In Theater Square, where the Hotel Moscow and the monument to Karl Marx now stand, there was a luxurious house of millionaire merchants Ilya and Pavel Patrikeev in the 19th century. In 1868, former clerk Ivan Testov convinced them to rent out the first floor of this building. Above the entrance appeared the sign "Big Patrikeev Tavern," and just below, the inscription "I.Ya. Testov."

Testov began trading, offering dishes of Russian cuisine, and the establishment quickly became popular among merchants and nobles. Trade was especially lively in August when landowners from all over Russia brought their children to study in Moscow. Fyodor Dostoevsky would drop by the tavern when he was in the capital. Fyodor Chaliapin came here for rasstegai and often brought his friend Sergei Rachmaninoff to treat him to his signature milk pigs cooked over the fire. Anton Chekhov met with his publishers here. The brother of Emperor Alexander III, Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich, also loved to dine at Testov's.

The tavern consisted of private rooms and two large halls, where banquets were usually held. Some visitors preferred the common halls, while many famous and wealthy clients had their own tables here, which no one dared to sit at during certain lunch or breakfast hours. At other times, these tables were available to anyone.

In the early 1900s, the "Big Patrikeev Tavern" changed its name to "Testov's Restaurant," following the fashion of the time. Testov added the Russian coat of arms and the inscription "Supplier to the Imperial Court" to the sign, which was the dream of every pre-revolutionary entrepreneur.

The main attraction of the establishment was an expensive orchestrion, which cost 12,000 rubles and could perform almost any music, including classical, at the request of the audience.

During the revolution, the establishment closed. In 1921, "Old Restaurant I.I. Testov" reopened in Moscow, which operated for only eight years. By the end of the 1960s, the building in which it was located was demolished.