Belarus Travel Tips Dining

DINING

Belarusian borshch, a soup made with beetroot, is served hot with sour cream. Other excellent specialties are filet à la Minsk and Minsk cutlet. Regional cooking is often based on potatoes with mushrooms and berries as favorite side dishes. Local dishes well worth trying are dracheny, a tasty potato dish with mushrooms, and draniki which is served with pickled berries. Mochanka is a thick soup mixed with lard accompanied by hot pancakes. There is also a good selection of international and Russian specialties available.
Beloveszhskaya Bitters are made from over 100 different herbs and have an interesting flavor. A favorite drink is chai (black tea). Coffee is generally available with meals and in cafes, although standards vary. Soft drinks, fruit juices and mineral waters are widely available. Beer and vodka can be bought round the clock from all-night kiosks and food shops. Some bars are open until the early hours of the morning, while some close around 2100.

Nightlife
A thriving cultural scene with opera, ballet, theater, circus and puppet theater can be found in Minsk. Brest also has a renowned puppet theater. Tickets can be bought in advance at underground stations or at the Central Theater Ticket Office (Skoriny 13; opening hours: Mon-Sat 0930-2000, Sun 1100-1700). Same-day tickets are only available at the venue in question. Minsk now has a reasonable selection of restaurants, some of which offer live music. There are also discos, music venues and bars in the city. Many clubs are open all night.