Moo Moo Restaurant, Old Arbat Street (next to Home from Home Hostel)
Nice Restaurant with Buffet, Barbecue, also local specialities. Meeting people is easy, fun place.
Meet Phil!

GENERATOR Club, Tolyatti
rock music/live club just outside of town. rather small but very rock'n'roll! the bar has just about nine beer glasses, so sometimes you have to wait for them to collect and wash 'em... lot of famous russian and also international bands played there.

Tinkoff Brewery/Restaurant: while the setting is rather upperclass, you can eat a lot for little money. Tinkoff is a Russian beer brewery, so you are at the source here ;)
They also serve sushi, and at night it turns into a club when local or national bands and DJs perform, from Rock to Electro.

Bring warm clothes whenever u come here, smt. we have snow in june;)

Has one of the worlds most modern underground tubes, have a look at it, you wouldnt expect it. Also try the various local dishes, some of them are ok some are really amazing.

If you're going to the Hermitage, be prepared to do some walking. I did not think a museum could be that big. Or that Catherine the Great owned that much stuff.

If you like fish and sea food go to Porto Maltese restaurant - it's a lovely chain of Serbian restos in Moscow

Fascinating city, crossed by a net of canals, like Venice ! Astonishing a night cruise on the river Neva.

If you go to Russia in the summer months (June-August), bring an eye mask in case you stay at a hotel without good blinds. The almost 24 hours of daylight can really trick your body!

If you plan on doing the Dostoevski/ Raskolnikov walk, or just plan on being down in the hay market, try not to be there after dark. The area can get fairly sketchy at night, especially if you're on foot.