Kruzhka is a chain of "beer restaurants" in Moscow

Moscow

Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...

. The name is Russian for "mug".

Style

Kruzhka restaurants can usually be identified outside by their orange КРУЖКА signs, which are often illuminated and difficult to miss. The orange theme continues inside, where the brick walls and wooden furniture give most Kruzhka restaurants a somewhat rugged character.

It is common in Moscow and other Russian cities for there to be relatively little difference between bars, restaurants, clubs, and cafes, and Kruzhka is no exception. These "beer restaurants" tend to be popular with students, though the cheap food and beer attracts expatriate

Expatriate

An expatriate is a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country and culture other than that of the person's upbringing...

s as well as Russians. However, that does not necessarily mean that Kruzhka has a "Western" character.

Sports events, such as Russian football internationals, are regularly shown in many Kruzhka, either on televisions or big screens (alternatively French music channels are, for some reason, also put on quite a lot).

Advertising

In late 2005 a television advert

Advertising

Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...

 was created to highlight the advantages of going to Kruzhka for Russian football fans. The ad shows a Russian man excitedly returning home to watch an important match (clips show Russia's

Russia national football team

The Russia national football team represents Russia in association football and is controlled by the Russian Football Union , the governing body for football in Russia. Russia's home grounds are Luzhniki Stadium, Lokomotiv Stadium , and Petrovsky Stadium in St.Petersburg and their head coach is...

 1 - 0 victory over Wales at the Millennium Stadium

Millennium Stadium

The Millennium Stadium is the national stadium of Wales, located in the capital, Cardiff. It is the home of the Wales national rugby union team and also frequently stages games of the Wales national football team, but is also host to many other large scale events, such as the Super Special Stage...

 which meant Russia qualified for Euro 2004). However, he finds both of the televisions in his flat are already in use; his wife is tearfully watching a soap opera

Soap opera

A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...

, while his daughter is jumping around watching a t.A.T.u.

T.A.T.u.

t.A.T.u. was a duo formed in Moscow, Russia in 1999 by Ivan Shapovalov. The group consisted of Lena Katina and Yulia Volkova.Their debut single "Ya Soshla S Uma" was released in December 2000. The single had a huge success in Russia and Eastern Europe...

 concert. The punchline of the ad is that he can watch the match at Kruzhka. http://www.kruzhka.net/adv/

Menu

The majority of items available at Kruzhka are relatively cheap (only the pricey Courvoisier

Courvoisier

Courvoisier is a brand of cognac owned by Beam Inc.. The production is now based in the town of Jarnac in the Charente department of France...

 Cognac is over 300 roubles

Russian ruble

The ruble or rouble is the currency of the Russian Federation and the two partially recognized republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Formerly, the ruble was also the currency of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union prior to their breakups. Belarus and Transnistria also use currencies with...

). This is one of the major appeals of the chain.

Several main dishes include kebab

Kebab

Kebab is a wide variety of meat dishes originating in Middle East and later on adopted by the Middle East, and Asia Minor, and now found worldwide. In English, kebab with no qualification generally refers more specifically to shish kebab served on the skewer...

s (Shashlik) or Shaurma

Shawarma

Shawarma is a Levantine Arab sandwich-like wrap of shaved lamb, goat, chicken, turkey, beef, or mixed meats. The meat is placed on a spit, and may be grilled for as long as a day. It is eaten with pita bread, tabbouleh, fattoush, taboon bread, tomato and cucumber. Toppings include tahini, hummus,...

, usually with potato fries and/or sauerkraut

Sauerkraut

Sauerkraut , directly translated from German: "sour cabbage", is finely shredded cabbage that has been fermented by various lactic acid bacteria, including Leuconostoc, Lactobacillus, and Pediococcus. It has a long shelf-life and a distinctive sour flavor, both of which result from the lactic acid...

. Sauces like ketchup

Ketchup

Ketchup is a sweet-and-tangy condiment typically made from tomatoes, vinegar, sugar or high-fructose corn syrup and an assortment of...

 and mayonnaise

Mayonnaise

Mayonnaise, , often abbreviated as mayo, is a sauce. It is a stable emulsion of oil, egg yolk and either vinegar or lemon juice, with many options for embellishment with other herbs and spices. Lecithin in the egg yolk is the emulsifier. Mayonnaise varies in color but is often white, cream, or pale...

 are typically included free with most meals (though that is not always the case in Moscow.) Perhaps a slightly more unusual offering is grilled trout for 160 roubles.

Kruzhka attempted to cash-in on the fashion for Japanese food in Moscow by putting sushi

Sushi

is a Japanese food consisting of cooked vinegared rice combined with other ingredients . Neta and forms of sushi presentation vary, but the ingredient which all sushi have in common is shari...

 on the menu at its Arbat Restaurant in December 2004. However, this item was removed from the menu a year later, reportedly because it took too long to prepare.

For dessert, various flavours of ice cream (including cherry, peach, and black-currant), as well as cake are available. Customers can also choose to take-away

Take-out

Take-out or takeout , carry-out , take-away , parcel , or tapau , is food purchased at a...

 any dish on the menu.

The most famous drink on offer is Kruzhka's own beer, which, at 50 (2008) roubles for half a litre, is one of the most popular items on the menu. Other beers on tap include Sibirskaya Korona and Staropramen

Staropramen

Staropramen Brewery is the second largest brewery in the Czech Republic, situated in the Smíchov district of Prague. It was founded in 1869 and the brand name Staropramen, literally meaning “old spring,” was registered in 1911...

. A wide range of spirits and non-alcoholic drinks (including Mors, a traditional Russian juice drink) are also available.

Service

Kruzhka are not fast food restaurants like McDonald's

McDonald's

McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...

 or KFC

KFC

KFC, founded and also known as Kentucky Fried Chicken, is a chain of fast food restaurants based in Louisville, Kentucky, in the United States. KFC has been a brand and operating segment, termed a concept of Yum! Brands since 1997 when that company was spun off from PepsiCo as Tricon Global...

, nor are they self service "cafeteria" style restaurants, which can be found at places like Kaferii and Moo-Moo

Moo Moo Restaurants Russia

Moo-Moo is a chain of buffet restaurants in Moscow, Russia.Moo-Moo operates as a cafeteria-style restaurant and as such can be considered a fast food restaurant. The entire menu is self-service, and includes a wide variety of meats , vegetables, soups, breads, and desserts. Several Moo-Moo...

and were common in Soviet times. Instead orders are taken by orange t-shirt wearing waiters and waitresses and food is served at your table. As in many cafes and restaurants these jobs are relatively poorly paid, and so are usually taken by young people or Gastarbeiter

Gastarbeiter

Gastarbeiter is German for "guest worker." It refers to migrant workers who had moved to West Germany mainly in the 1960s and 70s, seeking work as part of a formal guest worker programme...

  from the former Soviet republics

Post-Soviet states

The post-Soviet states, also commonly known as the Former Soviet Union or former Soviet republics, are the 15 independent states that split off from the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in its dissolution in December 1991...

. Menus are available in English as well as Russian.

Locations

The first Kruzhka opened in Konkovo

Konkovo District

Konkovo District is an administrative district of South-Western Administrative Okrug, and one of the 125 raions of Moscow, Russia....

 in April 2002. From there it spread throughout Moscow and has recently begun expanding into the Moscow suburbs. The chain now has over 20 locations. This kind of expansion has been experienced by other restaurants chains, as the popularity of eating out in Moscow has increased dramatically. Despite arguably being slightly down market of other restaurant chains such as Moo-Moo

Moo Moo Restaurants Russia

Moo-Moo is a chain of buffet restaurants in Moscow, Russia.Moo-Moo operates as a cafeteria-style restaurant and as such can be considered a fast food restaurant. The entire menu is self-service, and includes a wide variety of meats , vegetables, soups, breads, and desserts. Several Moo-Moo...

, many Kruzhka can be found in surprisingly prime locations. For example, there is one on the Arbat

Arbat Street

The Arbat is an approximately one-kilometer long pedestrian street in the historical centre of Moscow. The Arbat has existed at least since the 15th century, thus laying claim to being one of the oldest surviving streets of the Russian capital. It forms the heart of the Arbat District of Moscow...

 and another very close to Lokomotiv Stadium

Lokomotiv Stadium (Moscow)

Lokomotiv Stadium is a football stadium in Moscow, Russia. It is the home stadium of Lokomotiv Moscow and was the home ground of the Russian National Team for the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification matches. The stadium was reconstructed in 2002 and holds 28,800 people, all seated...

. In March 2006 a large Kruzhka opened at Ploshchad Revolutsii, about 200 metres from Red Square

Red Square

Red Square is a city square in Moscow, Russia. The square separates the Kremlin, the former royal citadel and currently the official residence of the President of Russia, from a historic merchant quarter known as Kitai-gorod...

. In a move that seems targeted to the many tourists present in the area, this Kruzhka was unusual (for Moscow) in that it included a non smoking room. However, this area is often relatively empty. Many Kruzhka are close to metro stations

Moscow Metro

The Moscow Metro is a rapid transit system serving Moscow and the neighbouring town of Krasnogorsk. Opened in 1935 with one line and 13 stations, it was the first underground railway system in the Soviet Union. As of 2011, the Moscow Metro has 182 stations and its route length is . The system is...

. This, together with their distinctive signs, give the restaurants a ubiquitous presence in the city.

In March 2004 the opening of an outlet in the Okrug

Administrative divisions of Moscow

The federal city of Moscow, Russia is divided into ten administrative okrugs, which are in turn subdivided into districts . The city does not have a downtown area; the urban core is scattered across the city. Prominent business areas include Tverskoy, Arbat, and Presnensky Districts to the east...

 of Zelenograd

Zelenograd

Zelenograd is a city, which, along with the territories and settlements under its jurisdiction, forms one of the administrative okrugs of Moscow - Zelenograd Administrative Okrug...

 marked the first Kruzhka restaurant to be located significantly beyond the MKAD

MKAD

MKAD is a ring road encircling the City of Moscow.The acronym is a transliteration of the Russian МКАД, for Московская Кольцевая Автомобильная Дорога .The growth of traffic in and around Moscow in the 1950s made the city planners realise Russia's largest metropolis...

. The first Kruzhka outside of Moscow was opened in July 2006, in the Black Sea

Black Sea

The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...

 resort of Sochi

Sochi

Sochi is a city in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, situated just north of Russia's border with the de facto independent republic of Abkhazia, on the Black Sea coast. Greater Sochi sprawls for along the shores of the Black Sea near the Caucasus Mountains...

.

External links

• http://www.kruzhka.ru/ - Official page (in Russian)
• http://www.kruzhka.com/ - Official page (in English)
• http://www.waytorussia.net/Moscow/Pubs.html - Review, scroll down page.