For a foreigner, the term “business lunch” may not mean much or mean something that it does not really stand for in the Russian Federation. Here, the term is used to refer to certain restaurants’ lunchtime deals that allow you to sample their cuisine at a fraction of the cost. Anyone, not only those that work, can enjoy some such set menus for a limited time (often from noon to 4pm, weekdays) and figure out if they want to come back to this establishment for a dinner, perhaps for a more important occasion. My experience so far shows that most restaurants opt for this business model, so listing them all (or eating at them all) is not really feasible. Through a few “editions” of this guide (focusing on different cuisines each time) I will try to share a few decent places that offer these deals. It took me a decent amount of time to figure out where some of the best offers were made around the town, so it is my hope that these articles will be of some use for the uninitiated who wants to try all that Nizhny has to offer culinarily, without breaking the bank. Let us now start with a look at some Slavic/Eastern European classics that can be enjoyed with generous discounts during lunch hours.
Mama Doma – https://yandex.com/maps/-/CCUGECRCcB
This is your quintessential Russian eatery. Wardrobes welcome you to the restaurant, as well as a few extremely homey looking furniture. Staff is young, friendly, and professional. Menu is simple, but not in a “lazy” way. There are three salads to choose from, with one of them being either vegetarian or pescetarian. This is not a given in most restaurants where every dish includes some sort of meat. Main courses also seem to always include a vegetarian option, with another one being a pasta with a sauce, and the last option being some sort of a meat dish. You cannot pick your own sides as these dishes all come pre-paired. Soup was the only issue for me on the whole menu. You have to get the soup of the day, which can be a hit or miss. Drinks seem to change every now and then, and it too cannot be picked by the patron. In my case, I went with a “sea salad” (made up of some corn and imitation crab meat) and potato pancakes. Everything tasted fresh and “clean,” and “Russian.” It is difficult to explain what those last two really mean to those that never had Russian food. Let us just say that they are not very heavy on the use of spices, but you get used to that and actually start appreciating this style of cooking after a while, its “cleanness.” As of the time of this writing, the set below set me back by 400 roubles.
Veselaya Kuma – https://yandex.com/maps/-/CCUGECFl~B
Ah the irony… The best restaurant of this category (for me) has to be Veselaya Kuma, which is a Ukrainian eatery that serves fantastic food. Servers are older, which is a sight for sore eyes as I started to wonder whether people start firing them after a certain age here. They are as kind as it gets, and the menu is a bit more varied as well. You choose from three salads, two soups, and five main courses. One salad is always vegetarian. Meal selection may be the biggest here, turning this set deal into a small menu on its own right. You can often order Ukrainian dumplings with either potato or cabbage filling. You can also pick a chicken, fish, or beef centric dish. For the last three, you get to choose your own side dish to go alongside them, offering some extra flexibility for the patrons. For your drink, you can pick between kvass, that day’s juice, or tea. I paid 430 roubles for a Greek salad, borsch soup, “red fish” (which I assume was salmon) with vegetables alongside some roasted cheesy potatoes, and kvass.
Hot Pelmen – https://yandex.com/maps/-/CCUGECFRdC
This fine establishment focuses on mastering one dish, pelmeni. Their business lunch is a bit different in the sense that you do not get a soup, or a salad. You pick one of their eight pelmeni fillings and tell them whether you want the bigger or the smaller portion. One can also choose a free sauce to go alongside their dumplings, and there are plenty of sauces to pick from, nearing almost twenty. Obviously, due to the lack of a soup and a salad, prices are much cheaper here. You can be full for less than 200 roubles or go up to around 300 for the bigger portions. Being one of the cheaper spots that I have been to around town, located not so far away from the centre, and offering some decent pelmeni, I know that Hot Pelmen is one of those places that I will be frequenting as the time goes on.
