Mendeleev

Brick vaults that remember the imperial printing house became the foundation for a new layer: wall and ceiling murals with hidden meanings, art objects in the niches, glowing onyx, an AI-driven screen, and a restored bar counter. The team worked on the space for nearly a year and a half — without tearing down the atmosphere people used to come here for.

Our restaurant guide's team finds Mendeleev a rare case where a venue's refresh only deepens it rather than losing its character.

Two people with fundamentally different backgrounds run the bar. Alexander Glazunov comes from the project's earlier iteration, having worked behind this very counter — former head bartender of Fonoteca Listening Bar and global ambassador for Simple's premium brands. Kostya Plesovskikh is a co-owner of "Chainaya. Tea & Cocktails" and the bar Laowai, one of the people who shaped Russia's drinking culture in recent years. Together they built a list of 13 original cocktails, each one carrying readable symbols of East and West, history and myth. Alongside it, the menu offers 31 classic and twist cocktails. Plans include world-class guest bartender shifts and a Wednesday chef's table with elaborate mycology.

Our secret guests gave the cocktails 8 out of 10 — for precise flavor balance and a clear original idea behind every drink.

The music program here isn't background noise. Weeknights bring live jazz and soul; Friday and Saturday bring house and techno. Behind the velvet curtain is a dedicated Dance Room, a venue for sets and events. Plans for 2025 include bringing in international artists and launching an in-house FM radio show with live broadcasts straight from the bar.

You now reach the bar through the Japanese restaurant OSHI Izakaya, which operates as a standalone venue and has become the full entrance in place of the former noodle shop. The two projects exist side by side, but each with its own logic and its own crowd.