The 10 most popular types of street food in Moscow (PHOTOS)
In Moscow, street food is not just a snack during a walk, but a whole gastronomic adventure that allows you to get acquainted with a variety of flavors and cultures.
1. Bliny
One of the symbols of Russian cuisine - bliny (pancakes) - are presented in Moscow in all their variety. You can try from classic savory bliny with caviar and sour cream, with minced meat, mushrooms or sweet ones with honey, cottage cheese, jam or apples, to the most exotic ones with sturgeon, game or lingonberries.
Where to try: ‘Teremok’, 'Grabli', 'Mari Vanna', 'Azbuka Vkusa'
2. Sandwiches
The most familiar Russian sandwiches are a piece of wheat or rye bread with sausage, salted fish or butter and cheese. Not so long ago, they were found only in canteens and buffets of theaters, but now, they appear in modern interpretations in menus of local cafes and restaurants. The basis for sandwiches can be almost anything: artisan bread, brioche bun, croissant or bagel. Eggs, fresh vegetables, pickles or sprouts, creamy, sweet and sour or berry sauces are added to traditional ingredients. Sandwiches in several layers are now also sweet - with fresh berries, fruit or jam.
Where to try: 'Shmak', 'Eggsellent', 'Prime', 'Vkusvill'
3. Pies, pastries & buns
'Kurniki' with meat and mushroom stuffing, meat ‘kulebyaka’, pies with cheese, cottage cheese, jam or apple jelly - you can buy them all at the city's street stalls. As well as all sorts of buns and ‘vatrushkas’ (pastry with cottage cheese). Tatar (‘echpochmaki’, ‘zur-belish’) and Asian pastries (‘samsa’) are also to many people's taste.
Where to try: 'Skalka', 'Bakhetle'
4. Ponchiki
Hot ‘ponchiki’ aka donuts with sugar icing in a paper bag are a childhood taste for many Muscovites. They are sold in kiosks in city parks, where families with children rush to on weekends. There are also now donut shops on crowded streets. One of the oldest establishments - ‘Ostankinskiye Ponchiki’ - is located in Ostankino and has been operating since 1953.
Where to eat: 'Ostankinskie Ponchiki', 'Te samye ponchiki' (VDNKh)
5. Chebureks
Crispy ‘chebureks’ with meat or cheese is a traditional dish of Crimean Tatars, which has long ago gained nationwide popularity. In the Soviet times, there were long waiting lines for ‘chebureks’. It's not a surprise, considering their thin appetizing dough, juicy stuffing and democratic price!
Where to try: 'CheburechnayaUSSR', ' Cheburechnaya Druzhba', 'Cheburechnaya N1'
6. Shawarma
Fried meat in lavash bread with vegetables is good as a nutritious snack and as a full lunch or dinner on the go. From fast food, which used to be sold in stalls at train stations and by the subway, the ‘shawarma’ has turned into a fashionable dish, which is often now included in many restaurant menus. You can try it in the classic version - with lamb or chicken, with onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce or cabbage and, in less familiar - with pomegranate seeds, with mozzarella, hummus, with mackerel or without meat at all, for example, with falafel.
Mexican cuisine has recently become especially popular in the city, so the usual ‘shawarma’ has been joined by more spicy variants: for example, burritos with salsa sauce. Fans of smaller forms choose tacos, which, aside from the classic fillings, are even prepared with porcini mushrooms and radish for the Moscow public.
Where to try: ‘Shawarma H@chu’, ‘Dark Side’, ‘Sangre Fresca’, ‘Tacobar’
7. Burgers
Nobody can be surprised by the classic beef burger, which is why Moscow burger joints try to lure customers with less familiar variants: burgers on black buns with cherries, bacon and cheese, burgers with cod fillet filling or even vegetable meat.
Where to try: ‘Burger Heroes’, ‘BB&Burgers’, ‘Farsh’
8. Hot dog
A bun with sesame seeds, sausage with pickles, caramelized onions and mustard - it doesn't sound like the most diet-friendly dish, but it sure works up an appetite. Sold at street stalls and cafes, where chefs are happy to experiment with the size of the dish and ingredients, adding exotic ingredients like rabbit or crab sausages, fries and different sauces.
Where to try: ‘Stardogs’, 'Tehnikum'
9. Hot corn
Hot corn has been a healthy and nutritious snack for children and adults since Soviet times. It is mostly sold in park areas, on beaches and in stalls across the city. If you want variety, you can try corn in cafes: for example, Japanese-style corn with sea salt and black pepper (‘tomorokoshi’) or Mexican-style corn with chipotle aioli sauce and parmesan.
Where to try: city stalls, ‘[KU:] ramen izakaya bar’, ‘Sangre Fresca’
10. Ice Cream
Of course, you can eat ice cream in winter, but you'll enjoy it the most in summer. Ice cream stands are located all over the city and there are usually at least 30 kinds (‘eskimo’, ‘crème brûlée’, ‘fruit sherbets’, etc.). And don't miss the opportunity to go to the GUM department store on the Red Square for its legendary ice cream in a waffle cup.
Where to try: GUM, 'Vanilny Shpatel' ('Depo' food court)
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