Cafe Pushkin Moscow opened on 4 June 1999 in a Baroque-style mansion on Tverskoy Boulevard, a short walk from Pushkin Square. Cafe Pushkin takes its name from a Gilbert Bécaud song about a Parisian-style cafe in Moscow that did not exist until the restaurateur Andrei Dellos made it real.
The ground floor looks like an old pharmacy, and the upper rooms are a library, a fireplace hall and more, serving Russian and French dishes in the style of a 19th-century noble house. This guide explains the halls, the menu and the practical details.
Quick Facts
| Russian name | Кафе Пушкинъ |
|---|---|
| Address | Tverskoy Boulevard 26A, Tverskoy District, Moscow, Russia OpenStreetMap · Google Maps |
| District | Tverskoy |
| Metro | Pushkinskaya (Line 7 (Tagansko-Krasnopresnenskaya, purple), about 3 to 5 minutes on foot (one source)) Tverskaya (Line 2 (Zamoskvoretskaya, green), about 3 to 5 minutes on foot (one source)) Chekhovskaya (Line 9 (Serpukhovsko-Timiryazevskaya, gray), about 3 to 5 minutes on foot (one source)) |
| Opening hours | Several listings show Monday to Thursday 09:00–00:00 and Friday to Sunday open 24 hours, but another page shows 11:00–21:00 daily, so the hours are not certain.
(as of October 2026 – check the official site, cafe-pushkin.ru) |
| Admission | Entry is free. A listing gives a splurge-level average check (₽₽₽₽) per person; the menu prices change, so check the official menu. |
| Best time to visit | Weekday afternoons are likely to be calmer, and evenings and weekends are the busiest, but this was not verified.
The terrace is open in warm months, and the interior suits a cold or wet day. |
| Recommended duration | 1.5–2 hours |
| Cuisine | Russian and French, in a 19th-century style |
| Price level | €€€€ |
| Reservations | Booking by phone or through the website is listed; the rules and the window were not verified, so check the official site. |
| Website | cafe-pushkin.ru |
| Last updated | October 6, 2026 |
Why Visit Cafe Pushkin?
Cafe Pushkin is one of the best-known restaurants of Moscow, built in 1999 to recreate the setting of a nobleman’s house of the early 19th century. The ground floor is a pharmacy, with a bar decorated with scales, jars and chandeliers, and the upper floors have a library with antique books, a fireplace hall and more.
The menu is Russian and French, with dishes such as borscht, blini with caviar and beef stroganoff, in the style of the period.
It has a story: a French singer’s song of 1964 described a Café Pouchkine in Moscow that did not exist, and it was the song that inspired the restaurant. The singer sang at the opening.
Highlights of Cafe Pushkin
The Pharmacy hall
The ground floor is decorated as an old pharmacy.
The bar looks like the workshop of an apothecary, with scales, glass jars and chandeliers.
Tip: Look at the bar and its shelves; it is the most photographed room.
The Library hall
The upper floor is a library, with shelves of antique books, and instruments such as telescopes and a globe.
It is decorated in the style of a nobleman's study of the early 19th century.
Tip: Ask for a table in the Library if you want a long, quiet meal.
The Fireplace hall and the other rooms
Besides the Pharmacy and the Library, the restaurant has a Fireplace hall, a Mezzanine and a greenhouse, and a terrace in warm months.
One source counts four floors.
Tip: Ask for the room when you book; the rooms differ in style.
The Baroque mansion
The building is described as designed in the Moscow Baroque style, with a facade that is lit up in the evening.
Sources differ on whether the house is original or a recreation on the site of a demolished estate.
Tip: Look at the facade from the boulevard before you go in.
The Bécaud story
The restaurant is named after a song of 1964 by Gilbert Bécaud, which mentioned a Café Pouchkine that did not exist.
He sang the song at the opening on 4 June 1999.
Tip: Look for the references to the story on the menu and in the rooms.
Russian and French classics
The menu includes dishes such as borscht, Olivier salad, blini with caviar and beef stroganoff, with desserts such as a honey cake.
The menu changes, so check the current one.
Tip: Order a few dishes to share, since the portions are for a full meal.
What to Order
- Beef Stroganoff, a classic dish of beef in a creamy sauce
- Borscht, the beetroot soup
- Olivier salad, the classic Russian salad
- Blini, pancakes served with caviar
- Honey cake, a popular dessert
- The Gzhel dessert, named after the blue-and-white ceramics
Atmosphere
The rooms are dark and warm, with wood panelling, antique chandeliers and shelves of books. Waiters in period dress move between the tables, and the sound is quiet conversation and cutlery.
Couples, families and groups of visitors fill the tables, and the restaurant is busy in the evening and at weekends.
In the Pharmacy hall at the bar the light is lower and the feeling is more like a bar, and in the Library hall upstairs the pace is slower.
History of Cafe Pushkin
In the 1960s the French singer Gilbert Bécaud sang a song, Nathalie, that mentions a Café Pouchkine in Moscow. The cafe did not exist, and for decades French visitors looked for it in vain.
The idea of making it real belongs to Andrei Dellos, an artist and restaurateur of Franco-Russian roots, who had opened his first restaurant, Bochka, in 1996.
Cafe Pushkin opened on 4 June 1999, in a Baroque-style mansion on Tverskoy Boulevard, and Bécaud sang his song at the opening. The place was chosen for its link with the poet Alexander Pushkin, who loved the boulevard, which opened in 1796 as a place for the Moscow nobility to stroll.
One source says that the restaurant was built on the site of a demolished estate of the Rimsky-Korsakov family, which means that the mansion is a later creation in an old style; other sources call it a historic house, so the point is disputed.
The interiors recreate a noble house of the early 19th century, with a Pharmacy on the ground floor and a Library above.
The group of Dellos, called Maison Dellos, later opened a patisserie of the same name in 2006 and a cafe in the Printemps department store in Paris in 2010.
Today Cafe Pushkin is a working restaurant, one of the best known in Moscow.
Reservations and Ordering at Cafe Pushkin
Reservations are listed by phone, at +7 495 739-00-33, and through the website cafe-pushkin.ru. The booking rules, how far ahead to book and whether walk-in guests are seated were not verified; at busy times, evenings and weekends, booking in advance is sensible.
- Payment: whether foreign bank cards work was not verified, so carry rubles in cash as well.
- Delivery and takeaway: not verified.
Prices are in rubles, with a splurge-level average check (₽₽₽₽) per person in one listing; check the official menu on cafe-pushkin.ru for the current dishes and prices.
Find and Order: Cafe Pushkin
How to Get to Cafe Pushkin
Cafe Pushkin is at Tverskoy Boulevard 26A, in the Tverskoy District, in the center of Moscow.
- Metro: Pushkinskaya (Line 7, purple), Tverskaya (Line 2, green) and Chekhovskaya (Line 9, gray) are about 3 to 5 minutes on foot, according to one source.
The entrance is on Tverskoy Boulevard; walk along the boulevard from Pushkin Square. The exact exits were not verified, so check a map. Taxis can drop you on the boulevard.
Accessibility
Accessibility details were not confirmed. The restaurant is in a mansion with several floors, and the availability of lifts, ramps and step-free access, in particular to the Library on the upper floor, was not verified. Contact the restaurant before you book if you need step-free access.
Food Nearby
Tverskoy Boulevard, Tverskaya Street and the streets around Pushkin Square have many cafes and restaurants. Specific venues were not verified, so check opening hours before you go.
What to Bring
Bring some rubles in cash as well as a card, and smart casual clothes, since the setting is formal; the dress code was not verified.
Photography Rules
Photography rules were not confirmed. Photos of the rooms are common, but check with the staff, and be considerate of the other guests, especially in the Library. Drone rules in Moscow are strict, especially in the center, and change.
Family Suitability
Families do eat here, and the setting is an adventure for children, but the restaurant is formal and the prices are high, so it suits older children best. Strollers may be difficult on the stairs, and lift access was not confirmed. A children's menu was not verified.
Moscow Vibes Tips
- Ask for the room when you book: the Pharmacy is the most photographed, and the Library upstairs is quieter.
- Walk along Tverskoy Boulevard from Pushkin Square to see the facade, which is lit up in the evening.
- Share a few dishes instead of ordering one each; the portions are for a full meal.
- Look at the menu online first, since prices are high and dishes change.
- Combine the visit with a walk on the boulevard and a look at Pushkin Square.
- Do not confuse it with the patisserie or the cafes of the same name; they are different places, some in other cities.
Make an Outing of Your Visit to Cafe Pushkin
Cafe Pushkin is within walking distance of places that pair well with a meal. A simple way to build the outing:
Before or after your meal
State Central Museum of Contemporary History of Russia Moscowabout 350 m away (~5 min walk) · typical visit: About 1.5 to 2 hoursMain image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Chekhov Moscow Art Theatreabout 700 m away (~11 min walk) · typical visit: About 3 hours for a performanceMain image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Moscow Museum of Modern Artabout 750 m away (~12 min walk) · typical visit: About 1.5 to 2 hours per venueMain image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Time needed: plan about 7.5–9 hours for the whole outing, including the meal (roughly 1–1.5 hours), the places above and the walking between them.
Explore Nearby Cafe Pushkin
Metro stations near Cafe Pushkin
Pushkinskaya Metro Stationabout 250 m away (~4 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Tverskaya Metro Stationabout 200 m away (~3 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Chekhovskaya Metro Stationabout 350 m away (~6 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Restaurants and cafes near Cafe Pushkin
Turandotabout 50 m away (~1 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Pafosabout 100 m away (~2 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Loonaabout 150 m away (~3 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Grabliabout 250 m away (~4 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Nightlife near Cafe Pushkin
Craft Republicabout 200 m away (~3 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
The Hat Moscowabout 350 m away (~6 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Hotels near Cafe Pushkin
Standart Hotel Moscowabout 250 m away (~4 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Parradosso Boutique Hotelabout 400 m away (~7 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
InterContinental Moscow Tverskayaabout 450 m away (~7 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Events and traditions near Cafe Pushkin
Pushkin Day and Russian Language Day in Moscowabout 200 m away (~3 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Moscow Tea Party Festivalabout 400 m away (~7 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
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Browse more: More in Tverskoy · All Restaurants · All Russian Cuisine
FAQ: Cafe Pushkin
When did Cafe Pushkin open?
On 4 June 1999, in a Baroque-style mansion on Tverskoy Boulevard.
Is the house where the poet lived?
No. The restaurant is named after the poet, but it opened in 1999, and sources differ on whether the building is original.
What kind of food is served?
Russian and French dishes in a 19th-century style, such as borscht, blini with caviar and beef stroganoff.
How much does it cost?
A listing gives a splurge-level average check (₽₽₽₽) per person; check the official menu for current prices.
Do I need to book?
Booking by phone or the website is listed; the rules were not verified, and booking is sensible at busy times.
What are the rooms?
A Pharmacy on the ground floor, a Library upstairs, a Fireplace hall, a Mezzanine and a greenhouse, and a terrace in warm months.
Which metro station is nearest?
Pushkinskaya, Tverskaya and Chekhovskaya are all about 3 to 5 minutes on foot, according to one source.
Is it open 24 hours?
Some listings say it is open around the clock from Friday to Sunday, others give shorter hours; check the official site.
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Last updated: October 6, 2026. Found an error or something out of date? Report it and we will check and fix it.
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