Andrey Shmakov

In 2013, the position of Metropol’s Executive Chef was taken by Andrei Shmakov. Before that, he had a chance to work on European cruise ships, in two restaurants in Tallinn — Le Bonaparte and RIBE — as well as in the Grand Hotel and Radisson SAS. He also served as a chef of the prestigious restaurant Kadriorg, located in the historical center of Tallinn, and Laplania in Saint Petersburg — one of the first Nordic cuisine restaurants in Russia. Andrei completed an internship at the legendary Noma in Copenhagen and Chez Dominique in Helsinki.

In 2014, Andrei Shmakov came up with an idea for a new project: a restaurant with a cuisine simultaneously upscale and simple — something easy to understand, with friendly and attentive service.

In 2015, Andrei Shmakov opened SAVVA in the building of the Metropol Hotel — a restaurant both innovative and elegant, respectful of the centuries-old traditions of Moscow and modern trends. The restaurant was named after the founder of the hotel, the legendary Savva Mamontov, a philanthropist whose ideas changed the face of Moscow at the beginning of the 20th century. The concept of the restaurant is modern Russian cuisine with a signature execution: seasonal produce, vegetables, herbs, as well as close work with farmers.

From 2015 to 2017, Andrei was the host of the world-renowned project MasterChef Junior on the STS channel.

In 2017, the French restaurant guide Gault Millau released its first Russian issue. A special Gault Millau award — Executive Chef of Hotel — went to the Executive Chef of SAVVA restaurant and the Metropol Hotel, Andrei Shmakov. He was recognized as one of the main creators of the contemporary gastronomic image of Russia. Today, his contribution to the development of national cuisine is appreciated internationally.

Since September 7, 2017, Andrei has been the owner of the gastronomic bar TarTar Kook+Baar in Tallinn.

In 2017–2018 and in 2022, the French guide La Liste awarded SAVVA The World’s Best Restaurants Selection title. Further, in 2018, SAVVA restaurant was included in 12 Forward (White Guide’s project). The same year, the restaurant was closed for renovation. SAVVA was reopened on October 20, 2020. Naturally, the kitchen was headed by the irreplaceable project’s chef, Andrei Shmakov.

In December 2020, SAVVA received the GQ Restaurant Award as the Best Restaurant. This title was especially valued given the difficult conditions that restaurants faced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2021, Andrei Shmakov was recognized as The Best Chef of the Year according to the award established by the Chef’s Breakfast forum.

The SAVVA restaurant was awarded a MICHELIN star in the MICHELIN Guide 2022. This award is particularly significant, since Moscow became the first city in the CIS whose restaurants were noted in the Guide. On October 26, 2021, the restaurant entered the top 3 of the best restaurants in Moscow according to the WHERETOEAT-2021 restaurant award.

In 2022, Andrei Shmakov participated in the television program Chefs on Wheels on Channel One.

In February 2022, SAVVA entered the TOP-5 best restaurants in Russia according to WHERETOEAT Russia-2022 and was also awarded a special prize by the Russian branch of the International Union of Concierges Les Clefs d’Or. Later that year, in November 2022, SAVVA restaurant took second place according to WHERETOEAT Moscow-2022, and Andrei Shmakov won in the special nomination Chef of the Year within the same award. In April 2023, SAVVA restaurant ranked 5th in the All-Russian WHERETOEAT Russia-2023 award. 

At the WHERETOEAT Russia-2024 awards in April 2024, SAVVA claimed first place, topping the TOP-10 best restaurants in Russia. The same year, SAVVA ranked 3rd in the annual WHERETOEAT Moscow-2024 awards and won in the category Best Venue for an Intimate Wedding at the White Wedding Awards 2024. 

In November 2024, the international guide La Liste included SAVVA in the Top 1000 Restaurants 2026. The restaurant was also awarded three stars in the categories Best Classic Wine List and Best By-the-Glass Wine Selection at the Russian Wine Awards 2024. The following year, in 2026, SAVVA ranked 4th in the list of top restaurants in Russia according to the annual WHERETOEAT Russia-2026 award.

On May 23, 2023, Andrei Shmakov became the host, chief judge, and mentor of the new culinary project Become a Chef on the STS channel.

On November 27, 2023, Andrei Shmakov took first place in the nomination Chef of the Year.

In December 2023, Andrei Shmakov opened his own signature project Shmak with "shmak" sandwiches — realizing his long-standing, slightly mischievous dream with an informal, rock ’n’ roll approach to food.

SAVVA
Teatralny proezd, 2
+7 (499) 795-99-99
Opening times: daily from 12:00 to 00:00
Number of seats: 130
https://novikovgroup.ru/restaurants/savva/
https://www.savvarest.ru/
https://www.instagram.com/savva.restaurant/