We visited the 'McDonald's of Russia,' which serves caviar and borsch for under $10 - here's what it was like

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We visited the 'McDonald's of Russia,' which serves caviar and borsch for under $10 - here's what it was like

Teremok 13

Hollis Johnson

The "Red Stars" bliny, packed to the gills with salmon caviar.

In Russia, a chain serving traditional Russian fare dukes it out with the likes of McDonald's and KFC - and now it's trying to take over the US.

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In 1998, Mikhail Goncharov was inspired by the immense popularity of McDonald's in his home country and decided to start a fast-food chain of his own: Teremok, serving Russian classics instead of burgers and fries.

Goncharov, who is CEO of the chain, adapted his mother's recipes for Teremok's menu, featuring blinys, soups, and kasha. Today, there are more than 300 Teremok locations in Russia.

In the last year, two Teremok locations have opened in New York City as the chain plants a flag on American soil.

We stopped by the nearest Teremok to see if the Russian chain could compete with the hegemony of American classics like the Big Mac and the Crunchwrap Supreme.

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