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When you talk about the best restaurants in Moscow, you can ask 10 people and get 10 different lists of restaurants.
That’s one of the great things about Moscow. There’s nearly an infinite list of restaurants to dine at and a continuous stream of new ones opening. Just look at the stats. In 2018 there were 12,000 restaurants and by 2020 that number grew to more than 15,000.
To make this list of the best restaurants in Moscow, I first made my list and then asked the expat community for their input. Without further ado, here’s the list!
The Best Restaurants in Moscow
White Rabbit ($$$$)
No “best restaurants in Moscow” list can be complete without mentioning White Rabbit. It’s located on the sixteenth floor of Smolensky Passage and offers panoramic views over the historic center of Moscow.
Its head chef, Vladimir Mukhin, cooks up traditional Russian cuisine with a modern twist, like borscht with fried carp or mini rabbit stew with foie gras sauce.
Every season, chef Vladimir puts together a special tasting menu that highlights the best seasonal products available throughout Russia. It’s not something you should miss!
Menu: https://whiterabbitmoscow.ru/en/menu
Address: Smolenskaya Square, 3, Moscow, Russia, 121099
Located in: Smolenskiy Passazh
Sakhalin ($$$$)
Sakhalin is located near Smolenskaya metro station and is a fairly new restaurant by the White Rabbit Family. If you’re planning a visit, make sure to book well in advance because this place fills up quickly. It’s also one of the few places in Moscow where you’ll want to come dressed up.
Sakhalin’s menu consists of regional Russian products that are combined with Mediterranean and Asian dishes and cooking techniques. There’s a wide range of seafood available like shellfish, crabs, shrimps, and fish from the Far East of Russia
Menu: https://sakhalin-moscow.ru/en/#menu
Address: Smolenskaya Ulitsa, 8, Moscow, Russia, 121099
Located in: AZIMUT Hotel
Gorynych ($$$)
Gorynych is located a few steps away from Trubnaya metro station. Its interior is perfect for any occasion. The high ceilings, large windows, and panoramic views of central Moscow all add to the ambiance.
This place is more casual than some of the other restaurants on this list. It invites its guests to come and experience something new with each visit. It’s not a place you come just once! The menu includes everything from pancakes and pizza to steaks and salad.
Menu: https://gorynich.com/en/assets/app/file/gorynichmenu_en.pdf
Address: Rozhdestvensky Blvd, дом 1, Moscow, Russia, 107045
RUSKI ($$$)
Deemed the highest restaurant in Europe (no, not that kind of high), RUSKI is located on the 85th floor of the “OKO” building in Moscow. Its location affords unrivaled panoramic views of the city. The nearest metro station is Mezhdunarodnaya station.
RUSKI’s interior is elegant and modern. It is perfectly suitable for its carefully curated menu which includes traditional Russian food with a modern gastronomic interpretation by chef Alexander Volkov-Medvedev.
Menu: http://ruski.354group.com/en/menu
Address: 1-Y Krasnogvardeyskiy Proyezd, 21 строение 2, Moscow, Russia, 123317
Located in: ОкО
Probka on Tsvetnoy ($$$)
Probka is another centrally located restaurant near Trubnaya metro station. It boasts an open kitchen, and they say you can even see how the cooks eat during their breaks.
Probka cooks up traditional Italian cuisine like spaghetti “Frutti di Mare”, carpaccio, risotto, including risotto with calf cheeks, pizza (from plain with salami to expensive with black truffle), several types of octopus, and more.
Generally, this would be boring if it weren’t for the fact that Probka has extreme attention to detail and uses the highest quality of ingredients. All of this easily makes it a hit for our list of the best restaurants in Moscow.
Menu: https://probka.org/menu//pnts_menu.pdf
Address: Tsvetnoy Blvd, 2, Moscow, Russia, 127051
Dizengof99 ($$)
Dizengof 99 is an Israeli restaurant in the heart of Moscow. It’s about 1km from the nearest metro station which is Kitay-gorod, but well worth the walk. Alternatively, you can take the “Chistye prudy” to Pokrovskie Vorota tram line to get there.
Tourists and expats alike begin their reviews with descriptions of the “Israeli breakfast”. It consists of freshly baked bread, eggs cooked any way you want, olive spread, cream cheese, tuna with greens, tahini, lettuce, feta, avocado mousse, jam, coffee, and freshly squeezed juice.
Menu: https://dizengof99.com/menu
Address: Pokrovsky Blvd, 8 строение 1, Moscow, Russia, 109028
Lepim i Varim ($$)
Lepim i Varim is by far the cheapest restaurant on this list. It is an absolute standout for Russian pelmeni. Not only is this the best restaurant to try one of the most popular dishes in Russian cuisine, but it is also one of the best restaurants in Moscow, period.
They have 11 different types of pelmeni, which are all handmade. They have the traditional fillings of meat, but you can also find more exotic fillings with Kamchatka crab, chicken with parmesan and basil, or cherries.
This is the restaurant no traveler to Moscow should miss. It is inexpensive and will leave you impressed with an otherwise boring Russian dish.
Menu: https://lepimivarim.ru/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/menu_RuEng_msc_2021_spring.pdf
Address: Pereulok Stoleshnikov, 9, строение 1, Moscow, Russia, 125009
Vysota 5642 ($$$)
Vysota 5642 translates to Altitude 5642 where 5642 happens to be the height in meters of highest peak in Russia, Mount Elbrus. Vysota 5642 is one of the best restaurants in Moscow serving Caucus cuisine.
The restaurant is located near Kitay-gorod metro station and the interior is almost like an industrial warehouse, with very high ceilings. That is to say, it’s aesthetically pleasing.
Vysota’s menu includes the standard Caucus cuisine dishes like four different types of khachapuri, khinkali, a wide variety of shashlik. Nothing fancy here, but everything is cooked and prepared perfectly with high quality ingredients.
Menu: https://novikovgroup.ru/restaurants/5642Restaurant/5642Visota_58.html
Address: Bol’shoy Cherkasskiy Pereulok, 15-17 стр. 1, Moscow, Russia, 109012
Dr Zhivago ($$$)
Dr Zhivago is a high end, well priced restaurant located in central Moscow. So central in fact, that you’re practically on top of the Red Square. It can be hard to reserve a table here, so be sure to call well in advance. The good news is however, that it’s open 24 hours a day.
The menu consists of traditional Russian food, but the menu differs if you come for breakfast / lunch or dinner. For breakfast you can expect a number of delicious egg dishes, sausages, pastries, salad, etc. While the dinner menu consists of the typical Russian options.
Of the best restaurants in Moscow, I think the interior of Dr Zhivago has my favorite interior. There are subtle hints of Russia’s Soviet past here, be it the tasteful use of the color red, or the various depictions of soldiers throughout. Definitely don’t miss this place if you spend any time in Moscow.
Menu: https://drzhivago.ru/en/menu-2/main
Address: Mokhovaya St, 15с1, Moscow, Russia, 125009
BURO ($$$)
BURO is located inside of Tsum in central Moscow between Kuznetsky, Lubyanka, and Okhotny Ryad metro stations. Its chef Dmitry Zotov specializes in accenting dishes with unique and unusual sauces.
For example, scallop is served with shiso sauce, vegetable crudo is served with miso-mayo sauce, and octopus is cooked with a smoked pepper sauce.
The interior is fresh and trendy. In the main dining area, there are panoramic windows and all sorts of textures and materials are combined: wood, marble, brass, mirrors, leather, velour.
Menu: http://burotsum.com/en/menu1
Address: Petrovka Ulitsa, 2, Moscow, Russia, 107031
Located in: Tsum
