The walls of the Metropol with bas-reliefs and panels, the Bolshoi Theatre across the street, chef Andrey Shmakov — brilliant and charismatic (open a sandwich shop? Do some standup? Easy!). His cuisine combines Russian heartiness, French flair, and the culinary boldness of a great auteur: stuffed cabbage with root vegetables gets barberry jus, dried duck comes with dogwood and maple dressing, stroganina from muksun — with Shmakovka infusion. Savva is a fixture on rankings and awards lists, and the décor earns every last accolade — columns, marble, gilding. For the hotel’s 120th anniversary in 2025, they presented a retrospective tasting menu: shchi Muránovo-style with pickled pineapple to a 1905 recipe and a Napoleon cake with crème anglaise from 1980.