Have you ever try Moscow donuts?
Legion Media
Moskovskiye ponchiki are perhaps the best street food in the Russia’s capital. Have you tried it yet? If not, read on!
The word “ponchinki” is usually translated as “donuts.” But the Russian doughy treats are completely different to those across the Atlantic. American donuts are usually filled with jam, chocolate, or glazed with sweet toppings, but Russian ponchiki are only made with a hole in the middle and covered with sugar powder. In St. Petersburg, people call them “pyshki” and cafes that specialize in them are called “pyshechnaya.” Muscovities call them “ponchiki” and the cafes – “ponchikovaya.” So, after all this, where is the best place to find the authentic Moscow treat?
1. Ostankino
This is one of the best places to buy donuts in Moscow.
Moskva Agency
At the first glance, this is just a weird pink house. But this is most famous ponchikovaya in Moscow. Located near the Ostankino Estate, this joint is really something rare and special in Russia’s capital. This is the oldest operating café of its type in Moscow - opened in 1952. Your ponchiks (two is enough to feel full) will be served covered in sugar powder in a traditional paper bag. A tip from the café’s veterans: Seal the bag shut and shake. Eat hot.
How to find: 1-ya Ostankinskaya street, 1A (VDNKh Metro station). Open daily 11 a.m.-7 p.m.
2. VDNKh Park
The popular place for having a lunch!
Legion Media
There are three “Te samyeponchiki” (“Exactly those donuts”) cafés inside VDNKh Park: Two kiosks, and two normal cafés, one of which is located in the shopping mall near the Metro. Some people come here just to eat donuts cooked using a traditional recipe.
How to find: 1. The first kiosk is on the food street (near the main entrance). 2. The second kiosk is near the “Stone Flowers” fountain. 3. The café in Pavilion №70 “Moskva.” 4. The café inside the VDNKh mall, on the second floor. 1-ya Ostankinskaya street, 55 (VDNKh Metro station). Open daily 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Website.
3. Sokolniki
The small kiosk on Pesochnaya Alley in Sokolniki Park is a mecca for Moscow’s donut lovers. The kiosk offers ponchiks with sugar powder, cinnamon, and chocolate.
How to find: Sokolnichesky Val, 1 (Sokolniki Metro station).
4. Novy Arbat
This kiosk in the very heart of Moscow only offers one kind of donut, but Muscovites unanimously consider it the best place to try ponchiki. People are always surprised by its high quality, original taste, and low price – 15 rubles ($0.25) per piece. You can also add a topping: Chocolate or considered milk (sgushchenka).
How to find: Novy Arbat St., 7a (Arbatskaya Metro station). Open: 8:30 a.m. -11 p.m.
5. Shopping malls
There are four “Nash Ponchik” (“Our Donut”) cafés in different malls in Moscow located in the shopping districts. You can try traditional Moskovsky ponchik, as well as American donuts. For a drink, you can choose fizzy water with or without syrup, which was popular in Soviet times.
How to find: Moskvorechye mall, Kashirskoye Highway, 26 (Kashirskaya Metro station); Kolomensky Mall, Andropova Ave., 23; Prazhsky Grad Mall, Kirovogradskaya St., 24a (Prazhskaya Metro station); Proletarsky Mall, Proletarsky Ave., 2a (Proletarskaya Metro station). Open 10 a.m. – 10 p.m. Website.
6. On the road
Donuts are popular food on the road.
Google Maps
You may be surprised, but you can even find tasty donuts on various federal roads throughout Moscow. There are at least two big chains of cafés: Pomponchik and “Vkus Detstva” (‘The Taste of Childhood”). They prepare two kind of ponchiks – regular and sour cream (they are lusher). Take both and compare!
How to find: Here you can find all addresses: Pomponchik and Vkus Detstva.
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