Bolshoy Gruziyskiy

A large, welcoming restaurant-house serving Georgian cuisine and wine, located in the historic Simanovsky Mill building in Yekaterinburg.

The concept of "Bolshoy Gruzin" (Big Georgian) restaurant is to offer food and wine that evoke the culinary enthusiasm in Russia that has existed since the times of Pushkin and Lermontov. The restaurant is located on the central embankment of Yekaterinburg, in the historic Simanovsky Mill building from 1884, which became accessible to residents and guests of the city after its renovation. The first owner of the building, the philanthropist Ilya Simanovsky, in the 19th century, strived to make Yekaterinburg a comfortable city to live in. He built the state-of-the-art mill, in the fashionable red brick style of the time, on his own estate, with a park and greenhouse, and on its opening, he treated the residents and workers with wine and bread. After 140 years, people are living here again, and the building has returned to the residents of the city with the same idea. "The 'breadth' and spiritual significance of the space make it a unique asset of Yekaterinburg, and Georgian cuisine conveys this message better than any other," says Kirill Shlain, one of the creators of the "Bolshoy Gruzin" restaurant. The "Bolshoy Gruzin" restaurant has two floors, a summer terrace with a view of the river, and a greenhouse-style hall that will open in the summer. With a capacity of 250 guests, the project is the largest restaurant in Yekaterinburg and, possibly, the largest Georgian restaurant in Russia. The interior design, by EVDOKIMOV.DESIGN, features exposed brick, details reminiscent of windmills, carpets from different regions of Georgia, paintings by Konstantin Totibadze, and frescoes in the style of Merab Abramishvili. The food at "Bolshoy Gruzin" is prepared in fully open kitchens with specially built ovens, where bread and khachapuri are baked. A specialty of the restaurant is dishes made with lamb and goat, sourced from local farms. The kitchen is run by an international team of chefs from Georgia, Armenia, and Russia, led by head chef Ivan Orlov, who has worked at prominent establishments in Yekaterinburg for the past 15 years. The restaurant boasts one of the largest wine lists featuring Georgian wines in Russia, including rare varieties and wines from small producers. Since its opening, tables at "Bolshoy Gruzin" have been booked up to a week in advance, and on weekends, the restaurant operates on a first-come, first-served basis.