Eating out can be a daunting experience if you can’t decipher Cyrillic. And it will be even more daunting (disappointing in fact), if you’re expecting to find European fare or full Western service. This is Russia. So just sit back, relax, stop stressing about the lack of salt and pepper on the table, and just try to savour the Russian dining experience instead. A Russian menu is typically divided into pervye (‘firsts’, i.e. soups), ftorye (‘seconds’ or entrees), and sladkiye (‘sweets’), with zakuski (appetizers), salaty (salads) and napitki (beverages) listed separately. Don’t bother to save room for dessert; you’re not likely to find anything more tempting than ice cream (morozhenoye) or juice thickened with corn-starch (kisel’. Be sure to start with a soup - often the tastiest, most satisfying part of a meal. A couple of pointers wherever you end up. Expect to pay extra for bread, don’t order wine with your meal unless you want to pay an arm and a leg for it, and finally, if the sleeping waiter stubbornly refuses to acknowledge any language other than his mother tongue, try (MOZH nuh zuh kah ZAT/May we order, please?) or (SHYOT puh ZHOW stuh/The check, please).
Restraunts
CHAIKA
They conform to all the expectations one would have for a hotel restaurant - a multilingual menu (English, German and Russian), a large dining area and a nice variety of dishes that will satisfy any appetite from an emaciated carnivore to a picky anorexic. Make sure to leave rooms for the chocolate cream profiteroles (25Rb). A great place to come if all you have to do is slink downstairs, but not worth a bus ride across town. US$10
Pugacheva 13
Tel: 22 87 68
08:00-24:00
except:
Fri: 08:00-24:00
DOM OHOTA
This place is well-known throughout the Kaliningrad region for serving some of the tasty game dishes this side of the Volga. Unfortunately you`ll need a Volga or Zaporozhets to get here: take the road to Zelenogradsk that goes through Petrova village then follow the signs to the hotel. Occasional live music shows and a play area for children are both thoughtful touches. The staff are friendly and willing to explain the intricacies of each dish, US$6
Svobodnoye hamlet
Tel: 22 69 9422 69 94
10:00-22:00
except:
Fri: 10:00-22:00
GRAND HALL
Catering to the type of clientele that like a 20-page menu where half the contents is liquor, this is the sort of place where you`ll have an aperitif even if you don`t drink and shell out big for the steak or seafood mains. A grand staircase leads to a few select tables that hover over the main dining hall should you feel your eating habits are beyond reproach. A banquet hall with an amber table is available for those very special events. US$11
Leonova 18
Tel: 21 89 47
12:00-02:00
except:
Fri: 12:00-02:00
KOMANDOR
A restaurant with upscale choices like mussels and more down-to-earth dishes like beef tongue. Those wanting attention should order the zander with shrimps and mushrooms that is shaped like a ship (170Rb). Not the best spot to take your children for their evening meal as they have a striptease program. Unless of course they are older and enjoy that sort of thing. US$5
Schastivaya 1
Tel: 34 18 23
07:15-24:00
except:
Fri: 07:15-24:00
KONSUL
The interior will make you feel like you are in someone`s home and that the dinner party is hosted by a gourmet chef. Most patrons tend to be large groups from consulates and the place can be packed at times so it is best to call a few days in advance for reservations. They also boast the best outdoor seating in the city, with many private nooks and a view onto the lake, perfect for romance and/or intrigues. US$10
Chernyakhovskovo 19
Tel: 43 67 65
12:00-24:00
except:
Fri: 12:00-24:00
SOLNICHNY KAMEN
A deerskin on the wall and candles on each table can only mean one thing - the Sun Stone is going for a classy hunting lodge feel. Luckily the food is somewhat more innovative; we suggest trying the house salad of shrimp and avocado with soy-lemon dressing. With dishes ranging from grilled meats to canapes you`re insured that everyone will find something they like. Menus, although almost a novel, are only available in Russian. US$4
pl. Vasilevskovo 3
Tel: 46 69 71
12:00-02:00
except:
Fri: 12:00-02:00
PODVORIE
You must eat here! An absolutely adorable venue complete with wooden benches and an interior which looks like an overgrown dacha (summer house) in which to sample a huge variety of authentic Russian dishes. There are over 15 varieties of blini from which to choose along with staples of the Russian diet - pelmeni and vareniki. The staff are beyond just obliging; they allow any idiot off the street to fry their own eggs, although perhaps rightly so they stand at the ready with a fire extinguisher. US$5
Leninsky 16
Tel: 43 12 39
12:00-02:00
except:
Fri: 12:00-02:00
RITA
Good hearty food for the famished farm worker. Expect warming portions of beefsteak with egg and pelmeni and a not so smartly decorated interior. The place is rocking like Dokken in the evenings due to their karaoke machine. US$2
Sergeyeva 2
09:00-24:00
except:
Fri: 09:00-24:00
TOURIST
Inside the Skan hotel is a great big hall with large stained glass windows where a weary traveller can find tasty Russian food. Live music plays every night from 20:00 - 24:00 except Wednesdays. On Friday and Sunday the hotel restaurant also hosts a disco. Not the sort of place you`ll end up unless you plan on sleeping upstairs later. US$7
Nevskovo 53
Tel: 46 08 01
07:30-24:00
except:
Fri: 07:30-24:00
Sat: 07:00-03:00
TRAKTIR RAZGULYAY
Hearty high-class peasant fare for everyone - the proletariat can scarf down serf`s pelmeni for 60Rb and the capitalist fat cats can sink their teeth into sturgeon shashlik for 300Rb. Those curious about all things Russian should try the mors, a special blackberry juice drink. The kitchen closes at 01:00, but the courteous staff won`t kick your drunk behind out until at least 02:00. US$6
Sovietsky 13
Tel: 21 48 97
13:00-02:00
except:
Fri: 13:00-02:00
Cafes
12 STOOLIEV
It may be the coolest place in the city, but this can be a minefield for the clumsy. If you make it down the steep and darkened stairs you`ll find the interior is illuminated as much as a coal mine. "Eat, drink and be merry" seems to be the mantra and we suggest you start chanting too. Though we suggest you stifle your need for hand gestures; the interior is knick-knack laden. Large portions of pan-European food available, with emphasis on the parts nearest the Urals. Live music on Friday and Saturday nights.
Mira 67
Tel: 21 09 31
12:00-01:00
except:
Fri: 12:00-01:00
ANDRE
A few light snacks, coffee drinks and cocktails round out the somewhat classy interior. According to the staff the music in the background is supposed to create a mellow atmosphere. We didn`t inform them that members of our staff have been known to commit heinous acts if forced to listen to Michael Bolton for extended periods of time.
Leninsky 59
Tel: 53 67 00
11:00-24:00
except:
Fri: 11:00-24:00
PRI SVECHAKH
The setting of this tiny restaurant/cafe is underneath the Drama Theatre. It comes complete with tables for two each set with a candle, which is perfect for people with enough romance to smother a continent. The usual suspects are in place - meat, chicken and fish dishes, but also pizza. A large selection of ice cream dishes should you need to cool down the fires of passion.
Mira 4
Tel: 21 17 71
12:00-02:00
except:
Fri: 12:00-02:00
Cheap food
ARLEKINO
You`ve seen the formula - a Russian-language only menu, a simple décor and hearty meat-based dishes. The only difference is that Arlekino has absolutely funky outdoor seating with brightly coloured tablecloths and its own bar.
Sovietsky 9-11
Tel: 22 86 95
11:00-24:00
except:
Fri: 11:00-24:00
FIORA JAZZ CLUB
Scarf down hearty Russian food in a half-hearted attempt at a jazzy interior. If the inexpensive menu isn`t enough of a lure then come here in the evenings when live music shows are in full force.
Sovietsky 34
12:00-02:00
except:
Fri: 12:00-02:00
KALININGRAD HOTEL CAFE
We sent an American here and had her order something that wasn`t on the menu - a mere alteration to the available choices and the staff didn`t say it was impossible. They just gave her what she wanted. Amazing! Food tends to be tasty and served with a quickness seen in few places.
Leninsky 81, fifth floor
08:00-02:00
except:
Fri: 08:00-02:00
METRO
Enjoy a 70Rb set lunch here during the work week. Unfortunately the curious verbosity of the menu will be lost on the non-Russian speaker. Although it should be noted that they promise their ketchup will be as blood red and spicy as in the Wild West. Besides the condiment selling craze the place is pleasant enough. If you have the time you can also shoot a game of pool before heading back to the grind of the office or sightseeing.
Leninsky 81
SOLYANKA
This is where everyone has eaten at least once, because it`s clean, good and cheap. So join the jostling masses in line and order the chicken Kiev . During the summer they also have an outdoor patio above the cafeteria. The WC is a high-tech hole in the ground.
Mira 24
Tel: 27 92 03
09:00-22:00
except:
Fri: 09:00-22:00
