The R&K Guide to Moscow

The R&K Guide To Moscow

The World Cup is upon us, but you could argue that it’s already a relic from another era, a time when Putin was looking for peaceable engagement with the West, before he annexed Crimea and unleashed his trolls on the world. But if ordinary Russians are supposed to play the part of pariah, they haven’t been told. It has been a long time since Moscow was this pleasant to visit. The city center is safe, sanitized, ready for your visit. Yes, the calm is a sign of an increasingly efficient autocracy. But we’ve known Moscow through many iterations, and for the casual visitor, this is one of the best yet. (Visit our St. Petersburg guide here.)

How To Do
Moscow

01. 21 Things to Know Before You Go to Moscow
02. Walking Tour: From the Arbat to the Kremlin
03. The R&K Guide to the Moscow Metro
04. The Perfect Dish: The Moscow Burrata
05. Getting Online
06. Shitty But We Love It: Cheburechnaya Druzhba

Moscow, Explained in 13 Dishes

Next: Welcome to St. Petersburg

Walking Tour: From the Arbat to the Kremlin

This tour of Moscow’s center takes you from one of Moscow’s oldest streets to its newest park through both real and fictional history, hitting the Kremlin, some illustrious shopping centers, architectural curiosities, and some of the city’s finest snacks.

Walk, Eat, Drink

Quick Hits What To Eat

English Muffin and Tête de Cochon at Youth Cafe In a former bordello on Trubnaya, Youth Cafe is recognizable for its sunburst-yellow paint. The menu is just as expressive, and the tête de cochon, a kind of upscale headcheese Egg McMuffin, is a perfect hangover helper.
Coco Lardo at Chef’s Table This new restaurant by Vladimir Mukhin of Netflix’s Chef’s Table fame has an intimate setting that starts with Mukhin essentially hand-feeding you a slice of young coconut prepared like traditional Russian fatback.
Plov at Food City The massive Food City agricultural depot in southwest Moscow has a riotous collection of stands with flatbread and plov—fragrant rice with meat and vegetables.

Quick Hits What To Drink

The Pedro Manhattan at Delicatessen Replace vermouth with Pedro Ximénez sherry and a drop of vinegar reduction in this rendition of a Manhattan, and you have a cocktail as eclectic as this Moscow institution.
Mushroom Tea at Chainaya Vysota A flight of stairs up from the bustling Tverskaya Ulitsa, Victor Yenin makes unspeakably delicious brews with dried plants and mushrooms. Go there now. (And we’re not even tea people.)
Moscow Sling at the O2 Lounge Yes, it’s a $20 cocktail. But if spending is still a sport in Moscow, then the O2 lounge, on the roof of the Ritz Carlton with commanding views of the Kremlin, is the Superbowl.

Quick Hits What To See

Park Zaryadye This rolling green behemoth on the edge of the Moscow river opened for the city’s 870th birthday in 2017. It has lush lawns, museums, concert halls, a food court, and a floating bridge for prime photos.
The Diorama at Hotel Ukraine This 1:75 scale mini-Kremlin and Moscow was built in 1977 for a Soviet exhibition in New York, where it was an overnight sensation. It now lives in this Stalin-era skyscraper/hotel hybrid.
Mayakovskaya Metro Station The futurist Mayakovskaya is perhaps the best example of the glorious future that Stalin and Muscovites expected when Moscow Metro was built in 1938.

Features From Moscow

One Wild Night in Trump’s Moscow Kompromat Palace

Drinking at the Moscow Ritz-Carlton.

Dining in the Soviet Style

In central Moscow, a famous and slightly foreboding institution is finding new life under restaurateur Alexei Zimin.

Moscow’s Other Games

How the Russian LGBT Sports Federation is trying to hold an event for people who aren’t supposed to exist.

The Friendliest Border

After centuries of East vs. West argument, Russia chooses both.

The Last Flight out of Moscow

When Delta ended its direct route to JFK, it represented the end of an era for longtime Russia expats like Resa Alboher

Foodporn: Uzbek Horsemeat in Moscow

At Moscow’s Chaikhana restaurant, the one by the zoo, is a plate of cured horse meat, served above an overloud tablecloth, with raw onion on lettuce.

Roam