slothis · English

MyMy in Moscow: A Tough Buffet for First-Timers

2016-06-20 · Updated: 2026-08-11 · Original (Korean)

This article was translated from the original Korean post with AI assistance. Read the original Korean post →

Lately, we've only been eating American food like Burger King, Shake Shack, and Starbucks, to the point where we were confused whether we were in Moscow or New York. To make up for this, we decided to have lunch at MyMy, a Russian franchise selling Russian food. I read the name as "MyMy," but in Cyrillic, it's pronounced "Mu-Mu," similar to a cow's moo.

Exterior of a restaurant in Moscow with a red sign reading Mu-Mu, and a large beige parasol in front.
Cafe MyMy (Mu-Mu)

It's not a standard restaurant system. It's a cafeteria-style setup where you pick your food one by one and pay only for what you've chosen at the end. More like a ration system than a buffet. In a way, it seems quite cheap and good for consumers, but that only applies to locals. When you go, intimidating-looking middle-aged women start explaining the food in Russian, asking what you want to eat. If you ask "What is this?" in English, they just give simple answers like "pork, salmon, bread." And if you stand still without choosing, they keep saying things that sound like they're telling you to hurry up and pick so the person behind you can go. If you get nervous in that atmosphere and choose your food hastily especially while walking on eggshells around the scary ladies, it's easy to exceed your budget. For reference, the prices are only listed at the checkout counter, so you have no idea how much you've racked up while choosing. It looks cheap, but it's a system that is inevitably too difficult for tourists.


Various salads and foods in cow-patterned bowls arranged on shelves in a display case.
They might not be able to explain the food, but they can say "No photo!" perfectly. I don't understand why they allow photography in art museums but block you from taking pictures of food.

If I were to give a tip, choose meat with sauce (never choose the steak! It comes out not just well-done but hardcore well-done, and it's completely unseasoned) and don't pick more than three items. Locals only pick one meat, one soup, and one drink. Everyone bringing a tray full of food is a tourist.


A tray holding a plate of grilled meat, potatoes, and salad, along with bean salad, bread, a muffin, and orange juice.
We brought a whole table full of food.

If it's your first time in Russia, I highly recommend spending this money at a different, nicer restaurant instead. Contrary to what the guidebooks say, it's not particularly cheaper or tastier than other regular franchise restaurants.


A paper cup of coffee, a chocolate muffin, candy, and a smartphone on a table, with a person sitting across from it.
In the end, we rinsed our mouths with coffee.

Expenses per 1 person / Might be for 2 people

Total Expenses: 2,521RUB

Total Trip Expenses: 525,936 KRW + 21,012RUB + $53.16


#Was going to write 'must-eat' but just wrote 'restaurant'