The Soho Russian restaurant voted the best in London according to TripAdvisor (2024)

A restaurant in Soho has been voted the best Russian restaurant in London according to TripAdvisor.

ZIMA, located in London’s West End, achieved the top spot after 182 reviewers rated it ‘excellent’.

Established in Soho five years ago, ZIMA serves up traditional Russian dishes with a modern twist, offering homely, delicious food in a contemporary setting.

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The restaurant’s goal is to introduce and expose London’s clientele to Russian and Eastern European cuisine, and showcase all that they have to offer.

General Manager Lukas Rackauskas said: “It’s very nice to hear that we have been voted the best.

“The whole idea of ZIMA was to bring Russian foods to the masses of Western Europe.

“And that’s what we’re trying to do: we are not only cooking food, we also try to educate people, if you will.

“We want people to come to ZIMA and experience true hospitality: very nicely made food, very delicious, good value, as well as enjoy the service and learn something new.”

The restaurant loves its Soho location, and Lukas praised the area’s inclusive and multicultural spirit in particular.

Located across three floors in a Soho townhouse, the ground and second floor are taken up by the restaurant while a lively vodka bar playing Russian pop music occupies the basem*nt.

The restaurant prides itself on its authentic Russian menu, as well as on the presentation of the space itself in which a regular rotation of artists display their works on the walls to sell and raise money for charity.

Since unlocking after the pandemic, ZIMA has seen many regular clients return, along with plenty of new faces, something Lukas credits to the restaurant’s friendly service.

“The concept here is to deliver great Russian food and let people feel at home and enjoy themselves,” said Lukas.

“I want people to come here and think ‘you know what? I had such a great time - that was a fun place to be, and I would like to go back’.”

Indeed, many of ZIMA’s complimentary reviews on TripAdvisor mention the hospitality and friendly nature of the staff.

One reviewer who rated it five stars wrote: “The best Russian food coupled with the best hospitality!”

Another happy customer who also gave it five stars said: “Superb food, outstanding service.”

According to Lukas, although everything on the menu sells well, the three most popular dishes are ZIMA’s Olivier Salad with chicken and salmon roe, their traditional Pilmeni Sibirskiye (beef and chicken dumplings served in a bouillon with sour cream) and Borscht Krasnodarskiy (beetroot soup with beef, cabbage and horseradish).

ZIMA’s Medovik, a layered cake flavoured with honey and cream and usually served with fresh berries, is the restaurant’s most popular dessert.

The restaurant also offers a dazzling array of infused vodkas, known in Russian as ‘nastoikas’, which are made in-house by adding various fruit, such as strawberries, cherries and sea buckthorn, along with a small amount of sugar, to vodka which is then left to infuse for a number of weeks to months.

Russian cuisine is not hugely well known in London, but ZIMA is on a mission to change that.

ZIMA is located at 45 Frith Street, London W1D 4SD, and prices for main dishes range between £11.50 and £21.

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