The traditional stolovaya, which was an everyday feature of Soviet life for decades, seemed to have vanished in the years following the collapse of communism. However, with a little bit of digging, not to mention a hankering for cheaper food in the exorbitant Russian capital, stolovayas can still be found. Although many have undergone significant changes, many are still in keeping with the spirit of Soviet times.
The stolovaya was a kind of low cost cafeteria - similar in some respects to a western diner - that was usually part of factories and other state enterprises, as private ownership was, of course, illegal.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, stolovayas started fading into irrelevancy. The arrival of capitalism, and the shift towards a market economy rather than a command one, has resulted in the appearance of numerous cafés and restaurants, which have largely filled their market niche.
The stolovayas were all fairly similar. All of them offered cheap, but usually edible food. The usual menu included several kinds of starters and main courses (the latter with various garnishes), salad, bread and drinks - usually tea or fruit compote. The price for a full dinner ranged from 80 kopecks to 1.50 ruble, with average salaries at the time being around 200 rubles per month. If a stolovaya was built as a separate establishment (not as a part of a factory), the price increased to around 1.50 ruble for a full dinner.
Stolovayas generally consisted of a simple tile-floored room where people arrived, took their cutlery, collected what they wanted on their way to the counter, paid, and took a seat and ate. If it was a public stolovaya, it could be also called shashlychnaya, pelmennaya, cheburechnaya etc. depending on what exactly they offered.
The best thing about stolovayas was that the prices were affordable for anyone, and even now it would be difficult to find a Russian - be it a worker, student, intellectual, or otherwise - who has not been to such an eatery.
Some of these quintessentially Soviet establishments remain. The Moscow News found around 20 operating public stolovayas. Two of them have become charitable establishments, providing meals for the poor and homeless. Some 40 more have remained a part of factories and state enterprises, serving staff only. The range of dishes has extended significantly and the prices have grown by more than four times, proportionally speaking. Total bills average about 150-200 rubles.
The Moscow News spoke to Anna Ushakova, the manager of a public stolovaya, which opened in the Soviet times and has survived the transition to today. These days it is known as Mar'ino Ltd. and is located at Ulitsa Nizhniye Polya, 31.
"It has became more interesting to work here," Ushakova said. "We see what our clients like. The range of accessible products has extended significantly. Now we can offer them what they want without referring to state plans. In the Soviet times we could offer just a strictly limited set of products and had little freedom of choice.
"Now we feel more responsibility for what we offer. We are sure that anyone, even a child, can have a dinner here without any risk to their health. We offer only fresh and healthy products."
Starters and main courses, salad, bun and drink will cost approximately 120 rubles at her establishment today.
The stolovaya's heyday may have passed, but for those on the look out for a cheap place to eat out or a taste of Soviet nostalgia, their continued existence in one form or another seems fairly assured.
By Sergei Dmitriyev
