Bakery Masa Madre at Kitai-Gorod

The traditional format of a Spanish bakery, or panadería, with fresh pastries and desserts, straightforward breakfasts (from 8:00 to 12:00), and even brunch (from 12:00). A clean, unassuming interior, so as not to distract from the atmosphere, the crowd, and the food. On Saturday at 11:30, there was a huge line, very awkwardly organized, as was the seating. It can happen that people with a ready order can't find a spot and end up hovering while waiting for a table. We got lucky, but it was still uncomfortable. There's no help at all from staff in managing a lively space where a lot of people are present at once.

What did I try?

• Mortadella sandwich, 750₽ — a combination balanced in both quantity and quality. The sandwich came out not dry, appropriately juicy, I can recommend it. 

• Green salad, 590₽ — a mix of fresh lettuce leaves with olives and a harmonious dressing. 
• Fried eggs with salmon / mortadella, 590-790₽ — the sunny-side-up eggs are made from farm eggs, in both cases served with a piece of freshly baked bread. 
• Basque cheesecake, 550₽ — so delicate it melts in your mouth. The texture really is closer to the original than to the countless imitations of the traditional recipe.

Masa Madre is a trendy bakery format you can drop into for breakfast or coffee, grab a fresh muffin or Japanese Hokkaido milk bread, and run into a couple of familiar faces along the way. The food and the vibe can only be praised, but the seating situation ruins the impression. 

It's about time they started fighting for customer service, because crowds hunting for a free table shouldn't be a permanent fixture. Even so, the place makes it into the restaurant guide  in the café category.