Russian, Ukrainian Cuisine St. Petersburg
DVORYANSKOE GNEZDO
Cuisine: RussianAddress: Dekabristov street, 21
Nearest metro station: Sadovaya, Sennaya Ploschad
Telephone: (812) 312-3205
Working hours: 14.00-00.00
Additional service: banquets, business lunch
Average bill: £40-50
Credit cards: Visa, American Express, Diners Club, MasterCard
Dvoryanskoe Gnezdo is an oasis of peace and comfort and is definitely among the top three restaurants in St. Petersburg. The distinctive atmosphere and superb cooking have won praise from Russian and foreign critics alike. It is the only St Petersburg’s restaurant which was included in the international list of 1001 places a person should visit before they die. Situated within the grounds of the Yusupov Palace, far from the noise and bustle of the city, the restaurant's elegant interiors, designed in the style of 19th century palatial dining rooms, are the ideal place to enjoy a long meal with friends or business partners. Upstairs are the music rooms, where life chamber music provides the ideal soundtrack for a romantic dinner or an evening with old friends. There are two menus offering a choice of the finest Russian or Continental cuisine, and the extensive wine list includes some rare Georgian vintages alongside more familiar French classics. Formal wear (suit and tie or dress) is recommended.
CAVIAR BAR RESTAURANT
Cuisine: RussianAddress: Mikhailovskaya street, 1/7 Grand Hotel Europe
Nearest metro station: Nevsky Prospect, Gostiny Dvor
Telephone: (812) 329-6000
Working hours: 18.00-0.00
Additional service: banquets, business lunch
Average bill: £40-50
Credit cards: Visa, American Express, Diners Club, Eurocard/MasterCard
The Caviar Bar and Restaurant is the perfect place to go if you're looking for the true taste of fine Russian cuisine, which you will enjoy, in the stunning Art Nouveau setting with marble décor, mirrors and a fountain. In addition to the fine selection of caviar, what Russian adventure would be complete without a superb selection of domestic and imported vodkas? The finest vodkas in the world are served crisp and cold – the perfect accompaniment to our caviar and blini (mini-pancakes).
RUSSKY KITSCH
Cuisine: Russian, InternationalAddress: Universitetskaya embankment, 25
Nearest metro station: Vasileostrovskaya
Telephone: (812) 325-1122
Working hours: 12.00-2.00
Additional service: banquets, business lunch
Average bill: £15-20
Credit cards: Visa, American Express, Diners Club, MasterCard
This over-the-top theme restaurant is primarily a way for wealthy New Russians to make fun of themselves, but it also has creative food and a stunning view across the Neva towards the Winter Palace and its environs. Much of the menu and decorative details are jokes that will be lost on non-Russians, but the overall effect is unmistakable. Ceiling frescoes, imitate frescoes in imperial palaces but feature Russian pop icons and politicians of the past decade (including, inexplicably, Arnold Schwarzenegger). Menus are presented in tomes of Lenin's works, and include such un-Bolshevik items such as kiwi juice (strange) and cauliflower saffron soup (delicious). Despite the extravagant atmosphere, prices are reasonable. Ask for a seat on the glass-enclosed terrace overlooking the river. It feels airy and cheery even in the deepest of winter. The corner room has raspberry-colored walls in homage to the favored shade of sport jacket preferred by an entire class of Russian thugs-turned-businessmen.
NEP
Cuisine: RussianAddress: Dvortsovaya Square, 18
Nearest metro station: Nevsky Prospect
Telephone: (812) 312-6057
Working hours: 12.00-23.30
Additional service: banquets, business lunch
Average bill: £20
Credit cards: Not accepted
Named after Lenin's New Economic Policy, an attempt at state-run capitalism in the 1920s that was crushed by Stalin's collectivization campaign, this restaurant is political only in name. Its prime location on the corner of Palace Square and the Moika River makes it rather touristy, but the fare is decent and filling and the prices not as high as they could be in this locale. Play it safe and order the ground beef cutlets - or go all out and try the venison filet with bilberry and juniper, a modern rendition of traditional northern Russian fare. Sadly, the restaurant doesn't offer a view of its surroundings, since it's in the basement, but the ambience is convivial. The service can be warm or cold depending on the day and the wait staff. Any mushroom dish is worth sampling; they are best in late summer and fall.
1913
Cuisine: RussianAddress: Voznesensky Prospect, 13/2
Nearest metro station: Sadovaya, Sennaya Ploschad
Telephone: (812) 351-5148
Working hours: 12.00-1.00
Additional service: banquets, business lunch
Average bill: £30
Credit cards: American Express, Diners Club, JSB, Maestro, Master/Eurocard, Visa, Visa Electron
Restaurant 1913 is very popular among guests and dwellers of St.Petersburg. There are always lots of people here, yet it is not loud. Many of the visitors become regular customers of the restaurant after they taste the exquisite cuisine and democratic atmosphere of the place. The interior in modern style is imbued nostalgia about the culture of the early 20th century. Every night from 20.00 to 23.00 you can listen to live music here. Nights of Russian music romance also take place in 1913.
ONEGIN
Cuisine: RussianAddress: Sadovaya street, 11
Nearest metro station: Gostiny Dvor
Telephone: (812) 571-8384
Working hours: 17.00-2.00
Additional service: banquets, business lunch
Average bill: £30
Credit cards: American Express, MasterCard, Visa
Avant-garde parties, 19th-century details, and a fashionista clientele combine in this popular restaurant. Much more accessible and serving tastier food than at first glance, Onegin is the brainchild of one of the city's most popular (and controversial) designers. The decor is a blinding mix of old and new, so whimsical it's almost too extreme for daytime viewing. The food is good all day long, however, and the lunchtime crowd is less pretentious than the club crowd that takes over after dark. The Russian soups are as rich as anyone's grandmother could make, and the less traditional offerings, such as veal in lobster sauce with spinach puree, are similarly successful. If you just want a drink, sink into one of the lush dark couches and study the gravity-defying chandeliers.
SENAT BAR RESTAURANT
Cuisine: RussianAddress: Galernaya street, 1
Nearest metro station: Nevsky Prospect
Telephone: (812) 314-9253
Working hours: 12.00-0.00
Additional service: banquets, business lunch
Average bill: £25
Credit cards: American Express, MasterCard, Visa
Situated near the famous statue of the Bronze Horseman down Galernaya Street, Senat consists of both a bar and restaurant, both of which are popular with Russians more than westerners. The menu in the restaurant is extensive, and consists mostly of elegantly prepared and luscious Russian dishes. The camembert served on leafed bedding with pine nuts and tomato dressing is delicious, as is the Siberian solianka - a meat soup.
U GORCHAKOVA
Cuisine: Russian, UkrainianAddress: Bolshaya Monetnaya street, 19
Nearest metro station: Petrogradskaya
Telephone: (812) 233-9272
Working hours: 12.00-0.00
Additional service: banquets, business lunch
Average bill: £20-25
Credit cards: American Express, MasterCard, Visa
In accordance with its name the restaurant is situated in a former mansion of the Gorchakovs Princes, in the historic center of St. Petersburg. Immaculate service will make you feel a desired guest. Features sophisticated Ukrainian and Russian cuisine in the festive atmosphere of a theater. Dishes are prepared according to traditional recipes and including traditional favorites of strips of dried venison and roast veal with cherries. The restaurant also offers an extensive wine list, including "Medovukha" and "Sbiten" honey drinks, "Mors" natural fruit drink and kvas. Live piano music from days gone by is also featured. The restaurant surprises with the variety of interiors: some corners remind of a grocery of the 19th century, others look like a Russian wooden hut (izba) with a stove or a cozy spot of a Ukrainian village. Live music (piano and violin) at nights.
CHAINAYA LOZHKA CAFÉ
Cuisine: RussianAddress: Nevsky prospect, 44
Nearest metro station: Nevsky prospect
Telephone: (812) 117-4657
Working hours: 7.00-23.00
Additional service:
Average bill: £5-6
Credit cards: Not accepted
A sort of Russian cafeteria, this chain serves cheap, quick fare with a Russian emphasis. The beet-and-carrot salad, creamy ham-and-potato salad, marinated mushrooms, and cabbage soup are hardly haute cuisine, but they can satisfy midday hunger at unbeatable prices. Nothing is written in English, but the food is displayed at the counter, so you can just point to what you want. Despite its name, the teas are mediocre bag teas and the coffee is either watery or grainy, but all drinks are under a dollar. The place can get crowded, but turnover is quick. This is a safe, convenient choice if you're wandering Nevsky any time of day.
BLINDONALDS
Cuisine: RussianAddress: Zhukovskogo street, 18
Nearest metro station: Chernyshevskaya
Telephone: (812) 557-0350
Working hours: 12.00-last dinner
Additional service:
Average bill: £5-6
Credit cards: Not accepted
The tacky name makes this place sound worse than it is. It's not really the Russian version of McDonald's; it's a cheap place to get quick food, for here or to go. Baked potatoes, small meat pastries, and the bliny (pancakes) that give the restaurant its name make this a low-budget way to try local fare. Don't expect friendly service or elegant presentation, but do expect to fill up fast. The pelmeny (meat ravioli) are a good cold-weather choice, steaming and heaped with the sauce of your choice (Russians prefer sour cream, or smetana).