There aren't many Russian restaurants in Shanghai. Even fewer have survived more than a few winters. Kirillitsa is one of the first venues to open at Bund City Hall, the massive new F&B complex in the old civic building on the Bund. It's doing elevated Russian food in an elegant, minimalist space, split between a casual front room and a quieter, fine dining back section.
The chef, Evgeny Vikentiv, trained in Spain and Italy and cooked in Saint Petersburg and Berlin. He's part of a new generation of Russian chefs trying to move beyond clichés—blini, borscht, beef stroganoff—and into something more refined, but still recognizable. The menu mixes Soviet-era comfort food (vinaigrette salad, Pozharsky cutlet) with modern plating, good produce, and a few odd flexes, like a Napoleon cake with truffle.
Tasting menus and à la carte both available. A strong, thoughtful wine list rounds out the offering. Expect to spend upwards of RMB 1,200 per head with wine, which is... ambitious, but the execution mostly holds up.
Quietly stylish, a little unexpected, and definitely the nicest place in town to eat beetroot salad.
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