What do you recommend? (when choosing food from a menu)
Что вы рекомендуете?
Pronounced:
shto veh rec-o-mend-dOI-eh-tye
Audio:
(Lena)
What do you advise? (when choosing food from a menu; possibly more common than 'What do you recommend?')
Что вы посоветуете?
Pronounced:
shto veh pa-sa-vYE-too-eh-tye
Audio:
(Lena)
Enjoy your meal (bon appetite!) (literally: pleasant appetite)
приятного аппетита!
Pronounced:
pri-YAt-na-va pi-tIta
Audio:
(Lena)
Russian restaurants
With the booming economy, new restaurants are springing up all the time in Russia. However, if you are used to fine cuisine, excellent service and a good wine list you'll pay through the nose for it in Moscow or St.Petersburg.
In the non-elite restaurants (the majority) you'll usually find something to amuse you (or irritate you, depending on your sense of humour) like warm beer and champagne, toilets that are a hole in the ground, no toilet paper in the bathroom, menus that are written only in Russian, random delivery of meals for each diner, prices listed per 100 grams of food (be careful!), and often items listed on the menu aren't available to order. So be prepared for an adventure and don't expect everything to be perfect.
If you do receive good service don't forget to leave your waiter or waitress a tip (perhaps 10%) because mostly their salaries are very low, especially in the smaller cities.
Russia is a fascinating place, but don't expect it to be the same as home.
