How to Order in a Moscow Restaurant Without Speaking Russian

Short answer: you'll be fine. Central Moscow restaurants deal with non-Russian speakers every day, English menus are common in the center, and pointing at a menu line is a universal language. But there's a difference between surviving a meal and enjoying one — and the gap is about eight words wide.

The eight words that do most of the work

• Здравствуйте (zdrastvuyte) — hello. Opens every interaction better than silence.
• Пожалуйста (pozhaluysta) — please / here you go / you're welcome. It covers everything.
• Спасибо (spasibo) — thank you.
• Можно…? (mozhna) — "may I have…?" Point at the menu after saying it and you're ordering.
• Счёт, пожалуйста (schyot, pozhaluysta) — the bill, please.
• Это (eta) — "this one." The pointing word.
• Вода (vada) — water. Specify без газа (still) or с газом (sparkling).
• Вкусно! (fkusna) — "delicious!" Deploy generously; it lands every time.

Nobody expects your pronunciation to be good. The attempt itself changes the temperature of the table.

How menus and service actually work

A few things that differ from what many arrivals expect:

• Dishes come when they're ready, not in strict course order, unless you ask. If timing matters, say so (or point at two items and say "вместе" — together).
• Water isn't automatic. Order it, and specify still or sparkling.
• The bill won't arrive until you ask. Lingering is normal and no one is hovering to turn the table. When you're done: schyot, pozhaluysta.
• Tipping is typically around ten percent, in cash or added when paying by card where the terminal allows it. It's appreciated, not enforced.

When there's no English menu

Translation apps handle Cyrillic menus well through the camera — that solves ninety percent of it. For the rest: ask "Что посоветуете?" (what do you recommend?), or simply let the waiter point. Kitchens here are proud of specific dishes, and "bring me what's good" is a respected order.

The real shortcut

Eat with people who already know the room. Half the value of a good table is someone across it saying "get that one, trust me." That's most of what our dinners are — the menu decoded, the introductions handled, and the vkusno moments shared.