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- Mon Amur, Khabarovsk: where to eat and what to see in the largest city in the Far East
Mon Amur, Khabarovsk: where to eat and what to see in the largest city in the Far East
To the question "Which is the largest city in the Far Eastern Federal District?" many will answer Vladivostok, but they will be wrong. Despite the revoked status of the capital of the Far East, Khabarovsk remains the largest city in this macroregion. He tries to confirm his authority in a fair fight — for example, Khabarovsk establishments won the national restaurant award Wheretoeat Far East 2025 in five nominations at once. The city on Amur turned out to be surprisingly good from a gastronomic point of view, but for a tourist who needs impressions, there is definitely something to see here. For more information about the city and its inhabitants, see the Izvestia article.
The man from the bill
Khabarovsk is known to every Russian by a bill of 5 thousand rubles. In addition to the famous Amur Bridge, there is a monument to a slightly arrogant mustachioed man. This is not Yerofey Khabarov at all, as one might think, but Nikolai Muravyov-Amursky. He is considered the founder of the city.
Irina Vakulenko, a guide at the Grodek Museum, explains: once upon a time, England and France claimed these territories, but Muravyov, who was not yet Amursky— convinced Alexander III that the lands should be taken for himself. The emperor wisely agreed, and gave Muravyov unprecedented powers: make decisions on earth yourself, do not consult with Petersburg. Especially while the answer to the question is there!..
Now he stands on the high bank of the Amur River, ignoring the tourists who take pictures under his feet with money in their hands. The Governor-General of Eastern Siberia is also not interested in the sunset, although it is beautiful on the Amur River every day — there are more than 300 sunny days a year! — and it is most convenient to contemplate the daily miracle of nature just from the Amur cliff, where the monument is installed. The man is still a statesman — the figure is deployed so that Muravyov-Amursky looks in the direction of China.
China is very, very close here.
One of the main streets of the city is named after Muravyov-Amursky. After the intersection with Pushkin Street, she pays tribute to the Soviet history of the city and transforms into Karl Marx. That's how they live: the Far Eastern State Medical University is 35 Muravyov—Amursky Street, and the apartment building across the intersection is already 37 Karl Marx Street.
In the evening, when it seems to a tourist that the city has died out after a working day, it is worth climbing the Middle Mountain, which is crowned by Muravyov-Amursky Street, and discovering life: a lot of young people, street musicians with their fan base… Locals say that a couple of years ago, bar hopping was impossible — as long as you walk from one bar to another, all the mood will disappear. Now the cocktail lounges and bars are so close to each other that, perhaps, lovers of hiking in pubs will not go beyond the same block.
Descents and ascents
For a mountain to be Average, at least two other mountains are needed. And so it is: Khabarovsk is a city on three hills. They run parallel to each other, turning into three central highways and creating a stunning urban landscape. Perpendicular streets flow down one hill, where they stop for a smoke break on one of the twin boulevards, then just as slowly climb another hill up to the horizon somewhere near the sky.
"But all the guides in Khabarovsk are very slim because of this," jokes the guide Maya Redzhepova, and next to him a gray—haired man with a stick leans on the road fence halfway up — wow, it's not an easy climb!
The historical buildings in the city have been preserved, there is even a special feature — houses made of red and gray bricks. However, there is no complete impression of the city once you leave the main street. There is a lot of Art Nouveau of the early twentieth century, but not all of it is put in order. There are wooden farmsteads, but more often there are wooden barracks. There are many Soviet buildings from the middle and second half of the twentieth century, and even more diverse new buildings from recent history. Khabarovsk, apparently, was greatly harmed by the dotted buildings.
But now the city has a very ambivalent character. Here, a Korean works as a chef in the Georgian restaurant "Huma". The most riotous bar is called the Vinoteca, and they really drink wine there. Kaluga here is not a city, but a fish. Rivers flood not in spring, but in August and September (due to monsoon rains). 11 hours by train to Blagoveshchensk is "close".
The main tourist slogan of the Khabarovsk Territory is also paradoxical — "The land of whales and airplanes" — but there are none in Khabarovsk itself! The fact is that whales are the property of the Shantar Islands in the Sea of Okhotsk, and airplanes are being built in Komsomolsk-on-Amur.
Don't be afraid of the Nanais
There are nine small indigenous peoples living in the Khabarovsk Territory. The largest is Nanai. You can get acquainted with these people in the recently opened ethnocenter "Saven". The name was taken from the Nanai idol.: This is the name of the spirit, which is depicted as an anthropomorphic and less often zoomorphic figurine.
The main fishery of the Nanai people is fish. They had a waste—free production: they ate meat, they could make jewelry from scales, glue from other waste, needles from bones, children's toys and beads, anything from leather. Fish skin after a good dressing does not smell at all, looks beautiful and at the same time retains its properties: very durable, thin and does not get wet. It can be used to make clothes, shoes, hats, bags. If earlier a sign of Nanai's wealth was cloth clothing, now everything has turned upside down: a robe made of fish skin costs a couple of million!
The Nanai people still have shamans. One rite costs from 3 thousand to 15-20 thousand, depending on the complexity, but you can't find a real shaman on ad sites — only through friends. The locals seriously believe in their power.
"One day, a very experienced inspector of the Fish Inspectorate disappeared while boating across the river," says Elena Zhguleva, director of the ethnocenter, who is half Nanai herself. — They couldn't verify that he had drowned, they searched for a week, but there were no traces. As a result, the head of the Fish Inspection is a government agency! — he said: you need to contact a shaman.
Nanaisky savans from the Grodek Museum
The shaman talked to his informants among the spirits and pointed out a specific place on the river. The inspector's headlamp was found at the bottom. They say that if Cupid takes it, it means that the person was good.…
To get to know the Nanai culture even more closely, you can come to the village of Sikachi-Alyan. Alexander and Elena Wu live there, who preserve the Nanai traditions, not denying themselves the benefits of civilization: they have both a washing machine and a dishwasher. But there is also a large collection of Nanai costumes that you can try on, and household items. Alexander is an avid fisherman and loves to cook. For the guests, he has an ear of four types of fish: aukha (this is an Amur endemic, recently removed from the Red Book), chum, carp, catfish, and a signature snack tala made from raw carp, freshly caught. He cooks it right in front of the guests.
Nanaets Alexander U demonstrates one of the petroglyphs near the village of Sikachi-Ala
Together with Alexander, you can see the petroglyphs of Sikachi-Alyan. They are also within walking distance, but it is much more interesting to jump into a Nanai boat, take a dachshund with you (you can't help but take it — no matter how hard you kick out a smart dog, it will still sail with you) and get to other petroglyphs on the water. On huge boulders of volcanic origin, more than 10 thousand years ago, someone drew deer (Alexander convincingly proves why these ornamental drawings depict a deer, and not something else), a shaman's mask, etc. The set of petroglyphs may vary depending on the time of the visit — the waters of the Amur River constantly turn boulders from place to place by opening new drawings and hiding old ones. A lot depends on the operating mode of the dam: lower water level means more petroglyphs are visible.
The main symbols of Khabarovsk
Amur is an important part of Khabarovsk residents' identity. This is one of the largest rivers in the world, and according to the abundance of fish, locals claim, it is almost the second after the distant Amazon.
You can take a boat trip along the river and sail under the famous Amur Bridge, also depicted on the five-thousandth bill. They say that at the moment when you are floating under it, you need to make a wish. If a train is traveling over the bridge at this time, the desire will double. We're lucky: we pass under a bridge and under a train. But the train suddenly stops. It seems that the desires were overdone!..
Another recognizable symbol of the Khabarovsk Territory is the Amur tiger. This largest member of the felidae family has settled on Bolshoy Khekhtsir, the so—called mountain range near Khabarovsk. Now the Bolshekhekhtsirsky Nature Reserve is located there.
— The tiger's jaw is not very mobile — it's like an old Soviet composter. The tiger's task is to approach 20 m and clamp the victim with this jaw," says Anton Fetisov, head of the Bolshekhekhtsirsky Nature Reserve. — And the tiger's vibrissae and ears turn it into a walking radar station, so when they tell me that "the tiger did not notice us"… Well, it's just impossible!
Anton Fetisov, director of the Bolshekhekhtsirsky Nature Reserve, with footprints of Amur tigers
Maya Redzhepova reassures you: if the tiger didn't catch you the first time, it won't catch up with you the second time.
"That's because they have a big heart and five centimeters of belly fat," she says.
"Five centimeters of fat and a big heart" is about me, the tourists suddenly cry out.
At the Big Khekhtsir, they will tell you in detail (even too much) about how cedar differs from pine and why there really is no cedar in Russia; they will show you black and yellow birches, which at first glance have nothing in common with birch. Then they will take you to the observation deck, demand that you remove your phones and show you the Chinese coast: over there, across the river, you can see the Sun Square in Fuyuan, China, the easternmost part of the PRC. There, on the monument to the Sun, there is also an observation tower from where the Chinese look at Russia. I wonder if they are also asked not to take pictures of anything, like Russian tourists?
...The Khabarovsk Territory is also the "most butterfly-like territory" of Russia. There are only 10 thousand species in the country, and 2.5 thousand on one Large Khekhtsir. Anton Fetisov explains: air currents rush from Southeast Asia along the corridor towards Khabarovsk and cling to the mountain range. The butterflies like Hektsir and they stay here to live.
View from the Big Khekhtsir
Now the hills of the mountain range have begun to be actively developed. A ski track is already operating, and now, as part of the project to create a National system of hiking trails, the hiking route "Legends of Khekhtsir" is being laid. It's short — literally one and a half kilometers, but you have to climb uphill. The reward is a magnificent view of the surroundings. If we can reach an agreement with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, then soon the trail will run through the entire reserve, almost to the border with China.
We're going back to the city. On the horizon, a large Hekhtsir is visible, in which another cloud is entangled...
Where to eat in Khabarovsk
Khabarovsk surprises with its development in terms of gastronomic tourism. There are really a lot of places where you can eat and drink deliciously. This is confirmed by the national restaurant award Wheretoeat Far East 2025. In September, the winners were named, and there are a lot of establishments in Khabarovsk among the best gastronomic projects in the Far East. Amur (1st place) and its shifter competitor Ruma (4th place) were among the top 10 restaurants.
Amur is a place where you should try Far Eastern cuisine. There are many appetizers and seafood dishes, including local auja fish, interesting positions among desserts and in the cocktail menu.
The Ruma restaurant surprises not only with the cuisine (scallops are served as a compliment, and black genzai dumplings stuffed with venison are sprinkled with gold), but also with the interior: for example, the carpets here are handmade. They depict a view of the Amur River from space. The chef of this restaurant, Egor Anisimov, who until recently fed the guests of the Zuma project in Vladivostok, was recognized as the best in the framework of Wheretoeat Far East 2025. The best sommelier is also from Ruma: Anastasia Orlova, who also works in the Khabarovsk Volna project.
The Dom restaurant dropped out of the top 10 this year, but it deserves special attention. First of all, his story. The establishment is located in an old wooden manor house, and the new owners treat it very carefully. For example, they found a drawing of a horse in the attic. It was drawn by the son of the owner of the house, undeservedly received a "three-minus", and decided to throw the drawing into the attic so that his father would not put the belt in. More than a hundred years later, his drawing was found, smoothed out and hung in a frame in a restaurant...
On the first floor of the "House" there is Russian cuisine, and on the second floor there is the "House Asia" project, and this is not just a restaurant, but a portal to Southeast Asia. The establishment is designed in such a way that the visitor finds himself in a bustling Asian city and can enter a real Japanese, Chinese or Korean snack bar. In one of the compartments you can eat ramen (one of the best in Russia, no kidding) and drink Sapporo beer, in another there will be seafood kebabs, in the third there will be a real Japanese bar. Very atmospheric, and most importantly — delicious.
"Teach me how to drink" bar
Khabarovsk's Teach Me How To Drink won in the Bar of the Year nomination for the third year in a row. This is a secret establishment — it's not on the maps, but you can come by first asking for an address on social networks. This concept of "a place for one's own" did not immediately reach the townspeople — the owners endured eight years of development, but now they are considered consistently the best in the Far East.
Tichmi, as they are popularly called, has enough competitors. For example, the Bureau 1908, which is located in a historic building. They serve not only excellent cocktails, but also unusual tinctures: for example, on cherries and popcorn.
There are enough good coffee shops. The Keldi and Kofema networks stand out. The latter even came up with their own way of roasting coffee: first they ferment the green grains with lemongrass, and only then they roast them.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
