Bambule

On Solyanka, steps from Kitay-Gorod, a heavy door hides a bar with a Berlin backstory: Publife Group, previously known for its beer projects, decided to step into the world of cocktails and natural wine with serious lists in hand right from the start. Vitaly Bgantsov was brought in for the bar side, and sommelier Marusya Milovidova, who has worked with Gorynych and a number of other Moscow venues that became reference points on the city map, for the wine.

Our guide's team considers this place already legendary — the good bars in Moscow tend to stay with us for a long time.

Bambule's interior was built on the principle of "bring it back, don't buy it in a showroom": items were gathered from flea markets in Berlin and across Europe. Books with worn spines, figurines with history, fur coats on hangers, stripped-back surfaces — not as neglect, but as a deliberate choice alongside heavy furniture. The charm wakes up as night falls. Those who want to go deeper head down to the basement level, where it's quieter and darker.

The cocktail list is short and doesn't try to impress with length. Bgantsov builds it around precision: every item is deliberate, with no filler ingredients just to pad out the menu. The wine list runs to about thirty labels, constantly changing: pét-nat, orange Georgian wines, cloudy reds, biodynamic wines from small producers. "Kolgotki" ("Tights") is its own story, with devoted fans at Bambule. Choosing between a glass of wine and an original cocktail is the main question guests ask themselves here.

The food doesn't aim to be a full dinner. Pâtés, mezze, starters — bar logic with no culinary ambition. What unites them all is Olga Kiseleva's artisan bread: dense, full of character, holding attention just as much as the drinks. The Pokrovka neighborhood sets the mood: unhurried, faintly Petersburg in spirit — a fitting frame for a place that never rushes.