The capital of everything: where to eat, drink and sleep in Nizhny Novgorod

Just an hour and a half by plane or an hour and a half by train and bam – you are already in the city where the Oka and Volga are picturesquely connected, the old town with trendy restaurants, smart cops with urban murals and modern street art.

Nizhny Novgorod likes to be called the capital of everything: sunsets, excursions, smiles – references to this can be found on the streets. Therefore, do not miss the opportunity to collect all the outfits of the city in one collage of a holiday photo album.

The Fashion Vibes columnist Anya Baturina has compiled a mini-guide to the coolest places in Nizhny Novgorod that is enough for a full-fledged busy weekend. From restaurant to bar to the next bar, build your route around this to explore the sunset capital.

Breakfast

Crafty – “Breakfast Ministry”

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The men at the “Breakfast Ministry” believe that “everyone has their own morning and their own breakfast”. This means no one is coerced or reprimanded for a scrambled egg, cheesecake, and croissant burger too soon or too late. Meanwhile, a lovingly prepared breakfast can cheer up even the toughest Monday and prepare you for a workweek of any complexity. This rule also applies to the weekend you decide to spend in an unfamiliar city; fun adventures start with a cool donut with whipped butter and strawberries. You can use this approach anytime from 9am to 11pm.

Address: Bolshaya Pokrovskaya st., 21/5, Nizhny Novgorod

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Primitive and satisfying – “British Embassy”

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Hard doesn’t mean boring. Eating breakfast in a bar is odd, but British sensibility has never let anyone down. Everything here is measured to the millimeter, and you know in advance that if you order tea from porcelain cups and order a classic breakfast of fried bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, baked potatoes, beans, tomatoes and toast, you’ll get just that, and right or not even a step to the left. And the “Embassy” has excellent croque-monsieur and croque-madame, pancakes and madeleine cookies.

Address: st. Zvezdinka, 12, Nizhny Novgorod

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Evening meal

Luxury – Dodici Seafood

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On Rozhdestvenskaya, the main tourist street of the city, there is a sea restaurant Dodici Seafood (this group of restaurants is a real “city-forming” gastronomic link, and we will come back to it later). While octopus, oysters, hedgehogs, parrot fish and other sea treasures on the ice are welcomed at the entrance, crab dogs, scalloped julienne, crab millefeuille stand out on the menu. More familiar sushi, rolls, sashimi, crab phalanges and whole fish can also be found. The devil is in the details and the chef’s imagination is in the service. For example, okroshka is served here in a large ice bowl with frozen cucumber and radish slices inside. You should eat fast because even in an air-conditioned room, ice melts quickly.

At Seafood, there is a dish that cannot be ordered if the brand chef Maxim Kuzitenko is not on site; this is the author’s ice cream presented in the show. But do not overestimate your strength – one serving is designed for two to four people!

Address: Rozhdestvenskaya st., 37, Nizhny Novgorod

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Like in Europe – Dodici Italy

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The interior of the Italian restaurant is well reminiscent of a wine cellar – not because it’s damp and dark, but because it has vaulted ceilings, the coolness on a hot summer’s day, and a strong desire to sample a few wine labels. The menu features the author’s interpretation of Italian dishes by Chef Artem Atopshev; for example, tuna steak with zucchini spaghetti in creamy tiger shrimp biscuit sauce, scallops with cauliflower purée, black spaghetti with tiger shrimp and chorizo ​​sausages with tomato sauce or the famous branded seafood pasta “Carbonara di mare”.

Address: Rozhdestvenskaya st., 26, Nizhny Novgorod

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There is only a few hours difference between lunch and dinner. It is best to spend them on the water (especially since there are two rivers here at once – the Volga and the Oka) and look at the city from this unusual angle. Jump on a small private boat and you will be able to see the “arrow” of the rivers with new eyes, admire the endless 560-step Chkalovskaya staircase, the restored embankment, the rugged landscapes, get a little tan and even swim in the cool water. . Bring fruit and sparkling products on board; someone needs to live this luxurious life!

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Evening meal

Meat – Dodici Grill

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The charcoal grill and wood-burning smoker form the basis for another project of the Nizhny Novgorod restaurant group Grill. They prepare brisket, bacon and countless meat, fish and seafood dishes. If the choice and frying of the type of steak is a matter of taste and everyone has their own opinion, then here is the reveal of the whole journey – french fries. It looks like french fries, but consists of a million thin layers – the death of a combine, because you can imagine how many side dishes are ordered one evening and how many times you have to measure a piece of potato a millimeter thick. knife to prepare for a new working day.

Look out for the delicate rabbit pate with apple chutney with ginger plum, orange and caramelized hazelnuts, the veal tartare with smoked eel ice cream, and the special carpaccio served at the table.

Another plus of the restaurant: a hidden patio with fresh flowers on the second floor. In the aisle between the two parts of the roof, a few tables for one are requested, just to enjoy your grilled steak accompanied by petunias (you don’t have to share with them).

Address: Oktyabrskaya st., 12, Nizhny Novgorod

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Hooligan – “Shaurma”

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If you don’t have time to eat (or if you have but restaurants are tired), there is an idea! To find the best shawarma in Nizhny, head to Kostina Street. Once the legendary “Shaurma in Sredny” was considered the best in the city; locals and tourists specially came to praise him for it. But he moved to the “tent” and got very bad, or closed and acquired an “impersonator” – in any case, the attraction of shawarma lovers shifted to another street.

Do not be fooled by the name “Same shawarma in Sredny”, you need another name – “Barbecue behind glass” (open 24 hours). Come inside, inhale this noxious and delicious fast food smell, place any order (the main thing is mini, otherwise not everyone can handle the “standard” size), sit at a table inside, but you better go outside, sit on the sidewalk Wander around the parking lot and with night lighting Admire the TV Tower reminiscent of the Eiffel or the Burj Khalifa.

Address: st. Kostina, 13, building. 1, Nizhny Novgorod

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After dinner

Informative – Dodici Wines

In Nizhny there is a chance to get drunk with meaning if you check out Dodici Wines, one of the best wineries in the city or even in the whole country. It contains about three thousand labels from all over the world, including well-known brands and small local wineries (for example, wine was discovered from small Luxembourg, which locals talk about).

At the winery, you can sign up for a tasting with a sommelier who will tell you how to properly evaluate the wine, how to smell and taste it, what criteria are used to determine its density, acidity and sweetness (for example, in dry wine). / semi-dry and sweet classification also has a separate non-dry category – These are semi-dry wines that seem sweet). But first the game of work and drinking will begin after a thoughtful tasting.

Address: st. Maxim Gorky, 70, Nizhny Novgorod

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Exclusive – “Copper Pipes”

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One of the most famous bars in the country and difficult to enter. Reservation is required, the bar counter is not full, you can only get in by ringing the doorbell, no extra chairs can be placed at the table, it is not desirable to talk too loudly or laugh. Such rules, but if you stick to them, you will be happy, great sando sandwich, octopus and cucumber, fancy cocktails and the best Russian gin that the guys at the bar make themselves in limited quantities.

A lifehack for those who want to get in but don’t have time to make a reservation and can’t fit in the counter – a cocktail can be ordered to take away.

Address: Rozhdestvenskaya st., 40, Nizhny Novgorod

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With a sense of accomplishment – “Aviator”

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What is the relationship between bar and debt? Now you will understand. “Aviator” is located at the top of the same endless Chkalov ladder. After dinner, take a walk along the embankment, gaze at the smooth surface of the river, admire the interesting architecture of the houses, and then take a challenging walk up the stairs to say goodbye to the calories you’ve eaten. After that – welcome to the basement bar, where you can reward yourself with cocktails and soulful conversation.

Address: Verkhne-Volzhskaya emb., 2B, Nizhny Novgorod

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And sleep

Minimalist – Courtyard

Stability is a sign of excellence, and big hotel chains are good for that. You know exactly what awaits you, without surprises and amateur performances. The courtyard is a very stable option. The hotel has simple and concise rooms, it is close to the center, the bridge over the Fedorovsky Embankment, where extreme sports jump in winter, and the main attractions. The quiet courtyard and nearby streets will ensure restful sleep, and the hilltop location will give you peace of mind after any dinner if you skip the taxi and go on foot.

Address: Ilyinskaya st., 46, Nizhny Novgorod

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Atmospheric – “riverside penthouse”

If you want to feel the artistic spirit of the city, you can choose a designer family’s mini-hotel in Nizhny, in a historic mansion from 1836, which is a real cultural heritage object. The apartment is located in the Vyakhirevs mansion, designed by architect GI Kizevetter. Authentic brick and wooden ceilings have been preserved, while the owners have completed the interior with paintings and graphics.

Address: Chernigovskaya street, 12V, Nizhny Novgorod