Nook Moscow – Specialty coffee in a library

Located in the Bogolyubov library, this place is, true to its name, a nook to give you a break from all the the hustle and bustle of the city. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself wanting to curl up and stay a while, admiring the Alice in Wonderland-esque White Rabbit painted in the wall.

Nook is a fantastic place for getting a cup of locally roasted coffee. Being a third-wave coffee place, they use fresh roasted beans – usually by Coffee Owl, but sometimes they also bring in coffee from other roasters.

Pick one of the six alternative brewing methods available (I recommend siphon because of how impressively it looks while brewing – almost like you're in a chemistry lab), or get a good old espresso-based drink. By the way, they make terrific flat white: a perfect balance of velvety steamed milk and espresso.

Or, while you’re in Moscow, have a cup of Raf coffee – a coffee drink invented in this city: legend has it that there was a Rafael that always ordered his coffee like this, and his recipe soon became immensely popular with the locals. Raf coffee is prepared with an espresso, steamed light cream, sugar and flavored with lavender (sort of classic here), citrus or some spices – so if you have it in the morning, you can skip breakfast!