In St. Petersburg, they are scrupulous about local words and expressions: not an entrance, but a front door; not a curb, but a curb; not donuts, but crumpets. And no shawarma — from now on, only shawarma! We tell you about the gastronomic features of St. Petersburg.
Contents
- Shawarma
- Smelt
- Lampreys
- Pickle in Leningrad
- Crumpets
- Cakes
- “Boyarsky”
- Bonus: food and drinks from the shot glasses
How to plan a trip to St. Petersburg
How to get: by Sapsan from Moscow, as well as by trains and planes from other cities. All stations are connected by direct metro lines to the city center. From Pulkovo airport, take bus 39 or 39E to Moskovskaya metro station, and then to Nevsky Prospekt.
Where to stay: we have analyzed the central districts of the city in detail in a separate article. We urge you to remember about the bridges from April to November.
What to do:
- visit St. Isaac’s Cathedral with our detailed guide;
- visit 10 unusual museums;
- go to the palace and park complexes outside the city;
- find a dozen free ideas for cultural leisure.
Shawarma
Shawarma is one of the most fundamental dialectisms for Petersburgers. So it’s better not to take risks and speak correctly. It is believed that the real St. Petersburg shawarma is prepared without cabbage and with white, not with garlic sauce. Some cafes offer vegan options with falafel (fried chickpea meatballs).
Shawarma in the Northern capital is prepared in street outlets and top restaurants, markets, train stations, in the city center and on the outskirts. Sadovaya Street is considered one of the most “chaverm—loaded” places – there are a dozen cafes along it that cook this dish. The second place in the number of shops is occupied by Liteyny Prospekt with a cult point, which has been open for almost a quarter of a century at the corner with Nevsky Prospekt.
Where to try a delicious shawarma
- “VLAVASHE” — a network with 46 points in the city;
- “Chaverno” — two bistros in central areas;
- “Shaverma12” — microcafe with a minimalistic menu;
- Pit’s for fans of modern variations and unusual combinations.
Sadovaya Street is considered one of the most “chaverm—loaded” places – along it there are a dozen cafes cooking this dish. Photo: Baturina Yuliya/Shutterstock.com
Smelt
In April, the smelt season begins in St. Petersburg, coming to spawn in the Neva River. Fish are caught until July and sold on street stalls and in supermarkets, cooked at home and in restaurants. The fresh scent of the sea and cucumbers spreads through the city — this is how the St. Petersburg smelt smells.
In spring, dishes from this tsar fish, as Peter I called it, appear on the menu of cafes and restaurants. By the way, the May “Smelt Festival” has been held since 1709! As a rule, the fish is fried in oil. And in grocery stores all year round it can be purchased in dried, dried, smoked or salted form.
Where to try smelt
- “Cabin boy” with dishes from Russian seafood and fish;
- “Apartment No.162” with home cooking;
- “Bath attendants”, but only in season;
- “Russian fishing” — again, smelt is only on the seasonal menu.
In April, the smelt season begins in St. Petersburg, coming to spawn in the Neva River. Photo: Lenasirena/Shutterstock.com
Lampreys
In autumn, another season begins in St. Petersburg: from September to January, Nevsky lampreys are caught in the city. These creatures resemble eels — they have a serpentine body and suckers instead of jaws.
Lampreys are not as popular among tourists and locals as smelt. Perhaps because of the complexity of cooking, because they need to be heat-treated or thoroughly rubbed with salt to remove the poisonous mucus.
Nevertheless, dishes with lampreys appear every now and then in the seasonal menu of restaurants and cafes specializing in fish, seafood and Russian cuisine. You can also buy pickled or frozen lampreys in supermarkets or markets all year round.
Where to try lamprey
- “Demyanova ukha” — fish cuisine restaurant;
- “Sytin” with traditional Russian dishes;
- “Junga” with smoked juniper lampreys;
- “Russian Glass Room No.1” — lamprey is served only in season.
These creatures resemble eels — they have a serpentine body and suckers instead of jaws. Photo: Andrey Starostin/Shutterstock.com
Pickle in Leningrad
This hearty soup is familiar to every Soviet citizen. It appeared after the October Revolution, when potatoes, carrots and barley were added to a light Moscow pickle, which was cooked with parsnips, parsley and celery, for satiety. So, Leningrad pickle began to be served in canteens throughout the USSR. It can still be found in public catering throughout the country. But it is best to try pickle in Leningrad, of course, in St. Petersburg. You can start with the city canteens, and then look into one of the restaurants of Russian cuisine and order a gourmet version of the soup.
Where to try the pickle
- Leningrad dumpling — the oldest in the city;
- “Russian Glass Room No.1” — a variant of pickle with giblets.
In “Sytin” you can try Leningrad pickle with chicken hearts. Photo: Yandex.Food & rectoclub.ru/Shutterstock.com
Where else to eat in St. Petersburg
Which dining room to choose for a budget lunch in the Northern capital, where to order a hearty breakfast or dinner with a view of the city and in which bar to end the evening — the main gastronomic points of St. Petersburg have been collected in a separate article.
Crumpets
Many people have heard about pyshechnaya on Bolshaya Konyushennaya Street, where long queues line up in any weather. Let’s reveal the secret: inside you will find a completely Soviet institution with a conveyor belt of fried crumpets, which offers coffee with milk brewed in buckets.
At the same time, in the city center there are many similar, but not so popular nostalgic doughnuts, as well as several modern establishments. They are no different from the cult point on Bolshaya Konyushennaya Street, except for the lack of queues.
Where to try crumpets
- “Petersburg crumpets” in Gostiny Dvor;
- “Pyshechnaya on Sadovaya 32”;
- “Pyshki from childhood” on Malaya Sadovaya;
- “Pyshechka” in the Soviet style from the most famous restaurant holding in St. Petersburg “Ginza”.
Many people have heard about pyshechnaya on Bolshaya Konyushennaya Street, where long queues line up in any weather. Photo: Dusya Kan/Shutterstock.com
Cakes
The main St. Petersburg confectionery “Sever” begins its history in 1903, when the bakery “Central” opened in the basement at 44 Nevsky Prospekt. Then the store was nationalized and renamed “Nord”, and after the end of the blockade it started working under the name “North”. It was the heyday of the Soviet confectionery industry. At the same time, they came up with the Leningrad cake, cakes “North” with a nut biscuit and layered “Leningrad” with custard.
Another local invention is the mini-cakes (ptifura) “Leningrad set”, produced by various pastry shops. It has about 40 cakes per bite. The set includes sponge cubes with fudge, cream and cream, small eclairs and custard tubes and even miniature baskets.
Where to try cakes
- “North–Metropol” on Nevsky Prospekt, 44;
- Nevskie Berega is a store of another famous confectionery production.
Leningrad cake. Photo: Rina Ermakova/Shutterstock.com
“Boyarsky”
From hearty dishes and dessert, we turn to evening entertainment. If you go to St. Petersburg bars, then you should definitely try one of the symbols of the city — the Boyarsky shot. It is prepared with sweet Grenadine syrup, strong alcohol and a couple of drops of Tabasco hot sauce.
The cocktail appeared in the mid-2000s and quickly won the love of the townspeople. There are legends about its origin. However, one of them says that the drink was invented far beyond the Northern capital. Another feature: “Boyarsky” is not included in cocktail cards, but you can order it at any drinking establishment.
Where to try unusual cocktails
- “Dovlatov” in the legendary bar “Flowers”, once located in a house on Rubinstein Street, where There was a writer.
- “Free Ingria” with cloudberry liqueur in “Chronicles” on Nekrasova Street.
If you go to St. Petersburg bars, then you should definitely try one of the symbols of the city — shot “Boyarsky”. Photo: Alcofan/Shutterstock.com
Bonus: food and drinks in shot glasses
If in Soviet times shot glasses were not the most pleasant place to relax, now they are turning into conceptual establishments. Moreover, they are already called “unorthodox”.
In addition to strong drinks, you can have a hearty meal in modern St. Petersburg shot glasses. Pay special attention to sandwiches with sprats or sprats, as well as simple homemade dishes — herring with potatoes, homemade dumplings and sauerkraut.
Where to try
- Ryumochnaya on Pushkinskaya is one of the old—timers of the city, students like to gather here;
- “Hippolytus”, where you can order sandwiches with red and black caviar for liqueurs;
- “Shot glass in a Bottle” on New Holland island with self-made dumplings;
- “Vitya” in the historical St. Petersburg front door.
“Shot glass in a Bottle” on the island of New Holland with homemade dumplings. Photo: Olga I. & Dmitry Turta/Yandex.Maps
Imagine how early on a St. Petersburg morning you leave the front door, take a shawarma and walk slowly along the curb. Then you look into the pyshechnaya, and then into the glass room. You order a Boyarsky and have a snack with lampreys. Isn’t it beautiful?
You already know all the necessary words for a trip to St. Petersburg. It remains to book a hotel on the Island, jump into a Peregrine Falcon or a plane and go ahead to the city above the free Neva.
Disclaimer: in no case do we urge you to lean on alcohol, even in St. Petersburg! No wonder the Ministry of Health warns about the dangers of excessive alcohol consumption.
Cover photo: Oleg Kopyov/Shutterstock.com
