Literary Cafe Saint Petersburg

Though St.Petersburg is a city over 300 years old, there are no restaurants which have survived its dramatic and ever-changing history. Fortunately, there are some places that have been restored and Literary cafe is one of them. Originally in the beginning of XIX century there was S. Wolf and T. Beranger's well-known confectionery where well-known writers, poets, journalists met, as a nice compliment to the sweets there newspapers and magazines were available for free. Russian poet Alexander Pushkin (on the photo) ordered his last glass of lemonade here before leaving for the fatal duel in 1837.

In 1877 the confectionery was closed and a fancy restaurant was opened instead. It was very popular among musicians and composers: Tchaikovsky and Shalyapin. It is said that Tchaikovsky requested a glass of tap water here which resulted in cholera and death in 1893... Though do not worry, despite being such a fatal place before, it's very peaceful now. The restaurant was restored in 1984 and again became a very popular place among the citizens of former St. Petersburg - Leninigrad and remains so today.

The interior is done in the style of a living room in the middle of XIX century and through the windows there is a nice view over the Moika river. The food is delicious and some recipes are really very old. I enjoy the pancakes with salmon. From Monday to Friday between 12:00 and 16:00 there is a 20% discount on the menu. Every evening from 19:00 to 23:00 there is a musical programme with Russian romances.