Rubinstein Street — 700 metres between Nevsky and Five Corners — became St Petersburg's main bar and restaurant strip in the 2000s and 2010s. 50+ venues: cocktail bars, wine bars, restaurants, old pyshki shops, jazz.
🍸 1. 48 Chairs (Rubinstein 7)
A cocktail-culture classic by Dmitry Sokolov. Author's menu, 700–1,100 ₽ per cocktail. Booking required.
🍸 2. El Copitas (Rubinstein 27)
A Latin-leaning cocktail bar; made the World's 50 Best Bars in the 2020s. Book two weeks ahead.
🍸 3. Terminal (Rubinstein 20)
Craft-beer pub. 20 taps, burgers. More relaxed vibe.
🍝 4. Dr Zhivago (Rubinstein 15)
A St Petersburg outpost of the Moscow Soviet-cuisine restaurant. Bill 2,000–3,000 ₽.
🍷 5. Vinnies (Rubinstein 22)
Wine bar with a kitchen. Glass from 400 ₽, tapas.
🚕 Pacing an evening
Start at Terminal, continue to Vinnies or 48 Chairs, finish at El Copitas. From Five Corners, RideClu home.
🛏 Where to stay
Apartments on Rubinstein itself or neighbouring lanes are bookable on Tutkakdoma. Expect window noise until 3 a.m.
If this is your first time in St Petersburg, bear two things in mind. Distances between the main sights are short, but autumn daylight is brief and rain arrives on no schedule. Plan your route around the lit half of the day, allow half an hour of buffer between stops, and bring a thermos and gloves for the evening. On weekdays after 8 p.m. a table is best booked ahead; at weekends several days in advance.
On the ground, walking is easiest between adjacent blocks, with short taxi hops when it gets dark or wet. If you are travelling as a group or with children, arrange the evening transfer back to your flat ahead of time — late-night fares spike. Flats in the centre go fast at weekends: book a week ahead for Nevsky, the Petrograd Side or Vasilievsky.
St Petersburg rewards half-day visits rather than one long marathon. Pick a theme — a single museum, a district, a walk — and give it time. After the active part, a warm cafe, a bookshop or a swimming pool is as much part of the ritual as the sights themselves, especially in November.
Verified on 22 October 2026.
Cover photo: Александр Байдуков, CC BY-SA 4.0, Викисклад
