Atelier Tapas&Bar

On quiet Lakhtinskaya Street on the Petrogradskaya side sits one of the city's most independent bars — Atelier tapas&bar, where Spanish gastronomy is reimagined through open fire and a signature freedom in the details. The interior here is deliberately eclectic: a futuristic chandelier made of copper pipes, a wooden table standing in for the usual bar counter right in the center of the room, painted walls, and a neon "No Bad Days" sign. All of it was dreamed up by Ksenia Smirnova, the mind behind the visual identities of Una, Big Wine Freaks and Tre Bicchieri.

Our guide's team calls this place legendary — deceptively simple on the surface, but with a genuinely sophisticated crowd inside.

The heart of the kitchen is the josper, the famous Spanish charcoal oven, which at Atelier is fired exclusively with grapevine wood: it contains no resin, reaches a high temperature, and holds it for a long time. Meat, fish, seafood and vegetables come out of it with a characteristic crust and smokiness on the outside and rich juiciness within. This tool is the main bridge between the open kitchen and the dining room, and it sets the tone for the entire menu.

The kitchen is led by Vladimir Vorgulev, who previously ran the kitchens of Salon pasta&bar in Saint Petersburg and Moscow. The menu follows the logic of a Spanish feast: it opens with 36-month-aged Iberico jamón, smashed olives and Basque pintxos on house-made brioche — with salmon, duck or tomato. From there: beef tartare with manchego, octopus with mashed potato and tomatoes, cauliflower with truffle sauce, machete steak with smoked sweet potato, and langoustine-and-zucchini tacos. The Spanish geography here isn't confined to a single region — the chef deliberately travels across the whole country.

Our undercover guests rated it 7 out of 10 for dinner.

The bar menu combines local Spanish specialties — orujo, pacharán, Galician cider — with modern limited-edition gins. The wine list spans both cult world producers and small wineries with a focus on terroir and stylistic variety. The evening closes with desserts rooted in Spanish tradition but given an original spin: churros with chocolate ganache and caramel, and the cult favorite Tres Leches.

In summer, this Spanish restaurant on Petrogradskaya fully transforms into a corner of Barcelona — the bright terrace on Lakhtinskaya draws attention and is impossible to walk past. Atelier tapas&bar fits any occasion: a quick aperitif at the large communal table or a long dinner with the josper and wine until closing.