Moscow is a city where bars tucked into side lanes stay open until morning. This is a selection from my list of saved places: two big food halls, a café by Khokhlovka, and shot bars and craft beer bars around Khokhlovka, Pokrovka and Chistye Prudy. The descriptions are put together from Google Maps reviews for now, and I'll add my own notes as I visit.
Prices are Google's average spend per person, valid as of 1 October 2026. Rate: $1 ≈ 84 ₽. Where Google gives no price, there's none.
In short
- Eat everything at once: the Central Market on Rozhdestvensky Boulevard and Depo near Belorusskaya, dozens of counters under one roof, from Georgian food to oysters.
- One lane, three bars: Bol'shoy Spasoglinishchevskiy Pereulok by Khokhlovskaya Square: Ptitsa-Sinitsa, Pestiki-Tychinki and Ryumochnaya Mechty.
- A shot and a sprat sandwich: Ryumka on Gusyatnikov Pereulok (until 6 am at weekends) and Shashlychnaya on Sretenka, with shashlik off the grill.
- Bring your passport: Rovesnik has a strict door, and a driving licence may not be accepted as ID.
Where to eat and have coffee
Central Market (Tsentralny Rynok)
Trubnaya · food hall & market · 1000–2000 ₽ (≈$12–24) · Sun–Thu 10:00–23:00, Fri–Sat until 0:00
Google Maps · website · Rozhdestvensky Blvd, 1
According to Google Maps reviews (4.6 from 8,700+): a market with a bazaar-style interior and lots of cuisines spread over several floors. Reviewers praise the Georgian restaurant on the top floor and the Uzbek counter; food comes out fast, and the basement has a grocery market with fresh produce. There's sometimes a live band in the evening. Quality varies from counter to counter: the Greek one, for example, drew a serious complaint.
Depo Moscow FoodMall
Belorusskaya · food mall · 1000–2000 ₽ (≈$12–24) · Sun–Thu 10:00–23:00, Fri–Sat until 2:00
Google Maps · website · Lesnaya Ulitsa, 20 bldg 3
According to Google Maps reviews (4.5 from 18,800+): a huge food mall in an industrial building with around 75 counters, from seafood and oysters to Georgian food, vegan dishes, desserts and craft beer. Prices are a bit above a normal food court, and so is the quality. Downsides: the fruit and veg at the market are heavily overpriced, after 6 pm the music is too loud to talk over, and the toilets are a long walk. Staff speak little English.
Syur Kafe
Khokhlovka · café · daily 11:00–22:30
Google Maps · Instagram · Bol'shoy Trekhsvyatitel'skiy Pereulok, 2/1 bldg 8
According to Google Maps reviews (4.5 from 290+): a cosy living-room-style café with a young crowd. Coffee with pastel de nata, simple food and beer; the carrot cake with smetana and plum sauce gets a special mention. People come here to work too, and the staff are very friendly.
Bars around Khokhlovka and Pokrovka
Ptitsa-Sinitsa
Khokhlovka · craft beer pub · Mon–Thu 14:00–0:00, Fri 14:00–2:00, Sat 15:00–2:00, Sun 15:00–0:00
Google Maps · Facebook · Bol'shoy Spasoglinishchevskiy Pereulok, 3 bldg 5
According to Google Maps reviews (4.6 from 1,200+): a neighbourhood bar where regulars greet each other at the counter. A good range of craft beer at fair prices; reviewers praise the burgers and the fruit beer. The crowd is young and it gets packed at weekends, so book a table. Note that people smoke hookah here, and the smell fills the room.
Pestiki-Tychinki Bar
Khokhlovka · bar · Mon–Thu 14:00–0:00, Fri 14:00–2:00, Sat 15:00–2:00, Sun 15:00–0:00
Google Maps · Instagram · Bol'shoy Spasoglinishchevskiy Pereulok, 3 bldg 5
According to Google Maps reviews (4.5 from 130): a bar in the same building as Ptitsa-Sinitsa, one floor down, but much quieter: you can talk without raising your voice. The interior is styled as an abandoned Soviet school, complete with those classroom chairs. Infused vodkas, cocktails and light beer, with a kitchen shared with the bar upstairs. Downsides: prices are a bit high, the beer choice is small and the food is basic.
Ryumochnaya Mechty
Khokhlovka · shot bar · Sun–Thu 16:00–0:00, Fri–Sat until 3:00
Google Maps · website · Bol'shoy Spasoglinishchevskiy Pereulok, 9/1 bldg 10
According to Google Maps reviews (4.7 from 180): a tiny shot bar under a vaulted ceiling, pouring its own infused vodkas. The oddest is a herbal one called Les No. 7 ("Forest"), served with a fried cricket; there's also one as hot as Tabasco and a mushroom one. Simple homemade snacks and sandwiches go with them. It's always busy in the evening, and some of the combinations are more curious than tasty.
Dom, v Kotorom Pub
Pokrovka · bar & pub · 1000–5000 ₽ (≈$12–60) · Sun–Thu 15:00–0:00, Fri–Sat until 2:00
Google Maps · Facebook · Pokrovka St, 14/2 bldg 3
According to Google Maps reviews (4.7 from 900+): a ruin-bar-style place that many call one of the best interiors in Moscow. Good beer and cider, a nice crowd, and the bar staff look after you even if there's no table free. Food is not its strong point. It's usually full and the tables are tiny, so book ahead.
Bars around Chistye Prudy and the centre
Alkobufet Ryumka
Chistye Prudy · shot bar · Mon–Fri 15:00–3:00, Sat–Sun until 6:00
Google Maps · Facebook · Gusyatnikov Pereulok, 2
According to Google Maps reviews (4.6 from 210+): a classic Soviet-style shot bar where you drink standing and chase it with a snack, given a modern update. Infused vodkas, beer and minimal snacks, the hit being sprat sandwiches. The bartenders happily suggest what drink goes with what snack, and prices are sensible. Neighbours across the street complain about late-night noise and fights outside.
Sosna I Lipa
Chistye Prudy · craft beer bar · Sun–Thu 17:00–23:00, Fri–Sat until 1:00
Google Maps · Facebook · Myasnitskaya Ulitsa, 24/7 bldg 1
According to Google Maps reviews (4.3 from 750): an underground bar that takes some finding: craft beer at friendly prices, techno, skaters and almost only locals. People dance on Fridays and Saturdays; weeknights are quiet. There's no table service, and at weekends you should come early or end up on the carpet by the wall. Downsides: one guest complained about rude staff and that cards weren't accepted.
Alkobufet Shashlychnaya
Sretenka · shot bar & grill · up to 1000 ₽ (≈up to $12) · Sun–Thu 12:00–2:00, Fri–Sat until 5:00
Google Maps · Facebook · Ulitsa Sretenka, 36
According to Google Maps reviews (4.5 from 160+): an atmospheric shot bar with shashlik off the charcoal grill: reviewers praise the chicken, pork and lamb, plus the sprat sandwich, the pickles and the grilled-vegetable salad. Infused vodkas, simple food at fair prices, an interior full of little jokes and friendly staff. Prices have crept up, and the beer names are so cryptic that it's easier to ask the bartender.
Rovesnik
Tverskaya · cocktail bar · 1000–2000 ₽ (≈$12–24) · Sun–Thu 9:00–1:00, Fri–Sat until 6:00
Google Maps · Telegram · Malyy Gnezdnikovskiy Pereulok, 9 bldg 1
According to Google Maps reviews (4.0 from 1,100+): a trendy bar with a young crowd and odd cocktails, one made with kimchi and soy sauce, for example. In the daytime you can get soup and coffee cheaply, and the fenced-off area out front is where everyone meets. Downsides: the service is a bit peculiar, the door policy is strict, and some complain about the quality of the alcohol. Bring your passport: a driving licence may be refused at the door.
Strelka
Bersenevskaya Embankment · bar-restaurant with a view · daily 12:00–23:00
Google Maps · Bersenevskaya Naberezhnaya, 14/5
According to Google Maps reviews (4.5 from 2,400+): a riverside bar-restaurant looking out on the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, with a roof terrace where smoking is allowed. Cocktails are mixed to your taste; on the food side, reviewers praise the mushroom soup with rye bread and the tuna steak, at reasonable prices. Handy before a club or after a walk around the centre. Many of the reviews are several years old, so check how it's running now before you go.
One last thing
Bars come alive late: on Fridays and Saturdays most stay open until 2:00 or later, Shashlychnaya until 5:00 and Ryumka until 6 in the morning. Khokhlovka, Pokrovka and Chistye Prudy are close to each other, so it's easy to start the evening in one and finish in another.
More on Moscow: where to eat, what to see.