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Noble Nest
This is the doyenne of the St Petersburg haute cuisine world, housed in the Trianon of the Yusupov Palace. It's exceptionally stuffy (men shouldn't even think of entering without a tie), but - as previous diners such as Bill Clinton will no doubt tell you - the Russian-French cuisine is exceptional. Reservations recommended.
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Old Countryside
This tiny, family-run hideaway is well off the beaten track, but its intimate atmosphere and delectable food are one-of-a-kind. Try old Russian recipes such as beef in plum and nut sauce or ham in oranges. The small size of the restaurant guarantees personal service, but reservations are a must. From the metro station, take any tram down ul Savushkina and get off at the third stop.
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Old Customs House
This restaurant is not actually set in the old customs house, although it is around the corner in the historic building that houses St Petersburg's first museum (Kunstkamera). Costume-clad doormen and mannequins posing as customs officials ensure that you don't mistake the theme of this otherwise classy restaurant. Famous for its wine list and excellent food, this restaurant is where you will see St Petersburg's uppermost classes partaking of filet mignon and caviar crepes.
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Onegin
You have to be in the know to know about Onegin, the hippest of places to see and be seen. Down a small staircase from Sadovaya ul - and barely marked at street level - the restaurant has an interior that is an incredibly over-the-top display of New Russia. Antique and plastic furniture sit side by side, swathed in purple velvet and overhung by crystal chandeliers. Even with all this excess, the menu really delivers.
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Orient Express
All aboard for a taste of the romance, mystery and history of the legendary train line. Decked out like a luxury locomotive, this fun restaurant features booths that resemble train cabins and all the railway paraphernalia you can imagine. It's an absolute must for train spotters and anybody who is about to board the Trans-Sib. Rest assured, you won't get food like this once on board the real thing, so enjoy the Eastern-influenced menu, especially the selection of meats grilled over hot coals.
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Oyster Bar
Four kinds of oysters are on the menu at this rather unlikely basement bar, along with complementary wines (which your knowledgeable server will recommend) and other seafood specialities. If you are yearning for a truly decadent and ostensibly aphrodisiac experience, look no further.
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Pelmeny Bar
Specialising in the old Siberian standard pelmeni (dumplings), this cute café serves them up with beef, pork, salmon or mushrooms. Choose a soup or a salad as a starter, and you've got an immensely satisfying meal. The setting feels like a Russian dacha (country cottage), with its wood interior and whimsical dolls floating near the ceiling. Also an excellent place for solo travellers, as you can take the wolf as your dinner companion.
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Pravda
There is nothing new about a retro Soviet-themed restaurant, but somehow it never grows tired: the propaganda posters, the portraits of Lenin, the Internationale . This so-called 'art café' actually promises 'communist lunches', which is rarely the object of such nostalgia. But the place is fun, even the menu of old-fashioned Soviet favourites (and its prices really do hark back to the Soviet period!).
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Restoran
Natural light filters in through large street-level windows, filling the spacious hall. Cream-coloured linens and hardwood floors make for a chic, contemporary décor. It's an interesting contrast to the name of the restaurant (the old-fashioned Russian spelling harks back to the days of Romanov splendour). The menu manages to combine the best of haute russe cuisine with enough modern flare to keep things interesting.
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Russian Fishing
History has it that this was Prince Menshikov's favourite fishing ground. The folks at Russian Fishing want you to be able to experience the same joy as the prince, so when you arrive you will be given a rod and some bait and you can (hopefully) catch your own dinner. The pond is stocked with trout, sterlet and other types of sturgeon (but only expert fishers can be picky about their choice); the chef will bake, smoke or grill your catch to order.
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Russky Kitsch
The centrepiece of this crazy café is a ceiling fresco featuring a shameless Fidel Castro and Leonid Brezhnev entwined in a passionate embrace. It's the biggest and best example of a venue laden with kitsch, just as the name promises. The walls and ceilings are plastered with funny photo collages, featuring scenes from Soviet socialist realism alongside other anachronisms; mismatched tapestries cover Victorian furniture; and menus are fashioned from butchered copies of Lenin's selected works.
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Salkhino
Another justly popular Georgian restaurant, Salkhino serves big portions of delicious food in a convivial, arty setting. Pastel-coloured walls are adorned with paintings by local artists, which is not your typical Georgian décor. But the overall atmosphere is typically Georgian, which means doting service and warm hospitality.
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Seven-Forty
For traditional Jewish home cooking in a delightful, folksy setting, Seven-Forty is worth the trip out of the city centre. Set on two levels, the warm, welcoming interior is scattered with artefacts that may have been scavenged from your Jewish grandmother's basement. The menu is not kosher, but its carefully crafted cuisine is delicious and different. Seven-Forty can be tricky to reach: take tram 40 or catch a cab from the metro station.
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Shinok
Tucked into a folksy interior filled with embroidered linens and painted wooden handicrafts, Shinok is a fun, friendly place to sample Ukrainian fare. The waitstaff may look like Ukrainian peasants, but they speak English and are eager to please. Country cooking like hearty soups and meat-filled vareniki (dumplings) will sate your appetite, and there is live folk music nightly.
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Silk
Dreamy and decadent, this place is done up with gauze drapes, soft lighting and lounge-all-night sofas. It looks fabulous, and the food tastes pretty good too. This is fusion in the truest sense, as the mostly Japanese menu also features a few representatives from Europe. If you must eat sushi while in St Petersburg, this is a good place to do it.
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Stolle - City Centre
This is one of St Petersburg's coolest places to come for coffee, although you'd be a fool to leave without sampling one of its magnificent pirogi (pies). In fact, the entire menu is excellent, but the pies are irresistible. A 'stolle' is a traditional Saxon Christmas cake: the selection of sweets and savouries sits on the counter, fresh from the oven. It may be difficult to decide (mushroom or meat; apricot or apple?) but you really can't go wrong.
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Stolle - Mariinsky
One of several outlets throughout the city, Stolle is a great place to come for coffee or dessert after an evening at the theatre. Black-and-white photos adorn the light-coloured walls, while jazz music wafts in the air. There is another outlet further up ul Dekabristov, although its basement setting is not quite as inviting.
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Sukawati
The first Indonesian restaurant in Russia has impressed the in-crowd with its stylish ethnic decor and delicious, reasonably authentic fare including plenty of dishes for vegetarians. Their business lunch is a great deal.
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Sumeta
Even if you've never had Dagestani food, you'll see plenty of familiar Caucasian dishes in this quiet but friendly place, from Lula kebab (minced-meat kebab) to fried eggplant with garlic and walnuts in sour cream. Try the pumpkin chudu (large pancake) or the selection of Caucasian wines for something new.
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Sunduk
Calling itself an 'art café', Sunduk is tucked into a tiny basement, its two rooms crowded with mismatched furniture, musical instruments, carefully posed mannequins and lots of other junk (or 'art') that creates a bohemian atmosphere. The European menu has a good selection of meat and fish, with plenty of Russian classics, all of which is pretty tasty. Live music nightly - see.
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Tandoori Nights
The city's most stylish Indian restaurant is also among its most authentic, offering a mix of traditional and modern recipes road-tested by a top London Indian chef. Great choice for vegetarians.
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Taverna Olivia
Greek-themed photographs and folkloric art bring the requisite Mediterranean atmosphere to this cavernous hall. (The atmosphere is also 'enhanced' by live music, which can be a bit much.) Nonetheless, the place is extremely popular, and with good reason. The traditional Greek cooking is excellent, as attested to the Greek expats who seem to frequent this place. There is also a pleasant sidewalk café which offers a partial menu.
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Tbilisi
Decidedly upscale as far as Georgian restaurants go, Tbilisi has a great interior with tiled tables and big booths, made more private by intricate latticework between them. This place is a beloved St Petersburg institution, thanks to its top-notch cooking 'prepared by real Georgian chefs'. Classics such as khachapuri (cheese bread) receive rave reviews. It's also an excellent place to sample some nice Georgian wines.
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Teremok
Sprinkled all over the city, these kiosks are superb value, serving up fresh bliny with the fillings of your choice. There is no seating, so grab your snack to go and eat it at the standing-room-only tables in the vicinity. Besides this central location in the City Centre, there are Teremok outlets outside many metro stations.
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Terrassa
On the top floor of the chic Vanity shopping centre, this too-cool café and bistro is the latest and greatest on offer by St Pete's culinary creatives. The centrepiece is the namesake terrace, a wide porch which boasts unbelievable views of Kazan Cathedral, Nevsky pr and the Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood. It is a spectacular setting. And indeed, at the time of research, reservations were necessary to sit on the terrace any time of day, any time of week.
