A 24/7 Tea House in Izmailovo Hotel: Crazy Prices, But a Circus Instead of Customer Service
add_circle Pros
- The food is actually pretty tasty, with generous portions to boot.
- The tea house is open 24/7, which is super convenient if you're a night owl like me.
- The location is a bit out of the way, but it's a great spot to grab a bite if you're staying in the Izmailovo area.
- The atmosphere is lively, with a fun vibe that's perfect for a late-night snack.
- The prices are, um, interesting, to say the least. You get a lot of food for your money, but it's not exactly cheap.
- The portions are huge, and the value for money is pretty good.
remove_circle Cons
- The customer service is basically non-existent. I felt like I was in a circus, not a restaurant.
- The staff seems overwhelmed and understaffed, which makes for a chaotic dining experience.
- The tea house is a bit of a mess, with tables and chairs scattered all over the place.
- The music is way too loud, making it hard to have a conversation with your friends.
- The whole experience feels like a bit of a joke, which isn't exactly what I'm looking for in a restaurant.
- The build quality of the place is pretty low, with worn-out furniture and dirty floors.
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Editor's Summary
I stumbled upon the Besh-Barmak Tea House in Izmailovo Alpha hotel, and let me tell you, it's an experience. The prices are crazy, but the food is surprisingly good. However, don't expect top-notch customer service – it's more like a circus than a restaurant. If you're in the area and need a late-night bite, Besh-Barmak might be worth a try, but don't say I didn't warn you. The atmosphere is lively, with a fun vibe that's perfect for a late-night snack, but the music is way too loud, making it hard to have a conversation with your friends. Overall, it's a mixed bag, but if you're looking for a unique dining experience, Besh-Barmak might be worth checking out.
Specifications
Hello everyone!
I ended up in Moscow late one evening, and I checked into the Izmailovo Alpha hotel already at night. So, I had to find a 24-hour place to eat nearby in a hurry. That's how I stumbled upon the Besh-Barmak Tea House, which I'll be reviewing here.
Address: They have two branches in Moscow: Leningradskoe Shosse, 71B st2, Izmayskoye Shosse, 71 k4g-d st15 (I was at this one).
Hours: open 24/7
Location:
Besh-Barmak Tea House has two branches in Moscow at the following addresses:
1. Leningradskoe Shosse, 71B st2,
2. Izmayskoye Shosse, 71 k4g-d st15
As you can see, they're located in different districts of Moscow. I visited the one in the eastern district, in Izmailovo.
Besh-Barmak Tea House, MoscowThe location is fantastic. It's right on the grounds of the Alpha hotel, literally next to the Gamma building.I was just a 3-minute walk from the Paritzanskaya metro station, and there's also a Izmayskoye metro station, as well as bus and tram stops nearby.
And, of course, there are plenty of places to walk around: Izmailovo Park, the Izmailovo Estate, museums nearby, and, of course, the Izmailovo Kremlin – which is literally right across the street, as you can see on the photo.
Besh-Barmak Tea House, Moscow IzmailovoThe thing is, the building itself... well, let's just say it's not exactly the most presentable one. I took a photo of it the next morning, and if I hadn't needed to find a 24-hour place to eat, I would've probably walked right past it.
Besh-Barmak Tea House, Moscow Izmailovo
My impressions:
1. Interior:
As you'd expect from any tea house, there's a lot of ornamentation and details – like the furniture with the "Turkish cucumber" pattern. But the walls are just painted a plain milk color, and it feels like something's missing.
The room is a bit cramped, but there are plenty of tables, and what surprised me was that it was fully booked, even at 12 midnight.
Besh-Barmak Tea House, Moscow I was happy to see that they had tables with couches, which my husband and I sat on. For comfort, they even provided little cushions, which was a nice touch. Besh-Barmak Tea House, Moscow They also had a dessert shelf that was conveniently located near the tables due to the lack of space, but at least we could see the variety of desserts. Besh-Barmak Tea House, Moscow
2. Food, service:
The service at Besh-Barmak Tea House was weird. The waiters were running around like they'd been scalded. Normally, when a waiter takes your table, they stick with you until the end. Here, the girl who took our order said she didn't know if they had the dish I wanted, so she went to check. While she was away, other waiters came over. She came back with the wrong thing, so I ordered something else, and she went to check again - nope. I was about to say, 'Just give us something from the menu,' but when we were already eating, more waiters came over. Our waitress didn't even write down our order, and then she came back to ask what we had actually ordered. It was a mess!
And almost everything on the menu was something I'd never seen before, maybe they're struggling to keep up with the crowds because of the prices?
The prices here are even lower than I'm used to in the provinces, let alone in Moscow. That's what I call price dumping in action, thanks to the intense competition. They're making up for it by serving more portions. So, I'll be noting the price of each dish next to it.
Besh-Barmak Tea House, Moscow Besh-Barmak Tea House, Moscow So, here's what I ordered:1. Fried eggplant in a sweet and sour sauce - 290 rubles.
It was super tasty, with a crispy exterior and a soft interior. The sauce was like a regular sweet and sour sauce, but it felt like it was unnecessary.
Fried eggplant at Besh-Barmak Tea House But for a salad or appetizer, it was way too much - I only managed to eat three eggplant slices and half a tomato. Rating: 4 √√√√
Fried eggplant at Besh-Barmak Tea House
2. Uzbek pilaf - 260 rubles.
I didn't actually order this, but our server recommended it as a special option.
Plov UzekenIt's a flavorful dish with fluffy rice and tastes just like real plov, not just rice with carrots. The meat is tender and doesn't get stuck in your teeth. Since I have a lot of Muslim friends and family, I know what real plov is like, and this is pretty close. BUT why the salad on the side? It would've been better to add some carrots or lentils to the plov instead.The serving size is huge, and I even regretted ordering it as a side dish.
Even with the salad, I'd give it 5 √√√√√ for value. At 260 rubles, it's a total steal!
Plov Uzeken
And here's what my husband ordered:
1. Cesar with chicken - 280 rubles. It's a pretty reasonable price for a salad, and the serving size is decent.
Cesar Chayhana Besh-Barmak, MoscowHe got the version with tomatoes, which some chefs might not recommend, but we both love it.He said it was super filling, but the flavor was just okay, so I'd give it 3 √√√ (what can you expect from a tea house, right?)
Cesar Chayhana Besh-Barmak, Moscow2. Dapandji - 290 rubles. We were blown away because the portion is HUGE, and it's priced like a side dish I ordered.
Dapandji Chayhana Besh-Barmak, MoscowThere's a ton of meat and veggies, and my husband even couldn't finish the whole plate. Maybe you should just order this dish and skip everything else? I'm not even sure about that.Flavor-wise, I'd give it 5 √√√√√, the meat is tender, and the broth is rich.
Dapandji Chayhana Besh-Barmak, MoscowWe also got a tea pot called naglyy fruit for 150 rubles. It's a fair price, but usually, even in regular cafes, it's way more expensive.
Besh-Barmak Tea House, MoscowThe tea was sweet, I could taste the grapes, and I drank it out of a cup, and since there were three of us, we kept refilling it like people do on the East. It cools down way fasterTea at the tea houseSo, our whole dinner came out to 1270 rubles, and we stuffed ourselves and didn't finish anything, and I think that's a minus, because it's a waste of food. Either we're just weird, or everyone else eats more.
✅ Super low prices, as long as they don't skyrocket
✅ 24/7 cafe with no weekends
✅ Location
✅ MASSIVE portions
✅ It tastes good (except for the Caesar, that's just not Eastern food)
❌ Service, customer support. I've already ranted about that
Verdict:
I'm left with mixed feelings, weak service, I'd even say it's a mess. But the food is tasty and the portions are huge at very low prices. And the location with the 24/7 schedule is a plus. I'd love to have better service, even if it means higher prices. But after a long flight...you know, when there's no fish, even a cat is fish
I'd give it 4 out of 5, and I'll definitely come back next time.
Enjoy your meal and thanks for reading
Where else to eat in Moscow?
Ogönki - cafe in the European shopping mall
