Moscow
There is little to say about this misleadingly unassuming bar, apart from the fact that everything in it is close to perfection. It has it all – prime…
Must-see nightlife in Russia
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St Petersburg
A charming multiroom 'free space' that has started a worldwide trend, Ziferblat is the original anticafe in St Petersburg. Coffee, tea, soft drinks and…
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St Petersburg
Stopping in for drinks at Commode feels more like hanging out in an upper-class friend's stylish apartment. After getting buzzed up, you can hang out in…
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St Petersburg
One of St Petersburg's best drinking dens, Redrum hits all the right notes. It has a cosy, white brick interior, a welcoming, easygoing crowd, and a…
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St Petersburg
The Union is a glamorous and fun place, characterised by one enormous long wooden bar, low lighting and a New York feel. It's all rather adult, with a…
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St Petersburg
The wonderfully retro-feeling Hat is a serious spot for jazz and whisky lovers, who come for the nightly live music and the cool-cat crowd that make this…
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Vladivostok
This exceptionally well-stocked and stylish place right by the seafront offers cocktails and a small but tantalising bar menu as well as wine by the glass…
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Vladivostok
This fabulous cocktail lounge is a low-lit and beautifully set-out space, with a gorgeous wooden bar and gloriously comfortable sofas and chairs to lounge…
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Moscow
Scooter enthusiast, that is. But you don't have to be one in order to enjoy this superbly laid-back bar hidden at the far end of a fancifully shaped…
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Northern European Russia
Popular with a youngish crowd, this centrally-located bar-cafe serves pizza and grilled meat dishes (mains from R310), and has imported beers on tap. It…
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Western European Russia
Brewing all of its ales on-site, this gastropub is a must for craft-beer lovers. With some 15 types on offer, there's plenty to get through, from a range…
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Western Siberia
Right at the main base area, Grelka is the après-ski place. Convivial atmosphere, pub grub and competent bartenders serving a wide range of local and…
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St Petersburg
Your craft-beer cravings are sure to be satisfied at this bar-cum-bottle shop that has dedicated itself to the best of local and international ales. There…
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St Petersburg
A popular spot for students and other indie types who appreciate the fun and friendly atmosphere and a cool mix of music both live and spun. Laid-back and…
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Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky
Friendly barista Maksim, one of apparently just three trained coffee professionals on the Kamchatka Peninsula, runs this tiny little stand and shop, where…
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St Petersburg
Boroda means beard in Russian, and sure enough you'll see plenty of facial hair and tattoos in this hipster cocktail hang-out. Never mind, as the…
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Western European Russia
Hipster coffee has arrived in Voronezh; the tattooed baristas at this cute cafe are doing serious brews. Beans are sourced from Kenya, Burundi and Brazil,…
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St Petersburg
In an area heavily saturated with hipster cafes, Coffee 22 – with its tattooed baristas and service staff, arty decor (piercing portrait of Joseph Brodsky…
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St Petersburg
The antithesis of the nearby dive bars, Apotheke is a calm, cosy cocoon for cocktail connoisseurs. Its slogan is 'think what you drink', so there's no…
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St Petersburg
One of the nicer craft-beer bars in town, this riverside space with friendly staff serves up a regularly changing menu of 20 beers on tap and scores more…
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St Petersburg
A leafy, relaxed ambience and river views across to the Petrograd Side make this a pleasant pit stop for coffee, other drinks and snacks while touring…
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St Petersburg
Bookings are essential for this speakeasy cocktail bar styled as a secret poker joint and hidden beneath the Grill Brothers burger restaurant. It's a fun,…
Moscow
The biggest drinking and eating establishment in Hermitage Gardens, this veranda positioned at the back of the park's main building looks a bit like a…
Moscow
Fun, informal and affordable (so surprising on swanky Stoleshnikov), Gogol is great for food, drinks and music. The underground club takes its bunker…
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Moscow
The scale of the craft beer craze is so terrifying for some folks in Moscow, they've decided it's time for a backlash. This large pub has no Russian beer…
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St Petersburg
This is our ideal post-Soviet bar, specialising in Georgian wine accompanied by tapas-sized versions of succulent Georgian fare, including khachapuri …
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Moscow
It looks like just another cellar bar, but if you walk all the way through the underground maze you'll find yourself in the huge overground 'orangerie'…
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St Petersburg
Boasting a stylish contemporary design, this aptly named place serves an excellent variety of wines from Europe and the New World, plus tasty snacks to go…
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Western European Russia
It might be a fair hike south from the town centre, but Red Panda is a great basement craft-beer bar with tasty food and a welcoming atmosphere. Ten…
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Moscow
Dining, drinking and dancing are all on offer in this sexy space. There is a long menu of Pan Asian cuisine – as well as sushi, pasta, tapas and more –…
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Moscow
Strategically located on the city's busiest square, this place has nothing but a long bar and lots of taps pumping from barrels, representing dozens of…
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Moscow
Amid the craft-beer mayhem, a good old – and not-so-fake – Irish pub feels like a welcome refuge. Occupying a vast cellar space with vaulting bare brick…
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St Petersburg
This very cool place has a sophisticated drinks menu and an almost unbelievable range of spirits stacked along the long bar and served up by a committed…
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Moscow
A flagship of the new converted factory space, Khlebozavod 9, this is a relatively large two-level bar specialising in craft beer. At the end of the week,…
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Moscow
Kamchatka is a generic term for all things fringe, and this cavernous pub seems to have been designed to prove that beer can go for R80 even in a prime…
Moscow
Giant murals depicting Russian countercultural icons – Vladimir Vysotsky, Shnur and Sergei Bodrov Jr – observe a merry crowd of hipsters ticking off new…
St Petersburg
Escape the Nevsky buzz at the legendary Daiquiri Bar on Konyushennaya square. With literally hundreds of cocktails, it can take half an hour to look…
St Petersburg
The nicest of several cafes located within the Summer Garden, where you can also watch free musical performances on some nights during the summer months.
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St Petersburg
The top floor of the Soviet-era Azimut Hotel, one of the city's biggest eyesores, is also home to the Sky Bar, quite simply the best place to get a bird's…
