Inside Mushrooms: A Quiet Afternoon on Yakimanka

When asked for a venue suggestion for a semi-business lunch in central Moscow, the food critic hesitated a moment before naming Mushrooms. The caller later phoned back, asking for help with a reservation. Intrigued, the critic visited on a weekday afternoon and found two floors and the terrace nearly full. The surprise came from the restaurant’s enduring appeal: tucked into a corner of the quirky Gimeney shopping centre, it has a sturdy roof terrace with wind partitions, a crowd that looks serenely prosperous, and an atmosphere that feels frozen in a happier 2015.

The service is straightforward and polite, though the trend of calling female guests «lady» — apparently spread from Lucky Group — elicits an amused smile. Salads, bruschetta, soups and cold starters hover around 800–900 roubles. The most expensive pasta, spaghetti Alfredo served inside a wheel of Grana Padano, costs 1,410 roubles and delivers an aromatic, celebratory restaurant moment. There are seven thin-crust pizzas, the mushroom-topped one (1,290 roubles) being the favourite.

The kitchen takes its fungal promise seriously: every dish supposedly carries a trace of mushroom, be it powder, essence or infusion. The hot julienne with boletus and porcini (1,610 roubles) lands in a soup plate without a cheese crust — more French than Russian, the critic notes, but delicious. Truffle oil’s chemical whiff appeared only once, on a pizza with chanterelles and stracciatella. The children’s menu doubles as a colouring book, and the virgin mojito from it is a refreshing minty lemonade. Desserts are a strong point, especially the ice cream with strawberries in a wafer cone — so irresistible that seeing one diner with it prompts immediate copycat orders.

What Keeps This Italian Hideaway Thriving

The White Rabbit Family’s Quiet Performer

While Boris Zarkov’s group is known for haute cuisine flagships like White Rabbit and Selfie, Mushrooms carves a different niche. It shuns the spotlight, cycles through chefs, and focuses on a stable price-to-quality ratio that keeps tables full. The economics appear finely tuned: medium-sized portions of high-end Italian food at accessible prices attract a clientele that values consistency over novelty.

A Fungal Brand Promise

The commitment to include mushroom elements in every dish is both a playful gimmick and a genuine culinary strategy. By avoiding cheap shortcuts like artificial truffle oil, the kitchen maintains a clean, natural flavour profile. The result is a menu that feels coherent and grounded, appealing to Moscow diners’ well-known fondness for mushroom aromas.

The Clientele and Vibe

The terrace’s crowd appears prosperous and socially uniform — a snapshot of a more stable era. This atmosphere, combined with understated service, makes the restaurant suitable for both casual meals and semi-formal business lunches. The lack of pretension helps it function as a reliable background for conversation, explaining its weekday popularity even when hidden inside a shopping centre.

What to Order at Mushrooms

  • Start with the duck pâté with black chanterelle jam (790 RUB) and a bruschetta with shrimp, sun-dried tomatoes and guacamole (840 RUB).
  • For a festive pasta, go for the spaghetti Alfredo served inside a wheel of Grana Padano (1,410 RUB) — one of the most aromatic dishes on the menu.
  • Don’t miss the mushroom pizza (1,290 RUB), a crowd favourite, or the hot julienne with boletus and porcini (1,610 RUB) for a deeper mushroom experience.
  • Children will enjoy the extensive kids’ menu, which doubles as a colouring book, and the virgin mojito — a minty lemonade that can help develop young palates.
  • Save room for dessert: the ice cream with strawberries in a wafer cone is so tempting that seeing another diner order one will make you want your own.