Saint Basil's Cathedral, Moscow, Russia - photo by travelingmipo under CC BY 2.0
Saint Basil's Cathedral, Moscow, Russia - photo by travelingmipo under CC BY 2.0

Anthony Bourdain Russia: All Of The Restaurants Picked On Parts Unknown

Because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, information regarding these locations is difficult to come by. The information in this blog post might be outdated.

The great Anthony Bourdain left his mark everywhere he went. When his death was announced to the world in June 2018, media throughout the globe chimed in and listed all the great things he had done for their respective country. Whereas before, tourists would shy away from exotic foods, thanks to him, travellers now go the extra mile to find and try local bites. With this in mind, here are all the restaurants Bourdain visited and the dishes he tasted when he shot Anthony Bourdain Russia for his show, Parts Unknown Season 3 Episode 6 (originally aired May 11, 2014):

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DISH – Zakuski – Anthony Bourdain Russia

WHAT IS IT?

Zakuski are the Russian versions of Spanish tapas. They can be cold hors d’oeuvres, snacks or entrées, intended to be consumed following a shot of vodka.

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WHERE IS IT?

Metropol Hotel
Teatral’nyy Proyezd, 2
Moscow, Russia

ANTHONY BOURDAIN RUSSIA NOTES

At the Metropol Hotel, Anthony Bourdain had vodka and zakuski with Zamir Gotta. They had blinis (small Russian pancakes), Astrakhan caviar, salted cucumber with honey, smoked Baltic sprats with beetroot and frozen muksun (Siberian whitefish) with Maldon salt and pepper.

DISH – Borscht and Pelmeni – Anthony Bourdain Russia

WHAT IS IT?

Borscht is a chunky, hardy soup of beets and cabbage broth with chunks of meat. Pelmeni refers to minced beef dumplings served on a pillow of cabbage with sour cream.

WHERE IS IT?

Yornik Restaurant
Bolshaya Gruzinskaya St., 69
Moscow, Russia

ANTHONY BOURDAIN RUSSIA NOTES

Anthony Bourdain witnessed a modern riff on Borscht at the Yornik Restaurant. Instead of the chunky soup, his Borscht came in a puree with the meat in a deconstructed presentation. Yornik is no longer in operation.
Unfortunately, this restaurant has closed its doors.

DISH – Solyanka – Anthony Bourdain Russia

WHAT IS IT?

Also spelled Soljanka, this is a soup of sturgeon, salmon, olives and lemon.

WHERE IS IT?

night train ride from Moscow to St. Petersburg on the Grand Express Train
Sheremet’yevskaya Ulitsa, 85с1
Moscow, Russia

ANTHONY BOURDAIN RUSSIA NOTES

In Parts Unknown – Russia, Anthony Bourdain seemed to have a great time traveling overnight by train to Saint Petersburg. His dinner on the train consisted of blini with caviar, cold pickled herring and potatoes, and Solyanka.

DISH – Russian Fusion Cuisine – Parts Unknown Russia

WHAT IS IT?

Russian Fusion Cuisine mixes Russian culinary traditions with those of other cultures. For example, a Russian fusion take on sushi introduces the use of traditional Russian black bread instead of rice.

WHERE IS IT?

Cococo
Voznesensky Ave, 6
Saint Petersburg, Russia

ANTHONY BOURDAIN RUSSIA NOTES

Anthony Bourdain was treated to Chef Igor Grishechkin’s version of sushi at Cococo. Instead of rice, traditional Russian black bread was used with sprats, mackerel, cod liver and salmon caviar. He also had a dish of pearl barley, and lightly smoked raw beef topped with quail egg.

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