5 St. Petersburg bars to start your night out
Do you feel like going out but not sure where to go first? Here are five suggestions on where to start your night out in Saint Petersburg.
Apotheke
Anyone who’s lived in Saint Petersburg for a while have a story to tell about Dumskaya, the area where the Dumskaya street and Lomonosov street meet, a short walk from Nevsky Prospekt. It’s a well-visited place during night time, but the feeling is quite different from the one in Rubenshteyna. Less classy, more noisy and definitely a little more shady. At the east end of Lomonosova street, there is however a place that sticks out with in a positive manner. Apotheke serves great drinks in an intimate and cozy atmosphere, in what appears to be an old pharmacy. Their owners is known for other places around the city as well, such as the equally great jazz bar The Hat (Liteyniy ave.) and Fiddler’s Green (Rubenshteyna st.).
Opening hours: 8 pm – 3 am (closed on Mondays), http://hatgroup.ru/ (Russian only)
Closest metros: Nevsky Prospekt, Gostiny Dvor
Bekitzer
Straight off Nevsky Prospekt, cafés, bars and restaurants are lined up along the Rubenshteyna street. At the end of the street, Bekitzer provides a buzzing atmosphere and great Israeli and middle-eastern food for a reasonable amount of roubles. Warm up with hummus and some craft beer or red wine, before going to Poison for karaoke or some more fermented grape juice at Crazy Wine. In the summer, the street’s full of joyful people, and it’s a good place for meeting some locals.
Opening hours: 12 pm – 6 am, www.facebook.com/bktzr/
Closest metros: Dostoyevskaya, Vladimirskaya
The Hat
The Hat has already been briefly mentioned, but deserves a further introduction. It takes you 15 minutes to get there from you take off Nevsky onto Liteyniy avenue. On the first left, towards the Fontanka river, you will find a small, cozy and crowded place. There are several small places on the same street, but when you reach it you will know which one it is. On weekends you will have to queue up, so I recommend going there during the week. Every day there are jazz concerts being held in the evening and it is hard to find a similar kind of atmosphere in the city. People are really friendly and the drinks are really great.
Opening hours: 7 pm – 11pm, http://hatgroup.ru/ (Russian only)
Closest metro: Mayakovskaya
Loft Project Etagi
Etagi is a hipster’s paradise, serving food and selling clothes from cargo containers, and offering live concerts on the roof top. It may be hard to spot from the outside, but there’s a constant stream of people turning off Ligovsky Prospekt to visit what used to be a bread factory. Inside the six storey building, there are art exhibitions, second hand shops and a huge café, perfect for students and home workers. During the summer, the rooftop is set up as a concert scene and during the winter they held recurring mulled wine festivals, helping people keep warm whilst enjoying the view of the city. There’s also a craft beer bar on the ground floor.
Opening hours: 9 am – 11 pm, www.loftprojectetagi.ru/en
Closest metros: Ligovsky Prospekt, Ploschad Vosstaniya
Rockets & Bishops
Rockets and Bishops is the first bar I went to in Saint-Petersburg. Many bars later, I still think it is one of the best in town. It offers a wide range of craft beer from all over Europe, and also sell their own brew with some interesting tastes for around 250 rubles per glass. I have only tried the IPA’s with added chilipepper and citrus thus far, but will definitely go back for a Salty Dog and Saak (pumpkin ale) sometime soon. R&B is great for a date or if you want to grab a couple of beers with friends. The bar itself is rather small, so larger groups (5+) might have trouble finding a seat. PS! They also serve wine. Check out our video from Rockets & Bishops (after 40 seconds).
Opening hours: 1 pm – 12 am / 1 pm – 2 am (Saturday and Friday)
Closest metros: Sennaya Ploschad, Spasskaya, Sadovaya
Should not find anything you like on this list, do not despair. Saint Petersburg is famous for its great nightlife and especially the good bars. There is something for everyone.
