Cafe Pushkin is a Moscow institution – it is a legend visited by locals and tourists alike. I first visited this restaurant 4 years ago and fell in love with the architecture and the food.
I was staying at the Intercontinental Moscow on a weekend staycation and has asked the concierge to book us a breakfast table at Café Pushkin. I wanted to see how the hotel’s concierge would fare in seating us at a nice table - the concierge definitely worked his magic and despite a late reservation, we were seated at a window table in one of the restaurant’s best seating areas.
Overview
Café Pushkin first opened in 1999. It is situated in a baroque mansion built in the late 1780s by a nobleman from St. Petersburg. The ground floor was then repurposed as pharmacy in the 19th century with the living quarters and library moved to the second floor. The old pharmacy hall still survives and serves as the first focal point when you enter the restaurant. The second floor hosts an extensive book collection of 3,000 volumes – mainly Russian literature although there are also works by foreign writers (I have seen works by great Russian writers such as Gogol and Dostoevsky and of course Pushkin to which the restaurant was named after). The second floor is only open for lunch and dinner service.
Baroque architecture permeates throughout the building - there is stucco work around the walls and ceilings. The ceiling paintings depict classical mythology. The restaurant is also adorned with 19th century vintage art pieces which provides a refined and elegant feel to the restaurant.
Food
Café Pushkin serves to emulate the dishes which would have been present during Pushkin’s time. It is Russian food made well with a touch of tsarist elements. Breakfast is Russian luxury fare – caviar and champagne for breakfast is a must try. We have opted for a selection of caviar with blinis (sterlet, salmon and pike). If you wish to indulge, there is a more luxurious option which includes sturgeon and beluga caviar, the price of which will be 10 times higher at 15,000 rubles or around 200 USD.
The blinis are embossed with Café Pushkin’s logo and the tenderness of the blini together with the natural delectable taste of caviar is perfect. Having caviar for breakfast is definitely a unique Russian experience and having it in a historic mansion makes this breakfast one of the best, if not the best, in Moscow.
We also ordered fried eggs with toast and selection of pastries (the price is not at all expensive which is quite surprising given the quality of the food and the excellent service). Please refer to the pictures of the menu below for prices.
Overall, Café Pushkin serves an excellent breakfast which I would totally recommend.
Please see my video tour of the restaurant below. Have you been to Café Pushkin? How was your experience? Let me know in the comments section below.
Cafe Pushkin | BEST BREAKFAST in Moscow | Top Restaurant in Moscow