Porter House

 

Moscow gained a new brewpub in March 2005, in the highrise bedroom community south of the center. The place is located in a solid, clean modern building with a circular, high-ceiling main hall with lots of huge windows. The bar itself runs off the circle like a spoke, accompanied by a row of booths. Seating for about 120. Lots of brown tones here, from the beige tiles in the main room to the dark brown wood floor in the spoke, the dark wood furniture, the brown plaster ceiling and the tan wallpaper on some of the walls. Other walls, columns and the bar are brick. The place was about half full on a late Saturday afternoon. A clown in one corner was there to entertain the kids. Music was basically American pop, prominently featuring Barry White.

14 taps, three of which served their own varieties. Other offerings were Moscow standbys: Paulaner, Krusovice Pale and Dark, Budvar, Hoegarden, Spaten, Franziskaner, Guinness, Hofbräu and Heineken. Three of these were Oktoberfest beers. The menu listed six bottles, including two non-alcoholic. Beers were universally served in appropriate logoware, including their own in glass mugs with the restaurant's symbol. The service was slow, and they brought us the wrong size drinks initially. Also got the bill wrong. The food was pretty good, from a standard Russian menu with a bit of German influence. Their own beers were tasty, and the one O-fest brew I had was also served well and in good shape. While the location leaves a bit to be desired, as it is off the beaten path, it is near a metro stop and worth seeking out.