphurous for most Western tastes, but worth persevering with) are long over. Kiosks and shops are full of Evian, Vittel and Perrier, and diverse Russian brands of spring water, which may be carbonated (gazirovanaya voda) or without gas (negazirovanaya). The brand Svyati Istochik (Sacred Spring) even comes with a blessing from the Orthodox Patriarch.

Fast-food chains
Fast-food chains have become hugely popular in Moscow and St Petersburg, offering a variety of food and standards of hygiene and service infinitely superior to the grimy stolovaya (canteens) that were the lot of generations of citizens during Soviet times, but which younger Russians now take for granted. Besides such worldwide giants as McDonald's, Pizza Hut and KFC, there's the Italian pizza chain Sbarro, and various homegrown chains serving Russian or Ukrainian food – bliny (pancakes), salads, zakuski – or modelled on Starbucks. The outlets listed in the box The chain gang are reliable, but not reviewed under cafés or included on maps in this book.

Cafés and bars
Cafés and bars in Moscow run the gamut from humble eateries to chic watering holes, and since most places serve alcohol (beer, if not spirits too) the distinction between them is often a fine one. With some exceptions (mostly places in top-class hotels) cafés are generally cheaper than fully fledged restaurants, making them popular with Russians who have some disposable income, but don't ride around in a Mercedes.

Though all cafés are private ventures nowadays, some retain the surly habits of Soviet days, when customers counted themselves lucky if they got served at all, and even where they aim to please, you sometimes find inexplicable lapses in standards or decorum. However, you can also find some delicious meals and friendly watering holes if you know where to look, and the number of acceptable places is rising all the time.

The following selection is listed in alphabetical order under area headings corresponding to the chapters in the guide section. We've provided phone numbers for bars and cafés where it's advisable to phone ahead and reserve a table, particularly if you are planning to eat in the evening.

Red Square and the Kitay-gorod
Besides the places listed below (marked on the map "Red Square & the Kremlin", or the map "Kitay-gorod"), there are branches of Rostik's, Sbarro and McDonald's in the Manezh mall, and another Rostik's in GUM.

Café Prosto
Lubyanskiy proezd 25, str. 2; Kitay-Gorod metro.

Prosto means "simple" and this basement café near the Cyril and Methodius statue on Staraya ploshchad is certainly that – but warm and friendly, with tasty solyanka and pelmeni on the menu. No cards. Daily noon–11pm.

Drova
Nikolskaya ul. 3; Ploshchad Revolyutsii metro.

Unbeatable value for its location just off Red Square, Drova offers a healthy breakfast (7–11am; $3), a filling three-course lunch (Mon– Fri noon–3pm; $4) and an all-you-can- eat buffet of Russian, Caucasian and Uzbek delicacies ($11). Try to get a table by the window. No cards. Daily 24hr.

Loft
Nautilus Trade House, Teatralniy proezd 25 tel:933 77 13; Lubyanka metro.

You'll need to get past the guards in the lobby to reach this chic sixth-floor "health café" with a view of the Lubyanka and a summer balcony. Its salads, fresh juices and tiger shrimps in garlic sauce are winners, and they serve afternoon tea (5–7pm) on weekdays. A full meal costs about $30. Daily 9am– midnight.

Phlegmatic Dog
Manezh mall, upper level; Okhotniy Ryad metro.

A cool bar for watching people, overlooking the fountains in the Alexander Gardens. For $10 you can get a Phlegmatic Dog Salad stuffed with avocado and shrimps, or a succulent Fillet Mignon wrapped in bacon with wild mushrooms. MC, Visa. Daily noon– midnight.

Temple Bar
Manezh mall, upper level; Okhotniy Ryad metro.

Also on the mall's terrace, this wood-panelled Euro bar-restaurant offers a huge plate of ribs and fries, delicious borshch, fried breaded camembert, salmon in anchovy sauce, desserts, and seven kinds of beer on tap. Full English breakfast ($6) from 5am; business lunch ($9.50) and set lunch at weekends ($12). EC, MC, Visa. Daily 24hr.

Beliy gorod
Besides the places below (marked on the map "Beliy gorod"), there are branches of Yolki Palki, Sbarro, Coffee House and Yakatoriya on or around Tverskaya ulitsa and Kuznetskiy most.

Annuskha
(Annie) Chistoprudniy bulvar; near Chistye Prudy metro.

Annushka is a tram that's been converted into a café-bar, which circles Chistye Prudy boulevard – you can board it near Griboedov's statue. There's more to drink than there is to eat and the karaoke may deter some. Daily 11am–10pm.

Café Maner
Berlin House, ul. Petrovka 5; 10min walk from Teatralnaya or Kuznetskiy most metro.

A classy lounge café with a summer patio that produces "smart fusion" cuisine using high-quality ingredients; a set lunch costs $6–7. Their horseradish vodka and wasabi mustard are the hottest in Moscow. All major cards. Daily 10am– midnight.

Café Sindbad
Bolshaya Nikitskaya ul. 23/9 (entrance on Nikolskiy bul.); 15min walk from Arbatskaya metro.

This authentic, cramped Lebanese café serves a $5 lunch of soup, spicy kofta, tabouli salad and fries, and has hookahs for smoking apple-, pomegranate- or coffee-flavoured tobacco. No cards. Daily noon–11.30pm.

Checkpoint
Berlin House, ul. Petrovka 5; Teatralnaya of Kuznetskiy Most metro.

In the basement of the same shopping centre as Café Maner, Checkpoint specializes in Asian, Russian or European dainties from its smoking shed, bakery, open grill or wok. A self-service lunch costs $5–6, the Mediterranean buffet $11 (Mon– Fri 6pm– midnight), and there's 20 percent discount for takeouts. All major cards. Daily noon– midnight.

Coffee Inn
ul. Bolshaya Dmitrovka 18; 10min walk from Teatralnaya metro.

Decorated with puppets, this agreeable non-smoking place serves Greek and Caesar salads ($5–7), cakes and pastries, freshly squeezed fruit juices, flavoured teas, coffees and alcoholic coffee cocktails ($2–5). No cards. Mon– Sat noon–11pm.

Drevniy Kitay
(Chinese Village) Kamergerskiy per. 6; 10min walk from Teatralnaya or Kuznetskiy Most metro.

Eat before 5pm for a cut-price choice of any soup ($1.50), cold appetizer ($1.50) or hot dish with rice ($3), rather than in the evening, when you'll pay more for what is really just takeaway chow. DC, JCB, Maestro, MC, Visa. Daily noon–11pm.

Drova
Myasnitskaya ul. 24; 5min walk from Chistye Prudy/Turgenevskaya metro.

Offering the same buffet and lunch deals as Drova on Nikolskaya, this branch is more atmospheric in the evening, with candles and recorded birdsongs (cable TV and music later on), and an outdoor tented area for smoking hookahs. No cards. Daily 24hr.

Galereya
(Gallery) ul. Bolshaya Lubyanka 15; 10min walk from Lubyanka metro.

Up the hill from Shchit i Mecht and Varcha Traktir, this cosy, inexpensive café serves fabulous cakes, ice cream, tiramisu and freshly squeezed juices, and features an ever-changing display of contemporary art. MC, Visa. Daily 10am– midnight.

Jagannath
(Juggernaut) ul. Kuznetskiy most 11 www.jagannath.ru; 5min walk from Kuznetskiy Most metro.

Moscow's funkiest vegetarian café-restaurant shop features lots of tasty dishes, a salad bar and a $5 set lunch, enlivened by Bollywood pop in the daytime, belly dancing and live music in the evening, and a chill-out party (Fri & Sat from 11pm; $10–13). No smoking or alcohol. No cards. Mon– Thurs & Sun 11am–11pm, Fri & Sat 11am–6am.

Johnny's
Myasnitskaya ul. 22; 5min from Chistye Prudy/Turgenevskaya metro.

Down the road from Drova, this long-established American café with jukebox offers burgers, burritos, pizzas, and egg, bacon and toast breakfast and also delivers pizzas (tel:755 95 54). DC, MC, Visa. Daily 8am– midnight.

La Cantina
Tverskaya ul. 5; near Okhotniy Ryad metro.

A popular pick-up spot and watering hole for foreigners and hookers, featuring live music from 8.30pm. OK for a beer or a cocktail, but if it's Tex-Mex you fancy you'd do better eating at Hola! Mexico. Daily noon–11pm.

Pelmeshka
ul. Kuznetskiy most 2; Kuznetskiy Most metro.

A smiley-faced Russian ravioli swinging from a giant spoon advertises their speciality, pelmenii. Their combos of salad, soup, chicken or fish with a glass of juice ($2–4) are also a good deal. Expect to share a table. Daily 11am– midnight.

Rosie O'Grady's
ul. Znamenka 9/12 www.rosie.ru; Borovitskaya metro.

Moscow's best-known "Irish" pub is a lot quieter than it used to be. Darts, pub grub and Sunday brunch, a pool table, sports channels and Sky TV, with live music from 6pm. Amex, DC, Visa. Daily noon till the last person leaves.

Shashlychnitsa u Nikitskie vorot
Kalashniy per. 9; 15min walk from Arbatskaya metro.

The "Kebab Place at Nikitskie vorota" is a self-service pit stop where you can tuck into tasty shashlyk, khachapuri and other Georgian dishes, with beer or Georgian wine, for $10 or so. Not to be confused with the restaurant of the same name just around the corner. No cards. Daily 9am–9pm.

Shchit i Mecht
(Shield and Sword) ul. Bolshaya Lubyanka 13; 10min walk from Lubyanka metro.

KGB-themed canteen attached to the MVD social club across the road from the Museum of the Security Service. Serves cheap pelmeni, borsch and other Soviet favourites for lunch, and has a bar with a "Miss KGB" barmaid to warm things up for the evening crowd. Daily 11am– midnight.

Varcha Traktir
(Varcha Tavern) ul. Bolshaya Lubyanka 13; 10min walk from Lubyanka metro.

This café beside Shchit i Mecht serves cheap Georgian food, with a set lunch from 11am–3pm. Live music after 6pm. No cards. Daily 11am–11pm.

The chain gang
Coffee Bean Sells the best coffee and cakes of all the Seattle-style chains, and wine by the glass. No smoking. MC, Visa. Ul. Kuznetskiy most 18/7, Kuznetskiy Most metro (daily 9am–11pm); ul. Pokrovka 18, str. 3, Kitay-Gorod or Chistye Prudy metro (Mon– Thurs 8am–10pm, Fri– Sat 8am–11pm, Sun 9am–10pm); Pyatnitskaya ul. 15/17, Novokuznetskaya metro (Mon– Sat 8am–11pm, Sun 9am–11pm); Tverskaya ul. 10, Pushkinskaya metro (Mon– Sat 8am–11pm, Sun 9am–11pm).

Coffee House Moscow's largest coffee chain. Smoking allowed. No cards. Ul. Noviy Arbat 1, str. 2, Arbatskaya metro (daily 24hr); ul. Malaya Dmitrovka 3, Pushkinskaya metro (daily 24hr); Tverskaya ul. 16/2 (Galereya Aktor third floor), Pushkinskaya metro (daily 11am–9pm); Novoslobodskaya ul. 10/9, str. 1, Novoslobodskaya metro (daily 24hr); Gogolevskiy bul. 3/2, Kropotkinskaya metro (daily 24hr).

Coffee Mania Almost as good as Coffee Bean, particularly the Conservatory branch, which also serves hot meals and cocktails. Smoking allowed. No cards. Corner of ul. Rozhdesvenka and ul. Pushechnaya, Lubyanka metro (daily 8am–11pm); Bolshaya Nikitskaya ulitsa 13B (beside the Conservatory), Okhotniy Ryad or Teatralnaya metro (daily 8am– midnight); Kudrinskaya pl. 46/54, Barrikadnaya metro (daily 24hr).

Kroshka Kartoshka Outdoor kiosks selling filled jacket potatoes ($1) and salads.No cards. Pl. Revolyutsii, Ploshchad Revolyutsii or Teatralnaya metro; corner of ul. Petrovka & Stoleshnikov per., Teatralnaya or Kuznetskiy Most metro; and many other locations; all daily 9am–11pm.

McDonald's The cleanest toilets in Moscow. No smoking; no cards. ul. Arbat 50, Smolenskaya metro (daily 8am– midnight); Bolshaya Bronnaya ul. 29/corner of Tverskaya ul., Tverskaya metro (daily 8am–11.30pm); Bolshaya Dorogomilovskaya ul. 8, Kievskaya metro (daily 8am– midnight); ul. Bolshaya Ordynka 16, Tretyakovskaya metro (daily 8am– midnight); Bolshaya Serpukhovskaya ul. 4, Tulskaya metro (daily 24hr); Gazetniy per. 17/corner of Tverskaya ul., Okhotniy Ryad metro, and many other locations.

Nyam-Nyam Kiosks selling sausage rolls and flaky pastries with various sweet or savoury fillings ($1–2). Found in metro stations and pedestrian underpasses also on the Arbat facing McDonald's (all daily 9am–11pm).

Patio Pizza Thin-crust wood-oven pizzas,salad bar, alcohol. Child-friendly.Visa, MC, JCB.Daily noon– midnight unless stated otherwise. Ul. Volkhonka 13a, Kropotkinskaya metro; 1-ya Tverskaya-Yamskaya ul. 2, Mayakovskaya metro; Leninskiy pr. 68/10, Universitet metro; pr. Mira 33/1, Prospekt Mira metro; Smolenskaya ul. 3, Smolenskaya metro (daily 11am–11pm); ul. Narodnovo Opulcheniya 46, str. 1, Ulitsa 1905 Goda metro; Taganskaya ul. 1, Marksistskaya metro (daily 10am– midnight); ul. Udatsolva 40A, Prospekt Vernadskovo metro (daily 10am– midnight).

Planet Sushi Affordable sushi, Thai and Chinese; set lunch from $10; the Udaltsova branch has an all-you-can-eat sushi buffet for $20 (Mon– Fri noon–4pm). Amex, DC, MC, Visa. Leninskiy pr. 1/2 Oktyabrskaya metro; ul. Narodnovo Opulcheniya 46, Oktyabrskaya metro; Taganskaya ul. 1, Marksistskaya metro; 1-ya Tverskaya-Yamskaya ul. 2, Mayakovskaya metro; ul. Udaltsova 40, Prospekt Vernadskovo metro; ul. Garibaldi 23, Novye Cheremushki metro; all daily noon– midnight.

Rostik's Chicken, fries, doughnuts, milkshakes. No cards. GUM, Nikolskaya ul., Ploshchad Revolyutsii metro; Manezh mall, Okhotniy Ryad metro; Leninskiy pr. 68, Akademicheskaya metro; pr. Mira 92, Rizhskaya metro; all daily 8am–8pm.

Russkiy Bliny Freshly made bliny (pancakes) with sweet or savoury fillings, including caviar ($1–3). No cards. ul. Petrovka, behind the TsUM, Kuznetskiy Most or Teatralnaya metro; corner of ul. Petrovka & Stoleshnikov per., Teatralnaya or Kuznetskiy Most metro; and many other outdoor locations; all daily 9am–11pm.

Russkoe Bistro Endorsed (and co-owned) by Mayor Luzhkov, this chain sells pirozhki (pies), bliny, herbal teas and kvas; some branches sell vodka. No cards. Bolshaya Gruzinskaya ul. 50, Belorusskaya metro (Mon– Sat 11am–9pm, Sun noon–10pm); Bolshoy Tolmachevskiy per. 2, Tretyakovskaya metro (daily 10am–10pm); pl. Kurskovo vokzala, Kurskaya metro (daily 24hr); Myasnitskaya ul. 42, Turgenevskaya/Chistye Prudy metro (daily 24hr); Nikolskaya ul. 15, Ploshchad Revolyutsii or Lubyanka metro (Mon– Sat 11am–9pm, Sun noon–10pm); ul. Noviy Arbat 21, Arbatskaya metro (Mon– Sat 11am–9pm, Sun noon–10pm); Tverskaya ul. 23, Tverskaya/Pushkinskaya metro (daily 10am–11pm).

Sbarro Self-service pizza and salad chain that does deliveries (tel:785 38 75). Amex, MC, Visa. Manezh mall, by the Alexander Gardens, Okhotniy Ryad metro (daily 10am– midnight); Krasnoprudnaya ul. 1, Komsomolskaya metro (daily 10am–11pm); Tverskaya ul. 10, Pushkinskaya metro (daily 10am– midnight); Sheremetevskaya ul. 60A, Rizhskaya metro (daily 10am–11pm).

Taras Bulba Korchma Rustic-style inns named after the legendary Cossack warrior, which serve tasty Ukrainian borshch, vareniki (dumplings) and gorilka vodka.Amex, DC, Maestro, Visa. ul. Petrovka 30/7, Chekhovskaya metro (daily noon– midnight); Leninskiy pr. 37, Leninskiy Prospekt metro (daily noon–2am); Pyatnitskaya ul. 14, Tretyakovskaya metro (daily noon–2am); Sadovaya-Triumfalnaya ul. 13, Tsetnoy Bulvar metro (daily 24hr); Smolenskiy bul. 12, Smolenskaya metro (daily noon–2am).

T.G.I. Friday's Burgers, cajun chicken, Caesar salad, ribs, and cocktails mixed by juggling bartenders. Amex, DC, MC, Visa. Kodak Kinormir, Tverskaya ul. 18/2, Pushkinskaya/Tverskaya metro; Atrium Mall, ul. Zemlyanoy val 33, Kurskaya metro; ul. Garibaldi 23, Novye Cheremushki metro; all Mon– Fri noon–1am.

Yakitoriya A superior Japanese chain to Planet Sushi, they insist on reservations. Go for the sushi, seaweed salads, miso and kento soups, with Fuji cake or bean pastila for dessert. MC, JCB, Visa. ul. Petrovka 16 tel:924 06 09, 10min from Teatralnaya or Kuznetskiy Most metro; 1-ya Tverskaya-Yamskaya ul. 29, str. 1 tel:250 53 85, Belorusskaya metro; all daily 11am–6am.

Yolki Palki (Fiddlesticks) The inspiration for Taras Bulba, these self-service taverns do a tasty buffet of Russian zakuski (the branch on Tverskaya also has a Mongolian stir-fry), and sell vodka and homemade kvas.No cards. Ul. Bolshaya Dmitrovka 23/8, Chekhovskaya/Pushkinskaya metro; Neglinnaya ul. 8/10, Kuznetskiy Most metro (daily 11am– midnight); Tverskaya ul. 18a, Pushkinskaya/Tverskaya metro (daily 11am–5am); Klimentovskiy per. 14, str. 1, Tretyakovskaya metro; ul. Noviy Arbat 11, Arbatskaya metro (daily 11am– midnight); Tishinskaya pl. 1 (in the shopping centre), Mayakovskaya or Belorusskaya metro; Bolshaya Dorogmilovskaya ul. 12A, Kievskaya metro; pr. Mira 118, Alekseevskaya metro; Bolshaya Serpukhovskaya ul. 17, Serpukhovskaya metro; daily 11am–11pm unless specified otherwise.

Zemlyanoy gorod
The listings in this section are marked on the map Zemlyanoy gorod.

American Bar & Grill
Tverskaya-Yamskaya ul. 32/1; near Mayakovskaya metro.

Slightly pretentious and overpriced diner for shy expats and aspiring Russians, with burgers, pizzas, baked potatoes and ribs, plus hash browns for breakfast. All major cards. Daily 24hr.

Bookafe
Sadovaya-Samotochnaya ul. 13; 15min walk from Tsvetnoy Bulvar metro.

A luxuriously austere coffee house for people featured in Afisha – or who dream of being. Costly coffee-table books of photography or art provide an excuse for conversation with kulturniy strangers. The place is quiet by day but perks up at night. All major cards. Daily 24hr.

Café Margarita
Malaya Bronnaya ul. 28; 10min walk from Mayakovskaya metro.

Named after the heroine of The Master and Margarita and sited just across from Patriarch's Ponds where the novel begins, this perestroika-era art café is a meeting place for musicians from opera theatres, who jam here on Thursday nights. Daily noon– midnight.

DéliFrance
Triumfalnaya pl. 4; near Mayakovskaya metro.

Long overtaken by fancier imitators but still good for breakfast or a snack, this self-service café sells croissants, mushroom savouries, pastries, French wine and Russian beer. Access is via the lobby of the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall. No cards. Daily 10am–10pm.

Hard Rock Café
ul. Arbat 44, str. 1; near Smolenskaya metro.

Decades after fake Hard Rock Café – Moscow T-shirts went on sale the real thing has finally hit the Arbat. OK for drinking, dancing and meeting young Muscovites, but the food is rubbish and drinks are overpriced. Free cocktails for women on Wednesdays (8–11pm). Amex, DC, JCB, Maestro, MC, Visa. Daily 9am–11pm.

Mu-Mu
(Moo-Moo) ul. Arbat 45/23; 5min walk from Smolenskaya metro.

A life-size spotted cow welcomes diners to this decorative self-service bistro, whose cheap Russian salads, soups and stews hit the spot with tourists and locals alike. Mu-Mu also sells kvas, beer and vodka. No cards. Daily 10am–11pm.

Soleil Café
Sadovaya-Samotochnaya ul. 24/27; 5min walk from Tsvetnoy Bulvar metro.

Pleasant, inexpensive bistro, with lots of grilled vegetables, sandwiches, salads and delicious desserts (try the "soleil express"). Pastries are two-thirds cheaper after 9pm. DC, JCB, MC, Visa. Mon– Fri 8.30am–11pm, Sat & Sun 10am–11pm.

Starlite Diner #1
Bolshaya Sadovaya ul. 16A; near Mayakovskaya metro.

This American eatery at the back of the Aquarium Gardens has a glass conservatory that's fun in winter time. Go for the breakfast special (till 11am), chilli cheese fries, or spicy Thai wraps. Amex, Electron, Maestro, MC, Visa. Daily 24hr.

Sushi King
Triumfalnaya pl. 4; near Mayakovskaya metro.

You can't find cheaper Japanese food downtown than at this microscopic sushi bar in the lobby of the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall. Miso soup and egg and black mushroom sushi afford sustenance for vegetarians. No cards. Daily 10am–10pm.

The Real McCoy
Kudrinskaya pl. 1 (in the Stalin Skyscraper) www.mccoy.ru; near Barrikadnaya/ Krasnopresnenskaya metro.

Themed on a Prohibition speakeasy and popular with staff from the US Embassy, this bar-restaurant does great baguettes, steaks and cocktails. Breakfast (5am– noon; $2); business lunch ($6); happy hour (Mon– Thurs 5–8pm, Sat & Sun 1am– noon). Live jazz or boogie music (Wed– Sun 8pm– midnight) and a disco (Thurs– Sat from midnight). Amex, DC, EC, MC, Visa. Daily 24hr.

Krasnaya Presnya, Fili and the southwest
Besides the places below marked on the map "Krasnaya Presnya, Fili and the southwest") there are McDonald's near Barrikadnaya and Ulitsa 1905 Goda metro stations.

Bavarius
Komsomolskiy pr. 21/10 www.bavarius.ru; 5min walk from Frunzenskaya metro.

A German Biergarten and restaurant with ten draught beers and fourteen bottled ones on the menu. A Weisswurst with sweet mustard and a pretzel washed down with a Weissbier is the archetypal Bavarian snack. MC, Visa. Daily noon– midnight.

Correa's
Bolshaya Gruzinskaya ul. 32; 10min walk from Krasnopresnenskaya metro.

This new venture by Isaac Correa – who bought fusion cuisine to Moscow – serves Jamon Serrano and olive pâté or Black Angus roast-beef sandwiches ($7), duck salad and pizzas, and sells gourmet sausages and pâtés at its deli counter. Only seven tables, so reservations are essential to dine. No cards. Mon– Fri 8am–10pm, Sat & Sun 9am–10pm.

Mu-Mu
(Moo-Moo) Komsomolskiy pr. 26; near Frunzenskaya metro.

An offshoot of the popular self-service bistro on the Arbat, with its bovine decor. No cards. Daily 10am–11pm.

Ogonyok
(Little Fire) ul. Krasnaya Presnya 36; 10min walk from Ulitsa 1905 Goda metro.

This café has tasty Russian food at prices to match Mu-Mu, and attentive table service. No cards. Daily noon–11pm.

Tinkoff
Protochniy per. 11 tel:777 33 00, www.tinkoff.ru; 15min walk from Smolenskaya metro.

Oleg Tinkov became a household name by founding Russia's first microbrewery in St Petersburg. Its Moscow offshoot likewise has industrial decor, ten varieties of unfiltered beer ($5–8), sushi or European cuisine (set lunch $11–15), and live acid jazz or funk in the lounge (Thurs– Sat after 9pm) – plus a children's room with a clown (Sat & Sun 1–6pm). Reserve a table if you want to eat in the evening. All major cards. Daily noon–2am.

Zamoskvareche and the south
Besides the following (marked on the map "Zamoskvareche and the south" and the large-scale map of "Zamoskvareche"), there are McDonald's and Russkoe Bistro (between Tretyakovskaya metro and the Tretyakov Gallery), Coffee Bean and Taras Bulba Korchma (on Pyatnitskaya ulitsa).

Faeton
Pyatnitsakaya ul. 37; 10min walk from Tretyakovskaya or Novokuznetskaya metro.

Handy if you're exploring Zamoskvareche, this Georgian café serves tasty shashlyks (including a veggie version) and other Caucasian staples. No cards. Daily noon–10pm.

PirOGI
Pyatnitskaya ul. 29/8; 5min walk from Novokuznetskaya or Tretyakovskaya metro.

Just off the main road, this bohemian hangout inspired the slicker Bookafe on the Garden Ring. PirOGI serves coffee, beer and snacks, and has books to read and buy. No cards. Daily 24hr.

Pivnushka
(Beer-hall) Leninskiy pr. 28; 10min walk from Leninskiy Prospekt metro.

A split-level Bierkeller with an Austrian chef and Bavarian dishes – try the fried breaded camembert with currant jam. They stock twelve kinds of draught beer, French, Italian and German wines. No cards. Daily noon–11pm.

Sally O'Brien's
ul. Bolshaya Polyanka 1/3; 10min walk from Polyanka metro.

An alternative to Rosie O'Grady's, likewise serving pub grub, draught beers, Irish coffee and cocktails. DC, EC, MC, Visa. Daily noon–1am or later.

Starlite Diner #2
ul. Koroviy val 9; 10min walk from Oktyabryskaya/Dobryninskaya metro.

Good-value American food day or night; the weekday breakfast special, chilli cheese fries and the broccoli and cheese omelettes are the best in Moscow. Amex, MC, Visa. Daily 24hr.

Taganka and Zazauze
Besides the listings below (marked on the map Taganka), there are branches of Patio Pizza and Planet Sushi on Taganskaya ploshchad and lots of fast-food kiosks around the metro stations.

American Bar & Grill
ul. Zemlyanoy val 59; 10min walk from Taganskaya metro.

Another branch of the US diner, with a summer patio for BBQs. Pizzas, baked potatoes, ribs and "kickin' chicken", plus a big choice of $6–10 combos (11am–3pm). Amex, MC, Visa. Daily noon–2am.

Aruba
Narodnaya ul.4; 5min walk from Taganskaya metro.

This Cuban bar-restaurant does great margaritas and filling Cuban dishes, accompanied by salsa music. Visa. Daily 11.30am–5am.

Northern Suburbs
Besides the following (marked on the map "The Northern Suburbs"), there are branches of Yakatoriya and Patio Pizza on 1-ya Tverskaya Yamskaya ulitsa, and a Rostik's on prospekt Mira.

Café Sup
(Soup Café) 1-ya Brestskaya ul. 62; 10min walk from Belorusskaya metro.

This larger-than-you'd-expect candle-lit basement café serves over twenty different soups (from salmon ukha to meaty solyanka) and a smaller choice of entrées, with beer, vodka, herbal teas or flavoured coffees. Try to get a table in the quilted backroom. No cards. Mon– Wed 11am–6am, Thurs– Sat 2pm–6am.

Druzhba
(Friendship) Novoslobodskaya ul. 4; near Novoslobodskaya metro.

An authentic Cantonese greasy spoon in the Chinese market beyond McDonald's. You can't lose with dumplings or noodles; the dearer dishes aren't so reliable. No cards. Daily noon– midnight.

Khizina
Butyrskaya ul. 8; 5min walk from Savolevskaya metro.

Caucasian food lovers take note: khichniy are like khachapuri, only made of potato instead of flour, and can be found nowhere else in Moscow but at this café, whose suluguni cheese starters, meat pies and adzhapsandali all go well with Georgian wine from a barrel. No cards. Daily noon–8pm.

Kitayskiy Kvartal
(Chinese Quarter) pr. Mira 12; 5min walk from Sukharevskaya or Prospekt Mira metro.

Another, slightly fancier, Cantonese chow place, with hefty-sized portions. You need to order extra-spicy to get dishes cooked moderately spicy, but for a cheap meal at any time you can't complain. No cards. Daily 24hr.

Ruby Tuesday's
Novoslobodskaya ul. 3; near Novoslobodskaya metro.

On the corner across from the metro, this authentic American lunch spot has an all-you-can-eat salad bar ($6), generous burgers, fries and cokes, and is often full of Southern Baptist evangelists. No cards. Mon– Fri noon–10pm.

Restaurants
Moscow's restaurants are as diverse as the food they serve. At the top end of the scale, you'll probably feel uncomfortable if you're not dressed to the hilt – though not many places impose a formal dress code (a jacket and tie for men, a dress for women). At present, relatively few places include a service charge in the bill, so you can tip (or not) as you like. Some places feature floor shows consisting of "folk music" (or belly dancing) and maybe some kind of striptease act (which Russians regard with equanimity), for which there may or may not be a surcharge. At most restaurants it's customary to consign your coat to the garderobe on arrival; if helped to put it back on later, a small tip is warranted.

More and more places offer set business lunches at lower prices than you'd pay dining à la carte. Such deals are advertised by signboards outside with the Cyrillic words, бизнес ланьч (pronounced biznes lanch), and in the city's foreign-language press, where you may also find details of food festivals being held at the city's better hotels. To keep abreast of the culinary scene, compare the restaurant reviews on websites such as www.expat.ru, www.go-magazine.ru, www.exile.ru and www.waytorussia.net.

We've given telephone numbers for all the restaurants listed, as reserving in advance is always a good idea, particularly to eat after 9pm. Most places now have at least one member of staff with a rudimentary grasp of English. If not, a useful phrase to get your tongue around is Ya khochu zakazat stol na . . . cheloveka sevodnya na . . . chasov (I want to reserve a table for . . . people for . . . o'clock today).

Red Square and the Kitay-gorod
The following listings appear on the maps of "Red Square & the Kremlin" and the "Kitay-gorod", respectively.

1 Krasnaya Ploshchad
in the Historical Museum tel:925 36 00, www.redsquare.ru; 5min walk from Ploshchad Revolyutsii/Okhotniy Ryad metro.

As central as you can get, with excellent Tsarist-era dishes served in a cosy setting. There's a business lunch (noon–4pm; $15), and nightly jazz or music from a trio of psaltery, flute and zither (from 7pm). Amex, DC, EC, MC, Union, Visa. Daily noon– midnight.

Expensive
Boyarskiy Zal
(Boyar's Hall) Metropol Hotel, fourth floor tel:927 60 00; 5min walk from Ploshchad Revolyutsii, Okhotniy Ryad and Teatralnaya metros.

Princely Russian cuisine and folk music (from 8pm) in a room decorated in the style of a sixteenth-century boyar's palace. Amex, DC, EC, MC, Visa. Daily 7pm– midnight.

Beliy Gorod
The listings in this section are marked on the map "Beliy Gorod".

Inexpensive
Amarcord
ul. Pokrovka 6 tel:923 09 32; 15min walk Chistye Prudy metro.

This Trattoria-style establishment serves delicious salmon carpaccio, decent antipasti and cheap thin-crust pizzas – though the desserts and chianti are overpriced. Amex, DC, MC, Visa. Daily 11am until the last person leaves.

Ginno Taki
Tverskaya ul. 6 tel:292 53 50; 10min walk from Teatralnaya or Okhotniy Ryad metro.

This trendy sushi place seems to enjoy making customers queue (you can't reserve a table) before giving them a menu that lists the calorific value of every dish – but its tempura, Dragon rolls, cocktails and sundaes will mellow you out enough to make a return visit seem a good idea. Set lunch (Mon– Fri 11am–4pm; $10); deliveries to regular clients. No cards. Daily 11am–6am.

Hola Mexico!
Pushchennaya ul. 7/5 tel:925 82 51; near Kuznetskiy Most metro.

Moscow's best Cali-Mex eatery, serving fantastic pork enchiladas and fajitas; finish up with a banana split. Deals include a set lunch (noon–4pm) and happy hour (4–6pm), with two-for-one cocktails, plus a Mexican band and dancing at night. Major cards. Mon– Wed noon– midnight, Thurs– Sat noon–2am.

Mos– Bombay
Glinishchevskiy per. 3 tel:292 93 75; 5min walk from Pushkinskaya/Tverskaya metro.

One of the earliest joint ventures in perestroika times, this Indian restaurant has had its ups and downs but is currently almost as good as the perennial Indian favourites, Darbar and Talk of the Town. Lots of vegetarian options and a business lunch ($4.50) till 3pm – good service, too. There's also live music (Thurs & Fri 8.30–10.30pm) and oriental dancing (Fri 8.30–9.30pm). Amex, DC, MC, Visa. Daily 11am–11pm.

Tamada
(Toastmaster) Maliy Gnezdnikovskiy per. 12/27 tel:229 66 88; 10min walk from Pushkinskaya/Tverskaya metro.

Situated on a side street off Tverskaya ulitsa, this Georgian restaurant serves fantastic khachapuri ($5), shashlyk (from $8), satsivi ($5) and tolma ($3), but the house wine is over-sweet. No cards. Mon– Sat noon–10pm.

The Tunnel
Lubyanskiy proezd 7 tel:937 41 01; 5min walk from Lubyanka or Kitay-Gorod metro.

Boasts Indian, Tex-Mex and European cusine, steaks and sushi – in that order of how good they are. The Indian food never disappoints and their nachos score highly, as do the mango milkshakes. Deafening MTV. No cards. Daily 24hr.

Tibet Himalaya
ul. Pokrovka 19 tel:917 39 85, www.tibethimalaya.menu.ru; 10min walk from Kitay-Gorod or Chistye Prudy/Turgenevskaya metro.

You can't go wrong with the momo dumplings, egg-fried noodles, aubergine with garlic sauce, or the set lunch (noon–5pm; $4.50) – but their meat dishes could be spicier. Customers can chill out with a hookah. Amex, DC, MC, Visa. Daily noon– midnight.

Tibet Kitchen
Kamergerskiy per. 5/6 tel:923 24 22; 10min walk from Okhotniy Ryad metro.

One of several ethnic eateries along this fashionable street, its spring rolls, garlic noodles and sweet-and-sour chicken rock – though the set lunch doesn't. No cards. Daily noon–11pm.

Moderate
Dzhonka
(The Junk) Tverskoy bul. 22 (on Shvedskiy tupik around the side of MKhAT) tel:203 94 20; 5min walk from Tverskaya or Pushkinskaya metro.

Relaxed Chinese restaurant styled like a junk. Try the sweet- and-sour carp or Gonbo chicken, but give the dim sum a miss. There's a lunch menu (noon–4pm) and a 20 percent reduction for takeouts. Billiards. Daily noon– midnight. DC, JCB, MC, Visa.

Goa
Myasnitskaya ul. 8/2 tel:504 40 31; 5min walk from Lubyanka metro.

Only in Moscow would you find a restaurant offering Indian and French cuisine, sushi and cocktails. You can't go wrong with the chicken tikka masala and lamb samosas, a warm duck-breast salad, or the cocktails. Goa is quite exclusive and insists that guests make reservations at the weekend. No cards. Mon– Sat noon–10pm.

Marharaja
ul. Pokrovka 2/1 (entrance on Starosadskiy per). tel:921 98 44, www.maharaja.ru; Kitay-Gorod metro.

The decor and service are fine, but Maharaja's Mogul, Punjabi and vegetarian dishes are on the bland side (and can be made without spices if required). Does take-outs. Amex, DC, MC, Visa. Daily noon–11pm.

Moskva-Roma
Stoleshnikov per. 12 tel:229 57 02; 10min walk from Teatralnaya, Okhotniy Ryad or Chekhovskaya metro.

As classy as the street on which it's located, this Euro/Russian restaurant serves fantastic salads ($8–12), pasta dishes ($13) and grilled sea bass ($18), but the soups are less to write home about and it's hard to get a table outside when the weather's fine. Major cards. Daily 24hr.

Noev Kovcheg
(Noah's Ark) Maliy Ivanovskiy per. 9 tel:917 07 17, www.noevkovcheg.ru; 10min walk from Kitay-Gorod metro.

This faux-posh Armenian restaurant near the Ivanovskiy Convent has reasonably priced home-made cheese plates, basturma with peppers and diverse shashlyks that encourage splurging on their fine wines and brandies. Eat before 3pm at 15 percent discount. US citizens get 25 percent discount any time. Amex, DC, EC, MC, Visa. Daily noon till the last customer leaves.

Expensive
Beloe Solntse Pustyni
(White Sun of the Desert) ul. Neglinnaya 29/14 tel:209 75 25, www.bsp-rest.ru; 10–15min walk from Tsvetnoy Bulvar, Kuznetskiy Most or Teatralnaya metro.

Themed on a classic Soviet "western" film (think: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly set in 1920s Uzbekistan), the restaurant ritually spit-roasts a lamb (Thurs & Fri 8.30pm) and has belly dancing, live music and filmic "events" after 8pm. All cards. Daily noon–3am.

Café Pushkin
Tverskoy bul. 26A tel:229 55 90; 5min walk from Tverskaya/Pushkinskaya metro.

Pushkin would have felt at home in this lovely nineteenth-century mansion with a sumptuously decorated library and a rooftop summer café, and waiters in period costume. Its haute Russian cuisine is nearly faultless; order bliny with black caviar if you can afford to. Amex, DC, EC, MC, Visa. Daily 24hr.

Limpopo
Varsonofievskiy per. 1, off ul. Rozhdestvenka tel:925 69 90, www.limpopo.ru; 10min walk from Kuznetskiy Most metro.

Shamelessly pandering to stereotypes, this tribal hut-style African restaurant serves grilled crocodile, baked tortoise, kangaroo and impala steaks, plus South African wine and beer, and cocktails with zoomorphic swizzle-sticks. MC, Visa. Daily noon– midnight.

Savoy
Savoy Hotel, ul. Rozhdestvenka 3 tel:929 86 00, www.savoy.ru; near Kuznetskiy Most metro.

One of Moscow's classiest restaurants, with magnificent Rococo decor, French, Russian and Scandinavian haute cuisine and top-class service – enjoy it for less with a business lunch (noon–4pm; $27). Live music from 8pm. Amex, DC, EC, MC, Visa. Daily noon– midnight.

Very expensive
Bulvar
(Boulevard) ul. Petrovka 30/7 tel:209 68 87, www.boulevard.ru; 10min walk from Chekhovskaya metro.

Smart dress and reservations are essential for this high-class French/fusion restaurant on the Boulevard Ring. It has a seafood display for guests to select their own fish, and a vintage wine list. Free secure parking. Amex, DC, EC, Visa. Daily noon till the last customer leaves.

Vannil
(Vanilla) Ostozhenka ul. 1/9 tel:202 33 41; near Kropotkinskaya metro.

If you've money to burn, this ultra-exclusive restaurant with a superb view of the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour serves the finest French/fusion cuisine in Moscow and boasts a VIP guest list as long as Leninskiy prospekt. Reservations and smart dress required; strict face control. Amex, DC, EC, JCB, MC, Visa. Daily noon– midnight.

Zemlyanoy gorod
The listings in this section are marked on the map "Zemlyanoy Gorod".

Cheap
Dioskuriya
Nikitskiy bul. 5, str. 1 tel:291 37 59; near Arbatskaya metro.

Head through the post office arch off Noviy Arbat to find this Georgian restaurant, featuring a trio of singers at weekends. The Mingrelian-style khachapuri (with an egg in the middle), tolma and sturgeon shashlyk with pomegranate sauce are sublime – but the choice gets limited as evening wears on, and they hate people arriving after 10.30pm. No cards. Daily noon– midnight.

Genatsvale
(Friend) ul. Ostozhenka 12/1 tel:203 12 43; 5min walk from Kropotkinskaya metro.

Another great, low-priced Georgian place – the shashlyks are especially good value, or try the matsoni (kefir with honey and nuts). Eat during the day to avoid the loud band and toasting in the evenings. All major cards. Daily 11am– midnight.

Karetniy dvor
(Carriage House) Povarskaya ul. 52 tel:291 63 76; 10min walk from Barrikadnaya metro.

You can tell this is an authentic Azerbaijani/Caucasian restaurant because its clientele comes from there and it has a row of chalet-style dining rooms for private parties, like restaurants in Baku or Tiblisi. The food is spot-on and cheap: shashlyk ($5), kharcho soup ($2.50) and barbecued rack of lamb ($5), but sadly not khachapuri or lobio. No cards. Daily 24hr.

Vostochniy Kvartal
(Eastern Quarter) ul. Arbat 45/24 tel:241 38 03; near Smolenskaya metro.

Directly opposite Bosfor on Plotnikov pereulok, this colourfully decorated Uzbek restaurant wows visitors with its tasty soups and lagman (the Uzbek version of pelmeni) and attentive service. Reservations are rarely needed and you can eat well for $15. No cards. Daily noon–11pm.

Inexpensive
Bosfor
(Bosporus) ul. Arbat 47/23 tel:241 93 20; near Arbatskaya/Smolenskaya metro.

Turkish-Caucasian restaurant on Plotnikov pereulok, just off the Arbat, serving tolma, shashlyk, plus a few fancier dishes like baked trout in wine sauce, with Georgian, Italian or Spanish wines. Business lunch ($7.50). Daily 11am– midnight.

Bungalo Bar
ul. Zemlyanoy val 6 tel:916 24 32; 10min walk from Kurskaya metro.

This friendly, funky restaurant on the Garden Ring is the hub of Moscow's Ethiopian community. Lots of spicy veggie choices; omnivores should order the firmenaya bluda – a little bit of everything on a platter of enjira (sourdough bread). Business lunch ($5); fantastic spiced coffee. Maestro, MC, Union, Visa. Daily 10am– midnight.

Cutty Sark
Novinskiy bul. 12 tel:202 13 12, www.cuttysark.inforos.ru; 15min walk from Smolenskaya or Barrikadnaya metro.

Decorated like a luxurious Edwardian yacht, with an aquarium of live lobsters and a sushi bar. Set lunch $12; princely choice of vintage wines and whiskies. All major cards. Daily noon until the last customer leaves.

Mama Zoya
Sechenovskiy per. 8 tel:201 77 43; 10min walk from Kropotkinskaya metro.

Although the quality of its food has declined and the cost of wine has soared, this Georgian restaurant is still packed out with tourists and expats by 9pm. The decor is engagingly kitsch, and there's schmaltzy music; children welcome in the afternoon when it's not so crowded. No cards. Daily noon–11pm.

Mehana Bansko
(Bansko Tavern) Smolenskaya pl. 9/1 tel:244 73 87, www.mekhanabansko.ru; 5min walk from Smolenskaya metro.

Very agreeable Bulgarian taverna with staff in national costume and live folk music after 6pm. Ask for the lamb dish that arrives on fire. Its four-course lunch (noon–4pm; $10) includes a glass of beer or wine. It even does deliveries. No cards. Mon– Thurs & Sun noon– midnight, Fri & Sat noon–2am.

TRAM
ul. Malaya Dmitrovka 6 tel:299 07 70; near Chekhovskaya metro.

A showbiz basement hang-out beside the Lenkom Theatre: the interior is smoky and intimate; tables on the street less glamorous. Russian, European and vaguely Asian dishes are named after plays or theatrical genres – try the Kabuki (set lunch $8). They show Tom and Jerry cartoons or Chaplin movies, and have a pianist in the evenings. No cards. Daily 24hr.

Moderate
El Gaucho
Bolshoy Kozlovskiy per. 3/2 tel:923 10 98; 5min walk from Krasnye Vorota metro.

Top-quality grills prepared by an Argentine chef, accompanied by French wines. Cholesterol-watchers and vegetarians needn't bother. All major cards. Daily noon–11pm.

Krasniy
(Red) ul. Prichestenka 30/2 tel:202 56 49, www.krasny.ru; 15min walk from Kropotkinskaya or Park Kultury metro.

Delicious Pan-Asian cuisine, with a set lunch ($10) that includes a Mongolian barbecue (Shanaga) where you choose your own ingredients and give them to the chef to stir-fry. DC, Maestro, MC, JCB, Visa. Daily noon till the last customer leaves.

La Grotta
Bolshaya Bronnaya ul. 27/4 tel:200 30 57; near Tverskaya/Pushkinskaya metro.

Reservations are mandatory for this minimalist Italian restaurant, whose delicious tomato soup, penne gorgonzola, chicken alla Nicoise and pizzas are far better value for money than at other Italian places in Moscow. Business lunch (Mon– Fri noon–4pm; $7). No cards. Noon till last customer leaves.

Pyat Spetsii
(Five Spices) per. Sivtsev Vrazhek 3/18, on the corner of Gogolevskiy bul. tel:203 12 83, www.5spice.menu.ru; 5min walk from Kroptokinskaya metro.

One of those Moscow hybrids: an Indian-run Chinese restaurant serving yummy Thai prawn soup, vegetable spring rolls, honey-glazed ribs, stir-fry noodles, king prawns in oyster sauce, and barbecue chicken in hot black bean sauce. Business lunch ($10) noon–4pm. Amex, JCB, MC, Visa. Daily noon–4pm.

Rybniy Bazar
(Fish Market) Troykhprudy per. 10/2 tel:209 54 44; 10min walk from Pushkinskaya metro.

Pick your own seafood from the selection on ice in this cool restaurant on the first floor of an old mansion near Patriarch's Ponds (set lunch from $6). Downstairs is a jigger room stocking over 30 brands of vodka and home-made liquors (noon– midnight). Face control; secure parking. Amex, MC, Visa. Daily noon until the last customer leaves.

Scandinavia
Maliy Palashovskiy per. 7 tel:937 56 30, www.scandinavia.ru; near Tverskaya metro.

A Swedish restaurant that scours the world to deliver mouthwatering coconut soup with crayfish dumplings, tuna fillet with Kamchatka crab risotto, T-bone steaks and a prawn-packed Caesar salad (lunch from $10). Its bar (till 1am) mixes the best cocktails in Moscow, and the vodka bar made from ice on the patio is also a hit during their Christmas and New Year parties. Major cards. Daily noon– midnight.

Tandoor
Tverskaya ul. 30/2 tel:299 59 25; near Mayakovskaya metro.

Probably the best of the three Indian restaurants in the centre, with a fabulous business lunch ($8). Ordering à la carte, you can't go wrong with the coconut soup, garlic nan, the kebab platter or an aubergine (baklazhan) dish that's not on the menu. Amex, Visa. Daily noon–11pm.

Tiflis
(Tiblisi) ul. Ostozhenka 32 tel:290 61 39; 10min walk from Park Kultury or Kropotkinskaya metro.

For those who can afford somewhere classier than Mama Zoya, this restaurant fits the bill with its airy verandahs overlooking courtyards, huge portions of delicious Caucasian food (shashlyk $8–13), and house wine from their winery in Georgia. A full meal with wine costs $40–60. No cards. Daily noon– midnight.

Tofu
Malaya Dmitrovka ul. 2–4, str. 2 tel:299 30 73; near Chekhovskaya metro.

Tofu's Madagascan chef produces a mouthwatering array of Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese and Laotian dishes – the wonton soup ($8) with shrimp and crab is a meal in itself. Business lunch $6. Plum wine, ginger vodka and home-made liquors. Takeouts. MC, Visa. Daily 11am–11pm.

011
Sadovaya-Triumfulnaya ul. 10/3 tel:209 09 63; near Mayakovskaya metro.

A Yugoslav restaurant that started life as a nightclub and retains an air of intrigue, it's ideal for a candlelit tête-à-tête or a raucous meal with a bunch of friends. Fish dominates the menu. Amex, DC, EC, JCB, MC, Visa. Daily 10am–11pm.

Expensive
TsDL
(House of Writers) Povarskaya ul. 50 tel:291 15 15; 10min walk from Barrikadnaya metro.

Reserved for members of the Writers' Union in Soviet times – when it served food rarely seen elsewhere – its high-ceilinged Oak Hall serves fine Russian cuisine (entrees $20–25), has a princely wine list (from $30–3000) and may close in respect to deceased authors. Also on the premises is a slightly less expensive Zapisky Okhotnika (Hunter's Sketches) dining room, named after the stuffed animals and graffiti on the walls. Reservations for both are essential. Amex, DC, MC, Visa. Daily noon– midnight.

Krasnaya Presnya, Fili and the southwest
All the listings below are marked on the map of "Krasnaya Presnya, Fili and the southwest".

Inexpensive
Da Cicco
Profsoyuznaya ul. 13/12 tel:125 11 96, www.da-cicco.menu.ru; 5min walk from Profsoyuznaya metro.

Attractively furnished trattoria-pizzeria, with tables outside in the summer. Over 50 kinds of thin-crust pizzas, delicious pasta dishes and calzone, plus a salad bar. All cards accepted. Daily 11am–11pm.

Mama Zoya
Frunzenskaya nab. 16B tel:242 85 50; 15min walk from Park Kultury metro.

The original Mama Zoya was so successful that they set up another restaurant on a boat moored across the river from Gorky Park, serving the same food at similar prices and wine for $20–25 a bottle. No cards. Daily noon–11pm.

Moderate
Baan Thai
Bolshaya Dorogomilovskaya ul. 11 tel:240 05 97, www.baanthai.ru; 10min walk from Kievskaya metro.

Moscow's best- value Thai restaurant, its satay, spicy noodle soups and duck curry are perfect, and the service attentive. Business lunch ($10); takeouts; free deliveries. Amex, DC, EC, MC, Visa. Daily noon– midnight.

Darbar
Sputnik Hotel, Leninskiy pr. 38 tel:930 29 25, www.darbar.ru; 5min walk from Leninskiy Prospekt metro.

Worth the trip to eat the finest Indian food in Moscow, but be sure to reserve a table. Live Indian music nightly. Business lunch (noon–4pm; $8), takeouts and free deliveries. Amex, DC, EC, MC, Visa. Daily noon– midnight.

Guroo
ul. Krzhizanovskovo 20/30, str. 1 tel:125 62 76; 10min walk from Profsoyuznaya metro.

Another Indian restaurant, further out than Darbar. The atmosphere is relaxed and the portions generous, but dishes are toned down for Russian tastes – order spicy. Set lunch $7.50. Belly and Indian dancing (Thurs– Sat from 8pm). Hookahs. All major cards. Daily noon– midnight.

Khajuraho
Shmitovskiy proezd 14 tel:256 81 36; 10min walk from Ulitsa 1905 Goda metro.

Styled after the Khajurhao temples, this restaurant, bar and club offers a choice of Indian, Western European and Croatian cuisine. Salad bar ($10); business lunch (daily till 3pm; $8); ten percent discount at the bar from 3–6pm. Hookahs, belly and Indian dancing. Secure parking. Amex, DC, EC, MC, Visa. Daily noon–11pm.

Mao
ul. 1905 goda 2a tel:255 59 55, www.tabanton.ru; 10min walk from Ulitsa 1905 Goda metro.

Claims a Pan-Asian sweep of Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Indonesian and Filipino cuisine, but doesn't quite deliver. Business lunches (noon–5pm; $5.50) and secure parking. Amex, DC, MC, Visa. Daily noon till the last person leaves.

Talk of the Town
Park Place, Leninskiy pr. 113/1 tel:956 59 99, www.talktown.ru; bus #144, #261, #699 or #720 from Yugo-Zapadnaya metro.

Though the residential-business complex looks rather intimidating, this Chinese-Indian restaurant is fine once you're inside. Secure parking. Amex, DC, MC, Visa. Daily noon–11pm.

Tsesarka
(Pheasant) Mantulinskaya ul. 5/1, str. 6 tel:256 14 87; 15min walk from Ulitsa 1905 Goda metro.

Delicious portions of sushi and Fusion fish dishes (including glow-in-the-dark fish roe), served on the second floor of the Sante Fe restaurant, near the Mezhdunarodnaya Hotel. Major cards. Mon– Wed & Sun noon– midnight; Thurs– Sat noon–3am.

Expensive
Bochka
(Barrel) ul. 1905 goda 2 tel:252 30 41; 10min walk from Ulitsa 1905 Goda metro.

Opposite the Mezh, this fancy rustic-style place does fine Russian food with a Caucasian twist; try the golubtsy (stuffed cabbage) with sour cream, or the turkey shashlyk (not listed on the menu). Amex, DC, EC, MC, Visa. Daily 24hr.

Shinok
(Farm) ul. 1905 goda 2 tel:255 02 04; 10min walk from Ulitsa 1905 Goda metro.

Faux-Ukrainian tavern with a captive cow and milkmaid for diners to gawp at. The menu lists two kinds of borshch, four varieties of vareniki (dumplings) and five types of salo (lard) as starters, with suckling pig, chicken or rabbit to follow, accompanied by gorilka (Ukrainian vodka) and folk music after 7pm. Amex, DC, MC, Visa. Daily noon– midnight.

Very expensive
Uley
(Hive) ul. Gadeshka 7 tel:797 43 33, www.uley.ru; 10min walk from Mayakovskaya metro.

Moscow's first Fusion restaurant is still trendy, but its food has declined since chef Correa departed. Try the monkfish with absinthe pork, the smoked duck or the red pepper bisque. They also sell absinthe and even distil grappa at your table. The sofa lounge for smoking hookahs and playing backgammon is spoilt by loud music and poor ventilation. Secure parking. All major cards. Mon– Fri noon–2am, Sat & Sun noon till the last guest leaves.

Zamoskvareche and the south
The listings in this section are marked on the map "Zamoskvareche and the south".

Inexpensive
Ginno Taki
ul. Bolshaya Yakimanka 58/2, tel:238 95 33; near Oktyabrskaya metro.

Similar to its namesake on Tverskaya ulitsa regarding queuing, food and drink, but even more cramped, with loud MTV and all-night karaoke, encouraging diners to eat up and leave. No cards. Daily 11am–6am.

Majorelle
ul. Zatsepa 19/2 tel:959 78 82; 10min walk from Paveletskaya metro.

An unexpected delight on a backstreet to the west of Paveletsk Station: decorative tents pitched in a grove of trees, with hookahs, Arab music, mint tea and Moroccan food. The mixed mezze appetizers are superb but the soups could be spicier. Business lunch $8.50. No cards. Daily noon–10pm.

Verona
Vorontsovskaya ul. 32/36 tel:912 06 32; 10min from Proletarskaya metro.

Excellent-value Italian restaurant, with fabulous prosciutto, penne arrabbiata and garlicky pizzas. On the downside it gets overcrowded and the wine list is paltry. No cards. Daily 11am–11pm.

Moderate
Cabana
Raushskaya nab. 4 tel:239 30 45; 15min walk from Novokuznetskaya metro.

Conveniently close if you're staying at the Baltschug-Kempinski Hotel, the eclectic menu includes plentiful salads, black-bean soup, seafood dishes and lunchtime special deals. All major cards. Daily 6pm–6am.

Louisiana
Pyatnitskaya ul. 30, str. 4 tel:951 42 44; near Novokuznetskaya metro.

American steakhouse with southern flavour. If you're not up for the gigantic T-bone steaks ($22), go for the chicken and seafood jambalaya. There's also a children's menu, Californian wines, cheap drinks for women (7–8pm), and family discounts on Sun. Amex, DC, EC, JCB, Maestro, Visa. Daily 11am–11pm.

Suliko
ul. Bolshaya Polyanka 42/2 tel:238 25 86; 10min walk from Polyanka metro.

This small Georgian restaurant does fantastic khachapuri, lobio and other appetizers. Go for a set lunch ($10) with a glass of wine or the evening buffet ($30). No cards. Daily noon–6am.

Very expensive
Dorian Gray
Kadashevskaya nab. 6/1 tel:238 64 01; 10min walk from Tretyakovskaya or Polyanka metro.

A classy Italian restaurant beloved of Russian film moguls and starlets, with a view of the Kremlin and the Moskva River embankment. Try the shrimp salad with rucola, the veal fillet with mushroom sauce or the sautéed seafood, followed by a tiramisu. Secure parking. Amex, Visa, DC, EC, MC, JCB. Daily noon– midnight.

Taganka and Zayauze
The listing in this section is marked on the map of "Taganka".

Moderate
Budvar
Kotelnicheskaya nab. 33 tel:915 15 98; 10min from Tanganskaya metro.

Huge portions of rich Central European food washed down with draught Czech and German beer or Russian kvas. Try the crackled duck, smoked venison or crawfish. MC, Visa. Daily noon– midnight.

Northern Suburbs
The listings in this section are marked on the map "The Northern Suburbs".

Inexpensive
Bega Tokyo
Bega Hotel, Begovaya alleya 11 tel:946 16 87; 15min walk from Dinamo metro.

A long walk but worth it, this eighth-floor restaurant is home from home for Japanese businessmen, who have their own individual bottles of whisky behind the bar, and Japanese TV to watch. Noodle dishes, beef, seafood and tempura to die for, but the menu is difficult to decipher – ask the staff for advice.

Moderate
Dinamo
Leningradskiy pr. 36 tel:213 42 74; 5min walk from Dinamo metro. Another place for cognoscenti, tucked away by gate #10 of Dinamo Stadium.

VIP guests like Pele, Abramovich and Chubais reserve the hall off the foyer; ordinary mortals are guided past the toilet through a door, into a kind of chalet with a carp pool. The Georgian food is heavenly and it's easy to over-order (they'll box up any leftovers). Quite affordable, providing you drink beer instead of wine. No cards. Daily 1am–11pm.

Expensive
Yar
(Wayside Halt) Sovetskiy Hotel, Leningradskiy pr. 32/2 tel:960 20 04, www.yar-restaurant.ru; 10min walk from Dinamo metro.

A re-creation of the famous pre-revolutionary restaurant where Rasputin once caused a scandal by exposing himself, the Yar features aristocratic dishes like Tsar's sterlet, venison steak or stuffed quail, and a Gypsy variety show from 9pm ($18 surcharge). Buffet breakfast ($10) till noon in the Green Bar. Amex, MC, Visa. Daily 7.30am till the last guest leaves.