Restaurants in Belarus

Minsk has the widest choice of restaurants, with most of them being in and around the central street of Nezavisimosti. English menus are usually provided on request. Whilst fine dining isn’t a real highlight of a visit to Belarus, there are still a number of great restaurants.

A wide variety of potato dishes and flour pancake dishes are the hallmark of Belarusian cuisine.

Our Belarus restaurant guide below tells you all you need  to know about food and cuisine in Belarus. So, after an exciting shopping spree, there is nothing better than to relax in beautiful surroundings and taste a variety of dishes to your heart's content. You can also check out information about what the local dining scene is like in Minsk.

Food & Cuisine in Belarus

Belarusian cuisine has evolved under the influence of several other cuisines. Jewish, Russian, Tartar and Lithuanian traditions have all influenced the cuisine in some way or the other. The weather and geographical location of Belarus encourages people to use the locally available milk products, crabs, river fish, apples, pears, berries, herbs and mushrooms.

Mushrooms are used quite frequently and are usually boiled or stewed; they are used more to enhance the taste of the main dish rather than as the main ingredient. Marinated vegetables are a big part of Belarusian cuisine: marinated mushrooms, tomatoes and cucumbers are some popular examples. Belarusian families still cook marinated mushrooms and vegetables in traditional ways, following home recipes. Rich soups with sour cream, and cold soups in summer, are also very popular.

Fish is usually stewed, baked, or dried; it is very rarely fried. Goose was a part of the traditional cuisine once but chicken has taken its place today. Pork is commonly used to make homemade sausages. Both beef and low fat pork are usually baked and seldom fried. In winter, a traditional favourite is boiled potatoes accompanied by lightly salted pork lard.

Many ingredients are pureed or grated and used in different dishes or even combined together. For example, vegetables, potatoes, meat and fish are often cooked this way. Fruits such as apples, forest berries and pears are used to make many types of baked puddings, kvass, purees and different jellies, but the fruits are usually not mixed – each dish is made out of one fruit or berry.

Boiling and stewing are the traditional methods of cooking in Belarus. In the old days, ingredients were cooked for a long duration, causing the food to become shapeless and soft. This method is still used for making traditional dishes today.

Modern Belarusian cuisine creatively combines the old and the new. Features from other cuisines are combined with traditional dishes and a variety of ingredients are creatively mixed to produce new dishes, such as the rich salads available today.

Nightlife

Belarus has quite an active nightlife with many good nightclubs in Minsk. Nightclubs in Belarus differ from nightclubs in other countries in that they serve as both restaurant and club. Hors d’oeuvres and other dishes can be ordered till very late into the night and often, the cost of the meal covers the disco and show as well. Cover charges may have to be paid at certain times, such as on weekends. The shows are usually put up on Friday and Saturday nights only, and they are about 30 minutes long.

Clubs are usually closed on Mondays. It is quite normal for clubs to follow strict dress codes and they are especially particular about shoes. Wearing shorts or sneakers to a club is not a good idea.