I must say right away: the restaurant critic in me died back in the 6th grade (buried under tons of smazhenok with mayonnaise and crushed Rollton, which we nibbled at every break). Therefore, this review does not aim to tell you about the high Minsk cuisine. There will be a kind of guide for tourists – where to eat in the center of Minsk, and which places to pay attention to first.
I’ll tell you:
- Where can I get two burgers for the price of one?
- And in which restaurants should I look for inexpensive beer?
- Where to go for an interesting evening program (without spending astronomical funds)?
- And where can I go for lunch with a child?
Read more about all this and much more. But first, a little practical information that will be useful to you during your trip to Minsk.
Useful preface
You can find good housing in different cities of Belarus on these two sites:
- One
- Two.
The first is an alternative to AIRBNB, where there are many inexpensive apartments for a day. The other is a kind of analogue of Booking, which collects hotels and inns in its catalog.
To navigate in the city – use the free offline navigator MAPS.me . And see the public transport schedule (and find a suitable route) you can use the websitekogda.by .
As a self-promotion, I also recommend that you read this review, with a story about the most interesting locations in Minsk. From it you will learn about colorful courtyards and free viewing platforms, cool SPA hotels and haunted mansions. In general, there are a lot of interesting things there, for which it is worth opening an article in the next tab right now. In the meantime, I will return to the main topic of our article and tell you about the world of Minsk catering. So…
Where to eat in the center of Minsk: inexpensive or even free
I’m talking about the Irish pub Dead Rabbits. Address – Karl Marx, 21.
The menu includes burgers, meat, beer on taps, popular British dishes, original desserts, etc. The establishment has its own lunch menu and a 6-course breakfast menu.
Prices are average.
Why is it worth coming here? For the sake of hearty breakfasts and lots of “1+1” promotions. Two burgers for the price of one (Mon), two steaks for the price of one (Tue), two beers for the price of one (Wed) and so on.
Full irish breakfast, 22 BYN
Shakshuka made from a mixture of tomatoes, sweet peppers, fragrant onions and eggs, 18 BYN.
The most interesting action takes place here on Sundays. It’s called the Fortune Cube. Its essence is simple: each table can roll a special die once and receive a guaranteed gift. It can be an author’s cocktail, a glass of beer, a certificate for a free lunch, or even a complete closure of the account.
For more information, go to Instagram @deadrabbitspub.
Where to go with your child, and where to listen to music in the evening?
Go to “Concourse“. This is not a specific restaurant, but rather a gastronomic space. In the center there is a stage where live concerts, quizzes and performances for children are constantly held. And around the perimeter there are several dozen small shops with a variety of food (unsurprisingly, mostly Asian).
Prices are like in an average institution. But with the proper level of arrogance, you can come here “with your own”. No one is tracking this.
The main feature of this place is a rich program of events. Posters are published on the websitekonkors.by . At the same time, all concerts, stand-ups and children’s shows are absolutely free.
I usually go here with my daughter (although I would not call this place any kind of emphatically childish). Here is a photo of one of the Sunday matinees. There was also an aquagrim, and a dinosaur chase, and a soap bubble show.
Address: Bobruisk, 6, Galileo shopping center (right next to the railway and bus station).
Atmosphere, cocktails and DJ sets
If your heart is asking for something more refined, then go to the restaurant “Pinkie Bandinski“. It’s never cheap here, but this place is worth the money.
There are beautiful breakfasts, a pleasant atmosphere, and a cozy terrace for summer evenings…
A separate feature of the institution is the author’s cocktails and DJ sets on Fridays and Saturdays. Admission is free. But the price tag for food and drinks is pretty decent.
Address Komsomolskaya 13a.
Where to have a drink and a snack (inexpensive, but tasteful)?
Go to a bar called Rose Gose. Of all the good establishments in Minsk, where I regularly come, it is here that you can find the cheapest draft beer. The price is 4 BYN per half liter. The menu also includes sets of different tinctures, whiskey, vermouths, wines and other varieties of firewater.
In addition, delicious breakfasts are also prepared in this institution. The lunch menu is also not bad. My wife and I come here quite often.
Address: Kozlova, 3 (metro station Victory Square).
An institution with arch-cheap breakfasts
The coffee shop is called Demi Coffee Brewers. And it is here that they serve almostthe cheapest breakfasts in Minsk. The scheme is as follows: you come on a weekday (before 12 a.m.) and for 15 BYN you get a cappuccino + any breakfast from the menu. The price is fixed. But to be honest, the breakfasts themselves are small.
You can view all the details on the website @demicoffeebrewers.
The address of the institution: Karl Marx, 17.
Inexpensive institution on the avenue
English breakfast for 16 BYN. Eggs benedict for 14. And cheesecakes for 12.60. All this cafe is “Bees” at Independence, 18. For details, see the website pchely.by . The prices here are lower than in chain establishments. And the atmosphere is pleasant.
Where to eat meat?
Take a look at a restaurant called “Smokehouse“. It’s not particularly cheap there, and the Yakub Kolas metro station can only be called the “center” with a certain degree of conditionality. But the place itself is good and their meat is “yak may byts”.
It has its own smokehouse, an Argentine grill and many kinds of a wide variety of steaks, burgers and ribs. There is also a lunch menu in the restaurant. Prices can be viewed on the website smokebbq.by .
Address: Gikalo, 7 (metro station Yakub Kolas Square).
Sushi sets for 4 BYN
You can find them on the 6th floor of the mall “Galleria Minsk”. The trick of the project is that the cost of sushi is constantly changing and every hour some new promotion starts. You can buy a sushi set for 4 rubles from 15:50 to 16:00, as well as from 21:50 to 22:00. At this time, there will be a huge queue near the counter. Therefore, come at least 15 minutes in advance. The rest of the time, the discounts are more modest. Details are shown in the picture below.
Where to find a good street food?
Here I can recommend you two sites: “The best street” and “Sandbox“. Both are examples of how old factories and factories are turning into popular gastronomic spaces.
Graffiti appears on the gray walls, and next to them are various trailers and shops with street food. Prices are quite low everywhere. Plus, there are always movie nights, free concerts and other moves (like pot painting workshops or salsa lessons).
You can find these locations at the following addresses:
- The best street is the Luch factory building, a 5–minute walk from Moskovskaya metro station.
- “Sandbox” – the territory of the Horizon plant (Kuibyshev, 45). First you need to get to the Victory Square metro station, and then take two more stops on tram No. 3 or No.5.
Cheap and sweet
There are several establishments of the Kommunarka factory in the center of Minsk at once. They proudly call themselves “Coffee Shops”, but envious people (like me) call them a strange hybrid of a store and an inexpensive dining room.
There is no place there all the time. Someone is constantly standing over the soul (trying to quickly throw his candybober on the vacant table). But the prices there are absolutely ridiculous. The menu includes coffee, hot chocolate, tea, cakes and inexpensive alcohol.
The addresses in the center are Pobediteley Avenue, 7 and Independence Avenue,19.
If you want to take a break while walking around the city, drink tea with marshmallows or treat your grandfather with a glass of herbal tincture – these establishments will become your oasis of penny prices and Soviet flavor.
Breakfasts in the atmosphere of an art gallery
I’m talking about cafe “Ogonek” in the art space “Flame Place” at Masherov, 9. Once it was just an old factory building. And today it is a full–fledged gallery, where film screenings, exhibitions, mini-concerts and other activities are regularly held. Most of them can be visited for a small donation.
The restaurant part occupies about a third of the total area. In terms of food, there is nothing special (there are breakfasts, coffee with pastries and its own bar). But the atmosphere there is cool. Where else in Minsk will you find a cafe with a glowing dragon flying under the ceiling?
Look for the poster of exhibitions and events on Instagram @flameplace_. Be sure to check there before going, as most of the exhibitions are temporary.
Shawarma, pizza and assorted discounts
As I said, this article is not for culinary gourmets, but rather for tourists who come to Minsk.
Therefore, I will now with a clear conscience advise you shawarma.
Among all Minsk establishments, my favorite is the chainPapa dener“. If you need a quick snack or order room service in the evening, you can contact them (they have a lot of outlets in various parts of the city). And with the promo code “PAPA” you can get a 30% discount on the first order (via the mobile app).
Their competitors from the Tasty Food network have the same promotion. There they give a 25% discount for the first order in the mobile application.
As for pizza, here I know about some interesting promotions.
- Domino’s has a 1+1 promotion on Tuesdays (when ordering two pizzas, you only pay for one);
- And the Pizza Tempo chain has a similar promotion almost all week (from Monday to Thursday). When ordering two pizzas, the “second” one will cost only 3 rubles.
That’s all. I honestly told you everything I knew. I hope my article helped you decide on the establishments and decide for yourself where to eat in the center of Minsk.
As a final chord, I will place here more links to popular gastronomic excursions.
- Here is an inexpensive walk through the farmer’s market, during which you can taste craft cheese, exclusive types of bread, sausages, and fish from Belarusian lakes.
- And here is a quest tour of Minsk bars, during which you can get drunk in a fun and unusual way.
That’s exactly it now. If you liked the article, write me a nice comment below. It’s not for nothing that I wiped all my fingers on the laptop keyboard?
