Eva Khamovniki

Eva Khamovniki runs as a calmer, more focused version of Lucky Group's familiar Greek idea on Belorusskaya. There's no sense of a rerun or a mechanical scaling-up of a successful concept. This is instead a restaurant for a different pace: quieter, more intimate, with an emphasis on fire and the grill.

Our guide's team finds it noticeably quieter and more grown-up than the original Eva, which is why the restaurant reveals itself best over an unhurried dinner.

The menu keeps its familiar base but takes on its own accents. The kitchen is led by Bakhtiyar Shamsiev, with Glenn Ballis holding the overall direction. Mezze and Greek staples matter here, but so do dishes off the open flame, the souvlaki section, new hot dishes, and a stronger focus on sharing with a group. It's this work with the grill and oven that sets the Khamovniki location apart most from its older sibling on Bolshaya Gruzinskaya.

The interior was again designed by Evgenia Uzhegova, though the space feels different here. A muted palette, wood, tapestries and signature details link the two projects, but the mood here is more intimate. The heart of the room is a large wood-fired oven with 18th-century tile. In the bar room, the mood turns even quieter, almost private, which makes the restaurant work well not just for a group but for a calm evening for two or a small gathering.

The bar and wine follow the same Greek line as the kitchen, but without a sense of forced theatricality. The list features metaxa, ouzo, mastiha, original cocktails, and wines from the Old World, New World and Greece. It's not a separate showcase, but part of the evening's overall script, where the drinks support the food and the room's rhythm. As a result, the project doesn't fall apart into pretty individual pieces — it reads as a cohesive place with a clear character.

Our undercover guests rated it 8 out of 10 for dinner, for the confident evolution of a strong idea, a more grown-up atmosphere, and a good emphasis on open fire. The restaurant doesn't try to compete with the original Eva for attention — it offers a quieter, more focused way to live through the same Mediterranean scenario.