If you are in Russia, it’s an absolute must to try some  Russian food. Here is Saint-Petersburg Guide’s tips for RUSSIAN CUISINE that we think you may be curious to try.

- Чайная ложка (Chajnaya lozhka) is a chain of pancake cafes, where you can order bliny with sour cream, potato and meat, chicken,  mushrooms, salmon, bacon and cheese, red caviar and a host of other things! Also sweet bliny – with honey, sour cream, hot chocolate, jam or whipped cream. The prices range from RUB 33 to RUB 129 per blin.  And they always have the “blin of the month”  that comes at a special  discount price and  usually is 33 rubles per blin - a very good bargain indeed! Other items such as salad and tea can run a bit higher, but we feel that even so, these are nice complements to your meal.

Теремок (Teremok) is another pancake place with OK and yet a bit higher prices in comparison to Chajnaya Lozhka.   But unlike Chajnaya lozhka, Teremok is also a chain of outside pancake cabins. Both Teremok and Chajnaya Lozhka are scattered around St Petersburg  and can be easily found at almost every metro station or city aria.

- Крошка-Картошка (Kroshka-Kartoshka) is an  inexpensive café  where over 20 potato dishes and traditional Russian soups, such as schi, okroshka and borsch, are offered. Can be mostly found in big shopping centers.

- The budget chain Ёлки-Палки (Elki-Palki) offers simple, all-you-can-eat Russian cuisine. (watch in 3D) They have a buffet option (cold appetizers or cold & hot, depending on location), and typical Russian dishes  with an English menu upon request. A big step up from the cafeteria-style places, but not elegant dining either. Standardized faux-Russian village decor, but tasty nonetheless, especially if you stick to dumplings (pelmeni, varenniki), soups, and other simple things.

- One thing that is, in our opinion, absolutely unmissable, is Georgian food. We don’t get much of it  in Europe and it’s absolutely fantastic! There’s a number of good quality Georgian places in St Petersburg so  you don’t want to miss out on that! If you need a list of recommended places, send your request to Saint-Petersburg Guide by email.

-The 3 most popular grocery chains in St Petersburg are: Пятёрочка (Pyaterochka), Дикси (Dixy), and ОКЕЙ (OКEY). They all have special every day offers that you can guess  by labels. Okey supermarkets are reminiscent of the American Walmart and have daily 20%  discounts on salads and bakery items after 10 pm + up to 50% discounts on all kinds of goods and grocery items (the full list of “what’s on discount today” you can see in a special FREE edition of Okey newspaper (or rather catalogue) which can be found next to the shopping carts at the entrance to every OKEY supermarket). To be able to get discounts though, you need to have  the Okey discount card. The card costs RUB 55 only and can be bought right in the supermarket.  For Pyaterochka or Dixy deals you don’t have to have a card. And their location is always more central whereas the Okeys can be a bit inconvenient  as they require a bit driving.

For questions or free consultation, please, contact the Saint-Petersburg Guide via email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  

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