Yeliseyevsky Gastronom

The Yeliseyevsky store on Tverskaya Street is not just a place to buy groceries, but a true monument to the history and culture of the capital. Its luxurious interiors, unique atmosphere, and rich heritage make it one of Moscow’s main attractions. Yeliseyevsky Gastronom in Moscow is rightly called a museum-store and a temple of abundance. Opened back in 1901 by merchant Grigory Yeliseyev, it still amazes the imagination with its majestic decoration and the atmosphere of luxury from centuries past.

History of the creation of the legendary store

A house with a rich past

The building at Tverskaya Street, 14 was constructed at the end of the 18th century by the outstanding architect Matvey Kazakov. Originally, it was a palace for Yekaterina Kozitskaya, the wife of Empress Catherine the Great’s state secretary and one of the wealthiest women in Russia at the time. In the early 19th century, the mansion became a famous literary salon that gathered the most prominent creative figures of the era. The following writers read their works here:

• Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin
• Yevgeny Abramovich Baratynsky
• Adam Mickiewicz
• Pyotr Andreyevich Vyazemsky
• Vasily Andreyevich Zhukovsky

The salon belonged to Princess Zinaida Volkonskaya, a well-known writer and poetess who played an important role in the cultural life of the first half of the 19th century.

Turning the palace into a gastronomic store

At the end of the 1890s, the building was purchased by St. Petersburg millionaire Grigory Yeliseyev, a member of the famous merchant dynasty and owner of the largest gastronomic store on Nevsky Prospekt in St. Petersburg. He conceived the idea of creating a store in Moscow that would become the capital’s calling card and a representation of the two-century traditions of the Yeliseyev family. To carry out this ambitious project, architect Gavriil Vasilyevich Baranovsky was invited. For several years the building was hidden behind wooden screens to maintain the intrigue and surprise Muscovites. The architect created a unique space by combining two floors and demolishing the marble staircases. The interior was a harmonious blend of eclecticism and Renaissance, neo-Baroque with elements of Art Nouveau.

The grand opening of 1901

The store’s opening in 1901 became a real event for Moscow. The ceremony began with a prayer service and a ceremonial dinner for select guests, who were personally greeted by Grigory Yeliseyev himself. The celebration ended with a performance by the gypsy choir from the famous Yar restaurant. The public was stunned by the unprecedented luxury and variety:

• Exotic fruits — pineapples, papayas, Japanese cherries
• Rare seafood — oysters, lobsters
• Exquisite delicacies — French truffles, anchovies
• The richest selection of wines and rare beverages
• Products displayed in spectacular pyramids in the European style

Architectural splendor of the interiors

The Yeliseyevsky store is rightly called the Hermitage of stores. Its interiors breathe the perfection and harmony of 18th–19th-century art. Visitors are greeted by:

• Huge crystal chandeliers shaped like bunches of grapes
• Exquisite stained-glass windows crafted by the best masters
• Painted walls with golden stucco
• Majestic arches and columns
• Artistic ceiling paintings

Vladimir Gilyarovsky, in his famous poem “Moscow and Muscovites,” described this temple of abundance as follows: a luxurious palace, a dazzling display of sausages and delicacies, rows of hams and stuffed geese, cheeses of all ages, fruits from French calville apples to unseen Japanese cherries. In 2003–2004, the store underwent a major restoration that carefully preserved the style of the historic building and restored part of the original interiors.

Assortment and traditions of Yeliseyevsky

Gastronomic variety

From the moment it opened, the store amazed Muscovites with the richness of its assortment. The gastronomic store had five departments:

1. Confectionery — cakes, pastries, exclusive chocolate
2. Grocery — rare varieties of coffee and tea, olive oil
3. Fruit — exotic fruits from around the world
4. Wine — a special pride of the Yeliseyev dynasty
5. Crystal — products from the famous Baccarat company

In-house production

Located in the store’s cellars were:

• A bakery with a variety of breads and pies
• Confectionery workshop
• Smokehouse
• Cheesemaking facility
• Sausage production workshop
• Oil pressing and coffee roasting

The modern Yeliseyevsky, preserving centuries-old traditions, offered dishes from various world cuisines: Moscow-style borscht, boyar-style salad, jellied sturgeon, baked carp, Australian marbled beef, paparats-kvetki with cheese and mushroom fillings.

Yeliseyevsky during the Soviet era

After the revolution, the store was renamed Gastronom No. 1 and remained the most famous food store in the USSR. Amid the luxurious decor and crystal chandeliers, the aroma of coffee, expensive cheeses, and sausages lingered. A portrait of Grigory Yeliseyev still hung on the wall. In the final years of the war, the store became one of the few establishments with a commercial department. Thanks to its central location and unusually wide product range, Yeliseyevsky remained an object of heightened attention until the 1980s. In the early 1980s, the so-called “Yeliseyevsky Affair” was linked to the store, when director Yuri Sokolov and a group of employees were accused of corruption.

The modern period and closure

In 1992, the gastronomic store was privatized and its shares were transferred to the workforce. In 2002, the shares were bought up by business entities, and part of the premises was subleased. From 2005, the store was part of the Alie Parusa (Scarlet Sails) supermarket chain. Despite the chain format, product prices remained affordable, attracting local residents. Tourists came to admire the interiors of the past century and purchase popular Russian souvenirs. On April 11, 2021, the Yeliseyevsky store closed for an indefinite period due to an unresolved ownership status of the premises. The Moscow authorities announced their intention to preserve the legendary gastronomic store as a monument of history and culture.

How to get to Yeliseyevsky store

Address and location

The store is located at: Moscow, Tverskaya Street, 14, at the intersection with Kozitsky Lane (named after the palace’s first owner).

By metro

The nearest station is a hub of three intersecting stations:

• Pushkinskaya (Tagansko-Krasnopresnenskaya line)
• Tverskaya (Zamoskvoretskaya line)
• Chekhovskaya (Serpukhovsko-Timiryazevskaya line)

Exit toward Strastnoy Boulevard or Tverskaya Street. The Actor Gallery with the H&M store sign serves as a landmark.

By surface transport

The “Pushkinskaya Square” stop is right opposite the store entrance; bus m10 stops there. The “Tverskaya Square” stop (3 minutes on foot) is served by routes No. 15, A, and S43.

On foot from Red Square

The distance is about 1 kilometer; the walk takes approximately 20 minutes. The route goes through Manezhnaya Square and then up Tverskaya Street to the store.

Yeliseyevsky as a cultural phenomenon

The Yeliseyevsky store is a unique phenomenon in the history of Russian trade and an example of Russian merchant craftsmanship. It attracts tourists from all over the world not only with the opportunity to shop, but also with the chance to immerse themselves in an atmosphere steeped in the spirit of the Catherine era, Pushkin’s times, balls, and literary salons of past centuries. Here you are not only allowed but encouraged to touch things with your hands — that is exactly how Grigory Yelis奉ev conceived his temple-store, where gastronomic and historical delicacies intertwine into one, creating the unique aura of a place where the past and present meet. We can only hope that the legendary gastronomic store will receive a worthy continuation of its resounding fame and will once again open its doors to visitors eager to touch the living history of Moscow.