A vast collection of the different regional cuisines across the country, Russian cuisine is hugely diverse. Flavors have been influenced over the centuries by cuisine from Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Siberia, and East Asia. Founded in the ancient peasant foods from the rural population, Russian food includes meat and ancient grains including rye, wheat, barley, and millet. Historically, these grains were used to bake breads, pancakes, and pies of many varieties.

By operating a Russian themed restaurant, you have the opportunity to create a truly memorable dining experience for guests. Traditional Russian dining is split into multiple courses usually beginning with a potato or beet salad. Another popular first course is a soup called Borsch.

If you’re planning to open your own Russian restaurant, here are the best name ideas we could come up with organized by category. Enjoy!

Russian Restaurant Name Ideas

Traditional Russian dining.

Using the typical Russian script may be a little confusing to some. While a small group of people may understand the script in the United States, using English letters to spell out the name is the best option. You can still include Russian words and names in the subtitle of your business to add to the authenticity. Here are some ideas we came up with.

  • 1818 Kafe
  • Arkady Novikov
  • Russian Vodka Garden
  • Baatarai Urgöö
  • Banshiki
  • Moscow Munchies
  • Whisper in Russian
  • Soviet Cuisine and Bar
  • Victory Vodka Bar
  • The Moscow Mule Dinner Club
  • Russian Dumpling Company
  • Grandma’s Dumpling Factory
  • Better Borsch
  • The Moscow Lunch
  • The Siberian Chef
  • Bar Bulgakov
  • Batoni
  • Berezovka
  • Blok
  • Buryat Mongolia
  • Buter Brodsky
  • Cafe Pushkinova
  • The Russian Kitchen
  • Chestnaya Kuhnya
  • The Rusty Russian
  • Ukha Seafood House
  • The Russian Takeout
  • Pelmeni Place
  • Moscow To Go
  • Blini Bites
  • Stroganoff House
  • Cossack Palace
  • Danilovsky’s
  • The Russian Oven
  • Darbazi
  • Ded Pihto
  • Moscow Caviar
  • The Raging Russian
  • Saint Petersburg Eats
  • Kazan Comfort Foods
  • Omsk Restaurant Inc.
  • Pashka Treats
  • Pashka Cafe and Bakery
  • Killer Caviar
  • Dr. Zhivago’s
  • Elardzhi
  • Fahrenheit Czar
  • Katya Drozdova
  • Khachapuri
  • Khozyain Taygi
  • Kochevnik
  • Kosti Kroitsa
  • Kvartira
  • Lavka-Lavka
  • Mechta
  • Mizandari
  • Molokhovets
  • Mongol Buryat
  • Nedalny Vostok
  • Russian Arctic Seafood
  • Mimoza Salad Shop
  • Syrniki Pancake House
  • Oblomov Restaurant
  • Odessa-Mama
  • Orda
  • Pirozhki
  • Poznaya na Lenina
  • Rasputin Cafe
  • The Russian Pancake Place
  • Sadko
  • Rye Bread Restaurant
  • The Russian Rye
  • Severyane
  • Siberian Taiga
  • Soviet bloc
  • Ukraine Ural
  • Uralskiye Pelmeni
  • Verkhnyaya
  • Voronezh

List of Popular Russian Restaurants

Formal dining at a Russian restaurant.

From Vermont to Alaska, Minnesota to Texas, there are a good number of Russian restaurants in the United States already. The cuisine is well-known in many parts of the United States, especially Northern parts of the country where descendents of Russian immigrants still live. And while there are some states where you’ll be hard pressed to find a decent Borscht, the Russian restaurant scene is changing rapidly. Here are some of the top Russian restaurants names in the United States at present to give you some Slavic inspiration.

Related Reading: 124 Old World German Restaurant Name Ideas with a Modern Twist 

  • Abrikosov
  • Art Academiya
  • Comrades Dining Hall
  • Bar Strelka
  • Beluga
  • Black Knight
  • Bontempi
  • Bosco Bar
  • Cabbage Roll Bar
  • Chekhov
  • Dymov No. 1
  • The Emperor’s Dining Hall
  • Fasol Dining Hall
  • Genatsvale Arbat
  • Golden Gates
  • Kachka
  • Katia’s Russian Tea Room
  • Kilikia
  • Konditerskaya Pushkin
  • Moo Moo Restaurant
  • Captivating Cabbage Rolls
  • Na Zdorovye!
  • Nevsky Prospekt
  • Nevsky Russian Restaurant
  • Peasant Pelmeni
  • Prichal
  • Probka Restaurant Group
  • Red Square
  • Pilaff House
  • Chicken Kiev Catering
  • Red Tavern
  • Romanoff Restaurant
  • Royal fish platter
  • Russian Renaissance
  • Moscow on the Hill
  • Russian Tea Room
  • Salad Exclusive
  • Stolovaya No. 57
  • Taras Bulba Korchma
  • Tatiana Restaurant
  • Terrassa
  • Vongerichten
  • Zima London

Common Russian Names

Russian sounding name ideas.

While many Russian names are very different to those used in the West, there are actually a good many western names that originate in the East. Anna and Alexander are just two of the many Russian names that are popular names in the United States. And if you are looking for some of the most popular Russian names for a little naming inspiration for your Russian restaurant, here are the top 35 names in Russia. Any of these can serve as an authentic foundation behind your business name.

  • Alexander
  • Anastasia
  • Andrey
  • Anna
  • Bogdan
  • Dimochka
  • Dmitry
  • Ekaterina
  • Elena
  • Irina
  • Ivan
  • Katya
  • Katyusha
  • Konstantin
  • Maksim
  • Maria
  • Masha
  • Mashenka
  • Mikhail
  • Miroslav
  • Misha
  • Mishenka
  • Nadezhda
  • Olga
  • Sasha
  • Sashka
  • Sergei
  • Sergey
  • Sofia
  • Vanechka
  • Vanya
  • Vera
  • Vladimir
  • Vladislav
  • Yaroslav

Popular Russian Dishes

Borscht is a popular beet soup.

Russian cuisine may have its basis in ancient peasant food, but there are huge numbers of dishes that can really knock your socks off. Some are familiar to the average foodie, while others will be unusual even to the Russian cuisine aficionado. So check out this list of the most popular Russian cuisine dishes to include on your menu.

  • Beef Stroganoff
  • Blini
  • Borscht
  • Coulibiac
  • Dressed Herring
  • Guriev kasha
  • Ikra
  • Königsberger Klopse
  • Kurnik
  • Kvass
  • Limonnik
  • Mimoza
  • Morozhenoe
  • Okroshka
  • Oladyi
  • Pashka
  • Pelmeni
  • Pelmeni s gribami
  • Pirozhki
  • Pozharsky cutlet
  • Ptichye moloko
  • Rasstegai
  • Shashlyk
  • Shchi
  • Smetana
  • Smetannik
  • Solyanka
  • Starka
  • Stroganina
  • Sushki
  • Syrniki
  • Ukha
  • Vatrushka
  • Zefir

Sharing My Own Experience with Russian Food

My personal favorite in terms of Russian dishes would have to be Borsch. I used to eat Borsch all the time at my grandmothers house in the winter. It was an annual tradition of sorts. My mother in particular would look forward to eating this meal that we usually enjoyed as a main course. The soup has a meat base and can include all sorts of vegetables like cabbage, carrots, beets and can include meat. Borsch, like so many other meals in my humble opinion, tastes best served with sour cream. Every family in Russia has some unique twist on this recipe that’s been passed on from generation to generation based on the ingredients available at the time.

Of course when it comes to discussing Russian food, I’d be remiss if I didn’t discuss the national drink: vodka. Drinking vodka is an expected component of any Russian dining experience. If you’re invited into a Russian home for a formal dinner, you should expect to imbibe in shots before, during, and after the main course is served. This is a tradition that didn’t carry over into my own family, but if it did I think it would have made the holidays more interesting as a kid.

Download Now: My Complete Food Business Model Canvas with Template

The last time I dined at Moscow on the Hill, a popular restaurant in St. Paul, Minnesota, my entire party felt like we had been invited to a traditional Slavic dinner. In addition to reviewing the vodka list when we entered, I was surprised at the variety of flavor options available. In addition to flavorless vodka, we were introduced to flavor innovations like pickle, horse radish, and tomato. I sampled the pickle vodka and can’t say that I would ever order a second round of the drink.

One thing to keep in mind before opening a Russian restaurant given the current environment is that you’ll want to create a menu designed to perform well in pickup and delivery. Traditional Russian restaurants are experiencing major challenges in the current environment because so much of their business relies on in-house dining and alcohol sales. Some menu items that could be featured more prominently on your menu include Borsch and dumplings. Both of these menu items can be packaged easily for delivery focused sales and still look good when it arrives on a customer’s doorstep.

Want to start your own food business?

Hey! 👋I’m Brett Lindenberg, the founder of Food Truck Empire.

We interview successful founders and share the stories behind their food trucks, restaurants, food and beverage brands. By sharing these stories, I want to help others get started.

If you liked this story, sign up for our newsletter that includes our food business startup kit and most popular interviews sent straight to your inbox.

Know someone interesting that should be interviewed on the website? Tell us about them here.Â