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Featured image of post Top 5 Rooftop Restaurants in Moscow

Top 5 Rooftop Restaurants in Moscow

It was our first wedding anniversary on Saturday 15th of March (and 3 year dating anniversary), and since it was my turn to come up with a plan for the day, i.e. surprise my husband, I decided to pick a memorable venue to eat out to celebrate the date.

It was our first wedding anniversary on Saturday 15th of March (and 3 year dating anniversary), and since it was my turn to come up with a plan for the day, i.e. surprise my husband, I decided to pick a memorable venue to eat out to celebrate the date. You see, Peter and I decided not to waste our time and money on presents (we both are not so big on shopping). Instead every year one of us plans a day out for us to spend together. It’s so much easier and is also very exciting.

So, my surprise for Peter was a guided tour around a historical area of central Moscow – Kitay Gorod (my next blog post will be about the excursion), and a romantic dinner somewhere lovely. The city is full of great cafes and restaurants, so I limited the choice of venues to restaurants with a bird’s eye view of Moscow. So here is a top five of the best Moscow restaurants with a view of the city.

I asked my brother for advice as he’s been to some of the fanciest and classy restaurants in Moscow, plus I browsed the internet a bit, and here is what my top 5 came down to:

Buono

Well, the first venue on the list is the one we ended up going to. Buono is a classy Italian restaurant on the 29th and 30th floor of the Radisson Royal Hotel (which used to be called Hotel ‘Ukraine’) with a cozy atmosphere, delicious food, friendly staff, and obviously a great view of Moscow. Calm and thought through interior design of Buono creates a relaxed ambience where I felt at ease. I usually don’t like extremely posh and over the top venues, and prior to our visits to the restaurant it was my concern that I won’t be able to relax.


The average bill per couple without alcoholic beverages is around £100-150 ($165-$250, not cheap, I know!) but I think everything apart from the dessert was worth it. I had a pumpkin soup (450 rub, £8, $13) for a starter, and gnocchi with shrimps and curry souse (780 rub, £13, $22) as a main; Peter ordered tender veal ‘Saltimbocca’ with potato and spinach as garnish (1,750 rub, £30, $50). We thoroughly enjoyed everything we had. For drinks I had a warming fresh mint, honey and ginger tea (which surprisingly cost us 400 rub (£7, $11), a bit pricey for tea in my opinion, oh… well…), and my husband took fruit-drink and then Pepsi. We didn’t go for wine unfortunately as I’m not allowed to drink temporarily. The dessert was a bit disappointing, it was not awful but I expected something more for £13 ($21)! I’ve had much-much better cakes and coffee for much cheaper.


Overall, I must say, we did enjoy our visit to Buono, and I would recommend it.
I would return there for another meal someday, however, only for the sake of the view and not for food which was good but overpriced in my opinion.

City Space Bar

This venue is located on 34th floor of the Swiss Hotel in Krasnye Kholmy, and offers a panoramic view of Moscow’s hectic streets. It was featured in 2008 Bartender’s Guide as one of the World’s Top Ten Bars. Most reviews that I read online were positive praising the view and cocktails in the bar. The food menu is pretty much typical for many bars and restaurants in Moscow – it’s fusion cuisine offering pasta, steaks, sushi and more.
My parents also enjoyed their visit to City Space bar. So it’s definitely on my list of places to go in Moscow!

Sixty

Restaurant and Bar Sixty offers the highest observation point of Moscow, it’s situated on the 62nd floor of The Federation Tower, one of the Moscow’s tallest skyscrapers. I guess the best time for visiting Sixty is after dark as at the moment the ‘Moscow City’ skyscraper complex is still being built. I believe, seeing city lights and admiring Moscow’s night sky instead of a construction site and dusty roads would be more preferable?. However, after 2015 – the planned site completion date, the view should be one of the best in Moscow.
‘Sixty’ restaurant offers European, Italian, Mediterranean cuisine, and an average bill per person will come out at around £70 ($115).

Sky Lounge

Sky Lounge is another popular panoramic restaurant in Moscow. You will find it on top of Russian Academy of Science headquarters, and it offers a great view on Moscow River and Sparrow Hills (Vorobyovy Gory). An open terrace which is available during summer should be a lovely spot for a romantic dinner in a hot summer evening. Sky Lounge offers fusion cuisine and an average bill will be typically over £50-£60 ($100).

You can take a Virtual Tour of the restaurant on their official website.

White Rabbit

White Rabbit is also on my list to visit in Moscow. I really like their original interior design and style, and my brother also recommended it for good food. Huge windows and restaurant’s location on the 16th floor of a retail center Smolensky passazh will give you a fantastic opportunity to observe the city. They say White Rabbit is one of the Moscow’s beloved eating out venues for Russian pop stars, businessmen, and other rich and famous people in this country. The restaurant also often plays a host to various concerts and gigs. So… great atmosphere, gourmet kitchen and pleasing design shouldn’t leave you unsatisfied (supposedly… I’ll let you know once we’ve been there!).

Moscow has quite a few fancy restaurants with a great view on offer. So if your pocket allows it, why not splash out on a nice dinner in a stylish venue with a bird’s eye view of the city?

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