The cafe, which opened in 2000, used to have a sign that read "Chechen Cuisine," but now the menu describes it as "Cuisine of the Northern Caucasus." Recent renovations have changed the cafe's facade and dining room, adding curtain-draped VIP booths and a large plasma screen TV tuned to the Fashion Channel -- but luckily, the changes are only superficial.
The owners of Cafe Orga come from Grozny and they still employ Chechen chefs. The menu offers traditional dishes, such as chepalgash, a cottage cheese pie (150 rubles), and baarsh galnash, boiled chicken in broth with dumplings and onion (160 rubles). If you're in for lighter fare, you can try chanakhi, mutton and vegetable soup (160 rubles), or the tataban salad with tongue, mushrooms, cucumbers, Bulgarian pepper, and grated cheese (190 rubles).
Dishes that are traditionally considered Uzbek are also on the menu, but the restaurant's chefs prepare them as they would be made in Grozny, not Uzbekistan. For the slightly less daring, there are also European dishes such as Caesar (280 rubles) and Greek (180 rubles) salads.
Cafe Orga shies away from advertising its unique cuisine and relies primarily on regular customers. But if you're in a dining rut, don't be fooled by its understated self-description. The cafe has a semi-casual atmosphere that is perfect for both lunch and dinner. For a more private dining experience, you can reserve a VIP booth (200 rubles) or you can get a meal to go at the cafe's takeout window.
16 Neglinnaya Ul., 924-7477, 11 a.m.-midnight, M. Kuznetsky Most.
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