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Thanks to its imperial past, the culinary history of St Petersburg is unrivaled in all of Russia.  With the influx of money, interested investors, and highly trained chefs, St Petersburg’s restaurant scene is becoming more exciting than ever, having truly banished bland Soviet versions of traditional dishes - both imperial and peasant - to the dustbin of history. While the city was slow to spread its culinary wings, the 300th anniversary of the city in 2003 boosted interest in creating new dining diversions.

Restaurants range from cosy café-bistros to lavish multi-roomed halls befitting of royalty.
A sprinkling of trendy locales is sure to fuel the nightclubbing crowd. Additionally, an increasing appetite for things exotic and foreign propel the growth of international eateries, with Mexican, German, Italian, Japanese, French, and other cuisines placed firmly in step with domestic. Russia’s ‘near abroad’ (many of the former Soviet states) also maintain excellent representations of their culinary arts. Georgian and Armenian grill taverns, Uzbek tea rooms, Ukrainian cafes... all add to the rich experience of dining out in St Petersburg.

For all the variety, dining out isn’t terribly cheap in the city. One of the best ways to sample many different restaurants, but without the sticker-shock, is to visit during the lunch hour. Many establishments offer a hearty ‘biznes lanch’ (business lunch). This self-serve buffet-style affair typically includes an array of salads and hors d’oeuvres, soups, and meat dishes for a very reasonable price. Usually a 10% gratuity is added to the bill. Some restaurants, however, will let patrons add it on. Ask management if the bill is unclear.

We have selected some of the best restaurants in St Petersburg, which we have listed under five categories: Gourmet, Business, Trendy, Budget and Personal Recommendations. These restaurants are divided into four different pricing categories:
$$$$ (over US$80)
$$$ (US$50 to US$80)
$$ (US$30 to US$50)
$ (under US$30)
The prices quoted here are for a three-course meal and for a bottle of house wine or equivalent, including VAT and a compulsory 15% service charge, unless otherwise stated.

Gourmet

Dvorianskoye Gnezdo (Noble Nest)
Located on the Yosupov Palace grounds in the former tea house, Noble Nest is as much about elegance in service and ambience as it is about the excellent cuisine. Two distinct menus (one Russian, one French) tantalize with delicacies such as stuffed venison steaks and baked pheasant. Regally attired servers (down to the white gloves) tend to every need, making this a most memorable and luxurious experience befitting of Russian nobility of a past era.

Ultisa Dekabristov 21
Tel: (812) 312 3205/0911.
Price: $$$$

L’Europe Enjoy this ornate interior, replete with a stunning stained glass ceiling, within the Grand Hotel Europe with dinner or an elaborate Sunday jazz brunch. The elegant Russian menu (with French flourishes) offers well-prepared sturgeon, caviar dishes, pheasant, and other creative concoctions.

Mikhailovskaya ulitsa 1/7
Tel: (828) 329 6000.
Price: $$$$

The Old Customs House
This restaurant, which serves French cuisine with Russian touches, boasts heads of state and royalty on its guest list. Built as a customs house, the 18th century building is impressive on the exterior, but manages to keep a certain cosiness inside with vaulted ceilings and wood floors.

Tamozhenny pereulok 1
Tel: (812) 327 8980.
Price: $$$$
Business

Landskrona
Another hotel restaurant (serving patrons for over a decade) is the renowned Landskrona in the Nevskij Palace Hotel. A winner of several Russian culinary awards, this restaurant features highly inventive cuisine with ingredients such as bear meat, quail and oysters, all served in a bright atmosphere on the eighth floor of the hotel with pleasant view around the downtown.

Nevsky prospekt 57
Tel: (812) 275 2001.
Price: $$$$

Taleon Club
A bit over the top, this restaurant, club, activity center, casino and cigar bar is perhaps best used with an expense account. Part of the Eliseev Palace Hotel, the classical empire-style interiors impress new business partners, and closing the deal can be celebrated over cigars and Armenian cognac in the wood panelled cigar bar, replete with buttery leather sofas. A lobby bar and atrium café add more venues in which to hold private, or semi-private, discussions.

Naberezhnaya reki Moiki 59
Tel: (812) 324 9911.
Website: www.taleon.ru
Price: $$$$

Yakitoria
Decorated in a classical minimalist Japanese style, Yakitoria provides a subdued atmosphere in which to conduct business, unlike many St Petersburg restaurants where pomp, style, and nightly music entertainment make that near impossible. Excellent sushi, noodle dishes and succulent meats vie for space on the menu with an exotic chicken roasted in seaweed, crab, king prawns, and lamb dishes.  

Ploshchad Ostrovskogo 5/7
Tel: (812) 315 8343.
Price: $$$$
Trendy

Cafe SSSR
This popular hangout for clubbers and party people is marked by a stylish interior that is supposedly retro, but in fact, far higher on the cool factor than the Soviet era ever achieved. Make this your last stop before turning in - it stays open 24 hours a day.

Nevsky prospekt 54
Tel: (812) 310 4929.
Price: $$

Imbir
A mix of mostly Asian and some Middle Eastern fusion dishes sets this trendy club-cum-restaurant apart. DJs begin spinning early every evening, and keep at it until early in the morning (usually about 0200). 

Zagorodny Prospekt 15
Tel: (812) 113 3215.
Price: $-$$$

Magrib
A restaurant, cafe, and popular St Petersburg night club near the Moskovsky train station end of Nevsky Prospekt, Magrib is a tapestry of oriental and Middle Eastern motifs. Ornate, mosaic-clad rest rooms are as beautiful as the bar and restaurant interior. Vaulted ceilings and saffron-colored walls envelop diners in an exotic environment. Full meals, cocktails, and snacks make this an excellent hang-out late into the evening. Cuisine ranges from Caucasus-style grilled meats and Armenian dolma to Russian staples and Asian-influenced dishes. There is a change for the adjacent dance club.

Nevsky prospekt 84
Tel: (812) 275 7620.
Price: $$-$$$
Budget

Blini Domik
The lowly pancake is elevated to new heights in Russia and Blini Domik is a good place to try them out. This little hole in the wall makes a meal of the buttery blini with savoury or sweet fillings. Soups and salads are also offered, but the blini is king here.

Kolokolnaya ulitsa 8
Tel: (812) 327 8979.
Price: $

Idealnaya Chashka (Ideal Cup)
St Petersburg is conveniently peppered with this little coffee shop that serves up sweets, baked confections, and breakfasts for an ideal price. This café location on the Petrograd side of the city offers pleasant city views from a different perspective. 

82 Bolshoy Prospekt Petrograd Side
Tel: (812) 232 0283.
Website: www.chashka.ru
Price: $

Shinok
This Ukrainian themed restaurant fills the belly with tasty vareniki (dumplings stuffed with soft farmer’s cheese), blini (pancakes), meats, salads and glasses of gorilka - a homemade vodka. You will be served by staff in national costumes at rough-hewn tables and chairs. There is a sister restaurant in central Moscow.  

Zagorodny prospekt 13
Tel: (812) 311 8262.
Website: www.shinok.ru/eng/
Price: $$

Yolki-Palki
This Moscow chain restaurant opened in St Petersburg at the end of 2004. Known for its endless buffet of salads, roasted potatoes, soups, fish and more, served in a cosy Russian village-themed atmosphere has long been a hit with budget-minded Russians and visitors. The food is hearty, fresh, and quite delicious. If the cold and hot bar don’t fill you up, then plenty of staples off the menu, such as grilled meats on the skewer, blini, and pelmeni (Siberian meat-filled dumplings) will certainly feed the hungry traveller.

Nevsky prospect 88
Price: $
Personal Recommendations

The Idiot
The Dostoevsky-inspired Idiot restaurant is enjoyed as much for its quirky touches as its cuisine. The establishment’s four rooms are decorated with antique furniture and oil paintings. Bookshelves hold Russian and English books, and chess and backgammon games may be commandeered by patrons. A steady stream of Russian and vegetarian delights supply the expat and bohemian crowd throughout the evening. Make sure you don’t miss the stairs leading down to this underground establishment.

Moika 82
Tel: (812) 315 1675.
Price: $$-$$$

Kavkaz
This cosy café serves the flavorful fare of the Caucasus - meats grilled on the spit, hot cheese breads, hearty spiced stews, garlicky dips, and much more. Clay bowls of fresh herbs, garlic and spices are offered to add to your own meals at will. Because the restaurant/café is small, reservations are advised.  

Karavannaya ulitsa 18
Tel: (812) 312 1665.
Price: $-$$
Laima Bistro
Open round the clock, this bright locale serves late night revelers and early-morning risers alike. Fast, cheap, and quite tasty - Laima Bistro’s menu ranges from grilled meats to beef Stroganoff, salads, soups and other Russian staples. A menu is posted in both English and Russian, making this a relatively uncomplicated stop between shopping and sightseeing. 

Kanal Griboedova 16
Tel: (812) 315 5545.
Price: $


Nightlife:

St Petersburg has a vibrant, varied nightlife (ranging from opera and ballet to nightclubs, rock concerts, jazz clubs, and acid house raves. However, the scene is constantly changing - new venues open, old ones close. So the best advice is to check the weekly listings in the St Petersburg Times (website: www.sptimes.ru/current/events/gigs.htm).

The Russian mafia (a collective term for various groups of gangsters, criminals and racketeers) have controlled much of the nightlife and gambling in St Petersburg in the past. However, most visitors will have no contact with this aspect of Russian life and if you do happen to sit next to a gangster in a smart restaurant, you are more than likely to assume the man is a successful businessman. Many aspects of commerce in the city are moving into legitimacy, so even these shades of the underworld are eventually disappearing from public view. Caution should be exercised, however, especially with casinos - you should only frequent venues that come recommended.

Most of the decent nightlife is in the city center. Bars open from 1100 and start closing around 2400, although some remain open until 0200 or 0400. Drinking regulations are strict, with the minimum drinking age set at 21 years. Nightclubs have varying hours but you will find them open as early as noon and closing as late as 0900. Casual dress is the norm in bars and clubs.

Bars: Although it is a bit scruffy and smoky, Cynic, Goncharnaya ulitsa 4, is an excellent venue for those wishing to settle down with a teapot of vodka to watch occasional spontaneous dance performance by girls who have watched Coyote Ugly too many times. The Idiot, Moiki reki naberezhnaya 82, is popular with the smart-set, who flock here in droves for the friendly service, vegetarian menu and used English-language newspapers and books that are available for perusal. Mollie’s, ulitsa Rubensshtyena 36, provides the international comfort that people have come to expect from an Irish pub - this is also a good introduction to the expat community of the city. Punters seeking the downright weird should check out Sakvoyazh dlya beremennoy shpionki (A Briefcase for a Pregnant Spy), Malaya Konushnaya ulitsa 11. One room boasts tables and chairs without legs, which are attached to chains that dangle from the ceiling and floor. Propoganda, Fontanki reki naberezhnaya 40, is filled to the brim with kitschy Soviet-era decor and posters.

Clubs: At Apraksin dvor 13 Money Honey is located downstairs, with the sweet sounds of rockabilly emanating, while the upstairs City Club caters to an older crowd who like a bit of blues in their rock. Konnyushenny dvor, Griboedova kanala nabrezhnaya 5, is spectacular for clubbers interested in thumping Russian pop music and other wonders of chart-hit wonderland. Located in a former bomb shelter, Griboyedov, Voronezhsakaya ulitsa 2a, is definitely the place to be for an array of house and techno music.

Live Music: Fish Fabrique, Pushkinskaya ulitsa 10 (website: www.fishfabrique.spb.ru) is perfect for visitors wishing to see local rock and alternative bands. Jazz Club, Zagorodny prospekt 27, is where to head for the Russian spin on jazz, with the modern stuff played on Friday and Saturday nights. The Jazz Philharmonic Hall, Zagorodny prospekt 27, is the venue for traditional and Dixieland jazz, performed in an auditorium but with a more intimate venue upstairs, in the Ellington Hall. Jimi Hendrix Blues Club, Liteiny prospekt 33, has live bands on at midnight, every night. It is open 24 hours a day and has a reputation for great food but exceedingly lousy service.

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