Best Restaurant Minsk / Belarus

While many people imagine Minsk to be stuck in a Soviet time warp, this is certainly not the case when it comes to food. Minsk’s best restaurants range from traditional Belarusian fare to authentic vegetarian Indian dining.

As varied in style and architecture as it is in cuisine, a gastronomic adventure through Minsk can take in a former Communist-era canteen, Constructivist architecture and panoramic views of the Belarusian capital.

Grand Café

Cafe, Restaurant, Italian, Belarusian, $$$

Dating back to 1956, Grand Café is the oldest high-end restaurant in Minsk. Despite changes to its name and ownership over the years, its outstanding reputation has remained intact. Situated opposite the opulent Hotel Europe – the quintessential symbol of pre-revolutionary Minsk – in the city’s historic centre, Grand Café serves a mixture of Italian classics (such as a creamy mushroom risotto) and regional specialities such as chicken kiev. The restaurant’s elegant design – with hardwood floors and minimalistic chandeliers – is combined with images of the Soviet-era shared apartments (known as kommunalki) that once occupied the building. Reserve a table by the window and watch over the lively Vulica Lienina, and follow dinner with cocktails at the restaurant’s chic aluminium bar.

Kuhmistr

Restaurant, Russian, $$$

A rare gem of Constructivist architecture that’s hard to miss as you walk down Vulica Karla Marksa, traditional Belarusian and Latvian restaurant Kuhmistr was built over the remains of an Orthodox church. The building, dating back to the 1930s, was once a Komsomol Communist youth league) cafeteria, where young members of the Communist Party would eat during the Soviet era. The word kuhmistr originates from German, meaning ‘chef’, and being a kuhmistr in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth meant you were in charge of the royal kitchen. Kuhmistr is among the best places in Minsk to get an authentic taste of dishes from this era, with the menu put together with the help of historians. The restaurant’s interior gives you the impression of stepping into a 1930s apartment, full of vintage furniture and retro trinkets. Local musicians regularly perform – listen out for the tsymbaly, a traditional Belarusian string instrument.

La Scala Trattoria Ignazio

Restaurant, Italian, $$$

Although chef Ignazio Rosa has worked on every continent, with a multitude of different cuisines, his Minsk trattoria draws on his Italian heritage. Filled with the strains of live music and rustic design, La Scala Trattoria Ignazio has the atmosphere of a cosy Sicilian home. Dine on fettuccine with salmon and asparagus or beef medallions with artichoke, while watching the kitchen staff at work or even having a heart-to-heart with the chef, who often comes out to talk to customers. Known for its extensive wine list, La Scala Trattoria Ignazio undoubtedly serves the best Italian food in Minsk.