VOVOLGA — is not about the river
The Volga is thirty paces from your table. But the restaurant's name is about something else: a Russian foundation and French charm. We stand at the very tip of the spit, where the embankment comes out to the water.
A Russian foundation, French charm
The menu changes with the season: it follows the produce rather than the calendar. Little on it is permanent — the pâté served with pear; the croquettes that need no cutlery; the bread that appears on the table before you have thought of it.
The morning we treat separately. Breakfast is served from ten until one; the syrniki here are small — four neat ones, after which a walk along the embankment is still on the cards.
The current menu will be brought to your table. It is updated more often than the pages of this site.
Vaults, palms and low light
Ceilings four times human height, bronze chandeliers, living palms and sofas in floral tapestry. The fireplace works. The portrait above the mantel is older than the building it hangs in.
Weekends here are three hours longer
This is not a figure of speech but a timetable. On Saturdays and Sundays we open an hour earlier and close two hours later: a day out of town does not fit into an hour and a half.
Coffee to go and dishes to take away — at any of these hours. Those who arrive at nine on a Saturday get the embankment almost to themselves.
You can come to us by water
The pontoon runs forty metres into the Volga, with an aluminium gangway and lifebuoys along its side. From the Ivankovo reservoir the restaurant is visible immediately beyond the dome of the church.
The terrace is half the restaurant. The glass walls fold away and the room steps outside: the lawn and the Volga to the left, the dome to the right, your table between them.
In the evenings there is live music. At other hours it is quiet and in the background: conversation at the table takes no effort.
Visiting with animals: permitted with all animals
The wording is not ours — that is how it stands in the establishment's rules. We reread it and decided not to narrow it: a dog, a cat, a ferret, a parrot — we have no formal grounds to refuse.
In practice people come with dogs. A bowl of water always stands on the terrace, and we will leave the wording as it is — in case it comes in useful one day.
The spit, the embankment and the church
The restaurant is part of a larger design. The tip of the spit has been landscaped entirely: a walking embankment, hundreds of planted trees and the Church of All Saints, consecrated on 7 June 2026. The water, the dome and our windows stand on one line.
An hour and a half from Moscow, a little over an hour from Tver
Sverdlovo stands on the right bank, away from the main roads. That is precisely its virtue.
1 h 40 min
- The M-11 Neva to the Zavidovo and Mokshino exit, about the 123rd kilometre
- Then towards Konakovo through Vakhonino
- Before you reach Konakovo — right, following the sign to Sverdlovo
- Along the main road to 59 Borki Street
To the quay
- The Ivankovo reservoir, the right bank
- Look for the golden dome of the church; we are just beyond it
- A pontoon with a gangway, mooring alongside
- Please let us know in advance — you will be met at the gangway
Train and taxi
- From Leningradsky station to Konakovo GRES
- From the station in Konakovo — a taxi to Sverdlovo
- The road along the bank takes 15–20 minutes
- The local bus runs less often; a taxi is more reliable
Keep a table for yourself
At weekends the tables by the panoramic windows and on the terrace go early. Call us or leave a request — we will ring back and confirm.
Short answers
Can I come with a dog?
Yes, and not only with a dog. There is always a bowl of water on the terrace. In the room, ask for a table nearer the door — that is easier for you and for the dog.
Is there a children's menu?
There is, and a high chair too. Mention it in the request and it will be waiting by the table.
Can I work at the table?
Yes. There is Wi-Fi and there are sockets; the light is low, but that does not concern a screen. On weekday afternoons the room is almost empty.
Where do I leave the car?
There is parking on the grounds. There are spaces for guests with disabilities: the entrance to the building is accessible for a wheelchair, inside only partly — there are steps in the room.
Where can I smoke?
In the cigar area. There is no smoking in the room or on the terrace.
Do you take private events?
Yes: birthdays, weddings, family and business gatherings. The room is intimate — fourteen tables — so large parties we discuss in advance.