To be honest, the restaurant critic in me died back in 6th grade (buried under crushed Rollton, which we gnawed at every break). Therefore, this review does not aim to tell you about the high Belarusian cuisine. There will be a kind of guide for tourists to the most interesting and unusual restaurants in Minsk.
- Where can I find places with the most beautiful views of the city?
- And where do families with children go?
- Where can I listen to jazz for free in the evening?
- And in which bars should I look for the cheapest beer?
Read more about all this. 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.
For tourists, this is the easiest option. Also, many rental apartments can be found on various bulletin boards. Such as kufar.by , domovita and online.real estate. But a lot of things work there on the principle of “Call and negotiate.” Therefore, I personally like this option less.
If you usually choose hotels instead of apartments, then look through this selection of the cheapest hotels in Minsk. There are no “suites” there, but most of the options are quite decent.
As for navigation in the city – here I recommend the free application MAPS.me (which works well even without the internet). And see the public transport schedule (and find a suitable route) you can use the sites Kogda.by and Yandex Maps.
As a self-promotion, I also recommend you to read this review, with a story about the most interesting corners of 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…
4 establishments with an unusual interior (and concept)
Legendary. A coffee shop and a bar imbued with the theme of druids. In the morning, the establishment serves breakfast and makes coffee. And in the afternoon he switches to all kinds of cocktails.
The atmosphere is like in an elven forest. The menu includes original drinks and dishes tied to various mythological characters like goblins, herbalists and mermaids. Address – Revolutionary, 14. Details and prices – @legendar_minsk.
Platform 9 and ¾. The first institution in Minsk in the style of the Harry Potter world. The menu includes cream beer, Voldemort and cocoa kedavra. The interior features mismatched cauldrons, brooms, flying pixies and wizard hats. From time to time, the institution hosts themed events for Harry Potter fans. Address of the institution – Winners, 39. Find details and prices on social networks – coffee_taro9_3_4.
Sirius M. A space institution (with at least a space price level).
The interior is designed in the style of a forgotten planet – with swirling craters, burning strokes (comets?) under the ceiling and emerald fragments of meteorites. The menu includes the author’s fusion–style cuisine. The poster features DJ performances in the evenings, as well as instrumental (but no less cosmic) music. The address of the institution is Independence, 32a. You can check the prices in advance on social networks @sirius.m_minsk (but it’s better to stock up on corvalol before watching).
American Diner. A beautiful restaurant in the style of America in the 60s. The atmosphere is like in the TV series “Twin Peaks”, where Agent Dale Cooper ate cherry pies, washing them down with black coffee. Elvis Presley is in the columns. There are vintage posters of old Hollywood tapes on the walls.
Photo author Julia Akulich (@yuliyaakulich_ph). The model is Eliza Lipolts (@ellie.lipolts).
To be honest, the food there is pretty average. But the atmosphere itself is very cool. Therefore, for me, such restaurants in Minsk are like another small attraction.
Address on the map: October 19. Address on social networks: @americandinermnsk.
2 establishments with a rich cultural program
Flame Place. A coffee shop and a fairly large art venue in one person. Almost every day you can see the works of modern Belarusian artists there, watch art-house films or listen to light blues.
At the same time, you can get to most events for a small donation. The main thing before the trip, check the poster – for example, in social networks @flameplace_. The address of the institution is Masherova, 9, building 8.
Accidental Point. An institution that is open only in the evening. Jazz concerts, vintage sales and informal parties are almost constantly held here, where vinyl is played and excellent pizza is eaten.
The restaurant’s menu is relatively small – cocktails, sandwiches, salads, a couple of types of lemonades, coffee and fortified wines. But the music program is just great. There is literally everything here – from classical instrumental concerts to modern DJ sets, which you can get to for a small donation.
The author of the photo is @mash.buiko.
The address of the institution is Kalvariyskaya 21. For more information , see social networks: @accidentalpoint.
3 interesting street-food sites
Many interesting events are regularly held at popular street food venues. Namely:
- In the Sandbox;
- In the Lidbeer Yard;
- And on the best street.
These are three different locations, but conceptually they are extremely similar. All three are a good example of how dull factories and plants get a new lease of life by turning into popular ones.gastronomic spaces. Graffiti appears on the gray walls, and next to them are various trailers and shops with street food.
Plus, the venues themselves become a place for all kinds of activities – from movie nights and street concerts, to master classes, children’s performances and salsa lessons. You can get to all the events for free. The main thing is to check the current poster before the trip. And keep in mind that the sites themselves work only in the warm season (and usually even on New Year’s Eve).
How do I find all these places?
- The best street – the building of the Luch factory is a 5-minute walk from Moskovskaya metro station.
- “Sandbox” – the territory of the Horizont plant (Kuibyshev, 45). First you need to get to the metro station “Victory Square”, and then drive two more stops by tram number 3 or number 5. You can also walk here from the Trinity suburb.
- Lidbeer Yard. Yakuba Kolasa metro station. The playground is located behind the industrial buildings to the left of the Olymp Sports Center.
Internet addresses: @lidbeerdvor/@luchstreet/@pesochnica.minsk.
3+2 places to go with children
“The sandbox” and (especially) Lidbeer Yard are perfect for a trip with a child. The Grinch and Santa Clauses are constantly on duty in the Sandbox for the New Year. And in LD, almost every weekend they arrange free performances for children, various master classes and quests with animators.
In a separate line, I will tell you about the Concourse food mall (in the Gallileo shopping center). It’s about like the same “Sandbox”, only under the roof. Around the perimeter there are several dozen small shops with a variety of food (unsurprisingly, mostly Asian). And in the center there is a stage where live concerts, quizzes and performances for children are constantly held.
Of course, such activities do not take place around the clock. Therefore, I repeat again: check the schedule before your trip. Project website: konkors.by .
In a more stable format, children’s smiles are generated by the cafe “Dinosaur” (built into the entertainment center of the same name). The entrance fee is 25 BYN. Inside there is a children’s maze, laser tag, slot machines and rubber dinosaurs. On holidays, various animators also run into the light. But the gastronomic part of the project works according to the residual principle. The address of the institution: Prytytsky, 29 (Sportivnaya metro station).
Well, if you want to please the children with something sweet, take a look at Mousse confectionery at Belinsky 23. It is relatively small, but there are excellent pastries and a whole arsenal of themed desserts dedicated to various holidays.
Gingerbread snowmen – for the New Year, chocolate Pennywise for Halloween. You can see how it looks on social networks @mousse_artbakery.
1 restaurant worth going to for a beautiful view
“The View“. A thoroughly mediocre establishment with inexpensive breakfasts (20 BYN each) and very expensive drinks (from 6 BYN for a banal coke).
The food here is very average, but this restaurant has one important plus – it’s the view from the windows. The thing is that The View is the tallest restaurant in Belarus. It is located on the 28th floor of the Royal Plaza tower. You sit at the table and the whole center is in the palm of your hand. For me personally, this was a sufficient reason to visit this institution.
Where to view the menu: @theview_restaurant. Address: Pobediteley Avenue, 7a (BC Royal Plaza).
1+1 establishment with inexpensive alcohol
Of course, you can drink cheap beer in some sad diner or just on a bench under the store. But it’s not gentlemanly. And we do not support this. Therefore, here are the addresses and coordinates of several good establishments in Minsk where you can find inexpensive alcohol.
Rose Gose – a nice bar near the Victory Square metro station (right behind The Palace of Arts). The menu includes beer at 4 BYN per half liter. As well as sets of different tinctures, a variety of wines, vermouths and other varieties of firewater. In addition, this place has excellent breakfasts (on weekends from 10 to 15). The lunch menu is also not bad. That’s why my wife and I come here quite often.
Returning to the topic of cheap alcohol, I will also note the stores of the VinoVino chain. Some of them have a table area and a small arsenal of snacks. You buy wine and drink it there on the spot. I use this life hack very often. In fact, this is the only way to drink good wine for 30 BYN, and not for 150 (as in an average Minsk bar).
3 places to go for a takeaway
Darom by Sushi Paddles. A small island on the 6th floor of the Minsk Gallery shopping center (near the local food court). 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 in advance — at least 15 minutes in advance. The rest of the time, the discounts are more modest (from 11 to 49%).
Pizza Tempo. The chain restaurant where I usually buy pizza to take away. From Monday to Thursday, the second pizza costs 3 BYN. I think this is a good option if you need to order pizza in the room.
Papa Dener. In my humble opinion, this is the best shawarma in Minsk. If you download their official app and enter the promo code “PAPA”, you will receive a 30% discount on the first order.
Afterword
That’s all. I honestly told you everything I knew. I hope my article helped you decide on the establishments and understand the restaurants of Minsk a little better. As a final chord, I will also place here links to interesting gastronomic excursions.
- Here is an inexpensive walk through the Minsk farmers market
- And here is an excursion to the factory “Kommunarka” with a tasting of freshly brewed chocolate;
If you want to get drunk in a fun and unusual way, I can also recommend a quest tour of Minsk bars or this tour, where you can find out how the drinking culture developed in Belarus in different periods.
That’s exactly it now. If you liked the article, write me a nice comment. All bye. And have a good trip to Belarus for everyone.
