Where to find Indian cuisine in Moscow

March 04 2013

Chacha Rybas

So then, fate has carried you far away from your homeland of India to the cold capital of Russia, Moscow. Nothing but familiar food can create the atmosphere of home and a feeling of comfort. We have put together a list of establishments offering Indian cuisine. For a city of many millions the number of these establishments turns out to be rather modest. If your visit to Moscow lasts for more than a week, you will easily manage to try all these restaurants and choose the one that, in your opinion, is “closest to home”.

Aroma

Krzhizhanovsky Street, d.20/30, korpus 1 (Metro: Profsoyuznaya)

Tel: +7 (495) 543-54-26

Though it opened only a year ago, Aroma already has a devoted Russian clientele. Banquets are often held here. And although this restaurant offers an entertainment program of Eastern dances, many guests prefer to eat their Indian dishes to the accompaniment of Russian songs and a toastmaster. To increase their Russian customers’ fondness for Indian food, Aroma has included the recipe for an Indian dish on every page of the menu.

Price range:

Bhara Kebeb - $16

Aloo gobi adraki - $9

Vada Sambhar - $7.50

Salted Lassi - $5.50

Darbars

Leninsky Prospekt, d. 38, Hotel-Office Complex Sputnik, 16^th floor (Metro: Leninsky Prospekt)

Tel: +7 (495) 930-29-25, +7 (495) 930-23-65

One of the first Indian restaurants in Moscow, Darbars was started in 1995. In 2004 it moved to the top floor of the Sputnik Hotel, from where one has a breathtaking panoramic view of Moscow. If the cold weather prevents you from admiring the city from the observation point at Vorobyovy Gory (Sparrow Hills), you may do this while ensconced in a cozy armchair at Darbars. Every evening (except Monday and Tuesday) the restaurant offers dance programs.

Price range:

Hyderabady Biriyani - $25

Malai Kofta - $17

Rasmalai - $8.50

Mango Lassi - $10

Devi

Miklukho-Maklaya Street, 21а (Metro: Yugo-Zapadnaya or Belyaevo)

Tel: +7 (926) 275-55-67

This family-run café is located on the grounds of the Russian university Druzhba Narodov, which doesn’t mean the customers are all students. Though Devi is fairly far from the center of the city, people who know about it come here especially. In addition to Indian cuisine, Devi also offers a few Chinese dishes, or rather those that are popular in India, such as fried noodles. The café is equipped with a pair of plasma screens always tuned to Indian television channels. Huge numbers of people gather here to watch the broadcasts of cricket matches.

Price range:

Mutton Shahi Korma - $18

Thali — only for students - $7

Samosa - $4

Masala Chai - $2

Ganga

Leningradsky Prospekt, 37b, Trade Center Start, 3^rd floor (Metro: Dinamo)

Tel: +7 (495) 743-49-84

This is not a restaurant in the literal sense of the word. It is a bistro in a trade center (mall). Nevertheless, this eatery bears mentioning since it specializes in Vedic cooking. The employees all engage in spiritual practices. And right next door to Ganga is Moscow’s only Krishna temple, evidently a main gathering place for the Indian community here, for lack of any other Hindu temples in the city.

Price range:

Palak Paneer - $2

Veg. Rice - $1.50

Samosa - $1.50

Khajuraho

Shmitovsky proezd, d. 14 (Metro: Ulitsa 1905)

Tel: +7 (499) 256-81-36, +7 (499) 256-72-02

Despite the name of this restaurant, there is nothing to prevent kids of visiting it, the whole family is welcome! In addition to dishes from northern India, the menu includes several European soups and salads. The dishes are prepared to please Russian palettes, meaning they are not too spicy. So if you like spicier fare, it’s important to specify when placing your order. In the evenings, by way of entertainment, Indian and Arab dance programs are sometimes offered.

Price range:

Butter Chicken - $20

Dal Makhani - $10.50

Tandoori Roti - $3

Jaljeere - $9.50

Maharajah

Pokrovka Street, d. 2/1, entrance from Starosadsky pereulok (Metro: Kitai-gorod)

Tel: +7 (495) 621-98-44, +7 (495) 621-77-58

As the oldest Indian restaurant in Moscow (of those that still survive), Maharajah deserves attention. It is also the Indian restaurant located closest to the Indian Embassy in Moscow; 10-15% of the customers are embassy staff. Roughly half the customers are Russian. There are no entertainment programs. This is just a peaceful place to enjoy rather pricey food. Maharajah specializes in northern Indian cooking.

Price range:

Chicken Tikka - $33

Palak Paneer - $22

Masala Chai - $4.50

Kulfi - $12

Namaste

Kosmonatov Street, d. 13. (Metro: VDNKh)

+7 (495) 682-67-27

At the moment this is the “freshest” Indian restaurant in Moscow. It opened only six months ago. The menu is divided into two equal parts: Indian and European. Both parts are comprehensive, from starters to drinks. This establishment consists of three different rooms, each with its own style of design.

Price range:

Fish Tikka - $18.50

Tomato Shorba - $7

Tandoori Gobhi - $10

Onion Bhaji - $7.50

Paprika

Domodedovo Airport, 2^nd floor

No phone number

Surprisingly enough for a city in which one cannot find even a dozen Indian restaurants, one of them is inside one of the capital’s busiest airports, and is for it's guest the “last shelter” before leaving Moscow . An airport restaurant is necessarily organized in a particular way. Passengers are generally rushing to catch flights. Therefore, every dish on Paprika’s menu can be prepared in less than 15 minutes. Neither the quality of the food nor the atmosphere suffer for the speed of the service. So, in case of flight delay you can easily linger here.

Price range:

Prawn Masala - $24

PALAK PANEER - $12,5

DAL TADKA - $7,5

NAAN - $3,5

VostochnayaKomnata

Smolenkaya Square, 3, Smolensky Passazh, 2^nd floor (Metro: Smolenskaya)

Tel: +7(495) 937-84-23

A cozy restaurant near the famous Stary Arbat pedestrian street. There is only one ‘but’: although this establishment has positioned itself as the successor to Shampur, the Indian restaurant that used to be located at this same address, the number of Indian items on the menu is limited and even lost among the Arab, Turkish, Georgian and Japanese dishes also offered.

Price range:

Thali - $23

Chuchvara (an Uzbek specialty) - $10

Enjoy your meal!

There you have our whole list of Moscow establishments offering Indian cuisine. To these one might also add two Pakistani restaurants: more than half of the dishes on their menus are Indian.

TajjMahal

Vozdvizhenka Street, d.10, Trade Center Voentorg (Metro: Arbatskaya)

Tel: +7 (495) 363-17-40, +7 (495) 229-01-09

Gandhara

Rochdelskaya Street, d. 15, korpus 7 (Metro: Ulitsa 1905)

+7 (499) 255-99-59, +7 (495) 229-01-09

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