The best bars and cafés Saint-Petersburg (Санкт-Петербург)

A ryumochnaya as we like them. The alcohol is cheap, it is accompanied by small Baltic sprat fish sandwiches while the pictures hanging on the walls awaken nostalgia. The audience is very local and rather young. The bar fills up quickly at weekends. Come a little early to take your place at the counter and make new acquaintances. The barmen are not the warmest bartenders, but that's part of the decorum.

Nestled in a once abandoned industrial zone, the team at AF Brew, which is growing in popularity every year, has opened this taproom with its huge selection of beers, adjacent to its own beautiful brewery. Homemade beers, local brands and a fine selection of foreign productions are sold at factory prices, both draught and bottled. On the kitchen side, a street food with Indian influences is served. An unmissable beer-gik landmark.

A small alternative café that combines the services of a bar and a laundry. Settled like at home in an old sofa, you can drink a coffee or a beer, and even smoke a chicha, while waiting for your laundry. Good music, some DJs of the district come to mix the weekends. The public is quite young, we often meet foreigners (expats and tourists).

An original place inspired by the cat bars so popular in Japan and recently in France. In Russia, where the situation with abandoned animals is more than complicated, this establishment is more than useful. All the cats present, mainly males, are available for adoption. The Republic is part of a project that brings together three places: the Cat Republic (Yakubovicha 10, mainly females) and the Cat Museum in Vsevolojsk (20 km from SPB).

Located in the spectacular cultural wasteland of Sevkabel Port, a former Siemens & Halske cable factory at the mouth of the Neva River, Machti is a concert hall, bar and party venue. Rather quiet during the day, the place can be appreciated at any time of the day thanks to its location facing the Gulf of Finland, its huge volumes with impressive ceiling heights, its large windows and its industrial design. Parties and concerts every week. Programming available on the venue's Facebook page.

This jazz bar/club looks like it's straight out of a 1950s American movie. Founded in 2012, The Hat quickly became a must for music lovers in the city. Word of mouth worked so well that a The Hat opened in Berlin and then in Moscow. Here you can easily meet world-famous musicians who come to the Hat after their concert (the Tiger Lilies when we were there) to have a drink and play 2-3 compositions. The program is unpredictable but always very festive. A place that smells of love for music.

This mythical underground concert hall of the 1990s, which is located at Pushkinskaya 10 (Artistic Centre/Museum of Non-Conformist Art) still welcomes the supporters of the alternative rock scene, but also all the young people who follow their example. The evenings without concerts are less fun but we always come across local regulars or artists and musicians who still live in the squat of Pushkinskaya 10. On concert evenings, don't hesitate to arrive an hour early.

This famous wine bar on Petrogradskaya Island offers a well-stocked and carefully selected wine list (France, Italy, Germany, Austria, Spain, Greece, Chile, Russia, Slovenia, etc.). Warm decor and excellent cuisine. Every Thursday at Wine Freaks is Sea Food Raw Bar day with beautiful seafood platters accompanied by live music. The main menu includes antipastis, tapas, tartars, excellent dim sums and breaded vegetables. A nice address!