The Literary Café – St. Petersburg
June 20, 2007
A famous confectionary was opened in 1835 on this site, at the corner of Nevsky Prospekt and the Moika. It is known to be the last café visited by Pushkin before his fatal duel in 1837. There is a model of him at his writing desk in the entry hall. It is now “The Literary Café” which keeps up the cultural theme. Linda and I went for lunch on June 16, 2007. It is a five-minute walk from The Hermitage.
Linda had the fresh hot pancakes with salmon roe and butter. She thought they were excellent.
I wanted a larger lunch as we would be going to the opera that night and so ordered a house specialty: “Meat Saint Petersburg.” The balls of beef filled with chopped mushrooms were okay.
A violinist and pianist played occasionally during our meal. We would recommend this restaurant for a light lunch. The location is convenient to several important tourist sights. The second floor dining room is a haven of calm after the hustle and bustle of the Nevsky Prospekt and the tour groups.
CountryEpicure 
June 23, 2009 at 5:31 pm
I love this place. I simply had the caviar, herrings and vodka.
October 3, 2010 at 12:01 am
ALSO OF INTEREST IS THE FACT THAT THIS WAS THE PLACE WHERE TCHAIKOVSKY HAD HIS LAST MEAL…ON NOVEMBER 2, 1893…THE FOLLOWING DAY HE WOKE UP SICK WITH CHOLERA…HE DIED ON NOVEMEBER 6, 1893 WITHOUT RECOVERING…A WEEK EARLIER HE HAD CONDUCTED THE PREMIER OF HIS SIXTH SYMPHONY AT THE HALL OF THE NOBILITY…NOW SHOSTAKOVICH HALL…HIS DEATH WAS ATTRIBUTED TO DRINKING CONTAMINATED WATER…IN THOSE DAYS IT WAS KNOWN AS LEINER’S RESTAURANT…HE WAS STAYING AT HIS BROTHERS FLAT AT 13 MALAYA MORSKAYA…THAT TOO STILL STANDS….
April 14, 2011 at 5:43 am
[…] The Literary Cafe: St. Petersburg's Literary Cafe supposedly entertained many top Russian writers, including Chernyshevsky and Dostoevsky, and is said to be the last cafe that poet Alexander Pushkin visited before dying in a duel. […]
April 15, 2011 at 8:28 am
[…] The Literary Cafe: St. Petersburg’s Literary Cafe supposedly entertained many top Russian writers, including […]
April 25, 2011 at 4:41 pm
[…] The Literary Cafe: St. Petersburg’s Literary Cafe supposedly entertained many top Russian writers, including Chernyshevsky and Dostoevsky, and is said to be the last cafe that poet Alexander Pushkin visited before dying in a duel. […]