Moscow for Kids

Description:

This chain's management was the first in Moscow to recognize the city's need for reasonably priced restaurants with edible food and decent service, a concept that didn't exist 15 years ago. The market was huge and untapped, and after some trial and error the Russian company hit on the successful Il Patio formula. Thin-crust pizzas, generously spiced pastas, a salad bar, and a children's menu may be standard fare in your home town, but in Moscow they remain scarce. Il Patio is a safe choice for kids or the unadventurous, or if you're sick of Russian fare. It opens early for breakfast, too -- another rarity in Russia. The salad bar includes Russian mayonnaise-based salads and garlic-marinated vegetables, in addition to fresh raw greens. The selection of vegetarian pizzas is broader than those at most other Russia pizza joints.

Description:

Founded by a public society in 1864, Moscow Zoo is the biggest and best maintained in Russia. The zoo's 49 acres are filled with cages and unbarred enclosures which both the visitors and (one hopes) the inhabitants enjoy greatly. The zoo contains more than 5,000 examples of 550 species. Located within 5 minutes walk from the White House, the zoo is adored in equal measure by Muscovites young and old.

Description:

If you are a doll collector, Vakhtanov Doll Gallery will be a treat for you. The gallery was founded in 1997 by a group of enthusiastic fine doll collectors. Today the Vakhtanov Gallery is internationally known and has an exclusive right to present rare limited edition dolls created by the best masters of the art. The Vakhtanov Doll Gallery has a permanent exhibition of dolls by Dutch, American, Russian and other artists. Also, there is a Doll Collectors Club where you can get more information on rare dolls, recent world doll exhibitions; and get advice on the worth of your own doll or doll collection.

Our Local Expert Says:

Starlite Diner is themed after a ‘50s diner, although many will wonder if sock-hop waitresses really wore skirts that short. Everyone speaks English. In fact, you’ll run into throngs of expats enjoying burgers and milkshakes absolutely non-ironically.

Description:

If you're desperate for a 4am burger, you'll be forgiven for heading to this silver trailer parked incongruously in a Moscow square. This all-night diner has become something of an institution in its decade on the Moscow dining scene, thanks largely to expats who flock here with their families on weekend mornings, or with their Russian clubbing partners after a night of partying. It inhabits a leafy square well-hidden from the Garden Ring Road, and offers one of the city's few summer terraces free of exhaust fumes. Check out the informal lending library in the back near the bathrooms. Burgers are generous and juicy, and fries are crisp. Most of the fare is authentic American, though the bagels are frozen. Prices are higher than at any diner you'll find back home, but they may be worth it to say you ate a banana split in Moscow.

Our Local Expert Says:

The name of the restaurant comes from folksy Russian slang equivalent to something like “Oh fiddlesticks!” That’s the first clue as to what dining here is going to be like. Many Westerners find the backwoods peasant theme profoundly weird, but the food is cheap and filling.

Description:

Elki-Palki is a chain of Russian-style restaurants. It is one of the few places which offers predominantly Russian food and drinks on its menu, although Coca-Cola and beer are also available. The interior can differ from outlet to outlet, but it will always include a lot of woodwork and linen tablecloths. The waiters all wear national Russian costumes. Out of all the traditional Russian menu items available, the borshcht (beet soup), kvas(a non-alcoholic drink made from fermented yeast) and vodka can be considered obligatory. The famous telega (a buffet of salads and starters) will set you back. You will have a wide choice of fish dishes, salads and freshly baked pies with various fillings to choose from as well. It should perhaps be noted that sharing food is not approved of.

Description:

Largely referred to by its soviet-era acronym of V-D-N-Kh, this sprawling exhibition site was once host to a complex of exhibitions showing off the economic and technological fruits of the Soviet world. Nowadays the 68 pavilions are full of pretty ramshackle stores with all sorts of household goods. The centre boasts some 40,000 square meters of outdoor space and nearly 130,000 square meters of indoor exhibition space. It hosts some 350 exhibitions each year and 40 to 50 of them are international. The annual visitor influx is close to 10 million. Admission is free.

Description:

Izmailovo Park is one of the city's oldest parks and covers an area of 332 hectares. It was founded under the reign of Peter the Great and since then has accumulated numerous ponds and attractions. It also hosts the Izmailovo market, one of the best places to pick up souvenirs. Kruglyi pond has a boat station where you can rent a catamaran or a boat for 30-50RUR. During weekends and holidays performers from the Moscow State Circus supply some light-hearted entertainment. Entry is free.

Description:

Calls itself the best Mexican restaurant in town, which probably isn't that far off the mark. It is situated in the centre of Moscow on the Old Arbat street, a veritable entertainment haven for tourists and native Muscovites alike, with its variety of different shops (including souvenir shops) and its restaurants, bars, and buskers. Without giving too much away, a visit to the toilets here is obligatory.

Description:

The quality here is just as good as at the central circus, it's just farther out of town in a less picturesque setting. This venue offers more varied performances and a bigger hall, meaning it's cheaper and easier to get tickets if the central circus is full. It's right across from a metro station, meaning little legs don't have to walk far to get from the circus tent to convenient transport.

Description:

The only place in Moscow where natives and guests of the city can watch performing whales. Among the marine-based stars on show are white whales, Black Sea dolphins, sea lions and seals. After the show you can have your picture taken with a professional photographer. For an extra cost you can have some time in the swimming pool with the dolphins, and find out just how friendly they really are. An experienced dolphin trainer supervises the session.

Description:

The Timiriazev State Museum of Biology was established in 1922. The museum collection includes more than 60,000 exhibits covering many aspects of botany, zoology and paleontology. The exhibits include a catalogued herbarium, insect specimens, stuffed animals and birds and plastic anthropological models of ancient peoples. The most interesting exhibit contains specimens of irregularly developed animals. The museum greenhouse contains a large selection of interesting plants. Visitors can stop by the museum kiosk and buy biology books, dried flower arrangements and much more.

Description:

This embraces a park of 550 hectares, a cascade of ponds and an ensemble of unfinished pseudo-Gothic palaces. Most of these red-brick structures bear decorations and masonic symbols in white limestone. The refurbished Lesser Palace houses an exhibition of Russian cut glass while the Opera House houses a similar exhibition of art chinaware and one of the park pavilions holds a display of court memorabilia. From November to April, all three are boarded up. Facilities here include an expensive manor house restaurant and a stable with mounts and horse-drawn carriages and sleighs for hire.

Our Local Expert Says:

If you only get one shot at Georgian, go to Mama Zoya, an excellent restaurant with the added attraction of being housed on a boat in the Moscow River. There’s so much to look at, from intricate wooden furniture (some of the bigger tables are themselves shaped like boats) to live musicians to the hearty Georgian clientele that frequent the place. The menu is the size of the Bible, so ask the waitress what to order.

Description:

The family of Mama Zoya started with a rudimentary cafe, then expanded to an out-of-the-way cellar restaurant, and now boasts a multistory boat-restaurant moored along the Moscow River across from Gorky Park. The latest location is less intimate but more accessible and successful. The food is just as homey even if the service is not quite so familial. This is an atmospheric and decently priced way to sample the rich and underappreciated pleasures of Georgian cuisine. The grilled lamb -- cubed and skewered, ground and skewered, or grilled by the leg -- is a specialty, and it's divine. Also try adzhapsandal, an eggplant-and-tomato based ragout; or pkhali, spinach, garlic, and walnuts ground to a rich paste. Ignore the weird decor of gnomes, palms, and mannequins, and look out at the river instead.

Description:

Gorky Park (traditionally referred to as Park Kul'tury i Otdykha or Park of Culture and Recreation) stretches along 3 kilometers of the Moskva river to the southwest of the city center. The park became known to the Western public thanks to a blockbuster movie based on Martin Cruz Smith's best-selling book, 'Gorky Park,' and the Scorpions' famous song. Laid down in 1928, the original ornamental gardens are now accompanied by an entertainment zone, hosting everything from science lectures to rock concerts in its auditorium.