10 good meals in Yekaterinburg, Russia

If you think that cutlets are something rather generic to start the list of the rural food with, you couldn't be more wrong. Depending on the restaurant, there's a chance you'll encounter the most unique cutlets you can imagine. How about bear cutlets? How about regular pork variations with a special combination of herbs? Or maybe a mushroom mix within? All of that can be found in Yekaterinburg restaurants, along with more simple, standard options for a great and nutritious meal at any time of the day.

Khmeli Suneli has some great cutlets.

The most common household food in all of Russia since the introduction of potatoes has always been mashed or creamed variation, as solid or creamy as the cook prefers. It's rather ironic that one of the most popular foods in the city of Catherine I, founded by her husband Peter, is creamed potatoes. The irony lies in the fact that, according to the popular belief, it was Peter the Great himself who introduced the food after his great voyage to Europe. Needless to say, Russians are still grateful. Add spices, meats, and herbs - and you have an amazing Ural food experience.

You need to find a decent restaurant first, of course. Stroganov-Gril' is a safe bet.

If there's one thing you can learn from our Russian lists, it's that Russians love their dumplings. Maybe it's the simplicity of putting mixes of meats and herbs into the dough and cooking them, the diversity this allows for, or the relative cheapness of the resulting dish, but dumplings can be found almost everywhere, and their quality varies depending on the focus of the restaurant chef or a home-cooking enthusiast. There doesn't even have to be meat. Some make dumplings with spoon sweets, for example. Herbs, spices, sour cream, and other options are always available.

Some of the most exciting dumplings can be found at Malinovka, including vegan options.

Another stable food of Russian cuisine is the salad most people don't know isn't named after Julius Caesar. The actual Caesar salad is called that after Caesar Cardini, an Italian immigrant who operated restaurants in Mexico and the United States. The dish itself consists of romaine lettuce and croutons with a dressing of lemon juice, olive oil, egg, sauce, anchovies, garlic, mustard, cheese, and black pepper. For historical and cultural reasons, this salad has enjoyed great popularity across the country.

Great Caesar salad with chicken, for example, can be found at Carbonara.

Another household Russian food that's not Russian in origin but has become common is macaroni. The word itself is plural in the Russian language and the ways to make macaroni vary from just boiling them on a stove or adding oils, spices, secondary dishes, cheese as the most popular ingredient that's either melted or shredded, as well as mats, vegetables, and sometimes even bread. The last one sounds crazy but is actually a popular bachelor food.

Sorriso Osteria Bar is well-recommended for macaroni.

It's unclear how the tradition of grilling meat on a skewer became so popular in Russia, but the fact remains simple - meat kebabs are amazingly common and sought after, both in home-cooking and in restaurants. The ways to prepare the dish also vary, affecting the taste and state of meat, from raw to very well done, and sauces, spices, side dishes and drinks can be pretty much anything you want. Therefore, the most important thing when visiting Yekaterinburg is finding the right place to enjoy the food.

ODjah offers great kebabs.

Here's another European influence that overtook the Russian tables and cookbooks. Omelettes are French in origin, but the Russians make them in so many exciting ways - it's work checking out, at least. The basis is still the same - omelettes are made from beaten eggs fried with butter or oil in a frying pan without stirring. The trick is in adding chives, vegetables, mushrooms, meat, and other ingredients that change the consistency of the result and may give the omelette a unique taste.

Decent omelettes with coffee and tea can be found at Tesla Coffee.

It looks like not a single Russian food list can avoid these ubiquitous things. Syrniki are simple to make and delicious if you apply the right touch to make them. This dish has always been popular due to its versatility and accessibility, but as restaurant food, it's only recently reared its cheesy head to find a place among the seemingly more distinguished desserts and aperitifs. The fact that they are healthier plays to its strengths, so not recommending these curd cheese pancakes would be a shame.

Great syrniki can be found at Gorozhane.

Aside from dumplings, pelmeni is the second most popular dough-based dish in Russia. Most people don't even care about the complicated oriental origins of the food and just experiment with adding spices, sour cream, even cheeses and sweets to the original recipe, making pelmeni as universal as sliced bread in some areas of home cooking and restaurant service. It's not easy finding a really good restaurant serving pelmeni as tasty as those you make yourself, but the search is worth it.

Pelmeni Club is a natural choice here.

Of course, no one can forget the borsch, the essentially Russian, even though it's probably Ukrainian, soup made with beetroot that is a thing of mystery and admiration across the land, and making it right is a craft in its own right. The classic variation requires combining meat or bone stock with sautéed cabbage, carrots, onions, potatoes, and tomatoes. It's served hot with different accompanying foods. Borsch is the main course of any meal, so be sure to leave enough space for it.

Khutorok has some of the most amazing borsch.

Yekaterinburg is interesting, modern, yet it still remembers its traditions. It's a place that can truly be called alive. Enjoy visiting it and checking out the local food when you get the chance.