The defiant bohemian aesthetic of the interiors is supplemented by an eclectic section of idiosyncratic light fittings that includes a striking brass chandelier, custom designed by the architect in the form of a suspended ring in the centre of the space, theatrical spot lights casting mesmerizing projections, and glass chandeliers that evoke the more classically designed interiors of the bar’s St. Petersburg outpost which opened three years ago in an industrial part of the city and has since transformed it into a Shoreditch-like destination.

Housed in the same building and designed by b-arch studio in the same eclectic manner of chic nostalgia and urban grittiness, Real Wine Salon is a wine showroom that also functions as a private events space, perfectly complementing the bar area next door.

As expected, the wine list, curated by sommelier Andrey Larin, is one of the biggest in Moscow offering a variety of organic, biodynamic and natural wines as well as craft champagnes and a wide selection of fine wines from Europe and America. Accompanied by a gastronomic menu of Russian and oriental delicacies such as kholodets with horseradish, dim sum and crab wraps served in porcelain dinnerware by Italian manufacturer Richard Ginori, and live DJ sets that encompass beats from electronica, downtempo and chill-trap to hip-hop, funk and oriental—in what is an idiosyncratic program that has spawned a SoundCloud channel and a forthcoming music label - Big Wine Freaks is truly a place of enticing contradictions that makes it the toast of the town.