Your guide to the capital's Russian restaurants

Dining unprepared is always a ruski business, so make sure you know your stuff

One of Beijing’s closest neighbours in geography and history is a world away when it comes to food. If you’ve found your dumplings a little light lately or are craving some tongue on (ox) tongue action, get stuck in at one of Beijing’s Russian restaurants.

Moscow Restaurant

Borscht rating: 4/5 

Opened in 1954, perhaps in honour of Nikita Khrushchev’s first visit to China as leader of the USSR, Moscow Restaurant was the first foreign restaurant in Beijing, and it does not mess around. High ceilings, elephantine chandeliers, gilded portraits of Mother Russia and gold everything – dining in this ballroom of yesteryear is about as kitsch as it gets. The food also has a vintage feel, although with less entertaining results. The chicken galantine stuffed with mushrooms in a ‘Russian style’ (78RMB) is a cold mélange of various brown meats, while the ox tongue (86RMB) – also cold, also brown – will have you reaching for the vodka in no time. 

It’s not all bad news – the borscht (68RMB) here is served hot and sweet with braised cabbage and beetroot, and the smoked mackerel (78RMB), with its incongruous wasabi dipping sauce, is exactly what you expect from fish that’s been cured to oblivion. In short, Moscow Restaurant is a taste of faded glory all round, although one that’s easier on the eye than on the tongue. 35 Xizhimenwai Dajie, Xicheng district (6831 6758)

Little Birch Western Restaurant

Borscht rating: 2/5

Little Birch is certainly a throwback, but not to anywhere recognisably Soviet. Rather, it feels like a return to the Beijing of a few decades ago, where ‘western restaurant’ presumably meant ‘not Chinese’. We avoided the braised kangaroo tail on account of basic geography, and kicked proceedings off with a bolshy borscht (10RMB), which was tasty enough due to some robust spicing, but still faintly depressing.

Next, we had with two missile-shaped slabs of chicken kiev (42RMB), which splurted butter at us with more force than could reasonably be expected. At least the Russian red beer (28RMB) helped to wash everything down. 

Despite this, if you're in the area we'd recommend Little Birch for its time-warp potential – yes, the nosh is unpleasant, but the comedy inherent in a place as out-of-step with modern Beijing as this cannot be underestimated. If you’re after Moscow vibes by way of Twin Peaks head here, but expect more in the way of mild unease than laudable examples of the kind of grub babushka used to dish up. 24 Fuchengmenwai Daijie, Xicheng district (6858 2233)

Traktirr Pushkin

Borscht rating: 4/5

Modeled on a rural Russian log dwelling, or izba, Traktirr’s snuggly interior and doting service softens our idea of Russian hospitality with a warm, bucolic atmosphere we can see ourselves hunkering down in ‘til April – all just 100m north of Dongzhimen Nei Dajie. A safe space for Muscovites and Russophiles alike, Traktirr’s menu runs the traditional gamut from a delightfully stodgy Stroganoff (56RMB), to potato and pickled mushroom dumplings (22RMB), to that rare sweet spot in Soviet gastronomy where its three central virtues – quality, value and terror – culminate in something called a Man’s Prank Salad (20RMB). Traktirr Pushkin is a favourite amongst the capital’s naturalised Russians and a revelation for anyone struggling to hold weight. Pro tip: a mug of local beer will run you just 7RMB. 1A Xiyangguan Hutong, Dongcheng district (6403 1690)

Dacha

Borscht rating: 4.5/5

Located in the Russian stronghold by Ritan Park, Dacha’s immense premises, gift shop furniture, enormous dancefloor and stripper pole make it perhaps the most confusing Ukrainian-Russian eatery in Beijing. The menu here – a wooden-backed flip board that honestly weighs at least 2kg, is diverse, spanning a great many culinary traditions with items such as ‘Italian meat plateau’ (168RMB) and ‘Seafood assorty’ (278RMB). On this occasion, we plump for the intriguing duck and pumpkin baozi (three for 30RMB), which, accompanied by a full gravy boat of sour cream, are a rich proposition indeed. Indeed, they’re probably better suited to the inhospitable winters of deep Siberia, a gut-warming munch and a surprising vessel for the capital’s flagship fowl. In better news, the borscht (20RMB) here is gorgeous, and its modest-but-fair portion size will ensure you don’t over-dill yourself.  

On our visit the ‘entertainment’ was on hiatus, taking some time out to learn a new ‘routine’, though we were assured it will be back later this month, and so will we. Pro tip: like other Russian dairy products, Soviet sour cream is unbelievably rich. Go easy, comrades. 1 Ritan Lu (inside Ritan Hotel), Chaoyang district (8563 5765).

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