English-Speaking and Expat Bars in Moscow (2026)
Where English comes easy on a night out in Moscow: the pubs expats actually use, the best rock bar in town, where to watch the football, what stays open until dawn, and which old favourites have closed.
Vlad Falfouchinski · 1 October 2026 · 7 min read
Short answer first: the easiest places to drink in English in Moscow are the Irish and British pubs. Katie O'Shea's, Mollie's, O'Donoghue's and Punch & Judy are where staff and regulars are used to foreigners. For live rock, Let's Rock Bar on Kuznetsky Most is our favourite in the city. For the Premier League, St. Peters & St. Anton. For a night that ends at dawn, Papa's. Everything below was checked on 30 September 2026, which matters: much of what older guides recommend has closed.
How we chose. This isn't a scraped list. Every bar here is one we've been to or that has a long, consistent record with Moscow's international crowd, and we checked each one's hours, prices and events against its own website and Yandex Maps. Places marked MEE tested are ones our team goes to and vouches for personally. I've lived in Moscow for a full year now, after two years of visiting before that. It's not long enough to know the whole city, but it's long enough to know what's good, where to go, and what a night out here actually feels like.
At a glance
Closed: if an older guide sent you here
Most English-language lists of "expat bars in Moscow" were written before 2022 and never updated. These are the names people still search for, and where to go instead:
- Jim 'N' Jack's has closed. Yandex Maps marks it shut, and its last reviews date from 2020. For the same loud, friendly, everyone-welcome pub night, go to Mollie's on Myasnitskaya.
- Hard Rock Cafe Arbat closed on 29 October 2022, after nineteen years. For live rock in the centre, Let's Rock Bar is the one to go to now.
- Saxon + Parole closed in January 2020. Its co-owner said at the time that the expat crowd, once most of its guests, had thinned out.
- Scotland Yard on Petrovka closed years ago.
If a bar matters to your plans, check it on Yandex Maps before you go. Every place in this guide links straight to it.
Pick your night
Going alone and want to meet people
Walk in alone, order at the bar, and you'll be talking to someone by the second drink. These two are the easiest places in Moscow to do that in English.
Katie O'Shea's is the most reliably English-speaking: an Irish-owned basement pub near the Irish embassy, with a crowd that mixes expats and Muscovites. Mollie's is the busiest, and its Monday quiz is the easiest way in Moscow to end up at a table of strangers.
Watching the match
Football is the one thing every English-speaking pub takes seriously. Saturday 3pm kick-offs in England start at 17:00 or 18:00 in Moscow depending on the time of year, and Champions League nights finish close to midnight. Book a table for anything big.
St. Peters & St. Anton, a few minutes from the Kremlin, is the purist's football pub: club scarves on every wall, eight screens and 22 taps. O'Donoghue's has twenty TVs and a three-metre screen, and Punch & Judy shows the Europa League too. The last two are on the same street, so if one is full, walk to the other.
Live music and rock
Let's Rock Bar is our pick for the best rock bar in Moscow. Cover bands play on a proper stage on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday from 21:00, with DJs on Mondays and Fridays, across two floors of brick and graffiti. It never closes, so a gig can turn into breakfast, which starts at 05:00. Bring ID and leave the sportswear at home, because the door checks both.
Back in Sydney, my favourite bar was Frankie's: a grungy, divey rock joint that was somehow a place for everyone. When my wife Julia and I started looking for Moscow's version, it took us a few tries across the city's rock scene. Let's Rock was the closest. Live music, really good drinks, a great atmosphere, friendly people, a little outdoor terrace, and easy to get to. I fell in love with it straight away. (Vlad)
Harat's Pub on Pokrovka is the other reliable live-music night, with concerts, a big friendly crowd and a 06:00 close every night. Punch & Judy has cover bands too, with stand-up comedy in the basement.
The night that won't end
Moscow goes out late. Bars fill from about 22:00, and on weekends plenty stay open until 05:00 or 06:00. Let's Rock never shuts at all.
Papa's has been an expat last stop since 1995 and has held its basement on Nikolskaya since 2012: cover bands on Fridays and Saturdays, salsa, a crowd from everywhere, room for 400 people and a 06:00 close. The door is strict but polite; check your bill before you pay. When it's 4am and you need food, Starlite Diner is open around the clock.
Somewhere better than a pub
Moscow's cocktail bars are where the city's bartending really shines. English varies, but you don't need much: describe what you like, or point at the menu, and the bartender does the rest.
Petrov i Vasechka is right by Tsvetnoy Bulvar metro, open until 3am, and happy to make whatever you describe. Delicatessen is the basement bar where Moscow's modern cocktail culture started, and one of the few bars in the city with a Michelin Bib Gourmand (from the 2022 guide).
Two ready-made routes
Pyatnitskaya (Zamoskvorechye). Start at Punch & Judy by Novokuznetskaya metro, then walk ten minutes down Pyatnitskaya to O'Donoghue's. Both have bands, both show football, and both stay open until 06:00 on Fridays. More on the area in our Zamoskvorechye guide.
Kitay-Gorod to Kuznetsky Most. Start at Harat's on Pokrovka, walk to Papa's on Nikolskaya, and finish at Let's Rock, which will still be open whenever you get there. Each leg is a 10–15 minute walk. More in our Kitay-Gorod guide.
How a night out in Moscow works
- Bring cash. Foreign Visa and Mastercard cards don't work in Russia, so carry roubles. Our guide to changing money in Moscow covers how to get them.
- After 23:00, only bars sell alcohol. Shops are banned from selling it between 23:00 and 08:00, so there's no late run to the supermarket.
- No smoking inside. Smoking has been banned in Russian bars and restaurants since 2014, and hookahs and vapes since 2020. Smokers go outside.
- Carry your passport. The drinking age is 18, and doors with face control, including Let's Rock, check ID.
- Tipping is 5–10%. Some places add a 10% service charge. Since 1 September 2025, a bar can only add one with your agreement, so you can ask for it to be removed.
- The metro stops at about 01:00. After that, Yandex Go is how everyone gets home.
- Menus are often in Russian. A phone camera translator handles most of it, and our guide to ordering in Moscow without Russian covers the rest.
Six words of bar Russian
One tip that marks you as a local: na zdorovye isn't how Russians toast. It's what you say when someone thanks you for food. Raise your glass with za nas ("to us") or za zdorovye ("to health").
Quick answers
What is the best rock bar in Moscow?
Our pick is Let's Rock Bar on Kuznetsky Most: live cover bands five nights a week, DJs on the other two, and open 24 hours. It has a 4.8 rating on Yandex Maps from more than 5,000 reviews.
Do bars in Moscow speak English?
At the Irish and British pubs in this guide, usually yes. Elsewhere, English ranges from good to none, but ordering drinks works fine with pointing, a translator app and a smile.
Where do expats drink in Moscow?
In 2026, the most popular expat bars are Katie O'Shea's, Mollie's, O'Donoghue's, Punch & Judy, Harat's Pub on Pokrovka, St. Peters & St. Anton, Papa's and Let's Rock Bar.
What time do bars close in Moscow?
Most pubs close around midnight on weeknights and between 05:00 and 06:00 on Fridays and Saturdays. Harat's and Papa's close at 06:00 every night, and Let's Rock is open 24 hours.
Is Jim 'N' Jack's still open?
No, it has closed. Mollie's on Myasnitskaya is the closest match for the same kind of night.
Rather go with people?
If walking into a bar alone isn't your thing, that's exactly why Moscow Expat Events exists: small hosted evenings where you arrive knowing you'll meet people. See what's coming up, or browse every place on the Moscow List.
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