As in any world capital, going out for breakfast is a big deal in Moscow. Whether you are interested in a quick bite on your way to a business meeting, a chill lazy brunch in a place with exquisite interior, or wonder where locals are heading to this rainy morning — we got your back. Here is your go-to guide to breakfast in Moscow.
Since average restaurant check estimate is derived from a full selection of food and drinks on offer*, often a breakfast in an upper-scale restaurant will surprisingly cost you less than a similar meal in a mediocre bistro. For this very reason, in this digest of Moscow breakfasts we introduce our own Syrniki index (a variation on the theme of the well-known Big Mac index), so you can get a better grasp of what place from our list suits you most.
* In its turn, the established average price level is expressed in $-signs, where
$- low price range
$$- medium price range
$$$ – high price range
![Breakfast in Moscow [Whereabouts]](http://bearlyinmoscow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/sirniki.jpg)
by Gorobina for mycook.gallery
Syrniki (aka fritters) is a traditional Russian breakfast dish made of cottage cheese. Since no other dairy has a one-of-a-kind consistency of cottage cheese, proper syrniki are to be found exclusively in Russia, Belorussia, and Ukraine. Your choice of jams, syrups, sour cream, or condensed milk follows.
COFFEMANIA
$$$
Coffemania is a chain of spacious restaurants with giant windows and best vareniki in the city (Russian dumplings stuffed with cottage cheese).Essentially, there is nothing to blow your mind, however, you can count on always fresh ingredients, impeccable service and luxurious albeit not intimidating atmosphere. Every detail is thought of and a symbolic Transvaal daisy of either white or blood orange color is always there on the table for you. Signature dishes include a full gamut of porridges, baked cottage cheese pudding, and salmon with draniki (Russian hashbrowns). From the selection of coffee, we recommend a rather strong Australian Piccolo.
Syrniki index: Syrniki, Vanilla Cottage Cheese Fritters in the menu, are served vanilla flavored in threes for 390 RUB (~ $6) with your choice of sauces: maple syrup, sour cream, fresh strawberries, or condensed milk ($1-2)
- Hours: 8 am – 12 am weekdays, 8 am – 2 pm weekends. In 24-hour spots, ask for breakfast offers as early as at 5 am.
- Bearly-team’s chosen locations:
- Pokrovka St, 18/18 (open 24 hours)
- Komsomolskiy Ave, 21/2 (open 24 hours)
- Bolshaya Polyanka, 2
- Maliy Cherkassliy per., 2 (btw, check out the restroom — you won’t regret a tiny bit)
- No booking required
CORREA’S
$$
Ideal for branches, Correa’s restaurants are located on the ground floor of different business centers. This place is indeed relaxing not just for office workers but for any passerby. Encircled by a white wavy chair, you can enjoy your salmon bruschetta and then treat your sweet tooth with a Russian king-size meringue. Moreover, composite continental breakfast is always an option.
Syrniki index: Syrniki are served in twos with sour cream/honey/condensed milk/jam — two on your choice– for 280 RUB (~ $4.5)
- Hours: 8 am – 12 am weekdays, 9 am – 3 pm weekends
- Bearly-team’s chosen locations:
- Timura Frunze St, 11, “Krasnaya Rosa” Business Center
- Leningradskoye highway, 16A, blvd 3, “Metropolis” Plaza
- Bolshaya Ordynka St, 40/2
- No booking required
PAUL
$
Highly popular among Russian students, this French-style bakery chain is more of a grab-and-go type. Croissants and sandwiches are in high demand here, and their filling flexibly varies according to your preferences. Besides, Paul offers a manifold of pies, a piece of which can be another great complement to your morning coffee. As a bonus, French façade, not really typical for Moscow panorama, makes Paul stand out even for your before-coffee-gaze. But bear in mind that Romanov per. location is a little tricky to find – ask any young person for guidance when nearby.
Syrniki index: Vanilla syrniki are served in threes with a mint leaf for 279 RUB (~$4.5), add fresh fruits/nutella/nuts/honey/butter/raisins/sour cream or home-made jam for 59 RUB (~ $1)
- Hours: 7:30 am – 12 am weekdays, 9 am – 12 am weekends
- Bearly-team’s chosen locations:
- Romanov per., 6/7, bld. 2 (10 am – 12 am Saturdays, closed Sundays)
- Arbat st., 54/2 , bld 1
- Pyatnitskaya str. 20
- Lesnaya str., 7 (Belye Sady business center)
- No booking required
GRAND-CAFÉ DR. ZHIVAGO
$$$
Considered to be an upscale restaurant, this place on the ground floor of the Hotel National is Moscow’s top spot for breakfast. Grand-Café Dr.Zhivago is your go-to, if champaign in the menu and, apparently, a spectacular view on Moscow is your inner desire. Overlooking a remarkable building of State Historical Museum and Kremlin wall, Grand-Café Dr.Zhivago offers a menu by far not limited to traditional entries, and this shift is balanced. For instance, your tea will be served in a Soviet nickel-plated cup-holder, the one you might still see on a train. Plenty of Soviet sculptures, the abundance of red, and traditional female depictions on snow-white walls finalize the ensemble of the epoch.
A breakfast here may indeed amount to quite a bit, but only in case you choose to try traditional porridge, some eggs, fritters, blini, and wash it down with a few glasses of Champaign alternating with freshly squeezed juices. Otherwise, you and your wallet are safe and sound.
Syrniki index: Syrniki here are served in threes with organic sour cream and a mint leaf on top. (250 RUB ~ $4)
- Hours: 6 am –12 am weekdays, 6 am – 1 pm weekends
- Address: Mokhovaya St, 15/1
- To make a reservation, call +7 (499) 922-01-00
PINCH
$$
Quite a provocative name introduces this place as a brand-new and lit right away. A few years ago Patriki, as Muscovites call the district where Pinch is located, emerged into one of the most popular hip neighborhoods in Moscow with all the hustle and bustle followed. Now the rush has calmed down, but great places with its lively and just a bit snobbish spirit stayed open. Compact, Nordic in design, with no vast spaces, no picturesque views, and no endless menus, — this place is a manifestation of the neighborhood.
What you can experience here is chia coconut pudding, flax seeds crêpes, or plain cottage cheese with blueberries, amarene, and walnuts in a little cramped but cozy space. Note, that if you are used to obliging service, Pinch is not your choice. Here waiters, in the European manner, are hardly servants.
Syrniki index: Syrniki here are served in twos under sugar powder with sour cream mousse (lighter than your ordinary sour cream), orange “suzette” (fresh jam) or berries (two on your choice) for 350 RUB ~ $5.5
- Hours: 8:30 am – 4 pm daily
- Address: Bolshoi Palashevskiy per, 2
- To reserve a table beside the window (just 4 tables available), call 8 (495) 691–99-88 or click on “reserve” at pinch.moscow
NUDE. CAFFEE & WINE BAR
$$
Here a guy at the table next to yours loudly argues on the phone with an airlines’ call-center; a group of young adults buzzes, discussing their startup ideas, and a girl who has just entered right away hugs a friend she hasn’t seen for ages – and guess where did their paths cross again! In Nude everyone knows everyone and is not too just-business-minded to show it. Laptops on almost every table-for-two on the left get along with communal tables on the right almost as unexpectedly well as a stack of pancakes under a yogurt dressing with a glass of white wine.
Would instead go for usual? Granola with yogurt and berries or brioche with avocado is a valid alternative. Black&white dale, noisy and hectic, all-day-breakfasts (you can get one even at 10 pm) — won’t work if you come to chill, will do a great job otherwise.
Syrniki index: Bad news: mavericks do not eat syrniki. Good news: pancakes with banana cream and caramel will cost you 350 rubles (~ $5.5)
- Hours: 9 am – 11 pm (all day) weekdays, 10 am – 11 pm (all day) weekends
- Address: Spyridonovka St, 24/1
- To reserve a table, call +7(916) 372-22-24 or simply walk-in
LE PAIN QUOTIDIEN
$
A standard wooden café interior of Le Pain Quotidien might seem familiar since there is a chance you have been to one of this internationally acclaimed chain’s spots in your city. However, its Moscow branch has some Russian specialties, mainly syrniki, to offer. As usual, the counter has a bakery selection you can rely on, and crêpes take their place in the menu; besides, for a more substantial breakfast, there is a diverse choice of eggs and omelets, in addition to rice gruel and customary oatmeal.
Syrniki index: Syrniki served in threes with yogurt, fruits, and honey for 380 rubles (~ $6)
- Hours: 7 am – 12 am weekdays, 8 am – 10 pm (all day) weekends
- Bearly-team’s chosen locations:
- Myasnitskaya St, 24/7, blvd 1
- Zubovskiy blvd, 11a
- Kamergerskiy per., 6/5
- No booking required
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