Restaurants and Cafes

Here is a list of restaurants and cafes that former Colby in St. Petersburg Students have recommended:

Kafe Mechta

Located on the corner of Izhorskaya Ulitsa and Malii Prospekt (near the outdoor market), this small cafe serves traditional Russian cuising, and arguably the best bowl of Solyanka in town. A recent addition to the culinary community in the Petrograd Side, this comfortable, family-run establishment is a welcome place to relax after school. Prices are reasonable and the ownership is quite friendly.

Oliva

This Greek restaurant is a bit more expensive due to its center-city location on Bolshaya Morskaya and its status as the only Greek restauant in town, but the food here is an plentiful and tasty. The colorful walls and Mediterranean decor make Oliva a nice place to pass the time on a cold, dreary day. The baklava are a welcome change from the creme-filled cakes that are so popular to the Russian palette.

This chain of coffeeshops offer high-end coffee and pastries and is popular with business travellers and students. Although the mochas are excellent, the hot chocolate is by far the signature drink. The two locations most convenient to Colby in St. Petersburg students are located on Nevskii Prospekt (between the Hermitage and Gostinii Dvor), and nearby the Peter and Paul Fortress at the Gorkovskaya Metro.

Located throughout the city, usually outside Metro stops, blini (Russian crepe) stands offer an quick, inexpensive snack for not more than 50 rubles. Try the chicken curry blini, or if you are looking for a sweeter treat, the chocolate banana.

Internet cafes in St. Petersburg are quite popular now, due in part to higher levels of tourism. You can usually find a few reliable internet cafes close to city's high-end hotels, but expect to pay Western prices. An hour of computer use at a moderately priced Internet cafe should cost somewhere from 60-100 rubles, depending on the time of day.

A recent student favorite, the 5.3 GHz Internet Cafe is located on Bolshoi Prospekt on the second floor of the Mirage Theater. The movies attract Noviye Russkiye, so expect to see a couple of burly security guards watching the Beamers out front. Upon entering the building, turn left at the information desk and climb the stairs. The internet cafe is a modern, clean, and friendly establishment that offers high-speed internet as well as the latest games and word processing software. If you're planning on spending a lot of time here, buy a club card at the front desk. The college-aged staff speaks some English (although some are near-fluent) and are generally quite friendly.

Conveniently located on Nevskii Prospeckt near Gostinii Dvor, this bustling Internet cafe offers basic service for a decent price. This place is frequently loaded with tourists from neighboring hotels, so the staff speaks excellent English. If you bring your ISIC card, can save up to 20 percent.

This small but elegant movie theater on Bolshoi Prospekt is home to "Hot English Movie Nights" every other Friday, where you can watch American movies in their original language. Because the movie nights are geared toward students of English hoping to improve their language skills, the films are usually followed by coffee and an informal discussion. Check out the fliers in the front window for the monthly schedule.

The city's premiere arthouse cinema, Dom Kino is located in beautiful building close to the Circus. The three-story climb up the stairs to the showing room is well worth it, due in part to the beautiful architecture, which is strangely reminiscent of Catherine's Palace at Tsarskoe Celo. You will find independent English-language movies here every now and then, subtitled in Russian.