We absolutely loved the place. Loved the down-to-earth atmosphere. Loved the food. Loved the lady who runs the place. She may look a bit stern, but she was really understanding of tourists and quite kind. Even with Google Map, we walked right past it. We...could not tell it was an eating place. It was below street level in a non-descriptive building. Even after walking in, we weren't sure they sold food there. It was a bit dark and there were less than 10 tables (I think). The menu had some English translations. We had the blinis with caviar and butter and stuffed pastry of some sort (sorry, don't remember the names, but they were below the blinis on the menu). We also order the chicken broth. It was just clear broth, but it was delicious. They give 4 pancakes per serving and they were really filling. We loved the pancakes. We had the dessert pancakes too with apple and pear filling. The filling was a bit tart, but the pancakes were great. The Americano wasn't as good.More

Clean, quiet, nice cafe with friendly staff and excellent authentic meals. It stays the same for many years, keeping the atmosphere of the Soviet Union — but in a good sense. I really love it.

I'm not sure what you'd call that character...but I am forever grateful to the friend that introduced me to this blinnaya 15 years ago! It is now a "must go" (more than once) every time I am in St. Petersburg. The service is...silent, but that's...part of the character. It's also very efficient. Last time I was there my friends main mission was to get the server to actually speak to us. On my previous trip a few months earlier I had been away from the city for 7 years and was very worried with the amount of commercialization that had happened that this wonderful little hole in the wall treasure wouldn't be there anymore, but was delighted to find it still there and unchanged. A very simple but hearty lunch. My go-to are the mushroom blins with 50g of sour cream, and tea with lemon - hits the spot every time! It has gotten considerably more expensive over the years, but is still a relatively inexpensive lunch. And you might make some new friends if it's busy and you have to share a table! Not a place you're likely to just happen upon, but definitely worth seeking out.More