This post's overview:
In this post, I would like to share with you my list of the best restaurants in St. Petersburg, Russia, where you can try Russian food – aka the best Russian restaurants in Saint Petersburg.
Visiting St. Petersburg with the new free e-Visa is now easier than ever and the flights are also very affordable (especially from London). I just bought a flight to St. Petersburg from London for £15 return with WizzAir and it’s an unbelievably low price for a 3-hour flight.
The best dishes to try in Russia
Before we start with the best Rusian restaurants in Saint Petersburg, let’s talk about the dishes you need to try in Russia. I recommend trying Russian salads like Olivier salad (knows as the “Russian salad”), soups like Solyanka and Bortsh and mains such as Pelmeni and Beef Stroganoff. For the full list of the dishes, head to my post about the dishes to try in Russia.
And if you have a sweet tooth, I have another post about 12+ amazing desserts to try in Russia! Check it now.
Have you already booked a place to stay in St. Petersburg? These hotels are great, pretty affordable and include breakfast: Le Diaghilev Boutique Hotel, Tuchkov Hotel at the Palace Square and Kaleidoscope on Rubinshteina. Otherwise, check my post about the best areas to stay in Saint Petersburg >>>
Without further ado, let’s talk about where to try Russian food in St. Petersburg >>>
Best restaurants in St. Petersburg, Russia | Where to try Russian Food
Banshiki
My favourite Russian restaurant in St. Petersburg is called Banshiki. Located on Degtyarnaya street, close to the metro Ploshad’ Vosstaniya (very centric), it’s very easy to reach. Moreover, it’s located in the same building as the famous Russian banya – Degtyarniye Bani. If you’re planning to visit the banya as well, you can then go and eat in Banshiki.
Banshiki has good prices, nice modern interior with some traditional elements and really good and delicious Russian food with a twist. There you can find Russian essentials like Pelmeni, but then you can also find more complex versions like goose dumplings with the mushroom cream.
If you can only visit one Russian restaurant in St. Petersburg, I recommend going to Banshiki. You can book the table online on their official website.
Read my post about the most beautiful metro stations in St. Petersburg >>>
Tsar
A slightly more opulent Russian restaurant in St. Petersburg is called Tsar. Tsar is part of a restaurant group called Ginza project and they gave a lot of great restaurants in St. Petersburg, Moscow, other Russian cities and even in NYC and London.
Tsar is Russian Empire-themed: inside the restaurant, there are portraits of all the Russian tsars; the toilets look like thrones and every day in the evening they play the National anthem of the Russian empire.
The interior is fancy, but not very impressive and the prices are above average (for Russia), however, you can have a nice meal for 2 people for around 4500-5000 rub (70 EUR). You can book a table online here.
Read my post about the best tours to take in St. Petersburg >>>
Russki Ampir
Another opulent restaurant located in a palace is Russian Ampir (Russki Ampir). I haven’t been to this restaurant myself, but it’s always referred to as something very fancy and for a special occasion and definitely one of the best Russian restaurants in St. Petersburg.
The restaurant specialises in the royal Russian food served to aristocratic people before the revolution (fancy and rare fish, caviar, etc). If you want something fancy and impressive, head there!
Read my post about visiting Peterhof palace – how to get there >>>
Baklazhan
Another amazing restaurant in St. Petersburg is called Baklazhan (Aubergine). This is not specifically a Russian restaurant, however, they have plenty of Russian dishes on their menu. They also have Georgian dishes. If you haven’t tried Georgian cuisine before – you must! Georgian cuisine is all about hot meat dumplings, hot pizza-style cheese pies and delicious salads and soups. I haven’t met anyone yet who didn’t like Georgian food. And it’s especially good in Russia. There are plenty of Georgian restaurants in St. Petersburg, so you have many to choose from. Baklazhan has a lot of really delicious Georgian dishes, so perhaps you can try many dishes in one visit. You can book a table online here.
A fun fact about restaurants in Russia: there are plenty of “broadly European” restaurants in Russia that serve pretty much everything you can think of. If you come to a restaurant and see pizza, bortsh, sushi, Tom yum and Caprese salad on one menu, don’t worry, it’s normal. Russians like to have many options when going to restaurants.
Palkin
Another one of the best Russian restaurants in Saint Petersburg is Palkin. Palkin is a bit similar to Tsar and Russi Ampir and it’s also very expensive and specialises in fancy food and pies.
The prices are above average and similar to Tsar and Russi Ampir. The interior is really pretty and it’s also very easy to find. You can book a table online here.
Teremok
One of the most affordable restaurants to try Russian food in St. Petersburg is Teremok. Teremok is a fast-food chain that specialises in crepes or blinis. You can try a range of sweet or savoury crepes, however, there is also a selection of traditional soups, salads and mains. The prices are low, however, the food quality is high. Teremok is very popular among both locals and tourists and they also have English menus in some of the restaurants. You will need to ask the cashier for an English menu.
You can easily eat there for less than 1000 rub (15 EUR ) for two and if you only ask for crepes and drinks, that would be even less, something like 500 Rub or 7.5 EUR.
Katyusha
Katyusha is a very homey Russian restaurant from Ginza Project located in the city centre, very close to the Kazan Cathedral and the Hermitage. Unlike opulent Tsar, Katyusha has a lovely cosy atmosphere. It’s a very nice Russian restaurant, where the prices are average and the speciality is Russian and Soviet dishes. You can book a table online.
Read my post about local’s favourite bars in St. Petersburg >>>
Pirogovy Dvorik/ Pirozhkovaya
If you’re wondering, where to eat Russian food in St. Petersburg on a budget, that would be Pirogovy Dvorik. Pirogovy Dvorik is a chain of fast-food restaurants selling sweet and savoury pies – pirogis (don’t confuse with Polish pierogi – they have nothing in common). Russian pies are huge, but you can buy a piece of any pie for a very affordable price. The pies are also really tasty! You even ask for two – for a savoury first and then ask for a sweet pie for a dessert. A similar place would be Pirozhkovaya on Nevsky Prospekt, very close to the metro station Ploshad Vosstaniya.
Check my post about local’s favourite museums in St. Petersburg >>>
Kvartirka
I visited Kvartirka a couple of years ago and really enjoyed it. Kvartirka is a Soviet-themed cafe that looks like, well, a typical Soviet flat from the 70s. They serve the most popular Russian and Soviet dishes and the prices are very affordable.
Head there for some basics and the entourage!
Moskva
Moskva is another one of the Ginza Project restaurants and it’s also one of the best panoramic restaurants in St. Petersburg. Moskva (which means Moscow) is located on the last floor of the shopping mall Stockmann and has wonderful views over the city centre. Make sure to call and book a table in advance (or do it through the online booking system, but leave a note that you want to sit close to the windows). The menu is quite broad and has all the possible dishes (just like in Baklazhan), however, there are many Russian dishes that are really yummy! You can book a table online.
Planning on visiting Moscow as well? Read my post about the best things to do in Moscow in 2 days >>>
ObedBufet
One of the best self-service buffet-style restaurants is ObedBufet located in the same building as the previous restaurant, Moskva. Once you enter the restaurant, you can grab a tray and then pick from a huge variety of dishes. In ObedBufet, you either pay per 100g (and the price is indicated above the dishes) or pay per item in case of burgers, pizza and other dishes. It sounds complicated, but it all makes sense, once you get to ObedBufet.
It’s not the cheapest restaurant, however, there is a trick – if you come there around 9:30 pm or later (before the closing time), most of the dishes will be sold with 50% discount.
Stolovaya No 1
The cheapest Russian restaurant in St. Petersburg is undoubtedly Stolovaya No 1 – a chain of canteens, where you can buy a salad for 19 rubles or 0.27 EUR. You can buy a 3-course meal for 3 EUR or so, however, the quality of the ingredients is not the best. Nonetheless, this place is very popular, works 24/7 and is always full of people! If you’re really on a budget, then you can save some money and eat in Stolovaya No 1.
Lilya Brik
Finally, the last (but not least) in this list of the best Russian restaurants in St. Petersburg is the cafe Lilya Brik. The speciality is Russian food and it’s really good. Also, the interior is quite special – they used bohemian Soviet posters of the 1920s for decoration. You can book a table online.
There are, of course, more places to try Russian food in St. Petersburg such as Gogol’, Gusi-Lebedi, Dom, Mama na Dache, Dachhiki, Petrov-Vodkin and more, however, I haven’t tried these places myself, so I can’t recommend any of them personally!
I hope you find this post about the best Russian restaurants in St Petersburg useful and if you did please share it on Social Media!
Don’t forget to check out my other posts about Russia and St. Petersburg:
Best things to see in St. Petersburg >>>
How expensive it is to travel around Russia >>>
5 safety rules in Moscow and in Russia >>>
Best things to do in St. Petersburg in winter >>>
Best budget-friendly restaurants in St. Petersburg >>>