In St. Petersburg - drink (and eat)

Ultimate guide to the best drinking establishments, restaurants and iconic places of the northern capital from Nikita Sergeev.

Many concept bars have opened in the last 3-5 years, mainly in the speakeasy genre. And St. Petersburg in this regard is one of the Meccas. The atmosphere obliges, first of all.

Cabinet

Cabinet

One of the serious speakeasy places is an establishment located on Malaya Sadovaya Street. Previously, the entrance was through a burger shop, now there is some kind of renovation at this place - a new establishment is opening. The place is called “Cabinet”, it was opened by a fairly famous bartender Sam Konyakhin. The idea is that you actually find yourself in some kind of gaming casino room, where poker tables are set up, and the bartender can conduct a dialogue directly with each participant, select drinks - a rather atmospheric and interesting format. There is even a certain dress code: it is better to come in smart casual - jacket, trousers, cocktail dress.

Address: St. Petersburg, M. Sadovaya, 8 (metro Nevsky Prospekt, Gostiny Dvor), tel. 8 (911) 921-19-44.

Opening hours: Thu-Sat 20:00–3:00, Sun 19:00–1:00

El Copitas

El Copitas

The center is also home to one of the most famous bars, which was included in the short list of the world's top 100 bars - the El Copitas bar. It operates in a closed format and is interesting because it serves different styles of tequila and mezcal. Copita is just a small cup into which mezcal is poured. The bar has a very intimate atmosphere: all guests sit at one table, and at the head of the table there is a bartender or owner who talks to you and refills your drinks. Specialization, respectively, is Mexican drinks and Mexican food.

Address: St. Petersburg, Kolokolnaya st., 2 (metro station Vladimirskaya, Dostoevskaya), tel. 8 (812) 941-71-68.

Opening hours: Thu 19:00–2:00, Fri-Sat 19:00–4:00.

Bank cards are not accepted. It's better to sign up in advance.

One and a half rooms

One and a half rooms

Another interesting bar, completely open, is “One and a Half Rooms”. This is one of the first bars that positions itself in the perfect serve direction: they serve drinks accompanied by snacks, and change the menu all the time (although there is a regular one - you can have dinner). There is a very interesting team of bartenders who prepare cocktails that are quite typical for St. Petersburg: unobtrusive, but at the same time with rather extraordinary combinations, often using gastronomy.

The bar is small, divided into two zones - this is the main entrance lobby and a second small hall where you can sit. I recommend arriving early and sitting at the bar to chat with the bartenders.

A very popular place - during the World Cup the FIFA team even celebrated several events there.

Address: St. Petersburg, st. Mayakovskogo, 34 (metro Chernyshevskaya), tel. +7 (921) 941-82-07.

Opening hours: Mon-Sun: 18:00-02:00.

Pier 28

Pier 28

One of the atypical but popular bars now is, of course, Pier 28. It is interesting because it positions the tropical history of drinks. You can’t directly call it tiki, but collectively it’s a collaboration between tiki, surf bar, Polynesia, Mexico and everything else. They recently moved to larger premises on Nekrasova Street: now they have two halls, they not only prepare drinks, but also feed guests - there is a kitchen. The cuisine is a la Caribbean, specific, but a must try. The cocktails are very interesting, served mainly in tiki glasses, ceramics in the shape of parrots, whales, flamingos - a very cool story, a lot of surf, light and warmth.

Address: St. Petersburg, st. Nekrasova, 28 (metro Chernyshevskaya), tel. +7 (812) 407-33-84.

Opening hours: Mon 16:00-0:00, Tue-Wed 16:00-1:00, Thu-Fri 16:00-5:00, Sat-Sun 16:00-1:00.

Duo Gastrobar

Duo Gastrobar

From the point of view of original cuisine, it is interesting to visit the network of chef Dmitry Blinov, which is called Duo. Duo is an original concept kitchen, but quite understandable. There is a classical Duo, “Duo Asia” and Tartarbar. They are located in approximately the same area, so you can easily walk between them. The restaurants are popular and it is best to book a table in advance.

Address: St. Petersburg, st. Kirochnaya, 8B (metro Chernyshevskaya), tel. +7 (921) 994-54-43

Opening hours: Mon-Thu, Sun 13:00-0:00, Fri-Sat 13:00-01:00.

Duo Asia

Duo Asia

Address: St. Petersburg, st. Rubinshteina, 20, 2nd floor. (m. Dostoevskaya), tel. +7 (911) 928-81-89.

Opening hours: Mon-Thu, Sun 13:00-0:00, Fri-Sat 13:00-02:00.

Tartarbar

Tartarbar

Address: St. Petersburg, Vilensky lane, 15 (metro Chernyshevskaya), +7 (911) 922-56-06.

Opening hours: Mon-Thu, Sun 13:00-0:00, Fri-Sat 13:00-01:00.

Birch

Birch

Recently, opposite Duo, on the same street, on Furshtatskaya, a restaurant was opened called Birch, which translates as “birch”. The concept is modernized classic cuisine through trendy technologies - creamers, sous-vides, siphons. If the restaurant is fully seated, guests are seated directly in the open kitchen: there is a separate staff room, where the chefs serve ready-made dishes, and there are several tables where you can feel the atmosphere of a restaurant kitchen, watch the chefs prepare and taste the dishes right in front of them.

Address: St. Petersburg, st. Kirochnaya, 3 (metro Chernyshevskaya), tel. +7 (911) 920-31-65.

Opening hours: Mon–Sun 13:00-01:00.

Salute! Bistro & Bar

From where you can eat and drink deliciously, it is worth mentioning “Salyut! Bistro and Bar" on Sadovaya. These are, as I usually like to say, great cocktails for a restaurant and great food for a bar. What is the problem usually? If there is a delicious menu, then drinks are often limited to wine and something else, or vice versa, in a bar with good cocktails there is only tapas. And they were able to embody the idea that you don’t have to sacrifice food for drinks and vice versa. The bistro offers an original menu (chef - Sergey Fokin) with tartars, ceviche, duck, and behind the round bar there is a cool original cocktail menu and two bartenders. An excellent, bright gastrobar where you can have a great time.

Address: St. Petersburg, st. Sadovaya, 8, Litera A (metro Gostiny Dvor), tel. +7 812 989-02-93.

Opening hours: Sun-Thu 12:00-0:00, Fri-Sat 12:00-1:00.

Mapuche

Mapuche

Among narrowly focused concepts, there is another interesting place called Mapuche. This is Zhenya Vikentyev's Peruvian cuisine restaurant. The cuisine is adapted - modernized by the author, they serve many interesting dishes, for example, octopus with bulgur, interesting sauces are used, the latest trends such as yuzu and bitterness in drinks and sauces, but it is the food that is worth trying, because the drinks are quite standard.

Address: St. Petersburg, st. Nekrasova, 34, (metro Chernyshevskaya), tel. +7 (812) 907–33–07.

Opening hours: Mon–Thu 13:00–01:00, Fri–Sat 13:00–03:00, Sun 13:00–01:00.

Schengen

Schengen

Where else can you eat... In Schengen, for example, it is in the same area as Birch and Duo. An interesting place, quite popular among the employees of the Finnish consulate - the restaurant is made in the format of a Finnish house, warm, atmospheric, divided into many zones. The menu is quite interesting, familiar dishes like Olivier are served in a modern interpretation, for example, Olivier is made with crab meat and yuzu marmalade. At the same time, there is a good selection of wine and a intimate atmosphere.

Address: St. Petersburg, Kirochnaya st., 5 (metro Chernyshevskaya), tel. +7 812 922-11-97.

Opening hours: Mon-Fri 09:00-00:00, Sat-Sun 11:00-00:00.

Imbibe Bar

Imbibe Bar

Among the classic bars, it is worth visiting the Imbibe bar. It's happybut a well-known place, it has the same owners as Salyut! Bistro and Bar." This is a classic cocktail bar with interesting servings and drink combinations. Now they have removed this direction, but before there were interesting drinks, for example, with Brussels sprouts - quite a serious fusion.

Address: St. Petersburg, st. Zhukovskogo, 6, tel. +7 (812) 988-67-48.

Opening hours: Sun-Thu 18:00-03:00, Fri-Sat 18:00-06:00.

Anonymous Society of Diligent Tasters

Anonymous Society of Diligent Tasters

Among the interesting places where you can drink good wine and interesting liqueurs and try the author's homemade simple food in a shortened version, it is worth going to the “Anonymous Society of Diligent Tasters”, abbreviated as “Hell” :), located on Rubinshteina Street. The atmosphere is as if you are in a theater buffet, while classical German waltz music is playing, a very bright, sunny room, a square bar counter, at which you drink wine or try some liqueurs, and right there at the same bar counter the chefs cook for you I'm going. They have a very good selection of meats and sausages, because they smoke, cook, fry, dry-cure them themselves, plus various snacks and three-four-five options for hot dishes. This is a project of The Hat Group, a network that includes the jazz club The Hat, where you can listen to live jazz bands and drink interesting drinks.

Address: St. Petersburg, st. Rubinshteina, 27 (metro station Dostoevskaya).

Opening hours: 10:00-02:00 (the glass shop is open from 17:00).

The Hat

The Hat

Address: St. Petersburg, st. Belinskogo, 9 (metro Mayakovskaya, Chernyshevskaya).

Opening hours: Mon-Sun 19:00-05:00.

Fiddler's Green

Fiddler's Green

In their group is the Fiddler's Green establishment, an Irish pub where you can drink good strong drinks, Guinness, and they also serve interesting traditional stews in aluminum dishes, as if you are on a ship.

Address: St. Petersburg, st. Rubinshteina, 5 (metro station Dostoevskaya).

Opening hours: from 14:00 until the last guest.

Apotheke Bar

Apotheke Bar

And another establishment of the chain is Apotheke, it is located in the center, on the corner of Sadovaya and Lomonosova streets, it is an indoor concept bar with 10-12 seats, which looks like an old pharmacy. There you can try interesting drinks and vintage combinations.

Address: St. Petersburg, st. Lomonosova, 1 (corner from Sadovaya St., Nevsky Prospekt metro station).

Opening hours: from 20:00 until the last guest.

Hermitage

Hermitage

For an entertaining moment, you can go to the Hermitage - a must, if possible. As a rule, in addition to the main one, there are also imported exhibitions of contemporary artists, and sometimes you can see an interesting exhibition.

Address: St. Petersburg, Palace Embankment, 34 (Admiralteyskaya metro station), tel. +7 (812) 710-90-79, +7 (812) 710-96-25.

Opening hours: Tue, Thu, Sat, Sun 10:30-18:00 (ticket office open until 17:00); Wed, Fri 10:30-21:00 (ticket office open until 20:00); Mon – closed.

Hermitage Tour Bureau: (812) 571-84-46, excursof@hermitage.ru

Faberge Museum

Faberge Museum

I highly recommend going to the Faberge Museum on the embankment of the Fontanka River - in order to understand the history of Faberge, how he created his famous jewelry, for example, eggs and a golden carriage encrusted with precious stones. There are a lot of different halls, and among other things, in one of the halls there is an exhibition of modern paintings, which are lined up in the hall in such a way, and the light is set in such a way that it seems as if the canvases are alive, and you are inside the painting.

Address: St. Petersburg, Fontanka River embankment, 21 (metro station Gostiny Dvor), tel.: +7 (812) 333-26-55.

Opening hours: daily, 10:00-20:45 (ticket office open from 9.30 to 20:15).

Summer garden

While the weather permits, you need to go to the Summer Garden. After reconstruction, it acquired a majestic appearance - there are fountains, sculptures, and it’s nice to stroll around. This is a fairly popular place among tourists and a must-see.

Address: St. Petersburg, emb. Kutuzova, 2 (metro Chernyshevskaya, Gostiny Dvor, Nevsky Prospekt, Gorkovskaya).

Opening hours: daily, 09:00-21:00.

Castle Rock!

Castle Rock!

If anyone is interested in music, in the area of Vosstaniya Street there is the oldest rock music store called “Castle Rock”. This is one of the interesting directions for the generation of those who once listened to Alisa and Tsoi - there was once a rehearsal base there, the King and the Jester, DDT and other famous Russian musicians rehearsed.

Address: St. Petersburg, Ligovsky Prospekt, 47 (metro station Ploshchad Vosstaniya), tel. +7 (812) 322-65-68.

Opening hours: daily, 9:00-22:00 (excluding lunch and weekends).

Rotunda on Gorokhovaya

On Gorokhovaya Street there is one courtyard in which the Rotunda is located - a two-story front entrance in the shape of a rotunda. This was one of Tsoi’s favorite places; various subcultures used to gather there: the walls were completely painted, including by famous musicians. This place embodies the spirit of St. Petersburg. It is quite difficult to get there, but you can find some excursions.

Address: St. Petersburg, st. Gorokhovaya, 57A and emb. Fontanka River, 81 (metro station Sadovaya).

Opening hours: Mon–Fri 18:00–22:00, Sat, Sun 11:00–22:00.

Speaking of excursions, you should definitely take a walk along the rooftops of St. Petersburg - there are agencies that lead along special routes where you can see non-trivial St. Petersburg - hidden courtyards with history, rooftops.

It’s also worth taking a boat ride along the rivers and canals - there you can learn a lot of interesting things about the city and its history, especially if you go in a small group with a good guide - on large ships the information is usually quite standard, which can be found everywhere.

Gin Tonic Bar

Gin Tonic Bar

After a walk, it’s great to go to the Gin and Tonic bar. famous throughout the country: it has the largest collection of gin, and you can come try gin cocktails. There is no kitchen, but it is interesting to stop by for a cocktail.

Address: St. Petersburg, Liteiny Ave., 64 (metro station Vladimirskaya), tel. 8 (921) 870-71-76.

Opening hours: Wed 16:00-03:00, Thu, Sun-Tue 18:00-03:00, Fri-Sat 18:00-05:00.

Well, and finally, a recommendation on the topic of wine. St. Petersburg has generally become a wine place - many establishments have opened, such as Le Tour de vin, the “Wine Cabinet” with a wine counter and a small kitchen where snacks are prepared - you can come and taste it.

Le Tour de vin

Le Tour de vin

Address: St. Petersburg, Bolshaya Konyushennaya st., 2 (metro station Nevsky Prospekt), tel. 8 (812) 314-57-68.

Opening hours: Sun-Thu 18:00-01:00, Fri-Sat 18:00-03:00.

Wine cabinet

Wine cabinet

Address: St. Petersburg, st. Rubinshteina, 9 (m. Mayakovskaya), tel. +7 (921) 932-90-74.

Opening hours: Mon-Fri from 17:00 - until the last guest, Sat-Sun from 14:00 - until the last guest.