Study by study, and lunch according to the schedule - after all, even Pushkin said that "the stomach of an enlightened person has the best qualities of a kind heart: sensitivity and gratitude." Where, what and for what money you can eat at Moscow State University, Anastasia Proshchenko, a graduate student of the Faculty of Journalism, figured out.

There is no bad canteen at Moscow State University, just as 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. Tolstaya boasts: “I live in a restaurant. Seeing me on a plate, visitors refuse to eat, and the whole plate goes to me. The thin one complains: “And I live in a student canteen: when a student sees me in a plate, the student will not only refuse to eat, but also, having taken me out, he will lick and suck me all over.”

Be that as it may, today it is very possible to eat tasty and a lot in the student canteen of Moscow State University. A whole division of the university is working on this - a food 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 houses on the territory of Lomonosov Moscow State University. The food factory has existed since 1953 and serves a total of about seven thousand people a day.

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

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

More than 300 employees work in the Moscow State University catering plant: canteen managers, cooks, confectioners, cashiers, cleaners, loaders.

What is the most popular canteen in Moscow State University?

Diet in the Main building (sector "B"). This is how the majority of students answer - from the Faculty of Biology, the Faculty of Journalism, the Faculty of Geology, the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics, the Faculty of Computational Mathematics and Cybernetics (VMC) and even from the ISAA, which is located in the center of Moscow.

“We have a canteen on the ground floor called Biosphere, which is quite expensive for students,” says Evgeny, a 2015 graduate of the Faculty of Biology. - Lunch comes out no cheaper than 300 rubles, or even more, besides, the food is not to say that outstanding. We go to eat in the canteen of the chemistry department on the third floor, where it is tastier and cheaper, or in the canteens of sectors "B" and "C" of the Main building. There I advise you to try Kiev cutlets, although, in my opinion, in these canteens they add too much butter. Fatty food is unhealthy, which is why I love the dietary canteen the most. It has healthy, tasty and cheap food, they serve turkey and steamed cutlets. The only downside is the huge queues.

And 4th-year students of the Faculty of Geology Ulyana and Anastasia believe that standing in line is worth it if you want a healthy, tasty and cheap meal. Girls eat in the canteens of Moscow State University every day, and if time is short, buffets and canteens of sectors "B" and "C" help them out a lot. According to the Moscow State University food plant, they are the most visited - in the autumn, each of these two canteens feeds one and a half thousand people a day!

Where to have a get-together?

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. With the filing of Anna Bulanova, the new director of the food plant, canteen No. 2 became round-the-clock and free Wi-Fi appeared in it.

“When I came here, I realized that the guys living in the GZ 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 round-the-clock canteen, where it would be light, warm and spacious, you can access the Internet. And this idea worked. In our dining room there is free tea, bread.

It is the canteen of sector "B" that Aleksey, an ISAA undergraduate, advises for friendly meetings.

“It’s not only tasty 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 food stamps to it when you sign up for a dispensary. Signature dishes known to all generations of Moscow State University students are pizza and tubes with cream.

ISAA canteen is very popular on Mokhovaya Street. The food there is tasty and satisfying, while for students a full meal 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 couples, despite strict signs prohibiting the educational process in the dining room.

“Guys from the journalism faculty and the psychology faculty come to us, as well as local traffic cops and officials,” Alexey continues. - Probably, this is an indicator of quality. In general, it seems to me that the canteen reflects the spirit of the building or faculty where it is located. From it you can understand who is studying: "overdressed fifas" or future scientists, "majors" or half-starved and always in a hurry students.

A graduate student of the Faculty of Political Science, Sergey, considers buffets to be more "party" places.

“In our Shuvalov building, buffets are student cafes in the truest sense of the word: there is such an atmosphere that students constantly want to sit in a big company and discuss something,” he explains. - It's like a free space where you can discuss the moments of study and life at the university. In these cafes, they usually do not touch on other topics. Buffets, as it were, perform the function of free zones for communication and exchange of ideas. The food in the buffets is different: sometimes it tastes better in one today, and tomorrow in another, so the probability of getting into the right buffet is 50/50. Dining rooms are also different. On the fourth floor there is also an atmosphere like in a cafe, but it still feels like a dining room. And on the first floor - everything is like in a classic Soviet dining room of the highest level. And the food is always delicious.

What canteen dishes are worth trying?

The already mentioned pizza is a truly legendary dish.

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

According to Kuznetsova, in all canteens of the catering plant, the assortment of dishes is different. The menu every evening is at the discretion of the head of the dining room. The first dining room is distinguished by richer food, the second - by a large number of vegetable salads.

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

“Which shisha have belyashi?”

“In general, the most expensive food is meat,” Igor continues. - It always costs about 100 rubles, despite the fact that very often it is a small piece that is only good for smelling. My friend, who does not count money, eats every day for 300 rubles, or even 350 rubles. The scholarship now is 2,600 rubles. I fit into 150 rubles and remain satisfied with myself.

According to Anna Bulanova, there is an agreement with some faculties on partial payment for meals for those in need. Under this social program, some students get food for free: 50% is paid by the faculty, 50% by the food factory. However, there are only two such faculties at Moscow State University so far (Anna refused to name them), and there are only a few dozen students who fell 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 complex lunch costs 150 rubles, the prices of dishes and the output in grams are calculated strictly according to the state standard. Products are purchased centrally, delivered to a single warehouse, which is located in the Main Building, and distributed to canteens in the amount specified in pre-filed applications.

- There is no food left by the end of the day - even sometimes there is not enough, - says Anna. - There is an approximate calculation of how many people a day eat in this dining room, what portion falls on one. If the food remained, the managers would be severely punished. Everything should be clear, because the next day yesterday's food is absolutely impossible to put. Therefore, we try to calculate correctly, and we succeed: by the end of the day they eat everything ...

Students and cooks especially love the days of national cuisines. Their canteens of the plant have been held for many years, but recently they have begun to turn into days of culture. Now the day of national cuisine is timed to coincide with the public holiday of a particular country - in this way, among other things, the educational process is 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 the day of Japanese culture in our dining room, they taught how to write hieroglyphs. The task of managers and cooks is to provide a kitchen. These events are held irregularly, but very often: sometimes four or five times a month! There is a lot of excitement around such events, and we do not always have time to prepare. And I want it to be really tasty, good and professional.

An interesting story was told in the food factory about the professorial dining room in the GZ.

- This is a historic place. For a long time, long before us, there was crystal, porcelain, silver coasters and waitresses, and even alcohol was poured for teachers - in Soviet times it was the privilege of professors (students and other employees of Moscow State University were not allowed there). In the 90s, this practice ceased, although there were still waiters in the dining room. And then they started letting students in.

But those canteens that are not served by a food factory are also popular. In addition to the aforementioned canteen at ISAA, students actively visit the neighboring one - at the Faculty of Journalism. A graduate student of this faculty, Alina, sometimes even orders takeaway food.

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

In RSUH, as in 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 a cafe located on the ground floor. The usual student cafeteria offering a modest assortment of buns, sandwiches and soda at the university tried to turn into a modern Internet cafe with comfortable bright yellow sofas, photographs on the walls and free Wi-Fi. Here you can work at the computer or recharge your mobile phone, besides, the buffet serves delicious food.

It is difficult to expect special gastronomic revelations from plastic plates covered with a film of food, which should be heated in a microwave standing right there. All the more pleasant is the surprise when you discover that cheesecakes with dried apricots and pastries 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 come in for a bite to eat on time.

Set lunch: no.

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

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

The dining room is when you want to eat, and we always went to the buffet to chat. It was also possible to sleep there for half an hour, if it overcame. It's a pity, now there, they say, there are almost no computers left, and many chargers do not work.

Canteen of the Faculty of Journalism of Moscow State University

It is worth visiting the old building on Mokhovaya Street if only to climb the wide stairs, stand near the portrait of Lomonosov and at the same time have lunch in the dining room located in the right wing.

The canteen of the faculty of journalism does not belong to the catering complex of Moscow State University. Whether it did her any good is an open question, but the interiors here are much more reminiscent of a good city cafe than an average student canteen. From 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 beetroot with mayonnaise and the Caesar with chicken, which claims to be relevant. Journalism students especially praise local pastries and desserts. After seven in the evening, it's time for 30 percent discounts.

The fashion for burgers was able to penetrate even the walls of Moscow State University: among fire cutlets, mimosa salads and pancakes with cottage cheese, burgers with trendy black buns are displayed in the window. However, it would still be worth working on the taste of the latter: the meat seems a bit dry, and the bread is frankly tough - perhaps the students did not like the burgers and spent too much time in the window.

The most democratic option offered in the dining room of Moscow State University is a set lunch. If you want even cheaper, you can use free boiling water and bread. Or buy coffee and go to drink it in the square near the monument to Lomonosov. Coffee overlooking the Kremlin - what could be better?

Complex lunch: 165 rubles.

Availability for non-students: there are frames at the entrance and imposing guards sit, but they are little interested in checking documents. In extreme cases, you can say that you are going to a cafe.

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

I remember when I entered the Faculty of Journalism, in the dining room there were amazingly delicious puff buns with raspberry jam. I then thought that it was necessary to do it: where else can I find such!

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 the tables, but at the Lomonosov monument, drinking champagne.

Canteen VGIK

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

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

The standard student menu is ennobled with fashionable borrowings from restaurant life: there are quesadillas with ham and cheese and chicken wings in honey sauce, there is even a Caesar salad "from the chef" - they turned out to be one of the most expensive dishes on the menu. But there are also familiar, well-established positions decades ago: coleslaw with carrots, casserole, pasta with fried meat, and the inevitable classic chicken noodle soup. Everything is quite edible, and the watery, but tasty cheese soup is sharply reminiscent of childhood. In the morning, students are fed with free porridge "Friendship".

As an addition to lunch and a kind of "dessert", you can go up to the upper floors of the building - through the panoramic windows there opens a magical view of the VDNKh buildings. Yes, and a ride on elevators with glass walls - no small 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 is enough.

Julia, VGIK graduate:

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

Canteen of VMK MSU

In order to feed the students of the most famous university in the country, a whole food factory is working. In the main building alone, there are so many canteens and buffets that you can move from floor to floor, from sector to sector, having lunch in a new place every day for more than two weeks. In addition to the skyscraper with a spire, there are other university buildings, and there students also need something to eat! There are canteens with wood-panelled walls and high ceilings, others where it's good to prepare for a lecture, and others where you can gather in a large company in the evening. There is even a cookery 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, with its main function - to feed students starved of knowledge - the canteen does an excellent job: it's cozy, inexpensive, quite tasty, and the menu even has a section of dietary dishes. Tempted by steam chicken meatballs, one hundred grams of which cost one hundred rubles, I want to continue in the same vein: instead of coffee with a bun, take hibiscus or fruit smoothie for dessert - the latter is not immediately found in the window between salads, meat baked with mushrooms and borscht. And in vain - the smoothies here are excellent!

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

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

Complex lunch: 160 rubles.

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

Irina, student of the Moscow State University:

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

Canteen MGSU

If you enter the building of the Construction University, 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" institution, but at quite "student" democratic prices.

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

But for some reason, the students of Moscow State University of Civil Engineering were deprived of the decent dishes that rely on visitors to other restaurants of the chain - instead, they got cheap plastic plates and the same appliances. However, if this is the price of a huge selection of inexpensive dishes - it's worth it. The menu occupies two sheets and will satisfy everyone: meat-eaters, vegetarians, those who want to save money, and those who plan to take a walk with a scholarship. Appetizers and salads, 11 types of hot dishes and side dishes, Margherita pizza and many pastries, delicious ginger tea in plastic bottles. Everything is fresh, hot: the factory-kitchen, where food for the Rake is prepared, is very close by.

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

Complex lunch: special offer "Rich student" for 229 rubles.

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

Canteen ISAA

If in order to get to other institute canteens, you need a student ID or friendship with security, then the Institute of Asian and African countries not only welcomes guests from the street, but also greets you with a sign "Canteen" and the promise of a varied menu. It is difficult to get lost: the arrow confidently points to the courtyard, where the dining room itself is located.

Before us is not a standard student "canteen", but a cafe-dining room "Shuvalov". If you are lucky, you will be able to dine in the most beautiful hall, where the ceiling is decorated with stucco, the chandelier shines with crystal, and the seats of the chairs are upholstered with fabric, like in good restaurants.

Students here are ready to feed deliciously, but nothing more. There are not so many tables in the two halls, the "professor's" hall is completely closed for special services, and a sign on the wall warns menacingly that doing homework, writing lectures and even just using a computer is strictly prohibited. If you ignore the ban, 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, however, only in the amount of 10–20 rubles per dish. A little for students. But the surrounding clerks are quite satisfied with the prices in the dining room. Where in the very center of Moscow can you find a full meal at very affordable prices? Yes, even in such interiors: rich multi-layered curtains, gilding on wooden doors and vaulted ceilings. Even though you have to pay extra for bread separately.

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

Availability for non-students: Yes.

Canteen RUDN University

Those who have visited the University of Peoples' Friendship know that it is a "city within a city" - with its own hairdressers, shops, photo studios, even its own police department. And, of course, numerous student cafes and canteens. On 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 - RUDN ethnic cafes have become a treasure trove of gastronomic experiences for those who are not afraid of cuisine that is not familiar with sanitary and epidemiological supervision.

One of the cheapest places to eat on the territory of RUDN University is the Indian restaurant "Devi". Unusual food, a basement and the interiors of a cheap dining room can scare you 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 setting yourself up 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, one thing remains: read the menu. Whatever you choose, the plate you bring will almost certainly be curry rice with vegetables and possibly chicken. They cook here not such spicy food 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 on display in the hall in a showcase. It is better to order several dishes at once, because the portions in Devi are small.

Set lunch: no.

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

Alexandra, RUDN University graduate:

In Lumumba, they cooked amazing shawarma in the Mirage, and the old-timers can also tell about the legendary coffee house in the Cross - there was such an aunt Zina! All men were her "sons-in-law", all women were enemies. She could not pour coffee for a particularly disliked fife. And it was useless to complain. The deans and vice-rectors were also "sons-in-law".

The Good Deed is owned by people who are well known to lovers of cheapness - O.G.I. Products, who 15 years ago turned the Moscow public catering with their O.G.I. Project. The dining room at the Kursk railway 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 stunning beauty of the interiors: stained-glass windows, murals and flowers in tubs create a rare mood when you 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 public catering in the building of the fish market: here it is halal everywhere and everywhere it is delicious - it is worth visiting both the more authentic teahouse to the right of the entrance, and the European-style dining room at the far end of the building - however, it is worth taking it in the first place Central Asian dishes. Soup will cost 75 rubles, hotter is more expensive - from 85 rubles. for meatballs up to 150 r. for a lagman, but one is enough to get enough for half a day ahead. Drinking alcohol, unfortunately, is prohibited - but you can try to negotiate, since Glavpivmag is located nearby, pouring fashionable craft beer and cider; fish and caviar, oddly enough, it is better to buy in other places.

• Address Pyatnitsky per., 2, "Pyatnitsky", 1st floor
• Mode Mon-Fri 10.00–18.00

Refectory near Pokrovsky Cathedral

The Old Believer Pokrovsky Cathedral is located far from the tourist or any other routes - in the Rogozhsky village, but the local refectory is not included in the list of the best places in the city only due to a misunderstanding. Specialties: hairy milk mushrooms, yeast-free hearth bread, pies with berry filling, pancakes with white and red fish, oatmeal jelly, white kvass, sbiten and kombucha. Additional pluses: 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 Interns series, which is filmed in pavilions nearby, at a dinner.

• Address Rogozhsky Settlement, 29, building 9
• Mode Mon-Sun 7.30–23.00

Canteen at the Pension Fund

The most classic dining room on the list is a place to both 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 complex lunch market (soup 70 rubles for half a portion, hot 150-170 rubles) - but in the area of ​​​​Tverskoy Boulevard, these are not particularly observed, therefore, in the dining room of the PFR in media workers, office clerks, residents of the surrounding houses and, of course, employees of the foundation itself flock to lunch. At the same time, you can ask about the fate of your pension, but it’s better to do this after eating - otherwise you can inadvertently spoil your appetite.

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

Buffet at Arbatskaya metro station, Filevskaya line

Tucked away at the far end of Moscow's most deserted subway station, 200 to 300 people pass through a buffet a day - a lot for a tiny room with a few tables and very little compared to the subway's daily capacity of ten million passengers. Metro employees are served without a queue, but any visitor to Arbatskaya can buy a sandwich with ham (28 rubles), a Cosmos cutlet (89 rubles) or compote (25 rubles); in addition to pastries and hot dishes, the buffet offers an assortment of prosperous general store - from custard noodles to canned fruits and vegetables. Unfortunately, there is no toilet either in the cafeteria 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 South Port conceals 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 are no more than a hundred, the recipe is sometimes surprising (in chicken noodle soup, for example, there are potatoes), but, according to the chefs, this was done exclusively at the request of the port staff. After lunch it is worth going for a walk - around the sculpture of the fifties, colorful shipping containers and one of the best views of the city. You can get into the dining room with a pass - ordered in advance by phone - or through a hole in the fence, 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, spend huge sums of money every day. The Moscow canteen is a great option for students, office workers, city guests and tourists who are looking for a hearty breakfast, lunch or dinner, while not wanting to overpay fabulous sums. It must be admitted that there are such establishments in Moscow, there are not so many of them, but nevertheless they exist. It remains only to understand where exactly the best dining room in Moscow is located, and what can it offer to all its guests?

"Markov Yard"

Most visitors to this cute cozy catering establishment learned about it quite by accident: they stumbled upon it during their regular walk around the city center. Yes, there are cheap canteens in Moscow in the very center of the capital, namely on Chistoprudny Boulevard. If you pass by, be sure to 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, excellent service.

"Lagmannaya"

And here is another great dining room in Moscow, located at the Gagarin Square metro station. Great place for connoisseurs of oriental cuisine. Here, guests will taste delicious Uzbek pilaf cooked in accordance with the recipes of national cuisine, as well as lagman, meat cooked on charcoal, fragrant pastries. You can dine here for only 200 rubles, and how delicious. Even if you do not consider yourself to be lovers and true connoisseurs 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 clean, spacious and comfortable, but at the same time lunch and dinner remained affordable, go to the Aviamotornaya metro station. It is here that another excellent dining room of the capital - "Oranzh" - is located. 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. A huge plasma TV and high-speed wireless Internet are responsible for the leisure of guests. Lunch, represented by three courses, will cost 150-200 rubles here.

Canteen on 1st Magistralnaya Street

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

"Village"

What, in your opinion, should be the dining room in Moscow? If you like a tasty meal, go to the dining room at the metro station "Semenovskaya" - "Derevnya". A place where traditions in the preparation of dishes of native Russian cuisine are honored. Here you can taste rich cabbage soup, boiled potatoes with herbs, porridge, pancakes with various fillings. Everything is very accessible.

Summing up

We proved to you that even in the center of the capital you can find noteworthy establishments where you can eat quite inexpensively (within 250 rubles). Be sure to check out one of these places: maybe it will become your regular lunch place. And if you want something special, visit the main dining room in 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, drink a glass of soda with syrup. And what is the best dining room in Moscow - it's up to you to decide.

Dmitry Baranov has consistently become disillusioned with several intellectual professions and has decided to make money from food. The network of canteens "Tsatsa" opened by him brought in more than 30 million rubles. revenue in 2016

Dmitry Baranov (Photo: Vladislav Shatilo / RBC)

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

In a little 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 Catering 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,” Myasnikova says. 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. (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 - CorpusGroup, Concord, Sodex, Fusion Management, OMC - and several dozen individual entrepreneurs. Most of them specialize in commercial services - meals in business centers, offices, technology parks, factories, a smaller one - in the social sphere, that is, provides medical and school meals, says Vladimir Nikitin, head of the public relations department at Fusion Management (manages more than a hundred catering facilities of various formats).

"Bad publicist"

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 a nearby street, dreaming of buying a radio-controlled car.

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

Baranov did not see a future for himself at the counter, but he fell in love 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 swam like a log, and I didn’t really think about the future,” recalls Baranov. “For ten years in the profession, I managed to understand that a bad PR person came out of me - 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 buffet on the ground floor of the university was packed to capacity. “Then in that area, near Kurskaya, there weren’t so many catering points, people really had nowhere to go,” Dmitry recalls. He agreed with the vice-rector of the university for youth policy, found the first bakery in Yandex, ordered 100 pies and brought them to the lobby the next day. All sold out in a few minutes. The next day, Baranov ordered 400 pies, took an old military thermos of 20 liters from a friend, into which he poured tea. The students also dismantled this game in one break. “I held ten thousand rubles in my hands, earned in 15 minutes, and thought: “Dima, what kind of PR?” the businessman laughs. Dmitry finished experimenting with pies on this, but he realized that you can make good money in catering.

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

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

Feed the students

A case came to the rescue. A friend of his wife, who taught at the Goethe Institute, told Dmitry that the institute plans to change the catering organizer due to the poor quality of services. In October 2014, Baranov applied to participate in the tender and unexpectedly won. “I just offered quality food at reasonable prices,” he recalls.

The conditions seemed very attractive - preferential rent and the absence of competitors. True, the contract with Baranov lay on the shelf for a year and a half. Europe just imposed 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 site. “In just a couple of days, a person was found, a top manager in a large state-owned bank, who was ready to give money to implement the idea,” recalls Baranov. He undertook not to disclose the name of the investor. Borrowed at 30% per annum, he paid a million in eight months. It turned out that there are a lot of people who are ready to invest in public catering.

Some equipment remained from the former dining room in the room, but the main equipment - a combi steamer, a sink, refrigerators, a washing machine and a distribution line - had to be bought. This is where the bulk of the money went. Baranov decided not to hire specialists and figure it all out himself. “It was a big mistake,” Dmitry admits. - For example, I also planned to launch food delivery in the area, without calculating the power for electricity and space. In the end, we simply had nowhere to put the 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 the euro, 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 people came to the canteen.

To save on payroll, Baranov initially hired cooks from Central Asia. However, they soon had to be abandoned - low qualifications and "difficulties in translation" interfered. Dmitry recalls how he once asked a cook "with five years of experience": "Chop the carrots." “After half an hour I come to the kitchen, Farida’s eyes wander along the walls, a handful of carrots in her hands: “Head, I found carrots, I didn’t find them,” Dmitry laughs.

Staff is one of the biggest troubles for canteen owners, confirms Sergei Mironov, founder of the consulting agency RestConsult and the Meat & Fish restaurant chain. According to him, it is difficult to lure highly qualified employees to such points - canteens are considered a non-prestigious place. But Baranov decided not to save 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 O.G.I. Dmitry Itskovich. According to him, food in canteens should resemble homemade food, “without frills, but with variety,” and fit into the daily budget of visitors. “The check is higher than 210-220 rubles. canteen customers usually can't digest it anymore and switch to side dishes and salads, he says. “In this area, it’s wiser to work not on margin, but on volume.” In the canteens of O.G.I. the average check ranges from 130 to 215 rubles, the cost is about 35% of the final price of the dish.

The customer comes to the dining room 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 expenses for a complex 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. “A lunch break is always a massive influx of visitors. The owner must be ready for this, think over the work schedule of the cooks and properly organize the distribution,” says Elena Myasnikova from the Russian University of Economics. G.V. Plekhanov.

Purity check

To open a canteen, you must comply with the requirements of the inspection services. First of all, the opening of the dining room must be reported to Rospotrebnadzor and undergo an inspection by the fire safety service, Olga Avvakumova, an expert at the Kontur.Elba service, warns. Small businesses are exempted from scheduled inspections until December 31, 2018; Rospotrebnadzor, the fire service, Rostekhnadzor, Rosselkhoznadzor and others must notify about unscheduled visits 24 hours in advance. Checks on the applications of consumers are carried out without notice.

Most often, owners of catering establishments are punished for non-compliance with sanitary and epidemiological standards. We are talking not only about the quality of products or cooked dishes, but also about the arrangement and maintenance of the premises, says lawyer Andrey Bezryadov. For violation of the rules, an 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.

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

“One canteen is not a business”

There were no conditions for accommodating a full-cycle production at the Goethe Institute, so Baranov ordered the preparation of dishes for Tsatsa at the kitchen factory. The menu was not rich. Such a scheme ate up about 40% of the margin, which is why the cost of dishes was too high. Baranov realized that in order to get a 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. The search for a point led him to the Academy of Social Management, when through acquaintances he learned that the leadership of the academy was dissatisfied with the operator of the local canteen.

He opened the first point in ASOU in March 2016, in April and May two more appeared in the branches. “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 game is worth the candle: rental rates in universities are usually lower than in shopping, business centers and street outlets, and the flow of customers practically does not stop.

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

It was one of the canteens in the ASOU, near the Babushkinskaya metro station, that became the most profitable in the Baranov network. For an incomplete year, net profit from it amounted to 3.7 million rubles. “I drove out the cockroaches and rats, hired good cooks, and things went well,” he says. “The traffic is crazy: adult solvent people, teachers from all over the region, who spend the whole day in the building, take courses there.” The very first point in the academy is now working in a small plus (900 thousand rubles in profit for an incomplete year), the second was brought to zero only after the New Year. The dining room at the Goethe Institute also went into plus - in 2016 it brought the entrepreneur 1.8 million rubles. arrived.

Photo: Vladislav Shatilo / RBC

Having run 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, and the investments did not justify themselves: the traffic turned out to be small. Peace Park brought 600 thousand rubles in two months of work. proceeds, Baranov hopes to recoup the point by next January. Already at the beginning of the new year, I had to move out of Nizhny Novgorod - the point did not bring profit.

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

By the beginning of 2017, Baranov found a suitable place to launch his own production - this is a 700 sq. m on the territory of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The purchase of equipment and the organization of the process was carried out by the brand chef of the company Alexander Yastrebov. Baranov realized that one cannot do 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 hot meals to all Tsatsa canteens - 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 pastries in small volumes. According to Dmitry, the proceeds from the work of production "on the side" 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, as is customary to think: if you run a restaurant, guests come to you. If the dining room - then cattle. But if you stop seeing people as rednecks, then they will be drawn to you.”