TO EAT
S.CARDINAL
About
Humbly called a coffeehouse, this place is actually a fine dining restaurant serving the most original dishes in town. The restaurant was named after the Great Dane dog which once discovered in the streets of Tambov and later became the tallest species of its breed and won many international awards and was petted by Queen Elizabeth II herself. The cuisine is predominantly Russian with a modern twist, and there's a small section in the menu with Caucasian dishes. The chef of the restaurant Dmitry Azarov studied in the culinary schools in Japan and France, and later worked with a celebrity chef Nobu Matsuhisa.
Info
20/5 Kommunalnaya St. (ул. Коммунальная, д. 20/5)
+7 4752 49 35 49
Go to Website (only in Russian)
Mon-Thu, Sun 12pm-12am, Fri-Sat 12pm-2am
Menu in English
English-speaking staff
Best for lunch/dinner
Order this: Poltava borscht with smoked prunes; new style Olivier salad with apples, salmon, and black caviar; 1904-style Olivier salad with quail, shrimps, red caviar and pistachio nuts.
GRENOK
ГРЕНОК
About
A cozy underground restobar with tasty food and a good range of homemade liqueurs and infusions. It's a good place either for a hearty lunch or an evening drink. The menu is varied with both Russian dishes, and pasta, steaks and burgers. The name of the café means 'toast' in Russian, and toasts they make from all kinds of bread and with all sorts of toppings. Try them with wonderful homemade liqueurs with various berries and spices or a shot of a more hadrcore horseradish vodka (hrenovukha), pine moonshine or snowball cognac.
Info
146/11 Karla Marxa St. (ул. Карла Маркса, д. 146/11)
+7 4752 49 35 21
Go to Website (only in Russian)
Mon-Sun 11am-1am
Best for lunch/dinner/drink
Order this: black bread and multigrain grenki (toasts) with various toppings; Astrakhan ukha (Russian fish soup); flatfish baked in white wine with bacon; peasant soup with meatballs, nettle and celery; homemade blackberry ratafia with vanilla; homemade cranberry liqueur with vodka.
SKAZKA
СКАЗКА
About
The oldest café in town, Skazka was founded in 1837 as a bakery and a café. Back then it was a truly luxurious tearoom with beautiful stucco on the walls and ceiling depicting exotic fruits and flowers. Locals came here to buy their famous French buns and the best desserts in town. In Soviet years, it was converted into a Soviet-style eatery, the stucco was removed, and only the façade and the gable with the year of its foundation reminded of its past. It is hard to explain but the Soviet eatery has survived pretty much untouched since the 1950-60s. The buffet, the old mirrors, the chandeliers, the tables and chairs are all from that period. As you may expect, the food hasn't changed either. It's still a super cheap self-service eatery with Soviet staples such as salads with mayo, cutlets and rich cabbage soups. They also serve a locally-made creamy ice cream plombir served in an ultimate Soviet way in a glass bowl with chocolate chips. Come here to immerse into Soviet history and train your palate for the Soviet food.
Info
13 Kommunalnaya St. (ул. Коммунальная, д. 13)
+7 4752 72 03 58
Mon-Sun 9am-11pm
Best for lunch/ice cream
Order this: Soviet ice cream plombir; Russian sour cabbage soup shchi; borscht; Vinegret salad with beetroot and pickles; Dressed herring salad with mayo and beetroot; open sandwich with pink salmon
BONGIORNO
About
Although they call themselves ‘the academy of freshly-brewed coffee’ they’re much more than that. They also have a bakery which makes excellent bread, pastry and cakes. Try their bun with sour cherries, it’s absolutely delicious! The coffee menu is large and varied, from classics to less common flat white, Raf coffee, cold brew, Chemex, Aeropress and Turkish coffee. If you’re looking for more exotic drinks, dare try their homemade fir tree drink. For hungry ones they offer several types of burgers, from classic and vegetarian to more creative ones which come with funny names such as the Dude’s Tears, the Morning Rush or the Bush’s Legs.
Info
34 Sovetskaya St. (ул. Советская, д. 34)
+7 475 250 95 00
Mon-Thu 8am-10pm, Fri 8am-12am, Sat-Sun 10am-10pm
Best for coffee/pastry/burgers
Order this: Fresh pine juice, Raf coffee, Cold brew, sour cherry bun, burgers
WOLF COFFEE
About
A new important addition to the Tambov coffee scene, Wolf Coffee was opened by coffee enthusiast from Moscow who actively participated in the Moscow coffee revolution. The café was named after the symbol of Tambov and possibly the only thing that many Russians know about Tambov - the wolf. Inside, there’re white walls and a large coffee world map, several wooden tables, a windowsill with cushions and a bar counter with a coffee machine, a record player and a bunch of old vinyls from the 1970s and 1980s. The list of drinks is very brief. They make espresso, cappuccino, latte, Raf coffee, Americano, and cocoa. The coffee is likely to be the best in Tambov, and the excellent location on the central Sovetskaya St. makes it a perfect spot to relax between the museum visits.
Info
90 Sovetskaya St. (ул. Советская, д. 90)
Mon-Fri 10am-7pm, Sat-Sun 10am-8pm
Best for coffee