Do you want to get into a real old American cinema and find yourself in a cafe at a gas station, which is often shown in films? To do this, you do not need to leave the capital, just look at the Starlight Cafe.
History of creation
Often in business textbooks you can find advice - before you do the business, find an idea for your business, think about what is missing for happiness in your own city and organize it. The history of the Starlight diners was almost a literal embodiment of this postulate and very successful.
It all started back in 1994. Then the future owners of the cafe talked with friends and came to the conclusion that in the city it is absolutely impossible to find a great burger or even just a good breakfast. The result of this conversation was the decision that it was simply vital to open a real “diner”.
The idea was realized only 10 months after the fateful conversation. The first Starlight Diner was fully assembled in Florida and traveled across the Atlantic to Russia.
Not without adventure. At first he was in the wrong country due to a severe hurricane, then he finally arrived in the capital and was installed near the Mayakovskaya metro station in the Aquarium garden. It was a trailer.
Due to its location near the Mossovet Theater, this place has become a favorite among artists over time. So the name “Starlight” cafe was justified 100%, which means “starlight”.
Today, four diners are already in the most convenient and beautiful places in Moscow, and the authors of the idea do not plan to stop there.
Features of the work of diners
All Starlight cafes operate 24-on-7, that is, open around the clock all days of the week. In the menu you can find breakfasts, which, despite the name, can be ordered not only in the morning, but also in the dead of night, and at lunch.
On weekends, bright events are held for children with the participation of clowns and balloons. And for fans of club life, Starlight Cafe has become the place of the beginning or, conversely, the end of an eventful night. This network is even called a place for night owls.
The quality of service here is at a very high level, the atmosphere is filled with friendliness, and the portions of dishes are huge, in the American manner. That is why Starlight is a cafe that has been popular and loved by guests for over nineteen years. This is a place of relaxation that everyone adores without exception.
On holidays, they always give presents, arrange pleasant promotions or offer discounts, which makes visiting the establishments of this network even more enjoyable.
Cafe design
The interior is well known to those who love old classic American films. These are red racks, old photographs, when looking at which nostalgia wakes up and tickles sweetly in the chest, jukeboxes, without which it is difficult to imagine an institution of this format, large siphons with sparkling water. All this is part of the culture and atmosphere.
Tables with red sofas, posters, the appearance of a diner car for truckers, a bar counter, where you can also sit and high chairs - this has some kind of magic and inexplicable romance. In the warmer months there is a summer terrace.
Cafe "Starlight": addresses in Moscow
In total, there are four institutions in the capital today. We bring to your attention their addresses:
- Cafe "Starlight" on Mayakovskaya is located at: Bolshaya Sadovaya, 16. Landmark - Garden "Aquarium". Phone for inquiries (495) 650-0246.
- Cafe "Starlight" on Oktyabrskaya is located at the address: 9a Koroviy Val. Phone for inquiries (495) 959-89-19.
- Starlight Cafe on Pushkinskaya can be found at the following address: 8a Strastnoy Boulevard . Phone for inquiries (495) 989-4461.
- The last establishment of the network is located near the metro station "Universitet", its address is Vernadsky Avenue, 6. You need to go to the Capitol shopping center and go up to the third floor.
It is extremely convenient that each point is located near the metro station.
The network also has its own website, through which you can send an appeal to managers using the feedback form. There is also a group on Facebook and Instagram. In addition, you can follow the news through Twitter or the channel on YouTube.
By the way, vacancies are published on the site if you want to not only relax in the restaurants of this network, but also build a career.
Is there a cafe at other addresses
On the official website of the network it is written that there are only four points of the “Starlight” cafe. We have listed the addresses of all of them above and they are located only in Moscow. However, as it turned out, you can meet similar institutions in other places. For example, Starlight Cafe - Grodno, ul. Castle, 11. How can I explain where the error is? The answer is simple - these are institutions with similar names, but completely different.
Noticing the differences is easy. In one case, the name Starlite Diner, in the other - just Starlite. Logos of institutions are different. In the first case, it is a yellow star with a white-blue tail and the name of the institution written, and in the second - a black circle with the name written in white letters and a red star.
The menu also varies. The namesake from Grodno offers guests pizza, sandwiches, desserts, cocktails and salads. The diners focus on breakfast, as well as delicious burgers with a wide variety of fillings.
You can also notice that the diners have been working since 1994, and Starlight in Grodno was opened only in 2015. And most importantly, diners are a cafe, and in Grodno there is a home delivery service for food and drinks.
This is not to say that some institution is better, and some worse. Each in its own way is interesting and attractive. And they have no opportunity to compete, as they are in different cities. But taking them for a single network is also not worth it - these are different institutions.
Main menu
As many visitors confirm, the choice of diner dishes is amazing. They mainly relate to American and Mexican cuisine. The peculiarity is that the menu includes dishes for guests with different preferences. Do not forget about those who follow the figure - for them, small portions. In the cafe, to the delight of customers, they also took care of those who do not eat meat - they prepared vegetarian food.
Open the menu, as expected, breakfast:
- Among the soups you can find both French onion soup, so borscht or buybaise.
- Among the salads - European "Caesar" in several varieties, American "Cobb", Asian tuna.
There are sandwiches and tortillas, but the variety of burgers is especially impressive:
- This is a crispy Mexican, in a beef patty for which corn chips are added. The dish is complemented by gingerbread peppers and salsa sauce.
- Easy hipster burger for those who strictly follow their figure. It is served with green salad and balsamic vinegar.
- Italian Caprese burger with fresh tomatoes, mozzarella and pesto.
- There is a burger with lamb.
- The secret of the burger called Starlight is that it is cooked exactly as you like, completely according to your wishes.
Here is a selection of desserts, as visitors regret, here is surprisingly small: cheesecake, apple pie and carrot cake with creamy glaze.
Many interesting items in the seasonal menu:
- texas french fries;
- rich bean soup with smoked meats;
- wild berry cheesecake;
- Thai rainbow salad with chicken;
- a burger under the original name “Napalm Blast” containing four layers of pepper, one of which is jalapeno.
There is also a vegetarian burger with a lean cutlet of black beans, quinoa and corn with cheese. This dish is served with vegetable soup. For those who do not need large portions - a small cheeseburger with french fries.
In a word, as numerous reviews confirm, there is something to eat for any guest here.
Specialties
In addition to the main menu, a special menu appeared in diners, which was named in honor of America's main street - Highway 66. The most enthusiastic reviews were left about it.
Let's get to know what Starlight Cafe (Moscow) offers in this special menu. Specialties include steaks:
- Grilled rib-eye, served with french fries and broccoli.
- The next steak already speaks for itself in name - “Excellent”. Beef is cooked to your taste, with mushrooms, onions and cheese, served with mashed potatoes and vegetables.
The next specialty is chicken fajitas, in a sizzling skillet, with salsa and guacamole sauces and wheat tortilla, in the best Mexican traditions.
For fans of a healthy diet, grilled salmon fillet or steamed, with wild rice and broccoli.
Chicken piccata - a breast cooked in lemon-wine sauce with fettuccini garnished. And finally, Starlight specialty meat casserole - from lean beef, with seasonings and onions, served with vegetables, mashed potatoes and meat sauce.
According to visitors, each dish is not only excellent in taste, but also in a wonderful portion size. For example, casseroles served 540 g and 150 g side dish. Going hungry for sure will not work.
Breakfast
Discussing the "Starlight" -cafe (menu), you can not ignore the breakfast. It is unlikely that you can find an institution that would serve so many varied dishes for breakfast. This is a huge selection of omelets:
- Mediterranean with sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, olives, bell peppers and cheese;
- Sakhalin with crab meat, spinach, avocado, tomatoes, green onions and cheese;
- vegetarian egg whites, with vegetables, mushrooms and cheese;
- super omelet with bacon and cheese;
- Florentine with spinach, tomatoes, green onions and cheese;
- Western with ham, onion, bell pepper and cheese.
In addition, pancakes, cottage cheese pancakes, Belgian waffles, egg sandwich, pancakes, burger or bagel with egg, old-fashioned oatmeal with butter and raisins and much more. In a word, both lovers of a light meal and those who need to have a hearty and thorough breakfast will find something to their taste.
To facilitate the task of choice, and with such a variety it is really not easy, combo options are collected:
- fried eggs from two eggs, Belgian waffle, sausage, served with crispy toast, orange juice and American coffee;
- morning tacos with scrambled eggs, cheese, avocado and tomatoes on wheat cakes, served with homemade potatoes, orange juice and American coffee;
- and an option for meat-eaters - scrambled eggs with beef and stewed mushrooms, onions, served with homemade potatoes, orange juice and American coffee.
An important point, noted by all as a plus, is that breakfast is served at any time of the day, and not just in the morning.
Prices
The next question that worries guests of the institution is pricing. Judge for yourself. The most inexpensive breakfast at the Starlight Cafe costs 119 rubles, for this amount you can get a portion of fritters of three pieces (200 g). The most expensive option is a steak and eggs, it costs 599 rubles. per serving in 490
Of the appetizers, the most inexpensive option is french fries with cheese (219 rubles), the most expensive are buffalo wings or quesadillas with chicken (489 rubles).
Soups from 275 rub. (French onion soup) to 409 (beef chili). Burgers - from 425 to 699 rubles. for a huge burger from Shona, which 100% lives up to its name, because its weight is 870 g.
The most expensive specialty is grilled ribeye steak (1599 rubles). Desserts from 279 rubles, for apple pie, up to 359 rubles. for carrot cake with creamy icing.
Can prices be called affordable? As many visitors confirm, given the size of the serving, the quality of the preparation and the products, this cafe may well be considered affordable.
Birthday Club
Starlight is a cafe where they like holidays, but do not like extra costs. Therefore, to the greater delight of the guests, a birthday club was organized in it. Each participant receives a 20% discount on all dishes and drinks. But that is not all. The cafe gives each guest a glass of champagne, and the hero of the occasion - a cake with a candle and balloons (if the birthday person wants them). Employees of the diner will perform for the "newborn" congratulations in the best American traditions.
And another privilege for a club member is the ability to book a table in any network institution, for example, along the Koroviy Val street, Starlight Cafe book tables by phone.
To join the birthday club, you need to go to the institution’s website, click on the appropriate tab, fill out the registration form and receive a gift certificate. You can use a personal certificate within three days before the birthday and seven days after it.
Delivery
You can enjoy diner dishes at home. For this, a delivery service works, which also received many positive reviews. The minimum order amount is 600 rubles, the delivery cost is 400 rubles. You can get the selected dishes a maximum of an hour after placing the order. Almost the entire range of the diner is available: first courses, soups, snacks, delicious burgers and incredible breakfasts.
Opinion of visitors
The Starlight Cafe is mostly positive, but, as with any other establishment, there are people who don't like it. Let's take a closer look at what is being praised and what is blamed for.
More than two hundred responses have already been left on the popular Tripadvisor recommendation service about this network. The average score was four points out of five possible.
Guests write that this fast food restaurant often helps out. The quality of food and service was at a high level during the opening of the first institution, and continues to remain so now. Visitors praise salads, meat, pasta, wings, burgers, milkshakes. They even write about cocktails that they are the most delicious, you can’t try them anywhere else. Cafes are called the ideal place for night owls.
The advantages include a good interior, as in American cinema, a comfortable fit, friendly and friendly staff, convenient location, the ability to bring children and organize entertainment for them.
The disadvantages include the fact that it is a little expensive. They also say that American cuisine is not the most delicious, and when compared with other establishments in Moscow, there is even an opinion that McDonald’s fast food restaurants are much better fed. Some visitors say that before the burger could cook three degrees of roasting, and now only two, that the kitchen has become worse. But in general, negative reviews are associated with the fact that "the cafe is not what it used to be." True, there are very few such responses.