Pod Mukhoi Booze & Noodle Bar
Moscow is fast becoming one of the best cities in the world for great food and drinks. To say the bar and restaurant scene has flourished would be an understatement. The city boasts around 4,000 restaurants, bars and cafés owned by ambitious and creative collectives who are changing the gastronomic face of the city. On a Friday night, it’s not hard to find a cool spot for a cocktail to mark the beginning of the weekend; you may have to elbow your way through a bunch of trendy hipsters but you will get yourself that drink and, like a true Muscovite, a great photo for Instagram. However, while your ‘likes’ may go up, your bank balance may decrease. Fortunately there’s Pod Mukhoi Booze & Noodle Bar, which offers great food and drink that won’t break the bank, and has its own ‘special’ charm. I mean the name says it all.
Pod Mukhoi (which is incidentally Russian slang for being tipsy) is classic dive bar located in a basement just off Pushkin square, in other words: the décor is unconsidered and the clientele is made up of raucous regulars. However, despite the rough exterior, they serve quality drinks and food. The sticky drink menu boasts a decent selection of cocktails (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic), which are mixed up by bartenders who clearly know what they’re doing. Additionally, as the name suggests, the bar also offers up made to order noodles. Unfortunately I didn’t have a chance to try their dishes but going purely on the look and smell of the lady’s bowl next to me- I would say they’re pretty good. Also, I generally appreciate any restaurant with a pared down menu, which specialises in one thing and does it well.
If you’re looking for an unpretentious bar with interesting characters and, if I remember correctly, board games this is definitely the place to visit. Admittedly, it can get quite busy, so if you’re in a big group I would recommend calling ahead to reserve a table. So, check out Pod Mukhoi, you won’t be disappointed. Maybe a little bewildered, but definitely not disappointed.
This post was brought to you by Lola, currently studying at Liden & Denz Moscow
