Vegetarian dishes on Russian trains (European part)

Question

On Russian long-distance trains that include restaurant cars, should I in 2019 expect that I can buy full vegetarian dishes there? On those pictures of a 2015 menu on the Trans Siberian Express linked by this answer, it seems that virtually every dish contains meat or fish. Should I expect difficulties as an ovo-lacto-vegetarian (but not vegan)?

I will be travelling in classes 2К and 2Т on trains 024Й, 042В, 041М, and 009Щ, where the trains do appear to have some 10 minute+ stops to stock up on food (and water) off-train if food on the train is too limited, assuming such is available on the platform.

Answer 1

No, you definitely cannot count on having vegetarian meals on long-distance trains in Russia. In fact even the menu is misleading, as quite commonly only a very limited selection of dishes are actually available on any given train.

Beware that fresh/hot food selections at stations are also quite limited, and vegetarian options even more so. (They've cracked down on unlicensed sellers, they need to rent stalls now and this has cut down on the selection a lot.) Vegetarianism in general is poorly understood in Russia, and even notionally vegetarian Russian staples like piroshki cabbage pastries may contain lard.

You're not going to starve, because you can always buy vegetarian packaged snacks (potato chip, peanuts, etc), but I would strongly encourage you to bring along enough staples to last you until your next stop. Hot water for noodles, porridge etc is always available.

You may find my little review of food options on the Trans-Siberian last year useful: https://driftingclouds.net/2018/07/04/from-siberia-to-tibet-life-on-a-train/

Answer 2

@jpatokal is right, "you definitely cannot count on having vegetarian meals on long-distance trains in Russia" (as well as on a menu).

However, there might be something in a restaurant car as, e.g., a salad suitable for a vegetarian. In fact, I traveled with a vegetarian girl this July on 056Ы, and she was quite happy with salads from a restaurant car and vegetarian snacks we bought on train stations.

There are classes where you can preorder food (full board, half board (breakfast, dinner), only breakfast or lunch or dinner, with a choice from the menu -- unfortunately, I cannot find this info in English). Breakfast is usually a porridge (kasha); however, I don't know whether you are OK with milk or not. Here a passenger provides a review on food options on the Trans-Siberian in 2018 when you preorder food online (the review is in Russian but full of pictures).

Answer 3

On all Russian trains I have taken, vegetarian food was no problem. The vegetarian options were much better than on British, French, or Spanish trains. I did not need to use my backup option.

For the domestic trains Moscow - Vorkuta and Vorkuta - Moscow, the проводник asked me what kind of food I wanted. When I told her I was vegetarian, she said, no problem. I was served cous cous with vegetables, complete with a Vegetarian sticker which is evidence that they are prepared for this situation:

The restaurant car also had plenty of vegetarian options, and I ate my breakfast, lunch, and dinner there. The vegetarian options were marked bilingually and what I wanted was always available.

The international train Paris-Moscow also had plenty of vegetarian options in its menu, which were mostly available. The restaurant car was Polish.

The international train Moscow-Warsaw did not have a restaurant car, so it had neither vegetarian nor non-vegetarian dishes.

Incidentally, the international train Warsaw-Berlin, which is Polish, has the best vegetarian food I've ever had on a train, a tofu-walnut salad that would not be misplaced in a fancy vegetarian restaurant in Berlin.

Answer 4

I strongly recommend to bring along food. Train restaurant car's dishes are not popular. It's not the same as meal in planes.