Danilovsky Market

The hall was built in 1986 with a folded concrete shell roof that is worth looking up at, and for two decades it worked as an ordinary Moscow food market. A reconstruction around 2015 kept the produce trade and added a ring of small kitchens around the edge, which changed who comes: the outer ring now sells Dagestani, Georgian, Uzbek, Vietnamese, Korean and Levantine food from counters with a dozen seats each, and it became the template that other markets in the city copied. The inner floor is still stalls - cheese, cured meat, pickles in jars, herbs by the bunch, honey, dried fruit and nuts from Central Asia, fish, and fruit piled in season, with sellers who expect you to taste before buying. Prices are higher than a neighbourhood market because of the location and the crowd, and the produce quality is generally good. Weekday afternoons are the sane time to go.

What you actually see

• The 1986 shell roof - a folded concrete dome over the whole hall.
• The kitchen ring - a dozen small counters cooking Caucasian, Central Asian and Asian food.
• The produce floor - cheese, pickles, herbs, honey and dried fruit with tasting expected.
• The template - the market that other Moscow halls copied after 2015.

When to go

All year. Two hours. Weekday afternoons are calm; weekend lunchtimes are packed.

Honest expectations

Prices are noticeably above ordinary district markets. Weekend queues at the popular counters are long and seating is limited. Some produce sellers quote higher to visitors, so ask the price before they weigh. Cash is still useful.

Nearby

Tulskaya and the Donskoy monastery are a short distance away.