The Idiot

Miguel Hernandez from Mexico Reply May 27th, 2012

Very nice place and the food very good too. The place very confortable and the staff very kind. I was there with some friends and i'm planning to go there again with my family.

Ralph Neill from United States Reply Mar 23rd, 2012

A great place to eat. Owner served us wine on the house)finding out we were from the US. The food, a meat dish, was fantastic!

maida Greenberg from United States Reply Jun 28th, 2011

We had a lovely dinner there and would definitely like to return there when we return to St. Petersburg. Maida and Robert Greenberg

erik junberger from Sweden Reply Oct 7th, 2010

Stumbled upon the place a cold snowy februari night. Firat time in russia, i did not known what to expect. I was pleastly surprised by the rustik interior and friendly demenor of the staff. Ended spending a pleasant night with good food and drink. Maybe not a connesoiurs first choice, but i definetly recommend it!

Timo Niemeläinen from Finland Reply Sep 5th, 2010

Nearly perfect experiment!

Maria Lester from United Kingdom Reply Aug 5th, 2010

The idiot is a fantastic place. It is not however a vegetarian restaurant as advertised, but still does a wide range of veggie dishes. The food is wonderful and the staff very nice. Free vodka shot too, I would highly recommend a visit or two.

Nupur Gautam from India Reply Jul 17th, 2010

I found this place decent. For me the food was not so great as my Indian taste buds require some spices to get aroused. Begin a lacto vegetarian 80%of the menu was not for me. I never felt to great about that place. Probably I'll never like to visit it again in an attempt for great food and ambiance.

George S from United Kingdom Reply Jan 23rd, 2008

The place is clearly overhyped. They started well, in early 90s it think it was, with vegetarian menu, iced vodkas, unusual interiors, pleasant service and altogether decadence feel. The quickly became one of 'the places to be' in town, drew the expat community with above-average paychecks which raised the prices and quickly led to the inclusion on most guidebooks' lists. The result? Well, what you've guessed. All tourists now want to go there, the prices are high, the food is mediocre, and the music is awful and the service so-so. Last time I went we first had to fight through a crowd of American students all armed with their doggy-bags, then received warm vodka shots (ok, it's still on the house), then got okeyish, but hardly impressive food at above-western prices. We also learnt that we had to listen to some western pop-music from the eighties 'because it's the only CD they've got' - and this was in 19th century-styled interiors! The slogan they've come with recently - Dostoevsky loved this place - is complete rubbish, of course, they only opened in the the 1990's. Don't go there, it's a tourist trap nowadays - which is sad, because it was very nice once.

meghan from United States Reply Nov 24th, 2007

the idiot really is a fantastic place... we would eat here and then spend quite a while perusing their library. wish i could live in st. pete again...

Jen Whelpley from United States Reply Jan 7th, 2007

Excellent place to grab a bite. Unique Russian atmosphere and wonderful food. Highly recommended to anyone visiting the city!

Anne-marie from United States Reply Aug 31st, 2006

The Idiot Cafe is one of the best places in St. Petersburg. It has great atmosphere, great food and the people are really interesting. I would definitely recommend the Idiot to anyone coming to St. Petersburg.