Evolution of drinking establishments in Saint Petersburg: from taverns to wine bars

Currently, the bar and restaurant industry in Saint Petersburg is considered one of the most advanced in Russia. This is not surprising, as the city's drinking establishment culture is over 300 years old. The taverns and inns of the past are the ancestors of today's St. Petersburg bars and restaurants. This article will describe how Saint Petersburg establishments developed from the times of Peter the Great to the present day.

One of Emperor Peter I's first decrees after founding Saint Petersburg was an order to open taverns and "austeria" (Austrian-style inns). Alcohol flowed freely in these establishments, while a culture of drinking had not yet developed. Common people gathered in taverns, typically drawing drinks directly from barrels arranged throughout the establishment.

Austerias were frequented by more aristocratic individuals. The most famous austerias were located were located at the Trinity Pier and on Bolshaya Nikolskaya Street. The first was the tsar's favorite place, where he came on holidays to enjoy strong drinks in the company of high-ranking officials.

During this period, inns began to open, selling all kinds of alcoholic beverages, from wine to beer. In addition, they had billiard rooms, which made them favorite places for entertainment. The first "Tavern House" was founded in 1720 near the Peter and Paul Fortress. This tavern was frequently visited by people from the upper class, including the tsar himself. At the same time, drinking cellars appeared, selling foreign wines. As the city grew, largely due to newcomers, so did its drinking history.

Saint Petersburg of the 19th century was a city of contrasts due to the simultaneous influx of people from villages and European intellectuals. Therefore, it is not surprising that the number of public catering places—from restaurants to cookshops—grew rapidly. Most taverns combined drinking establishments and overnight accommodations for travelers. They were prototypes of today's hotels with restaurants. The most famous ones had comfortable rooms with furniture. Cafés of that time were frequented by common people.

The first restaurants appeared thanks to the French who settled after the French Revolution of 1789, predominantly in Saint Petersburg. Among them were many chefs and confectioners. In the northern capital, they continued their culinary activities, to the great satisfaction of the local elite and other foreigners. The influence of French cuisine on the restaurant industry was noticeably felt until the second half of the 19th century.

In 1835, a new regulation was approved concerning all establishments in Saint Petersburg. Public catering places were consolidated into the category of "tavern establishments" with specific operating rules for each type. For example, restaurants were allowed to organize breakfasts and lunches for guests, as well as offer a wide range of beverages and sell tobacco. Cookshops, however, had a limited amount of food provisions, and were only permitted to serve kvass and "sour cabbage soup" as beverages.

For the sale of alcoholic beverages, cellars, shops, and stores with alcohol sales permits were also designated. Strict limitations were imposed on the number of establishments. In Saint Petersburg, it was permitted to open only 35 restaurants, 46 coffee houses, 40 taverns, and 50 cookshops. For comparison, the number of cellars was 250, and shops and stores with the right to sell alcohol — 20. However, this did not stop the epidemic of drunkenness that swept through the entire city.

Restaurants in the modern sense appeared in Saint Petersburg in 1841, when a new type of tavern establishment was established — the "café-restaurant." It incorporated features of taverns, restaurants, and coffee houses. Such places had their own service rules. For example, liqueurs were served exclusively in glasses and wine glasses, while champagne and porter were served in bottles and half-bottles.

The number of public catering establishments increased. This occurred thanks to the development of business and public activities, trade, and industry. By the beginning of the last century, Saint Petersburg had about 60 restaurants, and by 1911, their number exceeded a hundred, not counting establishments located at railway stations, clubs, and hotels. During this time, Saint Petersburg restaurants offered guests diverse menus, including a wide assortment of wines and fruit liqueurs.

Drunken revelries in the pre-revolutionary years were a common occurrence in Saint Petersburg. Almost everyone drank, from guardsmen to students, which is why there was a fierce battle against drunkenness in the city. One such ardent fighter was Leo Tolstoy, who tried to lead students toward sobriety. Once, on the eve of Tatyana's Day, he appealed to them through newspapers to come to their senses. The same newspapers wrote that never before had students gotten so drunk.

However, the most epic libations in the city were arranged by merchants who competed in their extravagance. They would pour expensive wine on the streets and shower waiters, pianists, and choir singers with credit notes. The most famous places for merchants' amusements were the restaurants "Villa Rode," "Aquarium," and "Samarkand," famous for its Gypsy choirs.

After the events of 1917, the number of places where one could simply have a drink greatly decreased, and the number of restaurants significantly declined. Only in the late 1960s did their gradual restoration begin. It was the residents of Leningrad who initiated the opening of drinking establishments. They decided to revive them because street drinking was often occurring. To combat this phenomenon, shot bars began to appear, which subsequently provided shelter for these people.

In shot bars, one rule was strictly observed: if vodka was sold there, snacks were obligatorily offered with it. This was done to prevent visitors from getting drunk. Often, having a drink in a shot bar was more economical than in a courtyard. There were many such establishments at that time, but unfortunately, none have survived to the present day. They were usually located on the main streets: Mokhovaya, Stremyannaya, and Razyezzhaya. There was also a famous café called "Stopka" at Razyezzhaya, 43, where employees of "Lenfilm" often gathered.

At the same time, on Rubinstein Street, which would later become legendary for the city's bar culture, 7 wine shops opened under the name "Gastronomy." These were often visited by patrons of the legendary café "Saigon," whose regulars included Sergei Dovlatov, Viktor Tsoi, and other representatives of the Leningrad underground. One such grocery store was located in the building where the Soviet writer lived, at Rubinstein 23.

In 1981, the Leningrad rock club opened on this street, becoming the center of the rock movement in the USSR. Rockers would drink in its courtyard and nearby, often staging brawls and hooliganism after concerts, for which they frequently received 15-day detentions. They drank whatever they could find in nearby grocery stores. At that time, alcohol was in short supply, but Swedish black currant vodka and Cuban banana liqueur could be found in stores.

In the 1990s, new establishments began to appear in Saint Petersburg that are still remembered and loved today. For example, the legendary bar "Hali-Gali," also known as the "bar of dirty aesthetes." But when talking about the modern drinking culture of the city, one cannot ignore the famous Rubinstein Street.

This street has been considered the main bar thoroughfare of Saint Petersburg for decades. The first bar on this street, or rather a pub, was opened in 1994. Mollie's Pub became the first Irish bar in the city. The street truly began to flourish in the mid-2000s when DJ bars and pubs started actively opening in the city.

Following them came premium restaurants, whose owners spared no expense on their setup. Chefs were brought in from Italy, pastry chefs from France, and the best architects and decorators worked on the design. Investments of hundreds of thousands of dollars paid off within a couple of years. By the early 2010s, Rubinstein Street housed about fifty various establishments, becoming the city's most bar-and-restaurant-dense street.

In 2010, "Terminal" opened at Rubinstein 13, in the same building where the Leningrad rock club had been. This was the first bar in its modern understanding. Bars on Rubinstein opened one after another – "Tsvetochki," "Orthodox," and "Poison." The bartending craft improved, and the bar culture itself developed. A "cocktail revolution" began in the city.

Over the past 10 years, the street has changed significantly; it became oversaturated with restaurants, cafes, bars, and shot bars, and turned into a thoroughfare. The number of random passersby increased, while regular visitors significantly decreased. Against this background, conflicts with local residents began to arise, and inspections became more frequent. Establishment owners had to optimize operations, speed up cocktail preparation, and reduce their bar menus.

Meanwhile, property owners began raising rental rates, often multiple times over. Or they rented premises to other people without even offering the old-timers a chance to stay. It was time to migrate to another central district. Among the first to relocate was "Terminal" bar to Belinsky Street, "Tsvetochki" bar located nearby on Nekrasova Street, and "Orthodox" bar reopened on Vosstaniya Street not far from "Alley of Classics."

The most interesting trend in Saint Petersburg today could be called wine bars and restaurants. For several years now, the city has been considered a true ambassador of wine culture. From hybrid wine shop-bars like "Wine Warehouse" to the secret bar "Big Wine Freaks" with one of the most advanced wine lists including biodynamic and organic wines – Saint Petersburg offers any format.

This is partly due to the popularity of Russian wines; over the past 5 years, they have come to stand on the same shelf as top foreign wines. Many wine bars and restaurants in Saint Petersburg gladly include domestic wines in their menus, introducing guests to the best producers in the country. Today, Saint Petersburg has more than 1,500 drinking establishments, serving almost any alcoholic beverage — from exclusive wines to signature cocktails.