Sloika

"Sloika" is a city cafe serving local Ekaterinburg cuisine. It's a place that revives a legend – the iconic Sverdlovsk "sloika" pastry.

The name is not accidental: the Sverdlovsk "sloika" is a pastry from 1968 that quickly became a favorite throughout the country. It's almost like a French croissant, but with a Uralian twist. It's a delicate pastry that requires the skill of a master baker and is best enjoyed within a few hours, while it's still warm and flaky. At "Sloika," it's made according to the original recipe, created before the era of additives and preservatives. They recommend enjoying it as it should be: warm, with butter from Talitsa and homemade jam made from wild strawberries – the kind that smells like summer even in winter. The cafe is located in the Yeltsin Center, the main attraction of Ekaterinburg, where tourists, locals, schoolchildren, and museum staff gather. For locals, it's a trip back to childhood, while for visitors, it's an introduction to the flavors of the Urals. The menu is straightforward: hearty and light breakfasts, homemade lunches made with ingredients from small farms in the Ekaterinburg region. To accompany the pastries, they offer good quality coffee or tea made with locally sourced herbs and fruits. Among the culinary highlights are Uralian dumplings, a cottage cheese cookie recipe from Naina Yosifovna Yeltsina, a homemade Sverdlovsk cake, and another Ekaterinburg classic: "Ryzhik" candies, here in a homemade version. The interior of "Sloika" is designed for a calm and urban atmosphere: large lampshades, bookshelves, works by contemporary Russian artists, and seasonal floral arrangements. And through the windows, you can see the growing metropolis, the Iset River, and those famous Ekaterinburg sunsets that local bloggers share every evening.