Much in St. Petersburg is changing, but the restaurant on Vasilyevsky Island, Old Customs, remains unchanged. This is one of the most prestigious and respected institutions in the city. The restaurant has existed for twenty years and is one of the most beloved among residents and guests of the cultural capital of Russia. Due to the high level of service and excellent cuisine, he is included in the rating of "Best restaurants in St. Petersburg."
Interior
Inside, the restaurant "Old Customs", according to guests, looks very chic. The room has arched vaults, the interior is filled with details made of expensive lacquered wood, which is decorated with decorative carvings. There are huge expensive chandeliers on the ceilings. If you describe the overall picture in a few words, then all the details of the interior together make you involuntarily plunge into the old days: vaulted ceilings, a lot of antique products of the early 19th century. Brick walls are decorated with old portraits enclosed in gilded frames, and expensive furniture and porcelain dishes give the decor respectability.
The institution consists of several comfortable areas. First of all, this is the main banquet hall, where all the guests who come just to dine, able to accommodate up to hundreds of visitors, get into their walls. It has two large aquariums: one with sea water, which contains Kamchatka crabs, oysters and mussels, and the second with fresh, sterlet floats in it. Any of these aquarium inhabitants can be caught and cooked at the request of the visitor.
In addition to it, there is a separate room called the "Presidential", it seats up to 40 people who want to relax in one big, noisy company. Judging by the reviews, it is convenient to hold small celebrations in it.
There is a separate Show Kitchen hall, unique in its kind - here in the middle there is a large open kitchen table, at which the restaurant chefs prepare dishes from the menu, and guests can watch the process, sitting at the tables around.
Restaurant "Old Customs" has another zone - a lounge, which is very small in size: it can accommodate no more than 14 people. Here visitors have the opportunity to taste exquisite wines, sitting on comfortable soft sofas.
Kitchen
"Old Customs" - a restaurant on Vasilievsky Island, which serves dishes of French and European cuisine. What is most interesting, such dishes are presented here, during the preparation of which the laws of molecular cuisine are observed.
The restaurant's menu offers popular cold snacks (mackerel with herb sorbet, scallop carpaccio, warm octopus salad with potatoes, king crab salad), hot snacks (ravioli-fagottini, young piggy breast in orange sauce, crayfish neck with cream brulee of champagne), soups (chicken consommé, cream soup of green asparagus with smoked trout, ravioli with bisque), dishes of wild seafood (marinier from mussel "Busho", can cook Solovyov oyster, Sakhalin oyster and Kamchatka crab). A special place in the menu is reserved for meat ( Black Angus beef fillet, Ratta veal cheeks, marbled beef ribeye, and duck breast Magret) and fish (Murmansk salmon fillet, Atlantic sea bass, broccoli black cod fillet, catfish fillet with grilled vegetables stew). Amazing desserts are served in the restaurant (chocolate pralines with peanuts, vanilla cheesecake with passion fruit blanket, Italian tiramisu, sorbet ice cream, peach millefeuille).
Service in the restaurant deserves special attention. Judging by the reviews, the staff reverently treats each visitor, subtly capturing his tastes and wishes. Each served dish is a work of art that looks great. Expensive china is used to serve dishes in the restaurant.
Bar
The bar menu is represented by an assortment of delicious cocktails, as well as soft drinks. There is a separate wine list, which presents the best wines brought from different parts of the world. Guests are served by a professional sommelier, who is also the owner of the establishment - Englishman Anthony Gere. In the lounge area you can try any of the wines presented at the bar.
Show programs
The restaurant "Old Customs" differs from many other institutions in that there are no noisy drunk parties in its walls, and reviews of the institution are a direct confirmation of this. Visitors note that here any program is different in taste and sophistication. The cultural audience is entertained by jazz performers and other talented musicians playing classical instruments. For lovers of dancing, there is a dance floor where you can invite your soulmate to a romantic dance.
Every day, the restaurant hosts a video presentation of cooking, which is conducted by a cartoon character on the screen in the room. Everything is quite interesting and informative. At the end of their preparation of a specific dish, the waiter brings the real finished work of culinary art to the visitors.
Organization of banquets
Restaurant "Old Customs" (St. Petersburg) is always with great pleasure to hold any of your events, having calculated everything to the smallest detail. Here you can arrange a banquet with both a large number of people and a small one, because the premises of the institution have separate zones designed for different numbers of visitors. The holiday celebrated here will remain unforgettable. Over the long years of its existence, the institution received a lot of admiring reviews about the excellent service and organization of events of various kinds.
Mode of operation
The restaurant is open every day from 13:00 to 23:00, seven days a week. The administration recommends that you reserve tables in advance before visiting the institution - this can be done by phone listed on the official website of the "Old Customs", or by filling out an online application, the form of which is placed there.
How to find
The restaurant is located in St. Petersburg at the following address: 1. Customs Lane. It is close to the Admiralteyskaya, Vasileostrovskaya and Sportivnaya metro stations . The main landmarks - Strelka V.O. and Palace bridge.
For visitors to the restaurant provides free secure parking, where each guest of the institution can leave his car. For the convenience of customers, there is a free Internet access point in the room.
The restaurant is always happy to see visitors who come with their whole families - all the amenities are provided even for younger guests: there are separate children's chairs and a playroom for children, where parents can leave their kids for fun.
Pleasant, relaxing atmosphere, classic luxurious interior, delicious cuisine, as well as excellent service - all these are part of the institution’s status and determine the location of the “Old Customs” in the rating “Best restaurants of St. Petersburg” along with other restaurants such as “Attic”, “Russian” Wineglass No. 1 "and" Stroganoff Steak House ". The most important thing is that these epithets are called the institution by people visiting it.