I will be visiting Moscow for a week next month and would like to bring our friends(expats) a gift from home, something they really can't get there. Any ideas? (no kids) We'll be staying in their apt, so would also like to take them to dinner at a nice place, not necessarily extravagant, but more fun.

Re: Starbucks in Russia, from the Moscow Times. Starbucks has been for some time engaged in a trademark dispute in Russia.



themoscowtimes.com/stories/041.html

Moscow is a large international capital and fairly cosmopolitan so they can buy most of the things there that you find here in the U.S., all the well-known name brands, European designers, etc. You might think of looking for something that is handcrafted in your own region or specifically a local product found only where you live.

Hi, nichinchic,

you can take your hosts to dinner to one of Uzbek places in Moscow, they offer more fun and are quite fashionable (Kavkazskaya plennitsa, Uzbekistan or Vostochnyi kvartal in declining order of costliness).

Also popular are fusion places like Noa, Goa, etc. They also offer some entertainment.

If you prefer a more club-type environment, the best place to visit is, perhaps, Real McCoy.

To get good seats booking is essential for all the places above.

Enjoy your trip

Thanks for all the help. My friend suggested that she would like Starbucks coffee beans, I guess I just assumed from the kenmartinlegal post that they had them there. Restaurant suggestions are great, I always like a good picture opportunity, thanks Pupsa maybe we'll try a Noa, Goa place. I love the watch idea to bring gifts back from Dimitryvulcan.

http://www.google.com/search?sourceidnavclient&ieUTF-8&rlsRNWE,RNWE:2004-53,RNWE:en&qstarbucksrussia

As an idea, Irecently discovered that American people like Russia made watches. For example the trade mark POLJT. You can find the variety of models and can visit the store at the watch factory.



The "POLJOT" shop is located right next to the "First Moscow Watch Factory".

Only here you can purchase "POLJOT" chronorgraphs and clocks at affordable prices.

It is located next to metro-stations "Proletarskaya" and "Krestyanskaya Zastava",

exit onto Vorontsovskaya st., from here on its a three minutes walk to Novoselskaya st.



As for trendy place to visit and to have a good time and dinner, I would recommend VOGUE cafe. The prices are average but make sure you have the well advance reservation for this spot.

It is also a place where you can encounter Russian celebrities and youngsters visit it very often. Overall the style of the cafe is very unusual for Moscow.



Another, but may be more expensive option is cafe Pushkin. Located inthe center it represents the high style of service and authentic Russian cusine with the most remarkable interiors. It is also crowded all the time and open 24 hours. The reservationis essential.

Hi nicinchic,

just not to misinform you

Noa and Goa are different places. I prefer Noa since it's more intimately structured, Goa is more modernist style. Cuisine is fusion in both places. Near Noa there is another popular and funny place - Tinkoff brewery. They have a huge glass wall through which you see the brewing tanks. But it's more a beer place than gourmet.

Enjoy