El Copitas
Bar
Kolokolnaya, 2/18
Opens at 19:00
Opening hours:
Opens at 19:00
MondayNot working
TuesdayNot working
Wednesday19:00-02:00
Thursday19:00-02:00
Friday19:00-03:00
Saturday19:00-03:00
Sunday19:00-02:00
El Copitas is a Mexican bar on Kolokolnaya Street, created by Igor Zernov, Artem Peruk and Nikolai Kiselev. After a major renovation for its tenth anniversary, the place became even deeper in meaning and atmosphere.
The interior of the renovated El Copitas Bar was developed by DA Bureau, and the result is far from typical Mexican decor. The space is conceived as an allegory of a burned church: dark tones, dense symbolism, details that reference not touristy Mexico but its mystical, almost archaic layer. The image of Frida Kahlo and mezcal symbols sit alongside the ornamental patterns of ancient Mesoamerican peoples — each assigned to a specific staff member and tied to a particular region and culture. The bar team's uniforms draw on traditional pre-Columbian dress, and this isn't costuming for its own sake — it's a deliberate statement.
Our guide's team finds an evening at El Copitas has a genuinely warm, heartfelt atmosphere, felt from the very first greeting at the door.
The bar opened on the first day of 2015. Three bartenders, Igor Zernov, Artem Peruk and Nikolai Kiselev, were united by a shared dream and a starting capital of one million rubles. Over ten years, El Copitas has grown into one of the country's most recognizable establishments: in 2021 it placed eighth on the global 50 Best Bars ranking. Over the years, the bar has hosted hundreds of meet-ups with bartenders from around the world, both on Kolokolnaya and at venues abroad.
The renovation wasn't a relaunch but a reflection. The founders describe the concept behind the refreshed menu as a look back at their own past from the future: the bar menu, led by Igor Zernov, gathers the decade's best cocktails, reimagined from today's vantage point. Our undercover guests rated it 8 out of 10 for the cocktail, for precision of flavor and skillful work with mezcal.
The kitchen follows the same logic: the Mexican dishes here are simple in form but carefully calibrated in flavor. New takes on tried-and-true recipes have appeared without sacrificing authenticity — a principle El Copitas has followed since its first day. The bar on Kolokolnaya remains a place where expertise isn't announced but felt in the details, from the pattern on the bartenders' uniforms to the choice of agave in the glass.
