5 Best Hipster Bars in Moscow – The Duran List

Plaid has become the new turtleneck, Chucks have replaced shiny roach-killers and the undercut haircut has developed a uniquely Muscovite twist. Naturally, hipster boozing establishments have proliferated alongside the flourishing movement.

Moscow’s hipster bars combine that mandatory quirkiness with the city’s intense tempo and Russia’s deeply cultured peoples. Moreover, they come in the standard varieties, from the grimy dive to ones featuring overpriced cocktails served by suspender-wearing barmen.

Here are The Duran’s picks for the best hipster bars in Moscow.

5) The Standard – Metro Kitai Gorod, Bolshoy Zlatoustinskiy per. 9 (+7-495-623-64-59)

Mason jar Whiskey cocktails are the standard at Standard. On top of that, come here to get served your drinks by an American radio personality that moonlights on the side.

And if you’re feeling unusually talented after a few Whiskey Sours, you can test your singing skills at an open-mic night.

This place is especially good for big groups and birthdays owing to its large open spaces and big comfy booths.

4) Kamchatka – Metro Teatralnaya/Okhotni Ryad/Kuznetsky Most, ul. Kuznetskiy Most, 7 (+7-495-624-88-25, www.novikovgroup.ru/restaurants/kamchatka)

With Soviet kotletki substituting buffalo hot wings, vodka replacing whiskey and 90s Russian Techno-Pop instead of Bon Iver, Kamchatka is hipster reimagined for Russia. Located in the dead-center of the city across from the luxury TSUM department store, Kamchatka was founded to prove that anyone can afford to have a drink and caviar in the center of Moscow.

It’s retro eccentricity, democratic pricing and location make this a classic stop for Moscow’s millennials.

3) Lumberjack Bar – Metro Kitai Gorod, Bolshoy Spasoglinishchevskiy per. 3, str. 5 (+7-967-061-00-06, www.facebook.com/lumberjackbarmoscow)

Lumberjack’s all about blue cheese burgers, beer, whiskey cocktails and obligatory beards on bartenders. What is not hipster about that? Absolutely nothing.

The staff here are lumberjacks first, and servers second; steely and scruffy on the outside, warm and sweet as maple syrup on the inside. You’ll find few places as comforting and friendly in Moscow.

2) Dewar’s Powerhouse – Metro Taganskaya/Marksistskaya, ul. Goncharnaya, 7/4 (+7-496-698-05-50, www.powerhouse.fm)

Go here for the quintessential hipster experience. Located in a big white house, the place is best described by a Tripadvisor user as, “quiet and loud, calm and crazy,” owing to the contrast between its relaxing lawn and booming, grungy interior.

Enjoy a burger and craft beer as dusk arrives while relaxing on the lawn veranda before heading indoor to sample renowned underground rock acts and dance the night away.

1) Beermarket – Metro Chekhovskaya/Pushkinskaya/Tverskaya, Strastnoy bulvar 4, str. 3 (+7-905-741-41-41, www.facebook.com/beermarketbar)

Tucked away down an archway just steps away from bustling Pushkin Square, Beermarket is that perfectly located dive for light after-work sessions or more intentioned pre-event weekend drinking.

Beermarket doesn’t pretend to be something it is not – they serve big cold beers (and ciders, because that’s hipster compulsory) that come in over 300 varieties, from your standard labels to IPAs and hoppy craft brews.

Queues can be long, so come early to avoid the throngs and get an early start to your boozing.