Salone Pasta Bar

Salone pasta&bar's interior is designed to make you want to stay: ironic Renaissance-style frescoes sit alongside vintage furniture, a brass bar counter echoes a large communal table that runs from room to room, and the lighting was set by theatrical designers. Ginori tableware, Austrian Mark Thomas glasses, and antique cutlery from French flea markets — every item here carries its own story. The design is by Ksenia Smirnova, who previously worked on Atelier and other notable projects in Saint Petersburg and Moscow.

Our guide's team considers Salone one of the city's best Italian restaurants, with a pleasant atmosphere and an interesting crowd.

Pasta here follows two directions. House-made pasta, from soft wheat, hand-shaped to a recipe from the Emilia-Romagna region. Factory-made pasta, from Gentile in Gragnano near Naples, one of the most renowned brands of southern Italy. This pairing of north and south isn't accidental — Salone's kitchen doesn't confine itself to a single region but takes a broad view of Italian gastronomy. Some menu items are familiar, others are specialties rarely found outside their home regions.

The cocktail list was put together by head bartender Vadim Ovchinnikov. Original drinks sit alongside the classics, all built on the same principle: seasonality and a wide flavor range. The drinks carry different tones, but share one direction: they're built around Italian associations — from everyday habits to film and art. The wine list follows similar logic: recognized classics, new-wave wines, and boutique wineries where craftsmanship and careful winemaking matter.

Our undercover guests rated it 8 out of 10 for dinner, for precisely calibrated cooking, a well-thought-out interior, and service that feels like being hosted rather than served. The name Salone translates from Italian as "living room" — and that's not just a metaphor, but the principle behind how every guest is treated here.