A Hidden Gem Near the Old Office on Central Avenue
Hello everyone, thanks for taking the time to read my review!
I had to head out to St. Petersburg in mid-July for a work trip, and our company's branch was located on Vasilyevsky Island. As soon as we arrived, we decided to grab some breakfast and headed to the nearby bakery-café, 'People Love'. The place is situated at the intersection of Middle Avenue and 11th Line on Vasilyevsky Island, and you can find the exact address on Yandex Maps as Middle Avenue, Vasilyevsky Island, 44.
The entrance is actually on the 11th Line side of Middle Avenue, and to the left of the entrance, there's a display case with all sorts of treats like pastries, bread, dried fruits, jam, and other sweet goodies.
The next display case had a wide variety of salads, sandwiches, soups, and individual portions of rice and pasta dishes. There were also plenty of ready-to-eat meals like omelets, meatballs, lasagna, paella, and several chicken dishes. In addition to the food, the display case also had a selection of drinks, including three types of sorbet and mojitos.
After the showcase, there's a spot where the staff takes orders, and customers pay and pick up their purchases. Behind this area is a bread counter with a pretty impressive selection - from rye and pumpkin to Danish and Austrian bread.
The cafe has a discount system for combo breakfasts and lunches, and on the wall between the counter and the pastry display, there's a board with several options, and honestly, it's a great value for money.
The cafe's interior is shaped like a G, with small tables and three chairs each placed along the windows overlooking the Middle Avenue of Vasilyevskiy Island. While it's doable to squeeze in with a drink and a small pastry, I don't think you'd want to try to fit in with a salad, omelette, or any other hot dish – it'd be a bit cramped.
When I visited this place, the tables were set up both near the windows and opposite the wall, with a high-bar counter near the entrance.
My colleagues and I sat at the larger tables near the windows for breakfast after our train ride, and I grabbed a seat there for lunch the next day.
During my first visit, I ordered a salmon sandwich, an Italian-style sandwich with sausage and vegetables, and a cherry morass for breakfast. The salmon sandwich was served on a croissant, which in the cafe-bistro La Foret in Pereslav-Zalessky is called a kruassendwich, but here they just called it a sandwich without giving away the type of bread used.
When I ordered the Italian sandwich with sausage and veggies, I was surprised to find they used a rye bread roll.
Both sandwiches were super tasty and filling, just like the cherry plum juice I didn't finish at home and brought to work to finish.
Next day I went back to the bakery and ordered the same thing for lunch, but I added a creamy pea soup with bacon - it comes with a baguette.
The soup container is a decent size, holding 250 milliliters of goodness. It's got two labels - a colorful one with the soup's name and brand name 'Healthy Nutrition', and a simple black and white one with the ingredients and manufacturing details. The colorful label's got some nice images of split beans and bacon slices.
After microwaving, the black and white label is a bit faded, but I could still make out the manufacturing date - July 15, 2025. The soup was super fresh and delicious, with just the right amount of salt and a nice smoky flavor from the bacon.
I also tried the sandwiches with sausage and salmon, and they were both super fresh and tasty. Too bad I've got to cut out the sausage and Italian sub now.
This time, I decided to buy a bottle of cranberry juice and drink it at a café instead of taking it to work. It was a great opportunity to take some photos of the bottle without any distractions.
Checking out the packaging, I noticed it's got two labels just like the soup bottle - a colored one and a monochrome one. The colored label shows the volume: 500 milliliters, and it's got some adorable illustrations of cherries and the logo, which is a 'Y' made out of a heart.
The monochrome label lists the ingredients: water, cherry puree, and sugar, along with a table showing the nutritional and energy values of the drink. It also mentions the production date - July 4, 2025, and the expiration date - 30 days. Unfortunately, the address of the manufacturing facility is printed in tiny text, and I had to squint to make out that it's located on the Embankment of the Sestra River in Sestroretsk, near St. Petersburg, but I couldn't quite read the house number or phone number.
For the meal consisting of a soup, two sandwiches, and the cherry morso, I paid 746 rubles. I could've considered the combo meal, but I didn't want to have anything else hot besides the soup, and the salads just didn't interest me. Plus, according to my company's rules, I need to spend the full amount of my allowance or return any unused funds to the cashier, so I decided to treat myself.
I love that the receipt code for the toilet is printed right on top – it's super convenient when only customers who've made a purchase can use the facilities. Of course, there are exceptions, like the woman who tried to sneak into the closed toilet during lunch. I felt a little bad for her, but I showed her the code on my receipt and she was able to do her business. Before lunch, I checked out the cleanliness of the bathroom while washing my hands – and it was spotless and functional.
After lunch, I took the tray with paper bags from the baguette and sandwiches, as well as empty disposable tableware and utensils, to the waste bin and tossed the trash. I put the tray on top and that was the end of my second and final visit to 'People Love'.
I have to say, this bakery left a positive impression on me – the soup, sandwiches, and fruit drink were all delicious. Of course, this is just a small part of their menu, and my opinions are subjective, but those dishes I tried were definitely worth a five-star rating.
Thanks for tuning in, guys – I hope my review was helpful, even if it's just my two cents and not the gospel truth.