In the capital there are a lot of beautiful places for leisurely walks that will give you real pleasure, give you a lot of pleasant moments and impressions. The center of Moscow is especially beautiful with its architecture, historical monuments, parks and, of course, places of recreation for citizens in the form of numerous cafes, restaurants with terraces and atmospheric bars. New and Old Arbat, Pushkin Square, Sretenka and Kamergersky Lane, Lubyanka ... Any of these places are worthy of special attention.
One of the must visit areas of the capital can safely be called Kitai Gorod. This is a historical place, which today retains the spirit of five centuries, which left their mark here. Take a walk along the main streets of the district - Nikolskaya, Varvarka and Ilyinka - admire one of the most ancient monasteries, walk along the remains of the fortress wall that separated the ancient 16th-century posad, located near the very walls of the Kremlin. Satisfied with spiritual food, go for a bite to eat at a fancy cafe on Kitai Gorod, since there are simply an unthinkable number of them here. And we will certainly tell you about the most worthy institutions of the region.
Cafe-bistro "Brothers Karavaevs"
This is a pleasant place in its atmosphere, neat, unusual and very democratic. Office clerks hurrying to the service, running for morning coffee and croissants, come here for the sake of a hot and tasty lunch, students, employees and guests of the city walking around the center of Moscow. And in the evening it is especially crowded - someone jumps in after work to take crumbly cookies and fresh pastries for tea, and someone comes to have a full dinner, because they prepare here very tasty and home-made.
What is special about this store?
Here you will not find helpful waiters, as they simply do not exist. Behind the cash register and shop windows are friendly young people who will be happy to tell you something on the menu, quickly pack their chosen dishes and give you a smile that can perfectly spice up simple but tasty food prepared with your soul.
What do the “Brothers Karavaevs" feed their guests? This is a good-quality home-made bistro where you can taste various salads, sandwiches and croissants with filling. Many hearty dishes, such as chicken skewers, meatballs, Chinese dumplings, noodles, soups and lasagna. There is even hummus! Baking here is no less diverse - from the classic Napoleon and honey cake to strudel, macaroon and panna cotta. As expected, home-made food from this wonderful shop is sold at affordable prices. And on the evening menu there is also a discount - 20% for everything! If you are taking a walk nearby, be sure to check out this cafe on Kitay Gorod at Solyanka 4. There is always a youth-international atmosphere, excellent aromas and the price tags on dishes.
Democratic cafe "People as people"
In Solyansky impasse (d. 1/4) one more pleasant place was hidden where you can safely go for a snack - quickly, tasty, and affordable. The cafe is small, but quite cozy: red brick walls, several tables around the perimeter and a long bar counter, which performs its main function (draft beer is also here). An important feature of the institution is that from Thursday to Saturday it works from 8 to 6 in the morning. Here you can tumble with friends after a party to have a bite, relax and just chat.
Cafe "People as people" was conceived as a place where you can quickly and tasty eat or take food with you. However, the atmosphere, friendly bartenders and pleasant guests often make people drop by a little longer.
What to eat?
They feed here pies with various fillings (meat, fish, mushrooms, spinach and cheese, etc.) and hot sandwiches, the choice of which is very wide. We recommend you try it with turkey, baked onions and Swiss cheese - just an overeating! In addition, there are various salads and main dishes (lasagna, pilaf, meat stew). Sweet tooth will also have plenty to choose from: cheesecakes, blueberry pie, carrot muffins and Florentine cookies - and that's not all. The bar menu includes beer, cider and several types of hot alcoholic cocktails. Those who don’t drink will be offered coffee or loose tea, fruit or milkshakes and smoothies. This small cafe on Kitay Gorod will also appeal to you for its prices - any of the positions (be it a pie, sandwich or dessert) will cost you no more than 200 -250 rubles. Run in!
Japanese noodle
And again, a small institution worth our attention. However, this time the kitchen is not homemade, not sandwiches and snacks, but also falls under the format of fast food. We are talking about a small self-service noodle restaurant "Ramen Club", whose chef is a real Japanese - Sudo Teijiro (he also heads the kitchen of another of the founders, "Macto). As you already understood, the menu here is appropriate, from the Land of the Rising Sun.
The main dish of the cafe, of course, is noodles with a variety of toppings (chicken and pork, crab meat and ground beef). But her choice is not limited. In "Ramen Club" you can taste onigiri with tuna, eel, red caviar and other fillings (these are rice balls with a filler inside), gedza dumplings with meat or shrimp, kimchi, rice. It is convenient to take sandwiches with you - also in the Japanese style (for example, with teriyaki chicken, mashed potatoes in ginger sauce, breaded salmon or cod). By the way, drinks also correspond to the orientation of the restaurant. In addition to choosing from the menu, you will be offered to take soda or juice with a sticker in Japanese from the machine. Tastes are very unusual, but worth a try.
This is a cafe on Kitay Gorod with a special atmosphere - for that visitors love it, many of whom run here for lunch not the first or second time. Cartoons like "My Neighbor Totoro" are played on TV, aromas of Japanese spices and sauces come from the kitchen, and occasionally quiet guests come in. It feels like you were in Japan and went to a cafe to have a quick bite and run about your business. As for prices - average for such establishments. Noodles will cost you from 200 to 350 rubles, a sandwich - about 200 rubles. Look at the address Krivokolenny lane, 3/1.
Express khinkalnaya
Tired of a long walk through the center of Moscow and looking for a suitable cafe on Kitay Gorod? Near the metro, just a couple of minutes walk from the station (Zabelina, 1), a lovely tiny place with amazing Georgian cuisine, Khinkali Point, settled down. This is a very modest, even ascetic, but at the same time cozy cafe with friendly staff. Here, nothing will distract you from the most important thing - food, and here it deserves attention.
Already from the street you can notice how the chefs cleverly handle the dough, which will go to one of the most delicious Georgian delicacies. The open kitchen allows guests to see everything that is usually located "on the other side of the wall", and it is interesting to while away the time in anticipation of your meal. What can you enjoy at Khinkali Point? Kitay Gorod is full of motley places - Japanese and home cuisine, high-quality fast food. Here you can also get acquainted with the Georgian cuisine with its fragrant, ruddy khachapuri (in Imereti or Adjara style?), The most delicate khinkali and chakhokhbili. And what a great mutton chakapuli is made here! Visitors greatly praise this dish, for which the cook does not spare either tarragon or tkemali. By the way, the desserts here are also truly Georgian. Finish your meal with the most delicate bakery or real yogurt served with nuts and honey. Like all the cafes listed above, this khinkalnaya is notable for reasonable prices, fast and friendly service and delicious food.
Lingonberry: berry with character
A lot of brick, wood and free space, a lot of light, visitors and menu items - all this characterizes the democratic cafe “Lingonberry” on Kitay-Gorod (Maroseyka, 8). And also - accessibility and versatility. As the staff of the establishment themselves say, the guests here are very different - young and not very, respectable and extravagant, tourists and residents of neighboring houses. In “Lingonberry” everyone is pleased and everyone will be pleased. The cafe operates in a self-service mode and in its concept is very similar to the “Karavaev Brothers”, but is more aimed at baking and a variety of desserts. However, you will succeed in satisfying lunch too.
From the main menu you can select items such as noodles, liver pancakes, potatoes with mushrooms, baked vegetables and pilaf. There are a lot of different pastries, including savory ones: home-made bread, croissants, brioche, etc. But the most important place in the kitchen is the confectionery department. What is there only! These are all kinds of cakes (brownies, cheesecakes, millefeuille, "Kiev", "Red Velvet") and cakes, macaroons, biscotti, pavlova and a huge selection of homemade cookies. The prices are low, any dish can be taken with you. Visitors love Lingonberry for the perfect combination of simplicity and comfort, quality and price, as well as for its convenient location, friendly staff and delicious food. Try it and you.
Ice cream cafe "Gelateria"
So, you walked around Kitay-Gorod, they dropped in a nice cafe for a bite to eat, it was time for dessert. Combine business with pleasure - take ice cream with you and go further to explore the center of the capital! Cafe Gelateria will help you with the first item. Ice cream is made here unrealistically delicious, do not be surprised if you get the feeling that you bought it not in Russia, but in sunny Italy. The recipe is kept secret, but at the same time pleases all visitors who have looked at a couple of balls of ice cream.
Smiling employees will offer you to try several flavors of gelato before you decide on specific positions. And eating a spoonful of this delicious treat, you certainly can not resist. All flavors of ice cream are natural, not a drop of chemistry. It is very thick, creamy and tender - you melt with pleasure. Tip - Be sure to try pistachio and fig with mascarpone. Ice cream can be taken in a cone or a bowl, and coffee, hot chocolate (they say, an amazing combination) and cocktails are offered to it. By the way, it is not necessary to leave immediately. Sometimes it’s nice to sit in the cafe itself on wide window sills with pillows, looking out the window. Pleasure is not very cheap - from 150 to 350 rubles (for 3 tastes), but it's worth it. Look at the address Lubyansky proezd 15/2.
Conclusion
As you can see for yourself, walking in the center of the capital, cafes on Kitay Gorod lined up one on top of the other. Places where you can have a tasty and inexpensive meal, a lot. We talked only about a small part of the institutions in the area that deserve indispensable attention. Atmosphere and comfort are combined with affordable prices and a variety of menus.