You descend into Chainaya from the corner archway at Belorusskaya with a sense of anticipation: entry is by buzzer only, preferably with a recommendation from regulars. The bar, which is styled after Chinese opium-era decadence with a daybed behind carved screens, is a legend — it appeared on The World's 50 Best Bars list for six years running in the 2010s. Co-owners Konstantin Plesovskikh and Ekaterina Bais are heavyweights in the bartending world, and the chef is Guo Di Chen from Beijing. Order the wasabi shrimp and exploded cucumbers; for the venue's 15th anniversary in 2026, cocktails reflected its history — Periodista Viejo with rum, dates, and black cardamom, Sunglasses Negroni with Sauvignon Blanc and pineapple shrub — and, as always, plenty of excellent tea.

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• cocktails
• asian
• byreservation