126. St. Petersburg Food #6 - Pyshki at Pyshechnaya
Pyshki are Russian doughnuts. They seem to be a popular breakfast/snack/dessert item in St. Petersburg. After all, who doesn't like fried dough sweetened with powdered sugar? The flavor and texture is more reminiscent of beignets (a similar treat from New Orleans, Louisiana) than of American cakey, glazed, jelly- or cream-filled, flavored, or sprinkle-covered donuts. Pyshki are basic puffed treats that are crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside, a little bit oily, and don't need a bunch of bells and whistles to satisfy.
No doughnut shop is better-known in St. Petersburg, or more popular, than Pyshechnaya. This restaurant is located half a block north of Nevsky Prospekt on Bolshaya Konushenaya Ulitsa, a busy street that runs north/south in between the Moyka River and Griboyedov Canal. Pyshechnaya has been in business for around 60 years. The basic menu and decor hearken back to the Soviet era. The primary menu options are a single style of pyshki, and coffee that comes in a huge vat pre-mixed with milk and sugar. Each doughnut cost 14 rubles, I think (~$0.25 USD), so there's no reason not to order 3-5 of them per person. There is often a long line at both of the counters here, but there weren't many people there when we arrived at around 11 am on a Saturday. I'm not sure if that's because the tourist season is winding down, or if we were still a bit on the early side - nothing really gets going in Russia until at least 9 or 10 am, at the earliest (not including my job on weekdays, unfortunately).
No doughnut shop is better-known in St. Petersburg, or more popular, than Pyshechnaya. This restaurant is located half a block north of Nevsky Prospekt on Bolshaya Konushenaya Ulitsa, a busy street that runs north/south in between the Moyka River and Griboyedov Canal. Pyshechnaya has been in business for around 60 years. The basic menu and decor hearken back to the Soviet era. The primary menu options are a single style of pyshki, and coffee that comes in a huge vat pre-mixed with milk and sugar. Each doughnut cost 14 rubles, I think (~$0.25 USD), so there's no reason not to order 3-5 of them per person. There is often a long line at both of the counters here, but there weren't many people there when we arrived at around 11 am on a Saturday. I'm not sure if that's because the tourist season is winding down, or if we were still a bit on the early side - nothing really gets going in Russia until at least 9 or 10 am, at the earliest (not including my job on weekdays, unfortunately).
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