St. Petersburg (Russia) Restaurants

[Nica]

I'm going to St. Petersburg (Russia) in mid July and am in search of good restaurants. Has anyone dined there recently? I'm interested in Georgian, Russian and Uzbeki cuisine; however, we are there for 10 days, so any recommendations are welcomed. Although the city isn't much of a culinary destination, we are hoping to at least get some authentic meals. With so many nights, both inexpensive and expensive places are desirable. Thanks.

[emsny]

Salkhino is an excellent Georgian restaurant (25 Kronverksky Prospekt); Stolle is a pie bakery with a couple of branches, one right near the Mariinsky Theater - both sweet and savory pies, which you buy by weight; there are tables and they serve drinks. Amazingly good.

[Indy67]

"I'm going to St. Petersburg (Russia) in mid July and am in search of good restaurants. Has anyone dined there recently?"

Is summer '04 recent enough for you? If so, I can recommend two restaurants: Za Stsenoi and Kavkaz Bar.

Za Stsenoi's location, decor, and menu reflects St. Petersburg's long association with Europe, especially France. The restaurant is located steps away from the the Mariinsky Theater. This is the theater where Marius Petipa, a Frenchman, brought Russian ballet to international prominence in the 19th century -- a position it has retained through the present. I had fun looking at the decor which includes all manner of theater and ballet memorabilia. The food leans towards French, although you'll find some Russian dishes, too. The food was very good, but very familiar, so I recommend this restaurant for the total experience more than an opportunity to break new culinary ground by sampling Russian cuisine.

Kavkaz Bar consists of two adjoining restaurants of the same name serving Georgian cuisine. (You'll want to eat at the restaurant rather than the cafe. That's the establishment on the right as you're facing the two possibilities.) We ate here with another couple and made a meal of all appetizers. The food was fantastic. If you've ever eaten Turkish food, you'll notice similarities to Georgian food. The menu listed dishes using the English -- or as the Russians say "the Latin" -- alphabet. I recognized enough names that I felt quite confident ordering. For example, I spotted a word that was close enough to "bourek" that I was confident I'd receive a pastry filled with a savory filling. I did. We had some language issues with the servers, but pointing and smiling smoothed over the rough spots. Two years have gone by and the restaurant may have improved the English skills of the servers. I think each couple ordered four or five appetizers, and we had huge amounts of food. (I'll check with my husband when he gets home from work and, if I'm wrong, I'll write again.)

Indy 67

[Nica]

Salkhino is an excellent Georgian restaurant (25 Kronverksky Prospekt); Stolle is a pie bakery with a couple of branches, one right near the Mariinsky Theater - both sweet and savory pies, which you buy by weight; there are tables and they serve drinks. Amazingly good.

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I will definitely be trying Salkhino and Stolle. If there are any particular dishes you recommend, I'd love any suggstions. Thanks so much!

[Nica]

Summer 04' is definitely recent enough--the last time I was there was in 1998. I will be going to the Mariinsky theater at least two of my nights there, so Za Stsenoi sounds great for one of those nights.

I'm really interested in just having good meals/dining experiences so if its not Russia or Georgian food, thats ok. Also, 9 nights of Russian food may be a bit much for me. The Kavkaz Bar sounds just like what I'm looking for. Thank you.

Did you dine at Dvoryanskoe Gnezdo (The Noble Nest)? I'm curious about any thoughts on this restaurant.

[Gifted Gourmet]

excellent links to numerous St. Petersburg restaurants