Gourmet cuisine is good, but what to do when you want to have real Russian food: dumplings, borsch, jellied meat? For lovers of national cuisine in every city there are many establishments. The city on the Neva is no exception. The article will tell you about Russian restaurants in St. Petersburg.
Features of national cuisine
The national Russian cuisine in St. Petersburg, as well as throughout the country, is original and non-standard, like any other. It was influenced by nature, economics, history, geography. She uses a huge amount of ingredients and cooking methods in her arsenal. For all the time of its existence, Russian cuisine has taken all the best that other peoples have, but at the same time it has remained itself, retaining its foundation and features. That is why everyone loves her. Below is the rating of the best institutions.
1st place - "Petrusha"
"Petrusha" is a restaurant of Russian cuisine in St. Petersburg with the appropriate name. It is located in a building on Konnogvardeisky Boulevard, 4, where guards barracks used to be located.
The restaurant is divided into 3 rooms: two banquet and a main one. The design combines a historic atmosphere with modern amenities. Fireplaces and antique sideboards side by side with comfortable sofas and soft armchairs. And in one of the halls you can find a real Russian stove, which is not only an element of decor.
On the menu you can find dishes from all over Russia. It contains everything that is so familiar to Russian people: hodgepodge, noodle soup, olivier, herring under a fur coat. For hot, you can order dumplings made of three types of meat, meatballs or everyone’s favorite chicken. For dessert, spring rolls and apple cake are perfect.
In the immediate plans of the restaurant is the opening of a souvenir shop so that foreign guests can get acquainted with Russian culture and leave pleasant memories.
A hearty dinner will cost about 1,700 rubles.
The courteous and attentive restaurant staff is waiting for its guests daily from 12-00 to 23-00. Guests note the ability of the waiters to choose a dish for each according to his desire.
Petrusha is a great place both for tourists to get acquainted with Russian cuisine, and for residents of the city to taste homemade Russian food.
Second place - "Russian wineglass number 1"
Another Russian restaurant in St. Petersburg, located in the same building as Petrusha.
"Russian wineglass number 1" fully conveys the atmosphere of a classic drinking establishment of the late 19th century. Antique furniture, parquet on the floor, a huge number of flowers and trees, classic paintings on the walls and figurative decor elements (iron cup holders) - all that was relevant more than a hundred years ago. In addition to two common halls, there is a separate wine-glass VIP-room and a room for celebrations. In the warmer months there is a veranda.
The restaurant staff is fast and atmospheric. All the waiters here are sociable Russian people.
They are fed in the “Russian wineglass” with their favorite dishes: jellied meat, vinaigrette, borsch, cabbage soup. For the main course, you can order a Kiev patty, pike cutlets or buckwheat porridge.
Special attention is also paid to the selection of drinks: vodka, moonshine and other national drinks. It's still wineglass.
The average cost of a hot meal is 800 rubles, a drink is 300 rubles, a salad or a snack will cost 300 rubles.
The restaurant itself is open daily from 12-00 to 24-00, but the kitchen closes at 23-30.
"Russian wineglass number 1" is a great place to spend an evening to the accompaniment of music or to celebrate a birthday.
Gogol (3rd place)
Gogol is a status restaurant of Russian cuisine in the center of St. Petersburg. It is located near the Kazan Cathedral, on Malaya Morskaya Street, 8.
At the entrance to the restaurant it seems that you find yourself in a St. Petersburg apartment of the 19th century. The most spacious room here is called the "dining room". There is also a living room, styled with luxurious furniture and a piano. For business meetings, you can sit in a separate office. A kind of lounge area can be found in the sofa.
The menu of the Gogol restaurant offers not only national dishes, but also classic European ones. A large list of appetizers and salads. The main dish is dumplings and dumplings. For lunch, you can order traditional borsch, fish soup and okroshka. Sterlet and halibut should be distinguished from fish. All this in harmony with rack of lamb and venison dishes. Soft drinks bring fruit drinks, compote and pear. In fasting, restaurant visitors can treat themselves to kosher food, the range of which is updated from year to year.
The average bill here is slightly higher than the two previous restaurants. In Gogol, it is from 2000 rubles. Due to its specific format, the waiters are trained to serve guests discreetly and almost silently. It is unlikely that a grand banquet can be organized here, but experienced administrators and a chef will help organize a small celebration by choosing an individual menu and arrangement.
The restaurant of Russian cuisine in St. Petersburg "Gogol" is ready to receive guests daily from 12-00 to 24-00. The kitchen closes at 22-45.
4th place - "Cafe Literary"
Literary is a cafe of Russian cuisine in St. Petersburg, and a fashionable restaurant that offers not only classic food, but also spiritual food.
The restaurant is located in a building that, during the time of A.S. Pushkin, was one of the literary centers of St. Petersburg, hence the concept. The whole establishment is a comfortable lounge furnished in a classical style with openwork columns and red curtains. Great attention was paid to Alexander Sergeevich. There is also a piano on which pianists play in the evenings.
The cuisine is Russian, but with a slight touch of grace. Few of the Russian cuisine establishments serve cod, sturgeon, steaks and homemade ice cream.
The Literary Cafe is open daily from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. In the evenings, live music plays, thematic literary evenings. Famous St. Petersburg theater and cinema artists are invited.
You can eat hearty meal and enjoy a delicious drink from 2000 rubles. But the atmosphere of the establishment is worth it.
"Cafe Literary" is a restaurant for intelligent guests who appreciate not only dancing to incendiary music.
Chaliapin (fifth place)
"Chaliapin" - an excellent suburban version of the Deluxe-restaurant of Russian cuisine in St. Petersburg.
The custom of country dinners in a family or friendly circle appeared at the end of the 19th century. And the opera singer Fedor Chaliapin, after whom the restaurant is named, has always been a welcome guest at events of this kind.
Restaurant "Chaliapin" revived the idea of suburban establishments in nature, taking as a basis the traditions of that period. This can be seen both in the design and in the surroundings of this place: in the halls there is a classic table setting and furniture, and from the window you can hear the sounds of trains and the rustling of trees.
The menu "Chaliapin" a lot of dishes prepared according to home recipes. Many of these dishes do not even need advertising.
The restaurant staff is intelligent and courteous, as are its guests. The average check is from 2200 rubles. The institution operates from 11-00 to 23-00, seven days a week.
6th place - "Northerner"
One of the best Russian restaurants in St. Petersburg. Its highlight is dishes from the north of Russia.
At first glance, the interior is similar to the Gogol restaurant: halls in the form of rooms in a St. Petersburg apartment, antique wardrobes, chairs, lamps, paintings. But after spending a little time here, you begin to understand why this restaurant has so many rave reviews. This is a calmer and more intelligent place, here you will rarely find a noisy company. Guests, like staff, know etiquette and abide by it.
Russian cuisine in the "Northerner" is harmoniously diluted with typical northern ingredients: caviar, Murmansk fish, cod. The price tag here is not as high as in some restaurants. The average check here is from 1500 rubles.
For the smallest gentlemen and ladies there is a separate menu.
In the evening, light live music is played.
"Northerner" is a worthy institution that will appeal to everyone who appreciates peace and home cooking.
Noteworthy Restaurants
In the cultural capital of Russia, everyone will find an institution to their taste. But getting around every single thing is a difficult task, even for an experienced restaurant critic. There are still many Russian restaurants in St. Petersburg, reviews of which deserve attention, but for some reason not included in this rating. Here is a short list of restaurants and cafes that deserve attention:
- "Chekhov", st. Petropavlovskaya, d. 4.
- "Geese-Swans", st. Gagarinskaya, d.16.
- "Catherine the Great", st. Truth, d.10.
- "At Gorchakov", st. Bolshaya Monetnaya, d. 17/19.
- Smoked Bar, ul. Kievskaya, d.3a.