Best Places for Business Lunch
Áèçíåñ ëàí÷ (Business Lunch) is now a part of the Russian language, just like the Big Mac (which in its way is also a type of Business Lunch). You see it advertised all over the city. But what exactly is a Business Lunch? Is it only for businessmen? Do you have to wear a suit and tie? Or is it just a marketing strategy for restaurants to bring in more customers? The mystery of the Russian business lunch we decided had to be investigated and revealed naked (or uncooked) to the world.
We thought that we would make up the rules:
- To be a real grown-up Business Lunch there has to be a fixed price (just as in France there is a prix fixe). We are not including restaurants which offer just a discount at lunchtime, because then you don’t know how much the bill is going to be. The Business Lunch is democratic.
- The menu of a Business Lunch has to be a part of the wider menu that is offered at dinner. This is what we believe to be the fundamental principle of the Business Lunch - if you cannot afford to have dinner a business lunch is a good way to find out what you’re missing.
- The waiter understands that you are somebody in a hurry, with a very important meeting to go to (that’s why you’ve been talking on your phone all the time), and you want to eat your Business Lunch in the shortest possible time. These are the only three rules.
HIGH-END
CARRE BLANC
The place for a leisurely business lunch. The French dejeuner (as the restaurant bills it) is a three-course glimpse into Carre Blanc’s excellent cuisine.
From 12.00 to 16.00, menu is fixed for a long time Monday to Friday
What you get Starter (e.g. house-marinated salmon) Main (e.g. roasted duck and foie gras de canard with green vegetables on the side) Garnish (e.g. young potatoes sauteed with mushrooms) Dessert (e.g. assortment of house ice-creams and sorbets) Cost: 40 y.e.
19/2, Ul. Seleznevskaya, M. Novoslobodskaya (095) 258 4403
SCANDINAVIA
If you think dinner here stretches the wallet a bit too far, experience this restaurant’s excellent food and service at lunchtime – it’s half the price you’d normally pay.
Lunch menu 12.00 to 16.00 Monday to Friday, menu changes every week
What you get Aquavit buffet 260 and 610 roubles as a starter or main course respectively. Starter (soup or cold dish) for 260 roubles. Main (pasta, fish or meat, e.g. Bouillabaisse) served with bread and salad, coffee or tea for 610 roubles Starter and main together go for 770 roubles Grill (hamburger and French fries) for 510 roubles
7, Maly Palashevsky Pereulok, M. Tverskaya (095) 200 4986
STOCKHOLM, KATERINA CITY HOTEL
Swedish, Russian and European cuisines served with quality and elegance.
12.00 to 16.00, different menu every day Mon-Fri
What you get Business lunch menu is a buffet, where you can choose from 4 kinds of main dishes, 2 garnishes, soup of the day (fish soup), 14 kinds of cold starters and salads. Includes bread, drinks and dessert. Cost: 750 roubles
6, Bldg 1 Shlyuzovaya Nab, M. Paveletskaya (095) 933 0406, 797 6284
MOSKOVSKY, LE ROYAL MERIDIEN NATIONAL HOTEL
Authentic Russian cuisine, chef’s specialties and view of the Kremlin.
From 12.00 to 17.00, 4 fixed menus for business lunch, one for each week of the month. Changed every 3 months. Monday to Friday
What you get Salad or Soup (e.g. cream broccoli soup with quail dumplings) Main course (fish, meat, chicken or duck with a side dish, e.g. roast fillet of duck with caramelised fruits and calvados sauce with boiled rice) Dessert (e.g. apple pie on raspberry sauce with fresh fruits) Tea or coffee Cost: 960 roubles
15/1, bld. 1, Mokhovaya Ul., M. Okhotny Ryad, (095) 258 7000
GRATZI, MARRIOTT TVERSKAYA HOTEL
Mainly Italian and Mediterranean cuisine in a comfortable atmosphere.
12.00 to 16.00, lunch menu changed every 2 weeks Monday to Friday
What you get Starter (soup or salad), main course, dessert. Smoked sturgeon with a rocket and pepper papaya salad, lime dressing. Grilled chicken breast with spicy fried rice and okra. Half price for drinks from the menu. Cost: 18 c.u. or 13 c.u if you choose only starter and a main course, payment in roubles and credit cards.
34, 1st Tverskaya- Yamskaya Ul., M. Tverskaya, Mayakovskaya (095) 258 3000
UZBEKISTAN
Flavours of Middle Asia in the centre of Moscow.
From 12.00 to 15.00, a great variety of choice from Dastarkhan, which is a kind of buffet. Monday to Friday
What you get Uzbek salads, cold fish and meat starters, pickles and fresh vegetables for a starter. Various main dishes from Uzbek, Arabian and Chinese cuisines. Plov. Sweets and fruit. Cost: 1404 roubles
29, Neglinnaya Ul., M. Tsvetnoy Bulvar (095) 923 0585, 924 6053
IN-BETWEEN
EXPEDITSIA
One can’t make a camp fire in the city’s centre. Get a feeling of it by trying the innovative menu based on traditional food and delicacies from the Siberian taiga and rivers.
From 12.00 to 16.00, menu changed every month Monday to Friday
What you get Choose your lunch from 4 salads (e.g. smoked deer meat with apples, onions and nuts), 3 soups (e.g. beef tea and pirozhki from elk meat), 3 fish (Coho salmon, sauteed with red bilberries, served on warm vegetable salad with cedar oil) and 4 meat dishes (e.g. home-made sausages from deer meat with puree from celery and potatoes, baked tomatoes and red bilberries), 2 desserts (e.g. Siberian berry pie), tea/coffee Cost: 84 roubles for salad, 118 roubles for soup, 306 roubles for main course, 60 roubles for dessert
GUILLY’S
Lunch is the best time to sample the famous Guilly’s hamburger.
12.00 to 17.00, Monday to Friday in the restaurant Every day of the week in the bar area, any time Fixed menu
What you get Select from around 20 menu items, including soups, sandwiches and the house steak. Cost: from 130 roubles to 520 roubles per item
6, Stoleshnikov Pereulok , M. Chekhovskaya (095) 933 5521
1 RED SQUARE
An opportunity to try dishes from the restaurant’s unique cuisine based on the menus of the 19th century Russian aristocracy and the Imperial Romanov Family.
From 12 to 16.00, lunch menu is fixed.
What you get 4 types of lunch which is a salad, soup, main dish, dessert, mineral water, tea/coffee, bread and butter. Example: Salad of salmon fillet with lemon and olives, chicken soup with home-made noodles, pike perch with potatoes and fresh vegetables. Cost: 19 c.u
1/2, Red Square (Entrance via the Historical Museum), M. Okhotny Ryad (095) 925 3600, 292 1196
SHAFRAN
Good-sized portions of flavorsome Middle Eastern cuisine. Airy and spacious without being too formal. Quick and friendly service, and they don’t mind either if you want to linger.
From 12.00 to 16.00, fixed menu Monday to Friday
What you get Dip (e.g. tahini) plus all the pita you can eat Soup (e.g. lentil soup) Main dish (e.g. chicken kebab) Drink (fresh juice, espresso, tea, coca-cola) Cost: 11 y.e.
12, Spiridonyevsky Pereulok, Bldg. 9, M. Pushkinskaya (095) 737 9500
BORGO
Home-made Italian lunch. Warm wood-panelled interior and surprisingly comfortable highbacked chairs.
From 12.00 to 17.00, menu is fixed for a long time Monday to Friday
What you get No fixed menu. Choose from a range of starters, salads and mains. It’s all there: Caesar salad with chicken breast or prawns, beef or salmon carpaccio, minestrone, veal medallions in bacon with blue cheese, garnished with fettuccine pasta and spinach. Portions are smaller than a la carte Cost (prices in c.u. which stands for 36 roubles): 7 to 9.50 for appetizer/salad, 5 to 9 for a soup, 10.50 to 16 for main.
12/9, Spiridonyevsky Pereulok, M. Pushkinskaya
(095) 730 5600
GOODMAN
A great time to sample this restaurant’s ambiance and friendly service. Strict control of quality and generous portions.
From 12.00 to 16.00, menu is fixed. Monday to Friday
What you get Salad (e.g Caesar salad with grilled chicken breasts) and main course Soup (e.g cream of natural white mushroom) and main course Main can be Goodman burger or meat/chicken with a side dish (e.g. Beef Stroganoff from Mignon fillet and grilled vegetables) Cost: 12 y.e.
23, Tverskaya Ul., M. Pushkinskaya (095) 937 5679
31 Novinsky Bulvar, M. Barrikadnaya (095) 981 4941
RIKYU
Traditional Japanese cuisine and original recipes in tasteful interiors.
12.00 to 16.00, lunch menu changed every season. Monday to Friday
What you get All lunch offers include miso soup, vegetable salad, Gohan rice. Beef with vegetables, sushi assortment, white fish fillet fried in garlic sauce among other options. Cost: 350, 400 and 750 roubles
26 Prospekt Mira, Bldg.8 (enter from Grokholsky Per.), M. Prospekt Mira (095) 937 8803
SULIKO
One of the best restaurants for Georgian specialties.
Business lunch 12.00 to 16.00, fixed menu Monday to Friday
What you get Choose a starter from a range of 6 varieties such as suluguni cheese, green or red lobio (beans with walnut and spices), soup (e.g. kharcho - beef bullion with rice, garlic, Tkemali sauce and spices), main dish (e.g. chakhokhobili - chicken stewed with onions, tomatoes and herbs), water/tea and 2 cookies Cost: 12.6 c.u. Lavash and 2 cookies for all menus. Other menus available.
42/2 Ul. Bolshaya Polyanka M. Oktyabrskaya (095) 238 2888/1027
CAFE DES ARTISTES
Classic European cuisine in bohemian interior. Art exhibitions as a food for the soul.
Lunch menu from 11.00 to 17.00, different each day, subscribe at www.artistico.ru for getting lunch menu by e-mail
What you get Starter (cream of yellow pea with bacon) or salad (avocado, tomatoe and iceberg lettuce), main course (sauteed monkfish with olive oil and lemon risotto) and dessert (cheese cake). Cost: 14 c.u., payment in roubles and credit cards
5/6, Kamergersky Pereulok, M. Okhotny Ryad (095) 292 4042
CAFE PUSHKIN
‘Dejeuner pour dame … et chevalier’ (as described by the restaurant). Impressive faux decor from tsarist times.
From 12.00 to 16.00, menu changes every day Monday to Friday
What you get (example) Ladies: Vegetable salad with marinated pumpkin, zander with vegetables and dessert. Gentlemen: Russian salad (Olivier), shchi (cabbage soup Russian style), beefsteak with grilled vegetables and fried onion Tea/coffee Cost: 15 euro, payment accepted in roubles and by credit cards
26a Tverskoy bulvar, M. Tverskaya (095) 229 5590
6 Pevchesky per, M. Kitai Gorod (095) 775 6075
MY PLACE
American style: small place for a fast lunch in the centre of the megapolis.
12.00 to 16.00, menu changes daily Monday to Friday
What you get Starter (soup or salad, e.g. chicken cream soup or salad with couscous, tomatoes, mint and onions), main dish (e.g. seafood fettuccini with cream sauce) and a dessert. Cost: 12.y.e. 15% extra for groups of 8 and more
52/5, Kosmodamianskaya nab. M. Paveletskaya (095) 725 4070/4071
BARGAIN (LESS THAN 300 ROUBLES!)
CAFE MOKKA
Dishes from Italian and European cuisine.
From 12.00 to 16.00, menu changes every day Monday to Friday
What you get Soup of the day (broccoli cream), choice of salads (e.g boiled potatoes and honey agaric with dill), one of 2 main dishes (e.g. pork in mushroom cream sauce with buckwheat) Cost: 230 roubles and less if your lunch is light, 15% more for groups of 8 and more
7 Dolgorukovskaya Ul., M. Novoslobodskaya (095) 725 4173
VKUSNOYE MESTO
This is a regular place for PASSPORT staff; you can be in and out in less than half an hour if you wish (PASSPORT writers even eat to a deadline!). Simple decor, no pretensions.
Business Lunch 12.00 to 16.00 Monday to Friday
What you get (example, different menu every day) Salad Borsch always or Soup of the day Fried chicken with fried potatoes and mushrooms Tea or fruit beverage Cost: 140 roubles
13 Ul. Dovatora, Bldg. 2 M. Sportivnaya (095) 708 3277
GULDEN
Interior of a medieval castle. Russian, Belgian and Flemish cuisines.
From 12.00 to 16.00, menu changes every week Monday to Friday
What you get Salad (3 varieties), soup (vegetable cream or kharcho), main dish (meat, fish or chicken) and garnish (rice, potatoes, vegetables). Mors, wine, beer, tea or coffee for a drink. Cost: 230 roubles
11/6 Ul. Solyanka, Bldg.1, M. Kitai Gorod (095) 916 2894
FARANDOLE
Southern Italian and Mediterranean dishes in a pleasant environment.
Lunch menu from 12.00 to 17.00, changes every week Monday to Friday
What you get Salad (e.g. salmon with rice), soup (vegetable cream) and a main dish with a garnish (fish, chicken or vegetarian options, e.g. pork baked with tomatoes and cheese). Plus tea, coffee or a soft drink. Japanese lunch includes salad with calamari and seaweed, 3 different sushi, 3 rolls with cucumber, 3 sushi with omelette, miso soup Cost: 250 and 320 roubles
5, Ul. 1ya Tverskaya-Yamskaya, M. Mayakovskaya
(095) 258 8259
KOLBASOFF
Beer restaurant with dishes from various cuisines, manufactures its own sausages. Blue and Beige halls in minimalist decor.
From 12.00 to 16.00, lunch menu changes monthly Monday to Friday
What you get Salad (5 kinds, e.g. beetroot with walnuts), soup (5 kinds, e.g. soup du jour or mushroom soup with potatoes), main dish (4 options, e.g. Beef Stroganoff with rice). Dessert and a drink. Cost: 280 roubles and less, if your lunch is light
21 Taganskaya Ul., Mosenka Park Towers, M. Marksistskaya, Taganskaya (095) 258 5900
RE-PLAY
Good place for a relaxed lunch.
From 12.00 to 16.00, lunch menu changes everyday Monday to Friday
What you get Choose from 2 salads (e.g.herring with beetroot and mayonnaise, 3 soups (e.g. borsch), 2 main dishes with a garnish (e.g. chicken cutlet with rice) Cost: 150 and 190 roubles (includes dessert and a choice of tea, coffee or juice)
19 Ul. Pokrovka, M. Chistiye Prudy (095) 917 3985
SHERBET
Arabian and Uzbek cuisines, and most things Asian.
From 12.00 to 17.00, fixed menu Monday to Friday
What you get Soup of the day, salad, choose from 2 main dishes, potatoes fried/mashed or rice for a garnish, drink. Lentil or kharcho soup, chicken donar kebab, plov, laghman, carrot salad or vinaigrette. Cost:160 roubles
15 Ul. Petrovka, M. Kuznetsky Most, (095)928 0812/1597
BANGKOK
Forget Moscow for a while and enjoy this restaurant’s excellent approach to Thai cuisine.
From 12.00 to 16.00, menu different each day Monday to Friday
What you get Salad, soup, main dish, garnish, drink, bread Cost: 150, 200 and 500 roubles
10 Bolshoy Strochenovsky per. M. Serpukhovskaya, (095) 237 3074
BUDVA
Montenegro hospitality never fails.
11.00 to 16.00, changes every week Monday to Friday
What you get Choose from 3 kinds of salads, soups, main dish, garnish, juice or tea for a drink and beer as a complement. Vinaigrette, chorba, goulash or pleskovitsa, boiled/mashed potato or buckwheat Cost:160 roubles
23 Ul. Pokrovka, M. Kitai Gorod (095) 923 3364
ROAD HOUSE
Blues and traditional European cuisine.
From 12.00 to 16.00, lunch menu is fixed for more than a month. Monday to Friday
What you get Soup (e.g. chicken bullion with giblets), main course (meat, chicken or fish with a side dish, e.g. salmon fillet in pastry with boiled potatoes on the side), salad of the day, juice. Cost: 155, 160, 165 and 190 roubles.
8 Ul. Dovatora, M. Sportivnaya (095) 245 4183 775 6075
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