Holidays in the Kaliningrad region are interesting at any time of the year. If you come in winter or early spring, then, in addition to walks around the city and on the sea coast, trips to museums, theaters, and concert halls are important. There are also cafes and restaurants to warm up and relax after an exciting exploration of the city. Every year, more and more signature places and bright restaurateurs appear in Kaliningrad, who rethink world cuisines and experiment with recipes from the Baltic region. Let’s talk about some of them.
How to get there and where to stay in Kaliningrad
An air ticket from Moscow to Kaliningrad costs from 3,700 rubles* per person round-trip. The most convenient way to get from Khrabrovo airport to the city is by taxi; the trip to the center will take about half an hour.
“Mercury Kaliningrad Center” – from 6400 rubles* per night per person;
Holiday Inn Kaliningrad – from 5100 rubles* per night per person;
Ibis Kaliningrad Center – from 2800 rubles* per night per person.
Prospekt Mira
One of the best restaurants in the city is Seasons. The main idea of its creators is modern cuisine with Russian roots. On the appetizer menu you will find sugudai from Vishtynets whitefish with soaked lingonberries, sour apple and Russian ponzu (Lake Vishtynets is located in the east of the region, it is called the local Baikal). For mains, choose duck breast with pumpkin and apple cream, roasted figs and elderflower sauce. And for dessert, take Jerusalem artichoke, which will be dug out of the chocolate “earth” in front of you. It is important to remember that a table must be reserved in advance.
If you didn’t manage to get to Seasons, then as an alternative, choose the “Salt” gastrobar from the same creators. Here you will also find an incredible gastronomic adventure – salmon ceviche with passion fruit sauce, asparagus with black truffle cream and sheep cheese or “the most delicious crushed cucumbers.”
A few doors from the Seasons restaurant is the Laundry Room, a small space in the spirit of Berlin coffee shops, an important point on the city’s gastro map. If you don’t drink grain drinks, choose the signature Baltic tea – an aromatic mix of sea buckthorn and orange juice.
Area of Kant Island and Fishing Village
In Rybnaya Village, have lunch at the “Verf” or “Ferrum” restaurants with a beautiful view of the Cathedral and the Pregolya River. The menu includes grilled Baltic fish dishes, a good wine list and delicious classic desserts. For example, apple strudel with a scoop of ice cream and fresh mint.
At the Honey Bridge in front of Kant Island, in a cozy food truck with a red and white awning, take aromatic mulled wine or sea buckthorn tea and the iconic curd rings.
Don’t miss the amazing Steindamm 99 restaurant. As an appetizer, you can choose venison tartare, and as a main course, you can choose catfish steak with celery risotto. Be sure to try the Königsberg klops (what do you think it is?), the recipe for which was recreated from ancient cookbooks.
Amalienau area
Start your walk through the preserved area of the historic villas of Amalienau at the VDNH café (“You deserve real bread”). There is an all-day breakfast menu, a huge selection of sourdough breads and a beautiful view of the Queen Louise Church (now the Puppet Theater).
If you get cold while exploring old mansions, check out Amalienau Breakfast. A small cozy cafe on a quiet street is decorated with lanterns and living plants; its creators collaborate with local farmers and convey the values of proper nutrition; the menu includes vegetarian and vegan dishes. And also a dog-friendly cafe.
An unusual place is the Gustav Grossmann Cafeteria at the Altes Haus apartment museum. There are many historical items in the spirit of an old Königsberg apartment, tea will be served in an antique set. We recommend trying baked marzipan according to an old recipe. The tour to the museum starts every hour – the groups are small, tickets can be purchased in advance on the website.
An unobvious place for our own people is the small underground cocktail bar “Horizon”. Here they create their own elegant cocktails with homemade syrups. For example, in the autumn and winter months, guys experiment and add pumpkin, feijoa, persimmon, buckwheat honey, ginger and apricot to their drinks.
Zoo and Drama Theater
Trip Neobistro – a young team from St. Petersburg has created a wonderful place in which they skillfully mixed Asian and French cuisines. The appetizer menu includes beef tartare with wild garlic and eel cream, while the main menu includes young cabbage tagliatelle with porcini mushrooms and pecorino sauce. But even a simple green salad in a non-bistro becomes an unusual and elegant dish. The guys carefully approached the wine list: there are organic wines and champagne. The heart of the restaurant is a long common table, which can accommodate a large group.
Also pay attention to the nearby Teatralny Lane, where many cafes, bars, and craft shops have opened in recent years – you can find something interesting behind every door.
Coffee house No. 3 is one of the pioneers of coffee culture in Kaliningrad. A varied breakfast menu throughout the day – from rice porridge with coconut milk and dried fruit to green pancakes or love toast with eggs Benedict. On the second floor you can work with a laptop.
Most recently, Napoli Gastro Bistro opened in a small pavilion with a sophisticated interior and one of the best pizzas in the city. Be sure to try the original Neapolitan one! Through the panoramic windows there is a beautiful view of the historical building in which the Government of the Kaliningrad Region is located.
Spend a few hours in an unusual space for the city – the Signal social and cultural center. Here you can drink coffee or cocoa, work in a coworking space, sit in a cozy bookstore, listen to vinyl records or performances by local musicians. Your pet will also be welcome, the space is dog-friendly.
Victory Square
Gelateria Italia has the most delicious ice cream in the city. Be sure to try the pistachio one! The balls are served in beautiful bowls with cookies. Take them with hot chocolate or a glass of sparkling wine. Locals joke that this ice cream is worth moving to Kaliningrad for. The cafe is located in the “Europe” shopping center on the second floor, through panoramic windows there is a view of Victory Square and the central streets of the city.
The main party place with a large selection of beer, cider and a variety of snacks is the Yeltsin bar, where noisy crowds gather every evening. And around the corner, its creators opened the FORMA pizzeria. Parties with DJ sets and piano concerts are held here.
Nearby is the author’s bookstore “Catharsis” with a large assortment of second-hand books and non-fiction literature. Concerts, lectures and creative meetings are also held here, but you can simply order tea or a glass of wine and look through a variety of books and magazines.
The creators of Altes Haus opened a museum of Soviet life “The Whaler’s House” with an atmospheric cafeteria on the ground floor. Here you can see Soviet-era artifacts, drink soda, and take part in an interactive tour that takes place every hour. Tickets can be purchased in advance on the website.
Port
A place where city guests rarely find themselves – the Bravo Italia pizzeria overlooking ancient German elevators, working industrial cranes and ships sailing past. Order a delicious mushroom pizza with truffle oil, and crostata with prunes for tea. Since the cafe is located in an industrial zone, you can only get there by taxi or car.
Recently, another unusual space for the city opened in the port – ELEVATOR. The amazing atmosphere of a building made of ancient red brick reigns here, with views of the river and elevators, and an incredible aroma from its own coffee roasting shop. The creators regularly organize educational meetings for coffee enthusiasts and baristas in the city.
Moskovsky Prospekt
If there is time left, go to the “Gate” art space. The building itself is very atmospheric – it is the historical Sackheim Gate of the 19th century, a historical and cultural monument of federal significance with high arched red brick ceilings. Here you can visit a modern art exhibition or sit comfortably in a cafe with large panoramic windows. And then take a walk along the historical streets, which are lost among the nine-story panel buildings.
We hope that with such a route through interesting and tasty places in the city, your impressions of Kaliningrad will remain the brightest and most intense, despite the cold season. In the next review of the Kaliningrad region we will share the best cafes and restaurants in the resort towns of the Baltic coast.
*Prices valid at time of publication
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