YUGOS

     Type: Serbian
     Address: Nikoloyamskaya ul., 40/22
     Phone: 742-8538
     Web: yugos.ru

     Taganskaya

     Price: 1500 rub. p/p

                                                           Shit-o-meter:

Dobrodošli u Yugos! A unique restaurant by all accounts! Here, you will experience the true embodiment of the warm, generous, and caring Serbian spirit! (don’t laugh)

Upon arriving at Yugos, you’ll immediately notice the interesting décor of the restaurant. It’s fully decked out in the red, white and blue Serbian tricolour. Everything is either red, white, or blue! While some might call this tasteless nationalism, I call it tasteful nationalism. It gives a cosy, clean atmosphere to the place.

The menu will also not disappoint! You’ll be pleasantly surprised by all the classic Serbian dishes—from the traditional delicacy “Beating Heart of Bosnian Woman” to the myasnoe assorti—”Kosovo Detski Sad”. But don’t ask for your meat well done—rare only here.

All jokes aside, I think Muscovites have completely lost sight of what the term “good restaurant” really means. A good restaurant has nothing to do with what DJ is playing, and what music. It’s nothing to do with the luxury interior or the amount of luxurious girls. A “good restaurant” is three things:

Food—good or bad
Service—attentive or lazy
Value for money

With all of the above, the rest of the qualities take care of themselves.

I can proudly say—Yugos fulfills all three categories perfectly. This is a fine example of what a restaurant (any restaurant) should be. Evidence of this can be found in the fact that I spent 5 1/2 hours here last Friday night and got completely smashed! I did not, for a moment, think about how much money I was spending, as the overall experience was too intoxicating and pleasant. (Right: OMG! You gotta try Yugos! The service is so good! The portions are so big! You'll lick your freakin plate clean!)

We took a few Baltikas (@80 rubles each, served in bottles), the pita (excellent), and a few dishes of “pleskavica”. Overall, the quality of food and size of servings was excellent, but I have removed half a point, as I found the food a little uninspiring (not the fault of Yugos, I think it applies to Serbian food in general). Certainly next time, I will be trying a different dish, perhaps I should consult with the waiter. Whisky is extremely well priced also.

There was a musical duo playing that night—guitar + accordion. Towards the end of the night, when we were the only patrons left, the accordion player sat down with us for a chat, and played some music for us—whatever we requested. If he didn’t know the song, we’d sing it and he’d learn it on the spot. We tried to give him a tip for this, but he wouldn’t even take it. I can safely say, that you’ll never find this level of hospitality anywhere in Moscow, EVER. The waiters were also brilliant. I never has an empty glass on the table—for the whole 5.5 hours.

I can see Yugos achieving a zero after the next time I come. Just need to figure out what to order.

Why didn't anyone look in Yugos?

I could've sat there for years too!