St Petersburg’s main street – Nevsky Prospekt – has a lot of café gems to explore. Different in style and cuisine, they vary from contemporary minimalistic spaces to historical ones rich in decoration. Situated all along Nevsky Prospekt, these are Culture Trip’s recommendations where you will always find a place to sit down and enjoy some delicious coffee in great settings.
Cafe Singer
Building, $$$
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As it sits on the second floor of the famous Singer Building on Nevsky, Cafe Singer has an amazing view of Kazansky Cathedral. The Singer Building is renowned for its architecture and huge bookshop, which sells some great artistic albums and books about St Petersburg. The design of the café, with its panoramic windows, dim lights and antique furniture, will allow you to experience an early 20th-century atmosphere.
Sklad No5 sits in the famous Eliseevy Merchant’s shop, located in a historical building on Nevsky. The dynasty of the Eliseevy merchants was one of the most powerful at the beginning of the 20th century. Their shop was famous for having a large variety of goods, which no other store in the country could offer at the time. Nowadays, the Art Nouveau-decorated Sklad No5 sits inside a former warehouse, which was also one of the best wine cellars in Europe, from the 20th century.
For those with a sweet tooth and those who want to try some exquisite local desserts, Sever on Nevsky is the place to be. The legendary café, which dates back to 1903, and their famous recipes survived the rollercoaster of the 20th century—a revolution, war, the Soviet era, etc.—remaining a locals’ favourite for more than 100 years.
Designed in the best traditions of 19th-century salon-style cafés, Literary Cafe used to be a favourite among Russian aristocrats, poets and artists. Famous Russian poet Alexander Pushkin was a regular guest of the café, spending the last hours of his life there, before heading to the duel that would ultimately take his life. Nowadays, it is still one of the most popular places on Nevsky, and the historical atmosphere is enhanced by live music every day beginning at 7 pm.
This café is designed to transport you into the previous century, complete with a Soviet-inspired design filled with authentic small details, Soviet movies and music playing in the space, and even dominoes on the table. If you ever wondered what Russian Soviet cuisine tastes like, don’t miss the opportunity to try Soviet Cafe Kvartirka.
This eclectic place is a real ‘Library of tastes’ as its Russian name suggests. Being as it sits on several floors of a historic building on Nevsky Prospekt, it is home to several different spaces. The ground floor opens at 8 am and is a perfect place for breakfast. The upper floors open later and have a restaurant, bar and even a shisha smoking space.
Abrikosov was one of the most popular confectioneries at the beginning of the 20th century, and today, the famous café Abrikosov is a bright spot on Nevsky Prospekt. This café, featuring magnificent chinoiserie-style décor, offers handmade sweets, made from original recipes, legendary apricot pie, along with a selection of tea, coffee and hot chocolate.
This boutique café space lies in the Passage shopping gallery. Its bright and eclectic design has already made it one of the favourites among Instagrammers, and the finest-quality coffee and handmade chocolate have won many loyal clients. Apart from desserts, this café offers house-made cheese and salamis, fully made from organic products.
