Saint Petersburg Restaurant Tips by Canadienne

Restaurant Name: Bistro Samson

This cafe is located at the intersection of Kamennoostrovskiy Prospekt and Mira ulitsa; it's an architecturally interesting street and islocated not too far from Peter and Paul Fortress, therefore it makes an easy side trip for a good lunch.

We had borscht and salads ~ bean, pasta and veggie. The bistro also had open-faced sandwiches, desserts and hot dishes. There's a handy glass-faced display case, designed for pointing and ordering.

Very clean bathroom to boot.


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Theme: Local
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Address: Kamennoostrovskiy Prospekt at Mira Ulitsa

Restaurant Name: Shwarma Cafe

We had shwarma and fries at this little cafe, located around the corner from our apartment. The food is cheap, incredibly tasty and filling as well.

The cafe staff are very helpful. . .the cook is Egyptian and jumped right in ~ with perfect English ~ to help me when I tried out my Russian ordering skills.


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Theme: Middle Eastern
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Address: Sadovaya ulitsa at Nevsky Prospket

Restaurant Name: Kavkaz Bar

Kavkaz Bar serves Georgian food in a small restaurant, bordered by a more informal cafe.

I had lobio to start, which is a mildly spicy bean dish, and vegetable kebabs. Mom had mushroom soup and pork kebab. The food was very good, but overpriced.


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Theme: Other
Comparison: more expensive than average
Prices: US$31-40  » Currency Converter
Address: Karavannaya ulitsa 18

Restaurant Name: Teatralnaya Ploshchad Cafe

If you arrive at the Mariinsky a bit early, as we did in order to pick up our tickets, you'll find one of these little "drink tents" next to the Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory, across the street.

These tents are found all over the city. Sometimes you can get small food items, like pirozhki, but the main purpose is to serve alcohol and coffee.

This one was very conveniently located for a pre-show drink.


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Theme: Street Vendor

Address: Teatralnaya Ploshchad
Directions: Located next to the Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory

Restaurant Name: Bistro

This bistro is located about half a block off of Nevsky Prospekt, which makes is convenient, but less busy and less expensive than places on the main street.

They serve standard Russian basics ~ soups, dumplings, etc. I had a beef & vegetable stew and Mom had chicken kiev. The food was ready quickly, servings were hot and tasty and the bill was very reasonable.


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Theme: Local
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Address: Dumskaya ulitsa at Nevsky Prospekt

Restaurant Name: Idiot

Be on the lookout for the glass globe/sign or you could very well miss Idiot. And, although it has the appearance of being very popular with tourists, that would be a shame.

The basement restaurant is cozy and the food was excellent. Good, comforting, home-style dishes ~ mushroom-stuffed pelmeny, potatoes with mushrooms, etc. Each meal is served with a complimentary shot of vodka. . .and it's definitely not needed to prepare you for the food. ;-)


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Theme: Local
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Address: Nab. reki Moiki 82

Restaurant Name: Milano Restaurant

Taking a break from our Russian cafes & bistros, we stopped in at Milano for dinner. Business was fairly slow that evening, so we had the full attention of the waitress ~ excellent service.

The food was superb ~ we started with salads and then had pasta dishes. It's always a treat for me to find a restaurant that uses gorgonzola cheese (and in adequate amounts) in dishes.

Brushetta bread was served before the meal, compliments of the restaurant. I can't say what the house wine was, but the meal was a treat from start to finish.


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Theme: Italian
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$21-30  » Currency Converter
Address: Karavannaya ulitsa 8

Restaurant Name: Mocco Club

Mocco Club serves up a range of soups, salads and hot dishes. More importantly, they also have a great selection of cakes and tarts ~ our main reason for dropping in while walking along Nevsky Prospekt.

You order and pay at the counter, then your food is delivered to your table (marked by a numbered sign you are given).

I met a young woman named Christine in line ~ a business student from the university ~ who asked about my visit, talked about her studies, then help place our order. She was incredibly friendly. . .a challenge to thoughts of Russians as stand-offish.

Excellent espresso ~ fantastic cake.


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Theme: Dessert
Comparison: about average
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Address: Nevsky Prospekt near Dumskaya ulitsa
Directions: South side of Nevsky

Restaurant Name: Cafe

Soups, sandwiches, desserts are the basic fare offered here. The best reason for stopping off though is the location ~ right on the side of the Griboedova Canal. It's an excellent people-watching spot, but less hectic than Nevsky's patio cafes.

We can testify to the quality of the borscht and dessert perozhkis.


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Theme: Coffeehouse
Comparison: about average
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Address: Nab. Kanala Griboedova 7
Directions: En route to Church on Spilled Blood, coming from Nevsky

Restaurant Name: no formal name. . .

One of the biggest saving strategies we practiced was eating our breakfasts in our apartment each day. To be honest, aside from the low cost, it was also a more relaxing way to start the morning than dealing with getting to and ordering from a restaurant or cafe early each morning.

We bought bread, honey, cheese, yoghurt and water from the grocery store nearby. Cost was lower than home for all of the items except the cheese. . .it was a bit higher than normal.

We debated eggs and coffee. . .but the espresso in the cafes was too nice to miss. And neither one of us got tired enough of our breakfast items to want to bother with actually "cooking."


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Theme: Other
Comparison: least expensive
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter