This legendary hangout frequented by expats, students, and local residents since 1996 recently moved to a new location (now right across from the US consulate).

The casual cellar atmosphere is cosy and welcoming. The staff pretty much all speak English. The moderately-priced menu (in English and Russian) features tasty American-style food including nachos with homemade chili, and monster burgers like nowhere else in the city.

Free WiFi and internet phone are really conveninent and helpful, and the English-language book and video library can help keep you sane if you're stuck here in winter.

The bar attracts a younger crowd late nights on weekends, especially when there's a DJ or band. It can get a little wild (in a fun way), and it's a great time to meet and party with locals.

Furshtatskaya Ulitsa 20
Metro Chernyshevskaya
www.citybar.ru

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If you want the nearest thing in Petersburg to a genuine British pub, Dickens is the best bet. It opened up in 2005, and has a variety of British beers on tap (last time I went these included Bombadier and Spitfire), and also does really good food. Best "full English" in town by a long, long way; although the competition is hardly stiff, this is worth trying. Be warned - it's huge. The bar serves food from early morning, but there's also a restaurant that serves from noon to midnight.

There's another Dickens Pub in Riga, so you could do a mini-tour. Although why you'd come to the Baltic to go to a British pub may need some explaining.

118 Naberezhnaya Reki Fontanka (Fontanka River Embankment), open daily from 8 am; tel 380 7888; nearest metro: Sennaya Ploshchad/Sadovaya

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Situated close to the Catherine and Alexander Palaces at Tsarskoye Selo, this restaurant is excellent and cannot be faulted. The interior is crazy - trees climbing out of the walls and across the ceiling are not to everyones taste - but it has excellent and reasonably-priced food (the solyanka is to die for) and the service is friendly and quick. Definitely head here after a day of sightseeing.

2 Sredniaya St, Pushkin. First left after Alexander Palace on Dvortsovaya Ulitsa.

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