49. St. Petersburg Food #3 - Rubinshteyna Ulitsa

The street on the east side of Tolstoy House, Rubinshteyna Ulitsa, has several dozen restaurants and pubs. In fact, it's known as the "restaurant street" in the city center. There aren't many chains here; most of the establishments are one-of-a-kind. A colleague mentioned that many of them have just recently opened during the last several years. The street is mostly empty before 5 pm but then is full of people until the wee hours of the morning (many of the bars are open until 6 am, but I've never made it past 3 am).

I'm spoiled for choice only a short walk from my front door. There is a good mix of restaurants, cafes, and even a food truck, with bars; traditional English, Scottish, and Irish pubs; karaoke clubs; and hookah bars in the mix as well. It's my goal to try just about all of them while here, and I've made a good showing during my first two months in St. Petersburg. So far, I've been to a French/Italian cafe, Belgian Gastronomic Pub, Spanish tapas restaurant, and Russian, Chinese, Italian, and Mexican restaurants, not to mention a dive bar, jazz bar, and wine bar (mostly just for the food). I could eat out every night for a month on Rubinshteyna and try a different restaurant for every meal.

Rubinshteyna Ulitsa is right in the heart of the city center, but appears to be frequented much more by locals than by tourists. I certainly have not seen a tour bus or herd of Asian cruise visitors walking around here (common sights further west on Nevsky Prospekt). The street has a rich history as well, with numerous notable residents over the years.