Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
240
Family-Friendly Restaurants
Because St. Petersburg children are usually fed at home by Babushka (Grandma)
until adolescence, and few tourists come with small kids, few restaurants have
been motivated to accommodate families. This is changing, thanks largely to
international hotel and restaurant chains. The weekend brunch at
Corinthia
Nevsky Palace
(p.222) includes a playroom and kids' activities as well as many
kid-palatable buffet options.
Russkaya Rybalka
has a children's play area and
child's menu, and older kids may get a kick out of helping their parents fish off
the pier. For quick food at all hours, Russian fast-food restaurant
BlinDonalt's
has a child's corner and familiar fare, with a focus on pancakes and mini-pies
stuffed with jam, meat, or potatoes.
McDonald's, KFC,
and
Sbarro
are always
safe bets for a highchair and baby-changing tables, though they don't gener-
ally have play equipment, and Americans will find them to be less spacious
than their outlets in the U.S.
Lenin Lives
(Lenin Zhiv) 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 for 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 and packed inside almost transparently thin
dough. In a nod to the capitalist world, the menu also offers burgers and fries (pretty
good for the Eastern bloc), as well as cheesecake made with Philadelphia cream cheese
(mediocre). Healthy portions may leave you little room for dessert, anyway. Be sure to
view the Lenin-themed restrooms. Books lining the back dining room are yours for
perusing, though they're in Russian only. The hall facing the Fontanka River offers an
all-you-can-eat buffet lunch for less than 330 rubles.
40 Fontanka Naberezhnaya.
&
812/325-6500.
Main courses 500-800 rubles. MC, V. Daily noon-3am.
Metro: Mayakovskaya.
13
Stray Dog Cellar
(Podval Brodyachy Sobaki) RUSSIAN This was a mecca for
Petersburg's artistic and literary groundbreakers in the early 20th century, who consid-
ered themselves “stray dogs” shunted aside by proper aristocratic society. The basement
cafe reopened in 2001 after years of disrepair, and is again hosting poetry readings, one-
act plays, sculpture shows, and live music. Anna Akhmatova hid here during the Civil
War, and fellow poets Vladimir Mayakovsky and Oscar Meyerhold frequented the cafe
early in their careers. History aside, this is a convenient place for a bite to eat, offering
average Russian fare and a few departures. Stick to the Russian favorites, such as stur-
geon, fresh or smoked salmon, and meat-based soups; avoid the adventurous dishes with
exotic fruits. The back rooms get smoky at night.
5/4 Square of the Arts (Ploshchad Isskustv).
&
812/312-8047.
Main courses 250-350 rubles. No credit
cards. Mon-Sat 11am-midnight. Metro: Gostiny Dvor.
