Sochi is known as the gastronomic center of southern Russia. Firstly, there is a unique local cuisine that unites Russian, Kuban, Armenian and Georgian culinary traditions. Secondly, high-quality restaurant projects are opening here year after year, which can compete with any establishment in the capital.
How to get there
The fastest way to get to Sochi is by plane. You will spend about 4 hours in the air from Moscow and St. Petersburg to the main resort of the country. Round-trip tickets from the capital will cost 8,800 rubles*, from the city on the Neva – 12,500 rubles*.
You can also get to Sochi by train. It takes a little less than a day to travel from Moscow, and a ticket costs about 8,000 rubles*. The journey from the Northern capital will take 36 hours and will cost about 10,500 rubles*.
You can also get to Sochi by car. The distance from Moscow is 1,600 km, travel time is 20–30 hours, depending on road conditions and speed. From St. Petersburg it takes at least 38 hours to travel.
Where to stay
In Sochi there are both five-star hotels with luxurious rooms, as well as more affordable options with good service.
If you want to stay closer to the sea, you will like the family apart-hotel “Imeretinsky”. From the windows you can enjoy beautiful views. The room will cost from 2,600 rubles per night*.
“Velvet Seasons” is a whole city-hotel and one of the largest hotel complexes in Europe. There is a wide choice of rooms: from standard to suites, all of them decorated with great attention to detail. Price per day – from 4,200 rubles*.
If you prefer to stay in the center of Sochi, then City Park Hotel Sochi would be a good choice. It is within walking distance from the sea, but at the same time in a quiet area. The hotel offers comfortable rooms with modern design. A day will cost from 6,700 rubles*.
Features of local cuisine
Sochi gastronomy has absorbed all the best, tasty, vibrant national cuisines of the peoples. Each people who settled on the Black Sea coast contributed something of their own to the development of local gastronomy. For example, in the middle of the 19th century, Armenian immigrants from Turkey and Syria settled in the territory of present-day Sochi. They began to grow beans, herbs, vegetables and fruits. We taught others and prepared our own dishes from vegetables and meat over an open fire.
And towards the end of the 19th century, the Greeks of Asia Minor arrived in Krasnaya Polyana. They brought with them a recipe for souvlaki (kebabs in pita bread with vegetables). This dish is still very popular in the city.
Restaurants and cafes in Sochi
There are a huge number of places in Central Sochi where you can try local cuisine. These are both old time-tested establishments and relatively new restaurants that opened a couple of years ago.
“Ram-Rapan”
Address: st. Teatralnaya, 11.
Open from 12:00 to 00:00.
Best establishment in Sochi according to the WhereToEat award. The restaurant specializes in local Black Sea cuisine. The menu includes a huge number of dishes made from local products: fried Adyghe cheese with feijoa jam as an appetizer, ajap from farm vegetables and young corn with spicy butter.
“Weeping Willow”
Address: st. Voikova, 3.
Open from 12:00 to 00:00.
One of the most famous fish restaurants in the resort. The menu is based on local vegetables and fruits, seafood and, of course, fresh fish. Please note
homemade red mullet with tartar sauce, pike perch cutlets with potatoes and green peas and Black Sea rapana in cream sauce.
“White Nights”
Address: st. Ordzhonikidze, 9/1.
Open from Monday to Saturday from 10:00 to 00:00, on Sundays – from 11:00 to 00:00.
A cult Sochi establishment that has been operating for decades. It’s not easy to get here during the season: you need to book a table in advance or stand in a long line. If you ask locals where the most delicious khinkali are in the city, most will confidently answer: “White Nights.” The menu also includes other Caucasian dishes: lobio and Narta khachapuri, Georgian solyanka, chanakhi (lamb stewed in a clay pot with vegetables) and much more.
Cafe “At the Palm Tree”
Address: st. Primorskaya, 19a.
Open from 10:00 to 21:00.
Another “old-timer” among Sochi establishments. The cafe is located on the Central Embankment and has been operating since 1971. The establishment does not have an official name; among locals and tourists it is known as “At the Palm”. The menu includes dishes from Caucasian and Soviet cuisines: there is shish kebab, lula kebab, various soups, and salads – everything is relatively inexpensive and very tasty. The “boat” (aka khachapuri in Adjarian or acharuli) deserves special attention. A bonus for lunch will be a breathtaking view of the sea.
“Dolphin and the Mermaid”
Address: st. Voikova, 1.
Open from 09:00 to 23:00.
Stylish cafe in the southern wing of the Marine Station. Brand chef Ilya Zakharov reflected the author’s view of the intertwining of traditions of Georgian, Turkish and Caucasian cuisine. The menu includes unexpected combinations: for example, okroshka with matsoni and rapan, khinkali with Black Sea fish, “boat” with salmon and even a “hangover” burger with beef cutlet.
“Exarcho”
Address: Progress village, st. Yubileinaya, 103/7.
Open from April to November from 10:00 to 20:00, from December to March from 10:00 to 18:00.
The restaurant is located on a mountain slope, offering a panoramic view of the mountains and the sea. The restaurant has its own farm where vegetables, herbs and fruits are grown for all dishes on the menu. Pride “Exarcho” — cheeses made from goat and cow milk, which are made here on the farm. Guests can try rare varieties, such as soft cheeses with noble white and blue mold. We recommend ordering fluffy ciabatta from a wood-fired oven, khachapuri with suluguni and signature ravioli with goat cheese and mozzarella.
Restaurants and cafes of Adler
The Adler district is also rich in quality establishments – most of them are located on the embankment near the sea and in the Imereti Lowland.
La Punto
Address: Parusnaya street, 7/2.
Open from 9:00 to 23:00.
Chefs Nikita Prikhodko and Maxim Dolzhenko delight guests with their author’s interpretation of European and Caucasian cuisine. For breakfast you can order Belgian waffles with trout or cheesecakes with boiled caramel. For lunch, treat yourself to Kuban borscht and black halibut with herbs and risotto. In the evening, go on a gastronomic spree: try grilled mountain trout, pizza with pear or mussels with ciabatta.
Gussi
Address: st. Bestuzheva, 1/1.
Open daily from 11:00 to 00:00.
Branch of a popular Yalta restaurant. The main character of the establishment is the live goose Edik. He was born in Crimea and “built a career” there for the first two years of his life. In Sochi, the goose acquired personal apartments in a restaurant, a security guard and his beloved goose, Margarita. The birds are tame and love to take pictures with guests.
The restaurant is worth visiting not only to see the geese, but also for the cuisine. Here traditional recipes are adapted to modern trends. Try tomato salad with homemade cheese and Yalta onions, trout cutlets and meat donuts.
5642 Height
Address: st. 65 years of Victory, 50/1.
Open daily from 12:00 to 00:00.
The restaurant is named after Mount Elbrus, the highest point in Russia and Europe. Chef Kirill Kalinin based the menu on dishes from different regions of the Caucasus, and gave the main role to Adyghe cuisine. It’s difficult to choose just one: try gedlibze (chicken breast in Šips sauce), delicious lagur (dried veal with the aroma of nettles) and the main national dessert – lush sweet delicacies.
“Cheese factory”
Address: st. Bestuzheva, 1/1 (TC “Mandarin”).
Open from 12:00 to 00:00.
Network project of the famous restaurateur Arkady Novikov. There are more than 30 establishments under this name in different cities of Russia. The trick of the restaurant is that mozzarella, buratta, ricotta, caciotta and other cheeses are made in front of the guests. The menu has a clear Italian slant. The dishes here are simple and familiar to guests: pizza margherita, pork ribs, pasta, salads and bruschetta.
Cafes and restaurants of Krasnaya Polyana
The most expensive establishments in the city are concentrated in the mountain cluster of Sochi. The average bill per person here will be about 1,500–2,000 rubles. At the same time, restaurants and cafes of Krasnaya Polyana are famous for their cuisine at the level of Michelin stars.
“We bake apples”
Address: Komsomolsky lane, 4a.
Open from 9:00 to 23:00.
A cozy restaurant in the mountains, which has an open veranda with panoramic views. The main dishes are cooked in a wood-burning oven: lamb shoulder in a chestnut trough, Black Sea flounder with tomatoes, duck fillet with spelled and beets. They also bake yeast-free bread here according to signature recipes: rye, buckwheat and onion. Camembert in ash with raspberries and potato pancakes with egg and trout deserve special mention.
Old Boys Pub
Address: Medoveevskaya street, 17a.
Open from 10:00 to 23:00.
The gastropub is located in a guest house in the village of Medoveevka, 19 km from Krasnaya Polyana. The menu in the establishment is very decent: each item, be it a signature burger, carbonara or cheesecake, is made according to the chef’s original recipe. Try local chestnut pate as an appetizer, fried suluguni cheese from local farmers, or baked trout with carrots.
“Sauternes”
Address: st. Harmonies, 1.
Open from 12:00 to 23:00.
The restaurant is named after a French type of wine. The concept of the restaurant is a union of gastronomic dishes and a collection of wines from around the world. The menu focuses on seafood – oysters, tuna, salmon, scallops. Dishes vary from season to season: at the end of summer, for example, you can try duck leg with pumpkin cream, duck in two textures with dried apricots or carpaccio of celery and pickled oyster mushrooms.
“Pear”
Address: st. Medoveya, 8/1.
Open from 11:00 to 23:00.
A cozy restaurant where they prepare dishes that combine southern traditions with modern culinary trends. Exclusively fresh, seasonal and local products are used. Spices and seasonings grow in the restaurant’s own greenhouse: fragrant rosemary, parsley, cilantro, mint. Try several variants of Caucasian dishes: khachapuri with blue cheese and pear, strawberry gazpacho, duck with fruit sauce.
Red Fox
Address: Rosa Khutor GC, Lavender embankment, 3.
Open from 12:00 to 00:00.
The restaurant opened for the 2014 Olympics and is still incredibly popular among resort guests. Its stable demand is largely due to the fact that it is atmospheric and delicious. The interior is designed in the style of a mountain chalet: inside there is a large fireplace with a wood burning stove, antique furniture and an open kitchen. The menu consists of Russian products: Black Sea fish, Kuban and Abkhaz vegetables and fruits, Krasnopolyansk herbs. Try unusual combinations: Greek salad with Adyghe cheese, okroshka with veal tongue and suluguni fried on coals.
*Prices indicated in the article are current at the time of publication.
