As Russia’s cultural capital, St. Petersburg boasts a vibrant dining scene with trendy eateries alongside traditional fare. The city’s imperial heritage intermixes with global influences in delectable ways. From exquisite fine dining to buzzy bistros, St. Petersburg’s diverse flavors satisfy foodies.
| Restaurant Name | Cuisine/Style | Special Features |
|---|---|---|
| Locale Market | American | Fresh, locally sourced ingredients |
| The Mill Restaurant | Southern-inspired | Creative dishes, rustic ambiance |
| Parkshore Grill | Steak and Seafood | Fine dining, waterfront views |
| The Canopy | Rooftop Bar | Panoramic views, cocktails |
| Red Mesa Restaurant | Mexican | Authentic dishes, vibrant decor |
| Brick & Mortar | New American | Seasonal menu, intimate setting |
| Engine No. 9 | Burgers | Gourmet burgers, craft beers |
| Casita Taqueria | Mexican | Fresh, handmade tacos |
| Noble Crust | Italian-Southern | Unique fusion cuisine |
| Bodega on Central | Latin Street Food | Cuban sandwiches, fresh juices |
Here are 12 of the top restaurants to savor inventive contemporary cuisine and time-honored Russian specialties when visiting this northern gem.
EM Restaurant
Name and Location: EM Restaurant in St. Petersburg, Russia. Located inside the Sokos Hotel Palace Bridge.
History and Significance: Upscale contemporary European dining with panoramic views from the 8th floor. Renowned for refined cuisine and white nights dinners.
What to Expect: Creative takes on continental dishes, fine wines, sophisticated ambience, and Neva River views. Tasting menus available.
Visitor Information: Open daily for lunch and dinner. Reservations recommended. Business formal dress code.
Led by Chef Maxim Syroyezhnikov, EM Restaurant melds molecular gastronomy with Russian soul food for a distinctive experiential dining concept. The regularizer menu features updated versions of Russian classics like borscht soup and stroganoff, with ingredients like venison or quail.
The avant-garde tasting menu combines gastronomy techniques like foams, jellies and airs for showstopping dishes. Wine pairings heighten the artistry. Diners can observe chefs preparing dishes through a transparent kitchen. With its novel approach, EM brings Russian cuisine into the future while honoring tradition.
Repa
Name and Location: Repa Restaurant in St. Petersburg, located inside the Renaissance Baltic Hotel.
History and Significance: Elegant dining room featuring contemporary French-Russian cuisine and wines. Known for its impeccable service and romantic flair.
What to Expect: Artfully plated contemporary dishes, decadent desserts, and an extensive wine list. Perfect for a special occasion.
Visitor Information: Open for dinner nightly. Reservations essential. Jacket and cocktail attire requested.
For elegantly executed Russian fare in sleek environs, Repa hits the mark. The neo-Soviet chic design pairs communist era art with luxe touches like leather banquettes. Traditional dishes shine, like house-made pelmeni dumplings with wild Siberian boar.
Hearty yet refined dishes range from rabbit ragout to Kamchatka crab with beluga lentils. Repa’s sommelier can recommend the perfect vodka pairing. With its understated opulence and reinvented cuisine, Repa heralds Russia’s contemporary dining identity.
Terrassa
Name and Location: Terrassa Restaurant on the roof of the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg.
History and Significance: The only rooftop restaurant in St. Petersburg, offering amazing panoramas of the city’s historic center.
What to Expect: Sweeping views of iconic landmarks over modern European cuisine and wine. Refined and romantic.
Visitor Information: Dinner seatings only, reservations required. Admission to Hermitage required. Formal dress code.
Perched on the Neva River embankment, Terrassa seduces diners with jaw-dropping views of the Peter and Paul Fortress. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlook the shimmering river. The Northern Italian cuisine impresses as well, with seasonal fare like truffle risotto, arctic char tartare and veal cheeks.
For a snack and drink, sit on the outdoor patio during happy hour and enjoy half-price pizzas. Yachts gliding by and occasional bridge openings only add to the splendor. Come at sunset to watch the skyline light up. It all makes for an unforgettable St. Petersburg dining experience.
Duo Gastrobar
Name and Location: Duo Gastrobar in St. Petersburg, located inside the Four Seasons Hotel Lion Palace.
History and Significance: Intimate, upscale restaurant known for its molecular gastronomy tasting menus and wine pairings.
What to Expect: Innovative 10+ course tasting menu with wine flight options. Cutting-edge techniques and presentations.
Visitor Information: Open for dinner only. Reservations required. Jacket and business cocktail attire.
Led by Chef Maxim Syroyezhnikov, Duo Gastrobar plates artistic contemporary cuisine in an intimate setting. Diners sit along the chef’s counter for a front row kitchen view, or at tables tucked among shelves of cookbooks and spices.
The a la carte menu features dishes like duck breast with beetroot marmalade and crispy pumpkin. The 16-course tasting menu takes you on a culinary odyssey of seasonal flavors and textures. Staff will suggest perfect wine accompaniments like Austrian Rieslings. For innovative gastronomy made personal, Duo Gastrobar delivers.
Marketplace
Name and Location: Marketplace Restaurant & Bar in St. Petersburg, located inside the Four Seasons Hotel Lion Palace.
History and Significance: St. Petersburg’s first gastropub, known for its quality international food and drinks in a lively upscale setting.
What to Expect: Extensive craft beer list, reinvented comfort food dishes, chic ambience with city views and a cocktail bar.
Visitor Information: Open daily for food and drinks. Reservations recommended for dining. Casual dress code.
For an immersive taste of old-world Russian flavors, visit Marketplace restaurant housed in a former aristocratic mansion. Each dining room represents a different historic Russian region through cuisine, decor and costumes. Attentive “merchant” waitstaff explain dishes and make recommendations.
Sample traditional dishes from locales like Astrakhan, Siberia, and Perm. Menu highlights include venison tartare, sterlet fish soup, and rabbit ragout with black currant sauce. Enjoy live folk music performances. With its playful evocation of historic Russian life, Marketplace offers interactive culinary storytelling.
Gräs x Madbaren
Name and Location: Gräs x Madbaren atop the Rennaissance Monarch Centre Hotel in St. Petersburg.
History and Significance: Trendy rooftop restaurant and bar offering contemporary cuisine and some of the best views over St. Petersburg.
What to Expect: Panoramic city vistas, locally-inspired dishes like venison tartare, happening atmosphere with DJs.
Visitor Information: Open daily for food and drinks. Reservations recommended. Smart casual dress code.
Gräs x Madbaren is the St. Petersburg outpost of two successful Moscow restaurants joined under one roof. Gräs focuses on contemporary Scandinavian fare in a hip, moody space blending brick, leather and greenery. Standouts from the seasonal menu include rabbit with salsify, chanterelles and black garlic.
Madbaren concentrates on artisanal cocktails, with several floors of distinct bar spaces like the Lobby bar with flickering fireplace. Top it off with DJs and city view terrace. With its chic ambiance and nuanced flavors, Gräs x Madbaren attracts a stylish local crowd.
Mansarda
Name and Location: Mansarda Restaurant in St. Petersburg, located inside the Grand Hotel Europe.
History and Significance: Historic upscale restaurant opened in 1989, renowned for refined Russian haute cuisine and white-glove service.
What to Expect: Opulent Russian Imperial-style interior, creative takes on classic Russian dishes, extensive wine list, live music.
Visitor Information: Open daily for dinner. Reservations required. Jacket and business cocktail attire.
For dazzling views and equally amazing cuisine, book a table at Mansarda restaurant perched on the 17th floor of a historic building. Panoramas of the city, cathedrals, rivers and Gulf of Finland unfold through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
The seasonal localmenu changes often, but expect dishes like veal cheek ragout or scallops with cauliflower and black truffle. Their wine list offers hard-to-find Russian varieties. Watch the sunset tint the sky pink across glimmering church domes and spires. An architectural gem houses this elevated dining experience.
Yat
Name and Location: Yat Restaurant in St. Petersburg, located on Aptekarsky Island along the Neva River.
History and Significance: Charming contemporary Russian restaurant situated in a historic building overlooking the Neva. Known for its intimate ambiance.
What to Expect: Delicious modern Russian cuisine, riverside views, romantic setting, and attentive service. Tasting menus available.
Visitor Information: Open daily for lunch and dinner. Reservations recommended. Smart casual dress code.
Led by Yugoslav chef Igor Grishechkin, Yat transports diners to 1920s Paris through live jazz, chic decor and indulgent flavors. Drop in the vaulted cellar bar for a pre-dinner drink like an absinthe-forward Sazerac. Moving upstairs, the dining room buzzes under crystal chandeliers.
Menu highlights include foie gras, burgundy snails and steak tartare prepared tableside. Seafood offerings like seared scallops shine. For dessert, flaming baked Alaska makes a dramatic culmination. With its throwback ambiance and flavors, Yat offers a joyful celebration of indulgence.
Koryushka
Name and Location: Koryushka Restaurant in St. Petersburg, inside Belmond Grand Hotel Europe.
History and Significance: Refined Russian restaurant opened in 1991, celebrated for upholding centuries-old Russian culinary traditions.
What to Expect: Extensive menu of classic Russian dishes like borscht, pelmeni, beef Stroganoff. Vodka pairings available.
Visitor Information: Open daily for lunch and dinner. Reservations recommended. Smart casual dress code.
For a casual yet memorable meal, visit Koryushka restaurant acclaimed for excellent Russian cuisine paired with craft beer. The menu focuses on classics cooked to perfection, like creamy borscht soup, kvass-braised pork belly, and golden pirozhki pastries.
Pair your meal with one of their Russian or Belarusian craft beers on tap at the long bar. Vintage objects around the space represent Russia’s beer brewing history. Quick yet friendly service allows enjoying good food and conversation at one’s own pace. Reasonable prices make it easy to linger for just one more pint of beer.
Tet-a-Tet
Name and Location: Tet-a-Tet Restaurant in St. Petersburg, located inside the Peter and Paul Fortress walls.
History and Significance: Charming restaurant situated within a historic fortification, offering romantic views of the Neva River.
What to Expect: Classic Russian and European cuisine served in an intimate setting. Share loving glances across candlelit tables.
Visitor Information: Open daily for lunch and dinner. Reservations advised. Smart casual dress code.
The intimate bistro Tet-a-Tet delights diners with contemporary Russian and European cuisine in cozy environs. With just nine tables, the restaurant offers an exclusive vibe. Dishes change regularly based on seasonal availability, but the oven-roasted octopus with fava puree and crispy prosciutto consistently earns raves.
Their cheese plate highlights varieties from across Russia and Europe. Extensive wine list. Charming vintage objects decorate the space. For a memorable meal in good company without downtown prices, intimate Tet-a-Tet charms foodies.
Andrey and Sons
Name and Location: Andrey and Sons Restaurant in St. Petersburg, located inside the Sokos Hotel Palace Bridge.
History and Significance: Contemporary restaurant celebrated for its farm-to-table Northern Russian cuisine using seasonal local ingredients.
What to Expect: Fresh, creative takes on traditional Russian dishes in a refined yet relaxed setting. Extensive Russian wine list.
Visitor Information: Open daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Reservations recommended. Casual dress code.
Find gourmet Russian comfort food at Andrey and Sons cafe located near the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood. Their pelmeni Siberian meat dumplings, pirozhki stuffed pastries, and blinchiki stuffed pancakes create nostalgia. Hearty dishes range from pork schnitzel with buckwheat to elk goulash.
Save room for Siberian Napoleon cake layered with sour cream and raspberry jam. Vintage bread scales, telephones and skis decorate the space. Enjoy hot tea from authentic Soviet mugs. With its warm hospitality and stick-to-your-ribs classics, Andrey and Sons encapsulates the Russian soul.
Yat
Name and Location: Yat Restaurant in St. Petersburg, located on Aptekarsky Island along the Neva River.
History and Significance: Charming contemporary Russian restaurant situated in a historic building overlooking the Neva. Known for its intimate ambiance.
What to Expect: Delicious modern Russian cuisine, riverside views, romantic setting, and attentive service. Tasting menus available.
No visit to St. Petersburg is complete without trying a traditional Russian tea experience. At samovar tea rooms like Idiot Restaurant, sample tea blends and sweets against views of the Moyka River and ornate cathedrals. Drink tea from containers called podstakannik to keep glasses warm.
Try sweet and savory Russian pastries like coulibiac layered fish pie or Medovik honey cake. Chat for hours like locals. For tea on-the-go, stop at Russian chain Chaynaya Lozhka for authentic charcoal-infused black tea. Savoring tea lets you slow down and connect over conversation.
Conclusion
With cuisines ranging from reconceptualized Russian soul food to contemporary European, St. Petersburg’s dynamic restaurant scene satisfies travelers’ appetites. Elegant fine dining venues in historic buildings address special occasions while lively bistros keep the mood casual. Whether appreciating imperial opulence or Soviet nostalgia, the cultural immersion through cuisine proves delicious.
Pair those dishes with sparkling river views or handcrafted cocktails and St. Petersburg eating experiences deliver on every level. Foodies visiting Russia’s Queen of the North should come with empty stomachs and open minds to fully savor the riches this dining destination offers.