Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
for the pheasant with pine nuts and endive. The French cheeses and three-chocolate
fondue are always divine. The wine cellar corner is cozy, and a light jazz ensemble
plays most evenings.
1 Tamozhenny Pereulok.
&
812/327-8980.
Reservations required for dinner. Main courses $21-$45 (£11-£23). AE,
DC, MC, V. Daily noon-midnight. Metro: Vasileostrovskaya.
MODERATE
Kavkaz Bar
GEORGIAN For expats and visitors, this is St. Petersburg's most
popular spot at which to sample cuisine from the former Soviet state of Georgia. Its
Caucasus Mountain spices and fruits are not found in Russian cooking. Try the enor-
mous
khinkali,
spiced meat dumplings you're supposed to eat with your hands; the
tandoor-style chicken (chicken
tabaka
); or the eggplant slices slathered in walnut-gar-
lic paste. If you want to try Georgian wine, stick with the dry reds.
18 Karavannaya Ulitsa.
&
812/312-1665.
Main courses $6-$15 (£3-£8). AE, MC, V. Daily 11am-10pm. Metro:
Mayakovskaya.
Propaganda
INTERNATIONAL This popular restaurant's name and Soviet-
style decorations are decidedly tongue-in-cheek, concealing a relaxed, open, post-
Communist atmosphere. It's an unbeatable lunch spot and a good choice for dinner,
except on weekend nights when it gets crowded. The menu includes Russian favorites
with a twist, such as the melt-in-your-mouth salmon
pelmeni
(like Russian ravioli),
made with fresh fish blended with fresh greens. Be sure to view the Lenin-themed rest-
rooms. The hall facing the Fontanka River offers an all-you-can-eat buffet lunch for
less than $10.
44 Fontanka Naberezhnaya.
&
812/275-4558.
Main courses $8-$20 (£4-£10). MC, V. Daily 24 hr. Metro:
Mayakovskaya.
INEXPENSIVE
Street of Broken Lights (Ulitsa Razbitykh Fonarei)
RUSSIAN The
main draw here is the extensive takeout menu, something unheard of elsewhere in
town (other than at McDonald's). The decor and menu borrow from the popular
Russian television series after which the restaurant is named, featuring cops and neigh-
borhood dramas. The show and the restaurant are popular among families.
34 Ulitsa Radishcheva.
&
812/275-9935.
Main courses $8-$20 (£4-£10). AE, MC, V. Daily noon-midnight. Metro:
Chernyshevskaya.
Kids
Stroganovsky Dvor (Stroganoff Courtyard)
RUSSIAN/EUROPEAN This
cafe is cool, cheap, and convenient, and the atmosphere is so bizarre it's worth experi-
encing. The two-story restaurant is housed in a huge transparent tent plopped in the
courtyard of an 18th-century aristocratic mansion. Customers can use special telephones
placed at each table to call in orders—or to call occupants of other tables. Service is
friendly and readily available.
17 Nevsky Prospekt (inside courtyard).
&
812/315-2315.
Sandwiches $3-$5 (£2-£6). No credit cards. Daily 24 hr.
Metro: Nevsky Prospekt.
EXPLORING ST. PETERSBURG
St. Petersburg was a planned city from day one, and therefore makes sense to most vis-
itors right away. The center of town is relatively compact, and English is increasingly
used on street signs and billboards.
