Best Coffee Shops in Moscow
You might have an image of Russia being a vodka country, or a tea country if you consider non-alcoholic drinks. We definitely love tea but it seems like its best days have passed, and now it’s coffee time! Read about the best Moscow coffee shops below!
The popularity of coffee is constantly growing. On average, Russians drinks about 50 cups of coffee a month and over 500 cups a year. I remember when in 2007 the first Starbucks came to Russia it was huge as we didn’t really have many coffee shops around. In the last 7 years, the situation completely changed. About half of the Muscovites drink coffee at least once or twice a week and coffee shops are absolutely everywhere. You can get coffee even in supermarkets like a chain Daily and underpasses. Moreover, a Moscow coffee shops chain Double B was also opened in Prague and Tbilisi. In April we had the third Moscow Coffee Festival where you could see the top chain companies promoting the idea of the good quality coffee – «8/25 coffee», Skuratov Coffee, Biji Coffee; Camera Obscura; Cezve Coffee.
I believe I would need to write a book a size of ‘War and Peace’ to cover all the Moscow coffee shops and all the changes in the industry. In this article, I chose some of my favorite and , in my opinion, the most interesting coffee places in the city.
Coffee Bean
I grew up watching TV show ‘Friends’. Indeed, thanks to all the 10 seasons I definitely increased my level of English. To me, Coffee Bean on Pokrovka was my own Central Perk. In this place, I wrote my thesis and a number of essays. In my student years, it was a perfect place to work on my laptop and to meet friends. It’s important to mention that Coffee Bean is the first Moscow coffee shop chain. The company was established in 1996, almost twenty years before the coffee revolution happened in Russia. They were also the ones who created Russian-style coffee drink “Raf-coffee”. It is named after the regular customer Rafael who refused to have all the other drinks. As a result of the experiment, baristas made it from espresso, vanilla sugar and cream.
Addresses find here
Friends/ Big Bang coffee shop
As a big fan of the TV show ‘Friends’, I always dreamed about Central Perk where I could meet Ross and Rachel. Indeed, around the world, you find various coffee shops and restaurants inspired by this TV show. Two places like that were recently opened in Moscow. One of them looks like Monika’s apartments, another one like Central Perk. All around you, there are screens with non-stop episodes of Friends, the menu refers to the popular sitcom. You will find dishes like Chandler’s profession or Days of our lives. A not long time ago owners opened a new place but it is about the TV show ‘Big Bang Theory’.
Address: Pokrovka st. 20/1 str.1 (Friends)
Zemlyanoy val st. 7 (Big Bang)
Кофе пью (Coffee Piu)
Great Moscow coffee shop with homemade cakes and lunches. They also organize cooking classes, corporate events, birthdays, and parties. But more than that, here you can also make your manicure. Coffee piu was the pioneer in related formats opening a nail salon inside a coffee shop. These days you can also find a coffee shop/dry cleaning, coffee shop/library, a coffee shop/bookstore and many other interesting formats. Actually, Coffee Piu has also books all around the place and it creates a very cozy atmosphere.
Address: Chistoprudny Boulevard, 9, p. 1
Coffeemania
For many years, it is considered that Coffemania has the best coffee in town. I confirm that coffee here is excellent. It’s also one of the most expensive, a cup of cappuccino will cost around 7 USD. Moscow chain opened in 2001 as an upper-class Moscow coffee shop/restaurant with a casual atmosphere. Excellent service, one of the waiters I met there spoke fluently four languages. In most of the other places, you will be lucky if your waiters speak very good English.
Address: Novy Arbat 1
Человек и Пароход
The translation of this place is Man and Boat. In Russia, it also has the meaning of a specialist who has succeeded in his activities but known only in narrow circles. This could be a good description of this coffee shop as well. The exceptional quality of coffee, although not as popular as Coffeemania. It’s also cheaper as the owners believe that good coffee shouldn’t cost more than 3,5 USD. The most popular coffee corner is in the Danilovsky market where we have our Eat like a Russian tour.
Address: Mytnaya st., 74 building 3
Ziferblat
Ziferblat may not be the best place if you want to get a very good cup of coffee but it’s definitely worth a visit for its special atmosphere and unique concept. It is not a coffee shop but an anti-cafe. It means that this place offers you unlimited coffee, tea, and cookies, while you pay only for the time you spend there. You can think of it as an alternative social space. It’s close to a co-working space, but the main difference is that people come here not only to work but also to relax. Ziferblat is not the only anti-cafe in Moscow, there are many all around the city. You can also visit White leaf on Dobryninskaya or Jeffrey’s Coffee on Baumanskaya. I love Ziferblat because it reminds me of a very cozy apartment of the Russian intelligentsia.
Address: Tverskaya street, 12
If you are interested not only in coffee but how to eat quick and tasty food in Moscow read our article.
This text was written by our local guide Tanya Neyman. Tanya is passionate about Moscow! Tour the city with her during your travel to Moscow.