6 HISTORIC cafés & restaurants in St. Petersburg

1. ‘Brodyachaya Sobaka’ (‘The Stray Dog’)

Italianskaya Street, 4

“We are all revelers here, wayward souls. How dreary it is for us to be together!” These lines were written by poet Anna Akhmatova on January 1, 1913, upon returning from a New Year’s Eve party at ‘The Stray Dog’. This cabaret in the basement on Italianskaya Street operated for just four years, from 1911 to 1915, yet became one of the main stages and the very heart of Russia’s Silver Age.

In 2001, ‘The Stray Dog’ was renovated and reopened. Just as in the old days, it hosts musical performances and theatrical evenings.

2. ‘Pyshki na Bolshoi Konyushennoi’ (‘Doughnuts on Bolshaya Konyushennaya’)

Bolshaya Konyushennaya Street, 25

Visiting St. Petersburg without standing in line at the donut cafe on Bolshaya Konyushennaya Street is like visiting Moscow for the first time and never seeing the Red Square.

‘Pyshki’ (a special type of donut made in St. Petersburg) have been made since 1958 and the recipe has remained, more or less, unchanged ever since. The machine used to make these deep-fried treats (itself a vintage piece of equipment from the 1950s) is switched on at exactly 7:00 am every morning and begins frying the first 50 donuts at 8:40 a.m. They are best enjoyed with a cup of barrel coffee: coffee mixed with condensed milk and poured from large tanks.

The interior is simple and unmistakably Soviet, reminiscent of a time when cafés like this were commonplace. But, you’ll soon forget the unadorned surroundings once you taste a hot ‘pyshka’ dusted with powdered sugar!

3. ‘Literaturnoe cafe’ (‘The Literary сafé’)

Nevsky Prospekt, 18

The building on the corner of Nevsky Prospekt and the Moika River Embankment is not only one of St. Petersburg’s oldest culinary landmarks, but also an important stop on the city’s literary map.

In the first half of the 19th century, it housed the ‘Wolf and Beranger’ pastry store. It was from there that Alexander Pushkin set off for his fatal duel with Georges d’Anthès and it was there that Mikhail Lermontov first recited his poem ‘The Death of a Poet’ in public.

In 1885, the ‘Leiner’ restaurant opened on the site of the former pastry store. Its regular patrons included Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Fyodor Chaliapin, Nikolai Gumilyov and Alexander Blok.

In the early 1980s, the ‘Literary Café’ opened there, carrying on the legacy of the historic pastry store. Its interiors evoke a 19th-century salon and the menu features Russian and French cuisine.

4. ‘Sever’ (‘North’)

Nevsky Prospekt, 44

A pastry store had been operating at this address as early as 1903. St. Petersburg residents quickly came to appreciate the quality of its baked goods and were happy to drop by.

After the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution, the establishment changed its name several times, before becoming a retail outlet for a confectionery and chocolate factory. In 1951, it acquired its present name: ‘Sever’, meaning ‘North’.

This café and pastry store is a paradise for anyone with a sweet tooth. Its offerings include tartlet baskets with assorted fillings, choux buns, profiteroles, petits fours and an exceptionally delicate ‘Pavlova’ dessert.

Drop in before a performance, stop by while strolling along Nevsky Prospekt or pick up a sweet souvenir to take home.

5. ‘Mayak’ café (‘Lighthouse cafe’) 

Mayakovskogo Street, 20

This characterful establishment seems frozen in the Soviet past. It has been around for at least 50 years, possibly longer, and remarkably little has changed since then.

The menu features infused spirits, open-faced sandwiches, borsch, ‘solyanka’ soup and other familiar classics. The setting matches the food: busts of Lenin and Marx, along with simple, unpretentious furniture.

Don’t come here expecting culinary discoveries. Come instead for the atmosphere of an old-fashioned Soviet ‘ryumochnaya’ – a no-frills bar where people would stop for a quick drink.

6. ‘Palkin’ restaurant

Nevsky Prospekt, 47

‘Palkin’, located on Nevsky Prospekt, has been in business since the second half of the 19th century. Before 1917, it was renowned for its cuisine and sumptuous interiors.

The restaurant closed after the revolution and was not “reborn” until 2002. Its historic interiors were painstakingly restored under the supervision of specialists from the State Hermitage Museum.

The extensive menu features some of the stars of Russian cuisine: ‘stroganina’ made from muksun whitefish, ‘blini’ with caviar, marrow bones served with onion confit and “pohmelnyye” or “hangover” ‘shchi’ soup.