The Best Breakfast and Brunch Spots on Vasilievsky Island, St Petersburg

At Ukrop, you’ll find a traditional breakfast like you’ve never seen it before. Imagine a healthy American breakfast with a tofu omelette and black porridge. A guilty pleasure that is hardly guilty at all. In fact, this is the healthiest breakfast place in town. So whenever you’re faced with syrup and bacon cravings, head over to Ukrop for a reminder that healthy and delicious can work very well together.

This popular café is normally full of students due to its proximity to the St Petersburg University, but also because of its very appealing prices. The main options are not too extensive: simple sandwiches, omelettes, porridge and coffee that you can get for just over £1. The interior is a very simple single room decorated with posters and skateboards. If you need a quick and cheap meal, this is the place.

If traditional brunches are getting repetitive, then it’s time to try something new. Why not indulge in a little Georgian food, meat-rich dishes served with grilled vegetables and home-baked bread. These dishes are so filling, they will be your breakfast, lunch and dinner. Later in the day, you may want to come back and pair a dish with Georgian wine and discover the unique flavours from one of the oldest wine growing regions in the world.

Sometimes a coffee and a pastry are all you need. The bakery Lastochka has a big selection of coffees and pastries to tempt passersby and the smell of fresh produce will make you want to stay all day. Just in case pastries are not enough, there are more filling options available. If your day doesn’t start until you’ve had a cup of coffee, Lastochka will make sure you have the best day possible.

Taverna Grolle does not specialise in breakfasts. Their main business is barbecued meat and fresh fish dishes. That doesn’t mean that they can’t make a good breakfast, though. Here you can find everything you need to start the day, both hot and cold, along with a selection of beverages to go with your meal. Try cottage cheese pancakes or pancakes with sour cream, toasts with eggs and cheese, omelettes with all the toppings, and several different kinds of porridge.

The translation of this café’s name literally means ‘on steam’. True to its name, everything on the menu is cooked over steam. That means no butter and no oil in any of the dishes. If you’re looking for a different culinary experience, Na Parakh will make that dream come true. There is a special menu for breakfast, which is served every day until 12:00 pm. Among the usual breakfast dishes, there are experimental additions like quinoa with eggs and nuts. All dishes come in many variations, so there’s plenty to play around with.

The concept of Marketplace has become very popular in recent years; the franchise has grown, branching out all over the city. Its concept is very simple: there are various food stands stationed around the café with a fixed menu that was created just for that day. You meander through the market, pick what you want and wait for the meal to be prepared. It’s self-service with trays and all, so it’s not the best place for a sit-down meal, but it is great when you’re on the go.

Although Buterbrodsky is better known as a bar with an experimental vibe, it isn’t shy about serving breakfast for customers who arrive early. Here you’ll find a simple selection of dishes you’d see on a typical Russian breakfast table: baked milk, buckwheat and sirniki (cheese pancakes). Want to find out what these dishes taste like? This is the place to go for a breakfast adventure.