Study is study, and lunch is on schedule - after all, Pushkin said that “the stomach of an enlightened person has the best qualities of a kind heart: sensitivity and gratitude.” Anastasia Proshchenko, a TD correspondent and graduate student at the Faculty of Journalism, looked into where, what and for what money you can eat at Moscow State University.

There is no bad canteen at Moscow State University, just like there are no ugly women!

Igor, Faculty of History

There is an old joke about how fat and thin flies tell each other about their lives. Fat woman boasts: “I live in a restaurant. Seeing me on the plate, the visitors refuse to eat, and the whole plate goes to me.” The thin one complains: “And I live in the student cafeteria: when he sees me on a plate, the student not only won’t refuse to eat, but also, once he gets hold of me, he’ll lick me all over and suck on me.”

Be that as it may, today it is very possible to eat tasty and plentiful food in the student canteen of Moscow State University. An entire department of the university is working on this - the food processing plant.

What is a food plant?

Signboard of the Moscow State University food plant

An organization that unites 9 canteens, 19 buffets, 2 snack bars and several coffee shops on the territory of M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University. The food plant has existed since 1953 and serves a total of about seven thousand people a day.

The plant's canteens include all canteens in the Main building, including the professor's and dietary department, the canteens of the First Humanitarian Building, the Faculty of Foreign Languages ​​and Regional Studies, the Shuvalov Building, the Biological and Physics Faculties, and the "Student's House" on Vernadsky Avenue (DSV). The canteens of the Institute of Asian and African Countries (ISAA), the Faculty of Journalism, the Faculty of Psychology, the Faculty of Economics, the Faculty of Law and the Second Humanitarian Building do not belong to the food plant.

Buffets differ from canteens in that food is brought there, while canteens prepare it themselves. Snack bars are the same canteens, but with a narrower range of dishes.

The MSU food processing plant employs more than 300 employees: canteen managers, cooks, confectioners, cashiers, cleaners, and loaders.

Which canteen is the most popular at Moscow State University?

Dietary in the Main building (sector “B”). This is the answer from the majority of students - from the Faculty of Biology, Faculty of Journalism, Faculty of Geography, Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics, Faculty of Computational Mathematics and Cybernetics (VMK) and even from ISAA, which is located in the center of Moscow.

“We have a dining room on the first floor, called “Biosphere” - it’s quite expensive for students,” says Evgeniy, a 2015 graduate of the Faculty of Biology. — Lunch doesn’t cost less than 300 rubles, or even more, and besides, the food is not outstanding. We go to eat in the canteen of the chemistry department on the third floor, where it tastes better and is cheaper, or in the canteens of sectors “B” and “C” of the Main building. There I advise you to try chicken Kiev, although, in my opinion, in these canteens they add too much oil. Fatty foods are harmful, so I love the diet canteen the most. It serves healthy, tasty and cheap food, serving turkey and steamed cutlets. The only negative is the huge queues.

And 4th year students of the Faculty of Geology Ulyana and Anastasia believe that it’s worth standing in line if you want healthy, tasty and cheap food. The girls eat in the canteens of Moscow State University every day, and if time is short, they are very helpful in the buffets and canteens of sectors “B” and “C”. According to the Moscow State University food service, they are the most visited - in the autumn, each of these two canteens feeds one and a half thousand people a day!

Where to arrange gatherings?

In the second dining room (sector “B”) of the Main building. Our interlocutors say that it has been popular at all times, and especially now. At the instigation of Anna Bulanova, the new director of the food plant, canteen No. 2 became 24-hour and free Wi-Fi was added.

“When I came here, I realized that the children living in the State Zone do not always have the opportunity to get together to discuss something or prepare for school,” says Anna Bulanova. “During the day they study and work, and at night all the canteens are already closed. Then I proposed to solve this problem with the help of a 24-hour canteen, where it would be light, warm and spacious, where you can access the Internet. And this idea was a success. There is free tea and bread in our canteen.

It is the canteen of sector “B” that ISAA master’s student Alexey recommends for friendly meetings.

“It’s not only delicious and inexpensive, it’s also a meeting place for couples and companies, as well as all sorts of student groups, unions, and so on,” he notes. — The canteen is especially popular because they give you food stamps when you sign up for a dispensary. Signature dishes known to all generations of Moscow State University students are pizza and cream rolls.

The ISAA canteen is very popular on Mokhovaya Street. The food there is tasty and satisfying, while for students a full lunch costs from 130 rubles. The advantage of the dining room is that in the main hall you can sit on velvet chairs at elaborate tables a la “the house of the “new Russian””. Here they listen to the latest gossip, ask for notes and prepare for classes, despite strict signs prohibiting the educational process in the dining room.

“Guys from the Faculty of Journalism and the Faculty of Psychology come to us, as well as local traffic cops and officials,” continues Alexey. — This is probably an indicator of quality. In general, it seems to me that the dining room reflects the spirit of the building or faculty where it is located. From it you can understand who is studying: “dressed up FIFAs” or future scientists, “majors” or half-starved and always in a hurry students.”

Graduate student of the Faculty of Political Science Sergei considers buffets to be a more “party” place.

“We have buffets in the Shuvalovsky building - these are student cafes in the literal sense of the word: there is such an atmosphere that students always want to sit in a large company and discuss something,” he explains. “It’s like a free space where you can discuss aspects of your studies and issues of life at the university. These cafes usually don’t touch on other topics. Buffets serve as free zones for communication and exchange of ideas. The food in the buffets is different: sometimes one tastes better today and another tomorrow, so the chance of getting to the right buffet is 50/50. The dining rooms are also different. On the fourth floor there is also an atmosphere like in a cafe, but it still feels like a canteen. And on the ground floor everything is like in a classic Soviet canteen of the highest level. And the food is always very tasty.

What “canteen” dishes are worth trying?

The already mentioned pizza is truly a legendary dish.

“Our colleague, who prepares pizza for the second canteen, used to work in an Italian restaurant, and he is a real professional,” explains the head of canteen No. 8, Marina Kuznetsova. — According to reviews from students and teachers, his pizza comes out amazing — and this is in a 24-hour canteen! The closed Calzone pizza is especially good. It turns out to be real original cuisine, and much cheaper than in a restaurant.

According to Kuznetsova, in all the canteens of the food plant the range of dishes is different. The menu is prepared every evening at the discretion of the canteen manager. The first dining room features richer food, the second - a large number of vegetable salads.

— I love the canteens at Moscow State University. There is no bad cafeteria at Moscow State University, just as there are no ugly women! — Igor, a 5th year student at the Faculty of History, does not hide his delight. — The quality of food is excellent everywhere. I eat in the dining room every day, because the atmosphere there is “tailored” for a normal hearty lunch. There is no need to heat anything in the microwave. I can’t choose the best canteen, but personally I like it best in DSV, where I live: the portions there are served from the heart! For example, French pork is a huge piece of meat with cheese and onions.

“What kind of shishas are there belyashi?”

“In general, the most expensive food is meat,” continues Igor. — It always costs about 100 rubles, despite the fact that very often it is a small piece that is only good for the smell. My friend, who doesn’t count money, eats for 300 rubles every day, or even 350. The scholarship now is 2,600 rubles. I keep it to 150 rubles and am satisfied with myself.

According to Anna Bulanova, there is an agreement with some faculties on partial payment of meals for those in need. Under this social program, some students receive food for free: 50% is paid by the faculty, 50% by the catering plant. However, there are only two such faculties at MSU so far (Anna refused to name them), and there are only a few dozen students who fall into the category of those in need.

Despite the fact that each canteen of the plant has its own assortment, the pricing policy is the same for everyone. A set lunch costs 150 rubles, the prices of dishes and yield in grams are calculated strictly according to state standards. Products are purchased centrally, delivered to a single warehouse, which is located in the Main building, and distributed to canteens in the quantities specified in pre-submitted applications.

“There’s no food left at the end of the day—sometimes there’s even not enough,” says Anna. — There is an approximate calculation of how many people eat in a given canteen per day, what portion is per person. If food remained, the managers would be severely punished. Everything must be clear, because yesterday’s food is strictly forbidden to be served the next day. Therefore, we try to calculate correctly, and we succeed: by the end of the day they eat everything...

Students and chefs especially love national cuisine days. Their canteens have been held at the plant for many years, but recently they have begun to turn into cultural days. Now the day of national cuisine is timed to coincide with the national holiday of a particular country - in this way, the educational process is also organized. Over the years, the canteens of the food plant have held days of German, Japanese, French, Czech, Korean, Italian, Kazakh and other cultures.

“This is a whole extravaganza with dances, songs, quests,” says Marina Kuznetsova. — The program is prepared by the students themselves: for example, on Japanese Culture Day in our cafeteria they taught how to write hieroglyphs. The task of the managers and cooks is to provide the kitchen. These events are held irregularly, but very often: sometimes four or five a month! There is a lot of excitement around such events, and we don’t always have time to prepare. But I want it to be really tasty, good and professional.

An interesting story was told at the catering plant about the professor's canteen in the State Plant.

— This is a historical place. Long ago, long before us, there was crystal, porcelain, silver cup holders and waitresses, and they even poured alcohol for teachers - in Soviet times it was a privilege of professors (students and other MSU employees were not allowed there). In the 90s, this practice stopped, although there were still waiters in the dining room. And then they started letting students in too.

But those canteens that are not served by a food factory are also popular. In addition to the mentioned canteen at ISAA, students actively visit the neighboring one - at the journalism department. Alina, a graduate student at this department, sometimes even orders food to go.

“When you study and work all day, you don’t always have enough time to cook something at home,” she emphasizes. — But you want home-cooked food, and you won’t have dinner in a cafe every night. To be honest, eating in our canteen is also a little expensive, but in any case, cheaper than in restaurants.

At RSUH, like at any serious university, there is a real canteen - with columns, a hall for teachers and long queues in the middle of the day. But the most interesting thing happens not in it, but in the cafe located on the ground floor. The university tried to turn the usual student cafeteria, offering a limited assortment of buns, sandwiches and soda, into a modern Internet cafe with comfortable bright yellow sofas, photographs on the walls and free Wi-Fi. Here you can work on the computer or recharge your mobile phone, and the buffet serves delicious food.

It’s hard to expect any special gastronomic revelations from plastic plates of food covered with film, which should be heated in a nearby microwave. All the more pleasant is the surprise when you discover that cheesecakes with dried apricots and baked goods are almost perfect, and drinking coffee from a coffee machine is quite pleasant.

From time to time, in the evenings, live concerts are held on the stage of the cafe - the main thing is to follow the schedule or stop by for a snack on time.

Set lunch: no.

Availability for non-students: at security you can say that you are going to a bookstore or graduate school.

Maria, graduate of the Russian State University for the Humanities:

The dining room is when you want to eat, but we always went to the buffet to socialize. You could also sleep there for half an hour if you were tired. It’s a pity, now they say there are almost no computers left there, and many of the chargers don’t work.

Canteen of the Faculty of Journalism of Moscow State University

It’s worth visiting the ancient building on Mokhovaya, if only to climb the wide staircase, stand next to the portrait of Lomonosov, and at the same time have lunch in the dining room located in the right wing.

The canteen of the journalism department does not belong to the MSU catering complex. Whether this benefited her is an open question, but the interiors here are much more reminiscent of a good city cafe than an average student canteen. Judging by the dishes displayed in the windows, it is clear that in this matter the canteen workers are trying to match the level of the central cafe. Two types of soup, seven types of hot dishes, fruit drinks, inexpensive early breakfasts, which is especially important before lectures - everything looks quite appetizing and edible. In the salad section there was a place for both the inevitable democratic beets with mayonnaise and the Caesar with chicken that claims to be relevant. Journalism students especially praise local pastries and desserts. After seven in the evening it is time for 30 percent discounts.

The fashion for burgers has managed to penetrate even the walls of Moscow State University: among Pozharsky cutlets, mimosa salads and pancakes with cottage cheese, burgers with fashionable black buns are on display in the window. However, the taste of the latter could still use some work: the meat seems a bit dry, and the bread is downright tough - perhaps the students didn’t like the burgers and spent too much time on display.

The most affordable option offered in the Moscow State University cafeteria is a set lunch. If you want even cheaper, you can take advantage of free boiling water and bread. Or buy coffee and go drink it in the park near the Lomonosov monument. Coffee with a view of the Kremlin - what could be better?

Set lunch: 165 rubles.

Availability for non-students: At the entrance there are frames and imposing guards sitting, but they have little interest in checking documents. As a last resort, you can say that you are going to a cafe.

Alena, graduate of the Faculty of Journalism of Moscow State University:

I remember when I entered the journalism department, there were amazingly delicious puff pastries with raspberry jam in the cafeteria. I then thought that I had to do it: where else would I find something like this?

And when I was in my third year, the cafe was closed for reconstruction, but in the hall, under the stairs, there was a buffet and tables next to it. And at the top hung a clock showing the time of the four capitals of the world. I remember that we liked to buy one pizza for two or sandwiches there, but we ate them not at tables, but at the Lomonosov monument, washed down with champagne.

VGIK dining room

With the advent of the new academic building on Wilhelm Pieck Street, the nutrition of students has also changed. If previously the main gathering place - not so much for food, but for conversation - was the dining room with columns in the old building, now the first floor of the new building has been allocated for students' meals. There is a cafe on the same floor, but it is more expensive and less interesting.

This is exactly what an ideal modern student canteen should look like: cheerful colorful chairs and walls are pleasing to the eye, metal bowls with food are shiny, everything is clean, beautiful and spacious, there is Wi-Fi.

The standard student menu is enriched with fashionable borrowings from the restaurant life: there is a quesadilla with ham and cheese and chicken wings in honey sauce, there is even a Caesar salad “from the chef” - these turned out to be one of the most expensive dishes on the menu. But there are also familiar items that worked well decades ago: cabbage salad with carrots, casserole, pasta with fried meat and the inevitable classic chicken noodle soup. Everything is quite edible, and the thin but tasty cheese soup is sharply reminiscent of childhood. In the mornings, students are fed free Druzhba porridge.

As a complement to lunch and a kind of “dessert”, you can go up to the upper floors of the building - through the panoramic windows you can see a magical view of the VDNKh buildings. And taking a ride on elevators with glass walls is quite a pleasure.

Set lunch: no.

Availability for non-students: You need an electronic pass, but you can say that you are going to the dean’s office - then a passport will be enough.

Yulia, VGIK graduate:

I don’t remember at all what and how they fed me in the VGIK canteen when I studied there, I can’t even remember now what she looked like, but I still remember how we gathered there as a group. It was never boring: students from the acting department often came to the dining room to rehearse and showed some sketches and sketches. And how many brilliant ideas were born at the tables of this dining room!

Canteen of the VMK MSU

In order to feed the students of the most famous university in the country, an entire catering plant operates. In the main building alone there are so many canteens and buffets that you can move from floor to floor, from sector to sector, for more than two weeks, having lunch in a new place every day. In addition to the high-rise building with a spire, there are other university buildings, and students there also need something to eat! There are dining rooms with wood paneled walls and high ceilings, there are those where it is good to prepare for a lecture, and there are those where you can gather with a large group in the evening. There is even a cookout for students and teachers who want to eat at home.

Students of the Faculty of Computational Mathematics and Cybernetics got perhaps the most ordinary canteen of all. Nevertheless, the canteen does an excellent job of its main function - to feed knowledge-starved students: it is cozy, inexpensive, quite tasty, and the menu even has a section for dietary dishes. Tempted by steamed chicken meatballs, a hundred grams of which cost the same hundred rubles, I want to continue in the same spirit: instead of coffee with a bun, take hibiscus or a fruit smoothie for dessert - you won’t immediately find the latter in the window between salads, meat baked with mushrooms and borscht. But in vain - the smoothies here are excellent!

And at this university they decided to diversify the menu in the canteen with burgers. But, alas, the Black burger loses to its brothers from the neighboring journalism department, at least externally. Perhaps because it is packed in cling film and, judging by its appearance, it was prepared some time ago.

The VMK canteen turned out to be one of the few where they accept not only cash, but also cards.

Set lunch: 160 rubles.

Availability for non-students: You need a student card or a pre-ordered pass.

Irina, student of the Computational Mathematics and Computer Science of Moscow State University:

On the second floor we have two dining rooms. I prefer the vegetarian one, but you can eat normally in both.

Canteen MGSU

If you enter the building of the University of Civil Engineering, to the left of the entrance on the first floor, recognizable interiors in green tones immediately catch your eye. MGSU is that rare case when students can dine in a recognized “delicious” establishment, but at quite “student”, affordable prices.

A miracle happened when Roman Rozhnikovsky, the owner of the Grabli restaurant chain, took charge of feeding students and teachers. The MGSU dining room has turned into another restaurant of the chain: the same wooden tables, multi-colored trays, plant motifs in the interior, mirrors on the walls. But the cost of the dishes differs from the prices of the "Rake", located in the city, by about half.

But for some reason, MGSU students were deprived of the decent tableware that visitors to other restaurants in the chain were entitled to - instead, they received cheap plastic plates and the same utensils. However, if this is the price of a huge selection of inexpensive dishes, it is worth it. The menu takes up two pages and will satisfy everyone: meat eaters, vegetarians, those who want to save money, and those who plan to go out on a scholarship. Appetizers and salads, 11 types of hot dishes and side dishes, Margherita pizza and lots of pastries, delicious ginger tea in plastic bottles. Everything is fresh, hot: the factory-kitchen where food is prepared for the “Rake” is located very close.

Clean, beautiful, tasty, with a beautiful view from the room through the panoramic windows. True, for some reason there is only one type of soup on the menu, and horseradish is not served with boiled tongue.

Set lunch: special offer "Rich Student" for 229 rubles.

Availability for non-students: There are guards at the entrance, and it is impossible to guess in advance whether they will want to let a person “from the street” through.

ISAA dining room

If in order to get into other institute canteens you need a student card or friendship with security, then at the Institute of Asian and African Countries they not only welcome guests from the street, but also greet them with a “Dining Room” sign and the promise of a varied menu. It’s hard to get lost: the arrow confidently points to the courtyard where the dining room itself is located.

What we see here is not a standard student “canteen”, but a cafe-dining room “Shuvalov”. If you're lucky, you'll be able to dine in the most beautiful room, where the ceiling is decorated with stucco, the chandelier glitters with crystal, and the seats of the chairs are upholstered in fabric, like in good restaurants.

They are ready to feed students tasty food, but nothing more. There are not many tables in the two halls, the “professor’s” hall is completely closed for special services, and a sign on the wall ominously warns that doing homework, writing lectures, and even simply using the computer is strictly prohibited. If you ignore the prohibition, the waitresses can politely remind you of it.

Since the canteen is still located on the territory of the institute, upon presentation of an ISAA student card, a discount is provided, although only in the amount of 10–20 rubles per dish. A little for students. But the surrounding clerks are quite happy with the prices in the canteen. Where in the very center of Moscow can you find a full meal at very affordable prices? Moreover, in such interiors: rich multi-layer curtains, gilding on wooden doors and vaulted ceilings. Even though you will have to pay extra for bread separately.

Set lunch: 240 rubles (160 rubles for students).

Availability for non-students: Yes.

RUDN dining room

Those who have visited the territory of Peoples' Friendship University know that this is a “city within a city” - with its own hairdressing salons, shops, photo studios, even its own police department. And, of course, numerous student cafes and canteens. Using their menu, you can study the geography of the globe and the favorite dishes of the peoples of the world. Peruvian and Indian, Chinese and Mexican - the ethnic cafes of RUDN University have become a treasure trove of gastronomic experiences for those who are not afraid of cuisine that is not familiar with sanitary and epidemiological inspection.

One of the cheapest places where you can eat on the territory of RUDN University is the Indian restaurant "Devi". Unusual food, a basement room and the interiors of a cheap canteen can scare me away, but in the evening half of the hall is occupied by Indians - isn’t this a sign of quality for an ethnic cafe?

It is worth preparing yourself in advance for a spontaneous choice of food: the menu does not contain descriptions of all dishes, and the waiters, as well as the cooks in the kitchen, come from India. Not all of them speak Russian confidently.

For those new to Indian cuisine, there is only one thing left to do: read the menu. Whatever you choose, the plate you bring will almost certainly be rice curry with vegetables and possibly chicken. The food here is not as spicy as in India, but if you ask when ordering, they can make it hotter. Each dish comes with a set of three sauces. Desserts (about 70 rubles per serving) are displayed in a window in the hall. It is better to order several dishes at once, because the portions at Devi are small.

Set lunch: no.

Availability for non-students: Yes; If you say that you are going to a cafe, you will be allowed into the territory of RUDN University even by car.

Alexandra, RUDN graduate:

In Lumumba they prepared amazing shawarma at the Mirage, and old-timers can also tell about the legendary coffee shop in Krest - there was such an Aunt Zina! All men were her “sons-in-law”, all women were enemies. I might not pour coffee for a FIFA I didn’t particularly like. And there was no point in complaining. Deans and vice-rectors were also “sons-in-law”.

“Good Deed” is owned by people well known to lovers of cheap prices - “O.G.I. Products”, who 15 years ago turned Moscow public catering upside down with their “O.G.I. Project”. The canteen at the Kursky station does not pretend to be a revolution, except for the appearance of a decent and inexpensive place in the most unfriendly transport hub of the city - a set lunch will cost 185 rubles. It’s also worth going for the stunningly beautiful interiors: stained glass windows, paintings and flowers in tubs create a rare mood when you really, really don’t want to leave Moscow on the first train.

"Stolovaya" at the fish market

The proximity of the mosque leaves its mark on the catering in the fish market building: everywhere here is halal and everywhere is delicious - it’s worth visiting both the more authentic teahouse to the right of the entrance and the European-style canteen at the far end of the building - however, it’s worth going to it first of all Central Asian dishes. Soup will cost 75 rubles, hot dishes are more expensive - from 85 rubles. for meatballs up to 150 rub. for a lagman, but that alone is enough to satisfy you for half a day ahead. Drinking alcohol, unfortunately, is prohibited - but you can try to negotiate, fortunately, Glavpivmag is located nearby, dispensing fashionable craft beer and cider; Oddly enough, it is better to buy fish and caviar in other places.

• Address Pyatnitsky lane, 2, “Pyatnitsky”, 1st floor
• Mode Mon-Fri 10.00–18.00

Refectory next to the Intercession Cathedral

The Old Believer Intercession Cathedral is located far from tourist or any other routes - in the Rogozhsky village, but the local refectory is not included in the list of the best establishments in the city due to a misunderstanding. Specialties: shaggy milk mushrooms, yeast-free hearth bread, pies with berry filling, pancakes with white and red fish, oatmeal jelly, white kvass, sbiten and kombucha. Additional advantages: the architectural ensemble of the monastery, opening hours (from 7 am to 11 pm), continuously singing canaries in cages and the opportunity to meet the actors of the TV series “Interns”, filmed in pavilions nearby, at dinner.

• Address Rogozhsky Poselok, 29, building 9
• Opening hours Mon-Sun 7.30–23.00

Canteen at the Pension Fund

The most classic dining room on the list is a place to be nostalgic for Soviet times and eat without the risk of poisoning. True, despite the ascetic interior of the basement, the prices here are higher than those of competitors in the set lunch market (soup 70 rubles for half a portion, hot dishes 150–170 rubles) - but in the Tverskoy Boulevard area there are not particularly such prices, so the PFR canteen in Media employees, office clerks, residents of surrounding houses and, of course, employees of the foundation itself flock to lunch. At the same time, you can inquire about the fate of your pension, but it is better to do this after eating - otherwise you may inadvertently ruin your appetite.

• Address Tverskoy blvd., 18, bldg. 1
• Mode Mon-Fri 9.00–18.00

Buffet at the Arbatskaya metro station on the Filevskaya line

Every day, 200–300 people pass through the buffet, tucked away at the far end of Moscow's most deserted metro station - a lot for a tiny space with a few tables and very little compared to the subway's daily throughput of ten million passengers. Metro employees are served without a queue, but any visitor to Arbatskaya can buy a ham sandwich (28 rubles), a Cosmos cutlet (89 rubles) or a compote (25 rubles); In addition to baked goods and hot dishes, the buffet offers an assortment of wealthy general stores - from custard noodles to canned fruits and vegetables. Unfortunately, there is no toilet either in the buffet or at the station.

• Address metro station "Arbatskaya" Filevskaya line
• Mode Mon-Fri 9.30–18.30

"Gurmanika" in the South Port

The fantastically beautiful building with columns on the territory of the Southern Port conceals within itself not a recreation center or a mausoleum, but a dining room - and a very outstanding one. Soups are sold for 50–60 rubles, hot dishes do not cost more than a hundred, the recipe is sometimes surprising (chicken noodle soup, for example, contains potatoes), but, according to the chefs, this was done solely at the request of the port employees. After lunch, it's worth going for a walk - around the sculptures of the fifties, colorful shipping containers and one of the best views of the city. You can get into the dining room using a pass - ordered in advance by phone - or through a hole in the fence, which is easily found to the left of the main entrance.

• Address 2nd Yuzhnoportovy Ave., 10, building 14
• Mode Mon-Fri 10.00–16.00

Moscow is the largest and most developed city in our country, which does not sleep day or night. The capital is famous for its nightlife, bars, restaurants, where the flow of people does not stop. But not everyone can afford to eat in luxurious restaurants and spend huge amounts of money every day. The Moscow canteen is an excellent option for students, office workers, city guests and tourists who are looking forward to a hearty breakfast, lunch or dinner, but do not want to overpay fabulous sums. It must be admitted that there are such establishments in Moscow, there are not many of them, but nevertheless they exist. All that remains is to understand where exactly the best dining room in Moscow is located, and what it can offer to all its guests?

"Markov Dvor"

Most visitors to this nice, cozy catering establishment found out about it completely by accident: they stumbled upon it during their next walk through the city center. Yes, there are cheap eateries in Moscow in the very center of the capital, namely on Chistoprudny Boulevard. If you pass by, be sure to take a look here: you certainly won’t regret it.

The prices are low, the portions are large, and everything on the menu is delicious. A hearty lunch here will cost 200-250 rubles. And all this combined with a nice and cozy interior and excellent service.

"Lagmannaya"

And here is another excellent dining room in Moscow, located at the Ploshchad Gagarina metro station. A great place for connoisseurs of oriental cuisine. Here guests will taste delicious Uzbek pilaf, prepared in accordance with the recipes of national cuisine, as well as lagman, meat cooked over coals, and aromatic pastries. You can have lunch here for only 200 rubles, and it’s delicious. Even if you do not consider yourself to be a lover or true connoisseur of oriental cuisine, do not deny yourself the pleasure of getting to know it better.

"Orange"

If you are still looking for a place that would be quite clean, spacious and comfortable, but at the same time lunches and dinners remain affordable, go to the Aviamotornaya metro station. It is here that another excellent dining room in the capital is located - "Orange". All guests can count on a menu of traditional European cuisine prepared by skilled chefs: it is really very tasty here, the portions are large, so no one will leave hungry. Guests can enjoy their leisure time with a huge plasma TV and high-speed wireless Internet. A three-course lunch here will cost 150-200 rubles.

Dining room on 1st Magistralnaya Street

And this is, perhaps, one of the most famous establishments. The canteen existed here back in Soviet times. The establishment positions itself as a place with a cozy interior, home-cooked food and reasonable prices. Lunch will cost on average 150-200 rubles. Visitors note that the menu is always varied, everything is tasty and fresh.

"Village"

What do you think a dining room in Moscow should be like? If you like to eat delicious food, go to the canteen at the Semenovskaya - Derevnya metro station. A place where traditions in preparing dishes of original Russian cuisine are honored. Here you can taste rich cabbage soup, boiled potatoes with herbs, porridge, pancakes with various fillings. Everything is very accessible.

Let's sum it up

We have proven to you that even in the center of the capital you can find noteworthy establishments where you can eat very inexpensively (within 250 rubles). Be sure to check out one of these places: maybe it will become your regular lunch spot. And if you want something special, visit the main canteen of Moscow, located in the GUM building. The prices here are no longer so affordable, but the place is definitely atmospheric, interesting and worthy. Here you can remember your childhood and drink a glass of soda with syrup. And what is the best dining room in Moscow is up to you to decide.

Dmitry Baranov was consistently disillusioned with several intellectual professions and decided to make money from food. The chain of canteens “Tsatsa” he opened brought in more than 30 million rubles. revenue in 2016

Dmitry Baranov (Photo: Vladislav Shatilo / RBC)

“The person has already come to you, he is hungry, he is ready to spend. Give him good service, and he will visit your canteen every day,” says entrepreneur Dmitry Baranov. In the highly competitive metropolitan catering market, he found a profitable and promising niche - canteens of educational institutions. Demand is virtually guaranteed, rental costs are low, and advertising is not needed. The main problem is that food must be cheap. And Baranov managed to ensure that the average bill for a set lunch in his canteens is 240 rubles.

In just over a year, Dmitry opened six canteens, which brought him 30 million rubles in 2016. revenue and 6.4 million rubles. arrived.

Cheap and in demand

The format of canteens is on the rise, says Associate Professor of the Department of Technology and Organization of Food Enterprises of the Russian University of Economics. G.V. Plekhanova Elena Myasnikova. According to her, in recent years in Moscow and St. Petersburg the number of such establishments has increased by 2-2.5 times. “Canteens in educational institutions and enterprises are always a profitable business: a constant flow of loyal visitors is guaranteed here,” says Myasnikova. Canteens in shopping, office, business centers and on the central streets of the city have a harder time due to high rental rates, but constant traffic can provide a business with 10 to 30% profitability, says the co-owner of O.G.I. Group of Companies. (five canteens in Moscow) Dmitry Itskovich.

According to the consulting agency RestConsult, 62 organizations operating in the canteen format are registered in Moscow. According to 2GIS, 744 canteens are open in Moscow. The market is divided by several large companies - KorpusGroup, Concord, Sodex, Fusion Management, OMS - and several dozen individual entrepreneurs. Most of them specialize in services in the commercial sphere - food in business centers, offices, technology parks, factories, a smaller part - in the social sphere, that is, they provide medical and school meals, says Vladimir Nikitin, head of the public relations department at Fusion Management (manages more than a hundred food facilities of different formats).

"Bad PR man"

Dmitry Baranov was born in the small town of Novozybkov, Bryansk region. He showed entrepreneurial skills as a child - he collected medicinal herbs, dried them in the attic and sold them to a pharmacy on the next street, dreaming of buying a radio-controlled car.

After graduating from school, he entered the Bryansk Pedagogical University at the Faculty of Foreign Languages. The scholarship was not enough, and Baranov decided to work as a bartender in a nightclub. “It was very fun and very scary - people threw money at me and demanded vodka,” he recalls.

Baranov didn’t see a future for himself behind the counter, but he loved communicating with people. After graduating from the institute, he moved to Moscow and began working in PR - at Euroset, the Victoria charitable foundation, the First Freight Company and the Biglion service. “To be honest, I floated like a log and didn’t think much about the future,” recalls Baranov. “For ten years in the profession, I managed to understand that I was a bad PR person - I was always disgusted with lying.”

In the spring of 2007, Dmitry Baranov came to meet his wife after school - she studied at the Moscow State Open University - and saw that the cafeteria on the first floor of the university was packed to capacity. “Back then in that area, near Kurskaya, there weren’t so many catering outlets; people really had nowhere to go,” recalls Dmitry. He made an agreement with the university’s vice-rector for youth policy, found the first bakery he came across on Yandex, ordered 100 pies and delivered them to the lobby the next day. Everything sold out in a few minutes. The next day, Baranov ordered 400 pies, took an old 20-liter military thermos from a friend, into which he poured tea. The students also dismantled this batch during one break. “I held ten thousand rubles in my hands, earned in 15 minutes, and thought: “Dima, what kind of PR?” - the entrepreneur laughs. Dmitry finished his experiments with pies at this point, but realized that he could make good money in catering.

And from his vacation in Europe, Baranov brought the idea of ​​selling Belgian waffles with fillings to Moscow. After leaving Biglion, Dmitry purchased several waffle irons for 30 thousand rubles. and began selling waffles at city fairs and festivals. Things weren't going well: such events happened once every few months, and people preferred traditional fast food to waffles. “I felt like a black sheep - people wanted barbecue and beer,” recalls Dmitry.

In 2014, he bought a professional grill, hired a kebab maker and found beer suppliers. I still worked at events. The new format brought Baranov into the black, but he earned much less than with hired labor - it came out to about 40 thousand rubles. per month. A scandal was brewing in the family. “Only my rabbit believed in me,” recalls Dmitry. “It was the most difficult period in my life.”

Feed the students

Chance came to the rescue. A friend of his wife, who taught at the Goethe Institute, told Dmitry that the institute was planning to change the caterer due to the poor quality of services. In October 2014, Baranov applied for participation in the tender and unexpectedly won. “I simply offered quality food at reasonable prices,” he recalls.

The conditions seemed very attractive - preferential rent and lack of competitors. True, the agreement with Baranov lay on the shelf for a year and a half. Europe had just introduced sanctions against Russia, and the Germans decided not to rush to change the supplier - it was not clear how relations between Germany and Russia would develop.

The TsaTsa canteen opened at the Goethe Institute only in January 2016. The launch cost the entrepreneur 1 million rubles, which he managed to find in the form of a loan from a private investor on the StartTrack platform. “In just a couple of days, we found a person, a top manager in a large state bank, who was ready to give money to implement the idea,” recalls Baranov. He undertook not to disclose the name of the investor. He paid off the million he borrowed at 30% per annum in eight months. It turned out that there are a lot of people ready to invest in public catering.

Some equipment remained in the premises from the former dining room, but the main equipment - a combi oven, a sink, refrigerators, a washing machine and a distribution line - had to be purchased. This is where the bulk of the funds went. Baranov decided not to hire specialists and figure it out himself. “It was a big mistake,” Dmitry admits. “For example, I decided to launch food delivery in the area, without calculating the electricity capacity and space. In the end, we simply had nowhere to put a pizza oven.” The idea had to be abandoned.

The first month of work did not live up to expectations. “People planned to learn the language at a rate of 40 rubles. for euros, and in the new year they came and saw prices one and a half times higher. Many people didn’t need German for that kind of money,” says Dmitry. Instead of the expected 200 people a day, 50-60 came to the dining room.

To save on payroll, Baranov initially hired cooks from Central Asia. However, they soon had to be abandoned - low qualifications and “difficulties in translation” hampered them. Dmitry recalls how he once asked a cook “with five years of experience”: “Chop some carrots.” “Half an hour later I come to the kitchen, Farida’s eyes are wandering over the walls, there is an armful of carrots in her hands: “Boss, I found carrots, but I didn’t find them,” Dmitry laughs.

Staff is one of the biggest problems for canteen owners, confirms Sergei Mironov, founder of the RestConsult consulting agency and the Meat & Fish restaurant chain. According to him, it is difficult to attract highly qualified employees to such places - canteens are considered a low-prestige place. But Baranov decided not to skimp on staff: he pays 20-30% above the market.

Photo: Vladislav Shatilo / RBC

“Selling what you eat yourself is the main task of the canteen owner,” says the co-owner of the O.G.I. Group of Companies. Dmitry Itskovich. According to him, food in canteens should resemble homemade food, “no frills, but with variety,” and fit into the daily budget of visitors. “The check is above 210-220 rubles. Dining room visitors usually can’t “digest” it anymore and switch to side dishes and salads, he says. “In this area, it makes more sense to work not for margins, but for volume.” In the canteens "O.G.I." the average bill ranges from 130 to 215 rubles, the cost is about 35% of the final price of the dish.

The buyer comes to the canteen every weekday - this feature shapes the entire economy of such a company, explains Vladimir Nikitin from Fusion Management: “This is not a trip to a restaurant where the visitor is ready to spend more than usual. The client multiplies the costs for a set lunch by 20 days, they are included in his permanent budget. At the same time, the assortment should not be scarce so that a person wants to return to the dining room every day.”

Another feature of the canteen is uneven traffic. “The lunch break is always a massive influx of visitors. The owner must be prepared for this, think through the work schedule of the cooks and properly organize the distribution,” says Elena Myasnikova from the Russian Economic University. G.V. Plekhanov.

Checking for purity

To open a canteen, you must comply with the requirements of the inspection services. First of all, the opening of a canteen must be reported to Rospotrebnadzor and undergo a fire safety inspection, warns Olga Avvakumova, an expert at the Kontur.Elba service. Small businesses are exempt from scheduled inspections until December 31, 2018; Rospotrebnadzor, the fire service, Rostekhnadzor, Rosselkhoznadzor and others must be notified 24 hours in advance about unscheduled visits. Inspections based on consumer statements are carried out without notification.

Most often, owners of catering establishments are punished for failure to comply with sanitary and epidemiological standards. We are talking not only about the quality of products or prepared dishes, but also about the arrangement and maintenance of the premises, says lawyer Andrei Bezryadov. For violating the rules, the entrepreneur faces an administrative fine of up to 50 thousand rubles. If the violation led to mass illness, poisoning of people or death, then liability arises in accordance with Art. 236 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, which provides for punishment in the form of imprisonment for up to five years.

Dmitry Baranov himself invites Rospotrebnadzor for an inspection before opening each canteen. “The inspector is interested in ensuring that everything is correct in the canteen (especially if students are fed there). Believe me, I saved a lot of money and nerves,” he says. Flexibility in communication with inspection services is very important, confirms Associate Professor of the Department of Technology and Organization of Food Enterprises of the Russian Economic University. G.V. Plekhanova Elena Myasnikova. “According to the rules, a separate place must be allocated for waste disposal. But small companies often do not have the opportunity to recycle through a special chamber. Then the explanatory note should indicate that disposal takes place outside of working hours, in closed containers, and there will be no problems,” she explains.

“One canteen is not a business”

There were no conditions for hosting full-cycle production at the Goethe Institute, so Baranov ordered dishes for “Tsatsa” from the factory kitchen. The menu was not rich. This scheme ate up about 40% of the margin, which made the cost of food too high. Baranov realized: in order to gain profit, he needed to open a few more points, and then his own workshop. “One canteen is not a business or even a hobby, but a waste of time and effort,” says the entrepreneur. His search for a point led him to the Academy of Social Management when, through friends, he learned that the academy’s management was dissatisfied with the operator of a local canteen.

He opened the first point in ASOU in March 2016, and two more opened in branches in April and May. “Getting a place at a university is not easy: most often, in order to feed students, you need to go through a tender procedure,” says Baranov. But the gamble is worth the candle: rental rates in universities are usually lower than in shopping centers, business centers and street spots, and the flow of customers practically never stops.

But at the same time, sometimes you have to take not the most profitable points that come “set” with profitable ones.

It was one of the canteens in ASOU, near the Babushkinskaya metro station, that became the most profitable in Baranov’s network. In less than a year, the net profit from it amounted to 3.7 million rubles. “I got rid of the cockroaches and rats, hired good cooks, and things took off,” he says. “The traffic is crazy: there are courses for adults who are solvent, teachers from all over the region, who spend the whole day in the building.” The very first point at the academy is now operating at a slight profit (900 thousand rubles in profit in less than a full year), the second was brought to zero only after the New Year. The canteen at the Goethe Institute also turned a profit - in 2016 it brought the entrepreneur 1.8 million rubles. arrived.

Photo: Vladislav Shatilo / RBC

Having tested the business model on students, Dmitry decided to go beyond universities and in December 2016 opened two points in business centers - Peace Park on the Alekseevskaya metro station and in Nizhegorodsky near Taganskaya. Due to high rent and expensive repairs, the launch cost a record 3 million and 4 million rubles. Accordingly, the investment did not justify itself: the traffic turned out to be small. “Park of Peace” brought in 600 thousand rubles in two months of work. revenue, Baranov hopes to recoup the point by next January. I had to move out of Nizhegorodsky already at the beginning of the new year - the outlet was not making a profit.

Large shopping and business centers have good traffic, but costs, primarily rent, are extremely high, says Vladimir Nikitin, head of the public relations department at Fusion Management. “Only closed locations are profitable, where people spend the whole day and will not look for a cafe on the side,” says Dmitry Baranov.

By the beginning of 2017, Baranov found a suitable place to launch his own production - a premises of 700 sq. m. m on the territory of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The company’s brand chief Alexander Yastrebov was in charge of purchasing equipment and organizing the process. Baranov realized that he couldn’t do it without professionals. The launch cost the company 5 million rubles, this is the profit from the work of already launched canteens (1 million rubles) and loans from private investors, whom Dmitry is still looking for on the Internet (4 million rubles). The entrepreneur plans to return the investment in one and a half to two years.

Now our own factory-kitchen fully supplies all Tsatsa canteens with hot meals - this allows you to save up to 25% on the cost of meals. In addition, Baranov’s production serves banquets (three to four orders per month) and sells its own baked goods in small quantities. According to Dmitry, revenue from outsourced production is 3-5% of the company’s turnover.

Baranov is convinced that he has found his gold mine, and easily shares the secret of its successful development: “In our catering industry, it’s common to think: if you run a restaurant, guests come to you. If it’s a canteen, then it’s cattle. But if you stop seeing people as trash, they will be drawn to you.”