Review St Petersburg Restaurant - Elsternwick

Absolutely delicious! We went there on a Saturday night and there was a live band and a beautiful dancer. My daughter danced the whole night and had a ball. The russian food and entertainment were outstanding! Definitely want to go back there again.

Great dining area though you need to know where to find it being tucked away behind doorway off Glen Eira Rd then up the stairs. The food and tastes were nice though would select more hot dishes next time. Tried some herring which was really good...too many cold salads was my failing this time. Definitely worth visiting and great value for money

Couldn't find the place no signage Food very average mostly cold by the time it reached the table. Trying to see what you eat not easy. Too long waiting between course. Music good and lovely singers helped with my rating.

Great Russian food and live music (Sat) is a bonus. The service is quite good as well. Came here with a Groupon voucher and it is worth every penny!

That’s the worst food and experience we had in Melbourne. We went there on Tuesday night just to experience Russian cuisine and catch up with a couple of friends. The host didn’t even say hello to us, just pointed in the direction of our table. The food was mediocre I really regretted to have couple of Ausies with us as I was ashamed that their first inpretion of Russian food was from this place. Also the was a mouse running around statues there..

Good value for money though when we visited very quiet. I tried a number of dishes I had not had before which was a definite plus. Will try again perhaps when the weather warmer as tonight was freezing which possibly detracted from the experience. Big dining and seating area tucked away in upstairs venue.

My family experienced a wonderful banquet here. Took us four hours to get through half of it. Great food, service, Russian atmosphere and live music. Highly recommend.

Had a Groupon deal. The food and atmosphere were great.... was our date night, so enjoyed the music atmosphere and (plenty of food) plus byo makes it a great night out. Staff friendly and provide good service.... would go back again.

I do love banquet sometimes .... but not "reception" food.<br/><br/>But this one is a bit different ...... really :-) borderline.<br/>Must watch for a small opening along Glen Eira Rd, next to the IGA ..... behind the "dark" canopy is the door and stairway that leads to St. Petersburg Reception cum Restaurant. Entree; array of cold food are ready on your table, followed by hot food "mains" to share and those were the highlight of the evening. Love their distinct "sourness" flavour in some of their dishes. <br/><br/>A bit of live music, dancing and the humongous serve of Russian "banquet" style food are on for young and old, mostly middle aged patrons.<br/><br/>It was a good revelation to another Russian style cuisine in Melbourne, as there aren't many around. JT-16/09/2017.

Hilarious overall, where to start, there’s a discotec in the middle of the restaurant with the weirdest blend of 1970s and modern tunes, blaring loud and bordered on obnoxious. The amount of food was mind blowing with the group on, and the waiter looked disgusted when I asked for takeaway on the meat course. Booking this was also a headache and a half. Probably not returning but worth the trip.

This place is okay but the food quality could be better. The music is average. I went to a closed birthday here and the food was ok, I'm not sure what it's usually like on a normal night.

I went there on Friday night with my partner, as our daughter bought me a Groupon voucher for a 7 course dinner for 2 for my birthday. Prior to going I had read so many negative reviews about this place I was prepared for the worst!<br/><br/>I was pleasantly surprised. <br/><br/>The food was fantastic to the point where we could not eat it all as there was so much of it. The waiter continued bringing serve after serve of what i initially thought were small portions but I couldnt of been more wrong. So so filling. <br/><br/>I then told the waiter to return the meat platter he brought us near the end of our courses as we knew we could not possibly fit it in and it would be a waste. The waiter kindly offered us a doggy bag.<br/><br/>I also read reviews about the service being rubbish, well again, i don’t know if we just happened to go on a good night but our waiter was fine. Friendly and chatty, answered any questions we asked him about our courses etc. He stated he had worked there for 15 yrs. <br/><br/>I had worried about the band due to negative comments how loud it is etc but no band was playing on the Friday night so I can’t comment on that side of things.<br/><br/>Would we go back ? Yes definitely if we were in the area. <br/><br/>Was definitely value for money using the Groupon voucher and well worth them participating with Groupons, as I or my daughter would never of even heard of this restaurant had it not been from Groupons.

I booked our Groupon banquet dinner and was sadly disappointed. Our experience started with having difficulty booking (phone with answering machine) and then being unable to find the place (dark door with no signage). We walked up the very steep stairs and came out into the dining room and stood there waiting for staff to approach us. The waiter asked us for the voucher, and showed us to a table where the entrees were already sitting on the table. There was no explanation of how the banquet would run and only a brief description of the items. The bread roll was stale and dry, and we were only  given three small cubes of butter. There was a large family function set up on the other side of the dance floor.20 minutes later, a very timid waitress with poor eye contact put two stuffed pancakes down on the table. Later a bowl of boiled potatoes arrived with no explanation, followed by 8 small dumplings.  People at other tables were given different banquet items to us. THEN the music started up for the function, making any conversation impossible. About 20 minutes later, garlic prawns on a bed of rice arrived; we ate the prawns and left most of the creamy rice, and decided to leave. The head waiter was quite surprised, stating there was still mains and dessert to come. Poor service, average food and terrible venue just about sums it up....never again!

Four of us went on Saturday night.  Fantastic!  Great food.  Music was different and everybody – all ages from all tables – got up and danced.  And all for $120 for the four of us!  BYO and no corkage. Took us awhile to find the place.  Signage on Glen Eira Rd is poor.  Dark sign on a dark door.  But once we got inside all was good.  Our table was ready for us with plates of cold meat, pickled cucumbers, smoked salmon and olives all ready for us.

Four of us went on Saturday night.  Fantastic!  Great food.  Music was different and everybody - all ages from all tables - got up and danced.  And all for $120 for the four of us!  BYO and no corkage.<br/><br/>Took us awhile to find the place.  Signage on Glen Eira Rd is poor.  Dark sign on a dark door.  But once we got inside all was good.  Our table was ready for us with plates of cold meat, pickled cucumbers, smoked salmon and olives all ready for us.<br/><br/>Food just kept coming.  Marinated herrings, potato salad, hot potatoes, disk of eggplant and capsicum, disk of mushrooms, more salads,  piroshki (Russian meat pastie), pelmeni (yummy dumplings), chicken kiev, garlic prawns, meat skewers, chicken skewers and on it went.  Finally finishing with a platter of fresh fruit.<br/><br/>The music was great.  Started off with Russian songs from, I think, the 60's.  Then worked up to modern dance music as the night went on.  Included a set of Hebrew songs at the request of a large party there for a 70th. Also, ABBA, Rasputin, Sinatra so definitely an eclectic mix!  Everybody got up and danced.  Toddlers, 20 somethings through to the elderly.<br/><br/>We will definitely go again!

Had dinner here last night with friends via Groupon. What a wonderful experience. The food was not only plentiful but thoroughly delish. I couldnt eat two dishes due to an allergy but im assured they were as equally good as everything else put before us. Music was great and, whilst we didnt dance, those who did seemed to have a great time. Only thing I would say is a drawback, its not well lit on the street to find and stairs not great for some. I have a disability and stairs can be quite challenging but thats the building not the restaurant itself. Service was extremely good. Our waitress was smiling and no complaints whatsoever. As we got some wonderful news yesterday the evening turned into a celebration and it was the perfect place to celebrate at. Would certainly return.

Groupon - happy. Practically a steal. Delightful, low key service. All courses were special and served in comfortable intervals. We struggled with the second last of our 13 courses, as we should have paced ourselves better. Bonus : no corkage.

A great party spot with delicious comfort food influenced by Russia Mediterranean and a very generous byo no corkage fee. Entertainment was included by a great band playing traditional Russian music, pop, rock and disco. Highlights pickled herring and vodka shots.

My partner and I had a lot of fun. Brought up a couple of bottles of wine on the advice of our server, had a lot of interesting dishes we'd never tried before, there was plenty to eat, and the entertainment included a quite talented jazz saxophonist, although by the third set it was 100% Russian disco so we made our exit. On the down side, at $60-70 per head it is very pricey, and the meat main course was basic (tater tots? really?).

We booked a 7 course banquet through Groupon. I messaged the restaurant and was told to arrive at 7pm. When we got there a waiter arrived and merely asked us 'have voucher?' before gesturing to our table which already had food on it. The first course of salads and seafood was on the table fron arrival. This was cleared after 20mins (partially). 20 mins later some hot potatoes were also dumped down with no comment from staff. We assumed additional hot food would follow shortly. After another 20mins I asked a waiter to put them back to keep warm. He appeared confused and said they were to be eaten now. A course of boiled potatoes on its own seemed an odd choice so we asked for our next course. He returned saying this would not occur for a further 40mins. The potatoes were due to be matched to the fish which was cleared 30 mins prior to this.... We asked to speak to the manager. Who was rude and claimed it was perfectly fine to wait an hour between courses, as after all a 7 course banquet takes a lot of cooking. I asked if the meal would therefore last 7hours. She said of course not. When we asked for a refund we were refused. In the meantime, the world's worst music had begun on a stage in the center. Rendering all further conversation impossible, so we left, hungry and annoyed.

Where do I begin!<br/><br/>When we turned up and informed the lady who approached us of our Groupon booking, she huffed and rolled her eyes at us and walked off.<br/><br/>We were then approached by a young male water who was, in contrast, quite pleasant. He sat us down and explained the whole process to us. Apart from him the rest of the staff were quite rude and said barely more than two words to us all night.<br/><br/>There were quite a few patrons with Groupon bookings that night who were all seated in a back corner of the establishment away from the full paying patrons. One couple was seated in a corner facing the wall. It was as if they had segregated all the Groupon bookings that night. We almost had the feeling like they were resentful of us for booking through Groupon. We have never been made to feel so unwelcome in a restaurant like we did that night!<br/><br/>And the food! talk about food scraps. Bland, dry and overcooked. The chicken kiev was as dry as anything I have ever eaten and the potato wedges were obviously supermarket frozen wedges reheated in the oven!<br/><br/>I will be calling Groupon later and demanding a refund for such a poor experience.

“REASONABLE FOOD, BUT GREAT EXPERIENCE..!!”<br/>We purchased a Groupon deal for 4 persons for a Set Course Russian Banquet. We'd not had Russian food before, and thought this a good way of tasting a sampler. <br/>The food was reasonable..but the entertainment - live Russian singing was an interesting bonus..Yes, we ended up having an enjoyable evening - my boys entranced by the different customs, the singing and dancing...<br/>Would possibly go again, as it was an enjoyable experience..<br/>Late February 2015

Food Scraps anyone. I had a groupon and went with a friend. Well, this place is horrible.<br/><br/>The waiter said no more than 2 words to us, the food that was already sitting on the table looked dry and bland... and it was. There was a cabbage salad and two whole tomatoes that were half cut (dont know why) and my friend actually spat it out and said it taste like he thought urine would taste like.<br/><br/>Skip to the main, if you can call it that, quarter chicken, 8 potato wedges with tomato sauce and a skewer with bits of dry chicken and red capsicum...<br/><br/>I DO NOT RECOMMEND

Best restaurant I've been in a long time. Unfortunately I went there after a fulfilling afternoon tea and could not finish all the food so we took the remainder home. Amazing food, everything was so hearty and fresh and plenty for two people. Gotta have huge appetites to be able to finish it all! Favorites were the prawns on rice, the eggplant appetiser and potato salad.

A restaurant to avoid !. All negative comments to date are still spot on !!! Only addition being had no idea what some food was and when asked the one and only floor staff wasn't any wiser with reply<br/><br/>Most food sat on tables for hours waiting for people to turn up <br/><br/>Feel I need to find a positive being the water tasted good but was bemused if I wanted anything other than water i was told to walk to street to buy it and bring back

Fantastic. Went to a wedding dinner on 25/1/2015, the food was amazing. I have been to a few of these in Melbourne and this was the best. Music was usual mix of Russian and popular covers but everyone got up and danced and unlike other places, the air conditioning worked well enough such that you were not hot and sweaty after dancing!! Definitely rate the food, the ambience, the ability to park right outside!

Nothing. The menu are cheated our customer, there is no prawn &oyster platter which is they put on the advertising ,they even use this dish for the photo, and for the main dish , the menu said you choice of pork , lamb or chicken, no such a thing. All night they only gave us some cold,cheap rubbish food such as 3 different type of bread, they just want make you full, the mainly two dishes we were expected are missing . So disappointed.<br/><br/><br/>-----16 Dec, 2014-----<br/><br/>Cheated. The menu are cheated our customer, there is no prawn &oyster platter which is they put on the advertising ,they even use this dish for the photo, and for the main dish , the menu said you choice of pork , lamb or chicken, no such a thing. All night they only gave us some cold,cheap rubbish food such as 3 different type of bread, they just want make you full, the mainly two dish we were expected are missing . So disappointed.<br/><br/><br/>-----16 Dec, 2014-----<br/><br/>Cheated customer. The menu are cheated our customer, there is no prawn &oyster platter which is they put on the advertising ,they even use this dish for the photo, and for the main dish , the menu said you choice of pork , lamb or chicken, no such a thing. All night they only gave us some cold,cheap rubbish food such as 3 different type of bread, they just want make you full, the mainly two dish we were expected are missing . So disappointed.

Great Russian Restaurant - Just understand its Russian unlike those other reviews!. I was almost put off by a few negative reviews here but after going here I would highly recommend it.<br/><br/>As others have said (and criticised) there is food put on the table at 7:30pm. If you come late it will already be there. This is a Russian tradition and that seafood is fresh (especially the oysters which I'm very fussy about).<br/><br/>The other dishes are traditional russian and I have tried them at a few other places and this place was one of the best.<br/><br/>They had a signer and the mood was good all night with some dancing hard. You can BYO which is a must for a Russian restaurant.<br/><br/>Overall, just understand this is a Russian restaurant with their own traditions. Make sure you come on time and prepare for lots of food.

This is a restaurant to avoid. Purchased two vouchers from Ouffer as the advertising of this place looked very appealing. Boy was I wrong. Took two guests and it was a complete disaster. When we arrived seafood was already on the table. God only knows how long it had been sitting there, but it was warm so we elected not to eat it. The voucher we had clearly stated we could chose anything from the menu, even though we explained this to the waiter, we were completly ignored and given a set menu. <br/>On serving the food, it was completely inadequate for four people. Three chops, one duck leg and two chicken skewers and a few frozen chips scattered on the plate. This was the main.<br/>I have never been so disgusted in my life. <br/>This place has false advertising and completely unappealing food.<br/>As for the seafood set up on the table on arrival,I will be reporting this to the local health authorities<br/>Don't waste your money.

Definitely unforgettable. Went with my wife and two friends on a Saturday night using a Cudo voucher. We were first in the restaurant - I think including the staff as we had to go looking for one. All of the entrees were already out on the tables including seafood...and stayed there for the benefit of those who arrived 1.5 hours later. God only knows how long before we got there they we're put out. My favourite part of the night happened early in the night when my friend asked to purchase a drink and the waiter pointed to the jug of water on our table and said we could buy drinks from the supermarket downstairs. We were given no menu and no instruction and at least two tables left after the entrees. Perhaps they thought it was finished, perhaps they were just smarter than us. Main was a disaster - overlooked, dry chicken Kiev and soggy potato wedges. And the dessert fruit platter...let's just say seasonal fruit wasn't their specialty. Some reviews bemoan the lack of entertainment. For us it was an imposition and I'm fairly certain the keyboard being "played" wasn't plugged in to anything. We will never forget this night and doubt we will be back - except maybe as an April Fools prank

Quite and interesting place, definitley different to most I have been to. Best thing about it would be the BYO, they let you bring your own spirits with no corckage! Worst, feeling alittle put of place with alot of Russian speakers.. I guess that a sighn of authenticity. <br/>Last note, very reasonably priced.

Dissapointed. I purchased a voucher to St Petersburg through Ouffer as a way to discover different cuisines. Well, we arrived to find 4 tables already set and with the food already out. your seafood platter was 2 flavourless oysters and tough prawns. How long had they been sitting there? The salads looked as though they came out of a slop bucket and the same whole tomatoes recycled for a week. As I mentioned all cold dishes were on the table when we arrived at 6.30, another table did not arrive until 7.30 to food that had been sitting for well over an hour. <br/><br/>Next were some boiled potatoes with butter, totally missing garlic and dill as per the menu and some dumplings totally devoid of flavour. Main course at last. Duck that you could not cut through, a couple of lamb chops and chicken skewer served on crinkle cut frozen chips with a side of tomato sauce. Yummo.<br/><br/>We hoped that dessert would win us over but alas a fruit platter that had been cut and plated at least 48 hours earlier left us wanting ......... to leave.<br/>Highlight of the night. Laughing with other dinners on the way out who felt the same way. What a joke. <br/>As for the entertainment, obviously the band took the night off.

My Husband and I went there last night. We had a great time. Would highly recommend this restaurant. We will be back.

Absolutely stunning restaurant! My partner and I thought we had interrupted a wedding when we arrived. The decor, the service, the atmosphere and live singers all components of a fantastic evening. Beautiful foods and endless supplies of it! Not to mention all the softdrink you could handle (included in the price).<br/>Will definately be back and with many more friends!