Varenychna №1 — Restaurant in Tverskoy District

Went there for the first time and was pleasantly impressed by both the food, the decor and ambiance. Obviously, vareniki (and their cousins, pelmeny) constitute the biggest part of the menu, but yummy can also find salads, traditional appetizers (zakuski), bliny (crepes), desserts, etc. There is even the "fitness" menu, although that's not what I'd ever recommend :). This particular place is nicely decorated with a lot of artifacts from "the good old days of the Soviet Union", including the ancient public soda dispensing machine, old rotary phone, skis, etc. Tv screens decorated to look old-fashioned play old Soviet movies and the pop music from 1980-s plays there...

This place is used to be one of my favorites in Moscow City. Still good, but I put only 3 stars after last visit. Why? Service was slower than usual. We ordered a set, which was on the first page of the menu but waiter came later and said that some items are not available so we had to select something else. Food was ok, nothing extraordinary. The best is "forshmak" - grinded herring with apples and toasts. The rest is just ok. I believe this may be because of World Cup - too many visitors can spoil...

In the whole of Moscow you will find many Varenychni: obviously this was the first and in my opinion also the best. The atmosphere nostalgic, youngsters will not like it I guess. The music is Russian and allows you to speak with your partner. I have tried different sorts of tea (do not drink coffee) and pastries. It was delicious. It is in the city centre, but the prices are not so high as in surrounding shops. It is worth a visit. Concerning dinner: better...