Want to celebrate (Western) Easter with a classic brunch this Sunday?
It won't be easy.
This year Catholic and Protestant Christians celebrate the holiday on April 5, but Russian Orthodox believers mark it on April 12, so few restaurants are offering special Easter dishes this week. But you can use the Easter holiday as an excuse to try out some of the new spring menus that have sprung up recently.
Donna Margarita
Italian restaurant Donna Margarita, part of the Novikov group, doesn't have a special brunch menu, but it will offer egg dyeing for kids during lunch on the afternoon of April 5.
2 1905 Goda Ul., Bldg. 2. Tel 499-682-7000
Black Market
The Black Market Café, which offers brunch sets organized around the cuisine of U.S. states, has a newly launched Spring menu, California. The restaurant, part of the Iconfood holding, also has a wide-ranging breakfast menu and special meals for the younger set.
550-600 ($11) rubles brunch sets
220-390 ($7) rubles kids menu
2 Usacheva Ul. Bldg. 1. Tel 495-221-6780
Café Pushkin
For a truly decadent dining experience, head to the renowned Café Pushkin, which has added a special Viennese pastry menu to its brunch menu this month.
Breakfast dishes 200-550 rubles ($9) (although nothing screams extravagance quite like black caviar pancakes which would set you back a mild 4,780 rubles or $84).
For a special Easter splurge, head next door to the Café Pushkin Confectionary where you can procure a chocolate Fabergé egg for 1,560 rubles ($27).
26A Tverskoi Bulvar. Tel 495-739-0033
Breakfast Café
More modest but no less tasty brunch alternatives for Easter Sunday would include the Breakfast Café, part of the Friends Forever chain.
Offering a wide-range of breakfast dishes starting from 270 rubles ($5), particular mention goes to their extensive range of pancakes.
2 Malaya Nikitskaya. Tel 916-640-8636
Cook'Kareku
Nor should anyone overlook Cook'Kareku when considering brunch options, offering 24-hour breakfast from every corner of the globe, discounted if it's considered breakfast time in the country of cuisine at the time of ordering — why not treat yourself to a midnight feast of Australian rissole as the clocks strike the end of Lent?
Main dishes from 420 rubles ($7).
9 Sadovaya-Kudrinskaya Ul., Bldg. 4. Tel 495-660-5339
Magnolia Bakery
And if you just want to pick up a sweet treat for the holiday, Magnolia Bakery has launched a line of special pastel-colored spring cupcakes to celebrate the season.
7 Rozhdestvenka Ul. Tel 495-642-6443
