Four Samara Restaurants Vie for Palm Branch Award – List
Four Samara restaurants have been nominated for the Palm Branch award, selected for their distinctive and original concepts that debuted in 2025.
Apr 20, 2026 0
Nominees must impress guests with special menus over the two-week festival period.
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Four establishments from Samara are vying for the «Palm Branch of the Restaurant Business» award. This is a concepts award that has been presented in Russia since 2006. It recognizes venues of any format that opened within the year. The key is that the concepts must be new, original, and potentially successful.
The festival menu includes Jordanian shawarma and donuts in flavors like Pistachio and Raffaello.
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Throughout the year, restaurateurs submit applications, and then the award«s organizing committee selects the TOP-100 openings of the year. The chosen establishments present a special menu, which guests sample and leave their feedback. The festival this year runs from February 1 to 15.
A tasting set features chicken pate, shrimp oatmeal, candies, and the Mokosh cocktail.
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The first contender is the cafe «Grill i Pudra» (Grill and Powder). The Milimon Family establishment opened in September 2025 at house No. 24 on Leningradskaya Street.
Dishes on offer include stewed meat, cutlet, shchi, herring under fur coat, and olivier salad.
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«A bistro that blurs the lines between street food and restaurant culture, where shawarma as a main dish and donuts for dessert coexist organically. The concept is based on the idea that shawarma is the most balanced representative of fast food, as it contains protein, carbohydrates, and fiber. And donuts are simply one of the most desired treats since childhood,» explained the authors.
Cocktails named after Gwen Stefani, Frank Sinatra, and Sade are part of the special menu.
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The second contender is the bistro «Zemlyane» (Earthlings). The establishment opened in March 2025 at house No. 24 on Vilonovskaya Street.
«Zemlyane» is a bistro where history is told through taste. We draw inspiration from the generosity of nature, agriculture, and the traditions of our native land, creating dishes that are understandable to everyone and appropriate at any time of day: for an early breakfast, a cozy lunch, or a leisurely dinner. At the core of our philosophy is a simple and honest idea: «With care for people, with care for the land,»« the owners describe their brainchild.
A feature of the bistro is the use of local products.
The third contender is the restaurant «Russky» (Russian). The establishment opened in November 2025 at the address: Moskovskoye Shosse, 41.
«A journey into the heart of Russia»s very soul, woven into the rich fabric of cultural traditions. Each dish is like a melody from distant childhood: echoing the tastes and aromas of native lands, yet subtly reimagined with a modern perspective, with deep love and respect for history and nature. The menu is based on a philosophy of locality: products grown and harvested in the ecologically clean corners of Russia,« characterized the restaurant by the concept authors.
The fourth contender is the bar «Shum. Pustoy Orkestr» (Noise. Empty Orchestra). Another establishment in the city center: at Leningradskaya, 29.
«This is a unique listening bar in Samara that combines a phonothek and karaoke, which came to us from Japan. The bar»s cuisine concept is «itameshi,» a fusion of Japanese and Italian techniques. The cocktail menu is dedicated to legendary music performers with their favorite and non-obvious ingredients, for which they had a special passion,« the concept authors said about »Shum«.
Earlier, we reported on two other restaurants that were recognized as among the best in Russia.
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