When most expats venture out for breakfast, their usual destination is the Starlite Diner -- it's a friendly, familiar environment that serves Western omelets with a tall carafe of black coffee. But morning meal options are expanding as more and more Moscow cafes offer breakfast specials. Coffeemania, which seems to have evolved into more of a restaurant than a coffeeshop, has a special morning menu with a range of porridges, omelets, blinis and sandwiches. Prostiye Veshchi has a fairly large breakfast menu also featuring blinis, omelets and sandwiches with the addition of breakfast combinations and special fruit plates. It also frequently has special themed breakfasts, such as breakfast in Spain or breakfast with children. The gastropub recently completed a series of breakfasts co-sponsored by radio station Relax-FM. For something more unusual, the Lebanese restaurant Shafran has three combination breakfasts available every morning from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. -- Breakfast in Beirut, Lebanese Muesli and Shakshuka, a traditional Eastern breakfast.

Breakfast also is a good time to check out one of Moscow's more elite restaurants. The Most, known for its sumptuous interior and high prices offers an extensive and affordable breakfast menu on weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. and on weekends from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m.

Coffeemania, six central Moscow locations, including 13 Bolshaya Nikitskaya Ul., M. Pushkinskaya, Okhotny Ryad, www.coffeemania.ru

The Most, 6/3 Kuznetsky Most,M. Kuznetsky Most

Prostiye Veshchi, 32 Konyushkovskaya Ul., M. Barrikadnaya, www.gastropub.ru

Shafran, 12/9 Spiridonyevsky Pereulok, M. Pushkinskaya, www.restoran-shafran.ru

Starlite Diner, three locations, including 16 Bolshaya Sadovaya Ul., M. Mayakovskaya, www.starlite.ru