What are the best dishes to order at The Bull Restaurant?

We highly recommend trying their shashlik and lyulya kebabs, which are cooked to perfection and full of flavor. They also have a variety of sides and salads to choose from.

How do I get to The Bull Restaurant?

The restaurant has multiple locations, but we visited the one on Nevsky Avenue, which is easily accessible by public transportation. You can take the metro to Mayskaya Station or Ploshchad Vostaniya Station and walk 300-600 meters. There's also a bus stop nearby served by buses 24, 27, 191, and trams 1, 10, 22.

What are the prices like at The Bull Restaurant?

The prices at The Bull Restaurant are a bit steep, but considering the quality of food, we think it's worth it. However, if you're on a tight budget, you may want to consider other options.

Is The Bull Restaurant suitable for families with young children?

Unfortunately, The Bull Restaurant is not the best option for families with young children due to the noisy atmosphere and limited options for kids.

Can I book a table at The Bull Restaurant?

Yes, you can book a table at The Bull Restaurant in advance to avoid long wait times. We recommend booking at least a week in advance to ensure availability.

What are the opening hours of The Bull Restaurant?

The Bull Restaurant is open from 12pm to 11pm, Monday to Sunday. However, please note that hours may vary depending on the location and day of the week.

Does The Bull Restaurant have outdoor seating?

Unfortunately, The Bull Restaurant does not have outdoor seating. However, the indoor atmosphere is cozy and welcoming.

Can I order takeout or delivery from The Bull Restaurant?

Yes, The Bull Restaurant offers takeout and delivery services. You can order through their website or mobile app.

Do they have any promotions or discounts?

We didn't notice any promotions or discounts during our visit, but it's always a good idea to check their website or social media for any upcoming deals.

The Bull Restaurant Review: St. Petersburg Meat Lover's Paradise

A Mixed Bag at The Bull Restaurant in St. Petersburg

I'd heard great things about this meat restaurant in St. Petersburg, and I was eager to try it out for myself. My family and I had been craving some good shashlik or a juicy lyulya kebab, and we finally made it there after the New Year's holidays.

I was curious to see what made this place, The Bull, so unique, especially after hearing horror stories about the queues. But I wanted to form my own opinion, so I decided to give it a shot. In this review, I'll share all my thoughts and experiences.

Getting There

We took the metro to Mayskaya Station (green line) and walked 300 meters towards Anichkov Bridge. Alternatively, you can take the metro to Ploshchad Vostaniya Station (red line) and walk 600 meters. There's also a bus stop called Litayny Prospekt nearby, which is served by buses 24, 27, 191, and trams 1, 10, 22. If you're driving, you'll need to find a parking spot.

We visited the restaurant on Nevsky Avenue, which is pretty central. The one on Fuchik Street is probably the most convenient in terms of queues and booking, while the one in the Galleria shopping center on Ligovsky Avenue is a bit of a surprise.

Address

The exact address of the restaurant on Nevsky is Nevsky pr., 55. You can check the others on their website.

Hours of Operation

The restaurant operates every day, from lunch to late evening. Here's the exact schedule:

Monday 12:00–23:00

Tuesday 12:00–23:00

Wednesday 12:00–23:00

Thursday 12:00–23:00

Friday 12:00–23:00

Saturday 12:00–23:00

Sunday 12:00–23:00

We visited during the day, although I wanted to go back in the evening when I'd be hungrier. My plan was to walk around the decorated pedestrian zones, check out some installations everyone was talking about on social media, and then head to the restaurant after visiting the Christmas tree on Palace Square... But, unfortunately, that didn't happen.

I called the restaurant before heading out, and they told me that The Bull on Nevsky Prospekt was fully booked and had a live queue. I asked about seating, wondering how busy it would be, but the staff member couldn't give me a straight answer, and I didn't want to risk waiting for hours, so we decided to grab lunch and then go for a stroll before heading back in the evening.

Exterior/Interior

From the outside, the restaurant looks like a beautiful old building on the prospekt, but inside, it's a completely different story - it's a glass and metal affair, located in a business center that takes up a few floors of one wing. On the entrance, there's a sculpture of a bull, which used to be open to the public but is now behind a display case. You can still see it from the street, though, and it's a bit weird to see people walking by on Nevsky Prospekt.

As we walked in, we left our things in the cloakroom and took the elevator up to the next floor, where things got really interesting...

First thing we saw was a queue of around 15-20 people lined up right outside the restaurant, clearly eager to get in. It turned out each customer had their own number in this queue, which we also needed to get, so I went to scan it: I walked up to the QR code at the entrance, scanned it, and in my phone, I saw this:

Translation: there were four of us, so we needed a table for four, and we were eighth in line for that table - eighth!

I really wanted to visit the restaurant that day with my family, I love having family dinners, but I didn't want to spend hours waiting in line. We decided to wait for five minutes and see if our position in the queue changed. Time passed, and the queue didn't move at all. We decided to leave...

We headed down to the level below, where the coat check is, and joined the queue for our coats. As I looked at my phone, I saw we were already fourth in line, so half the queue had already been seated. For some reason, I thought the queue was counted by people, not tables, so if four people left, then another four would leave, and we'd be next. In short, we decided to head back to the others in the queue.

We went back, checked my phone, and we were third in line. I was a bit disappointed, but since there was still a bit of time left, and people were starting to leave, we decided to stick it out and wait. And then we got a message saying we needed to be ready...

After we finally got to go to the restaurant, a notification popped up with an invitation and a time limit, so it's best not to stray too far from the restaurant.

Inside the restaurant it's dark and stylish, which I loved. There were silhouettes of cattle on the wall with backlighting, and it felt like a medieval tavern - nobody's peeking into each other's plates. The stone-style decor really stood out to me, I'm a big fan of that:

I was impressed by the artificial plants hanging from the ceiling and along the walls, adding a touch of green to the atmosphere. I'm not sure if all the 'The Bull' restaurants in St. Petersburg have this same style or if it's unique to this one, but I was blown away. It's not just a bunch of nothing - the lighting, decorations on the walls and ceiling all come together to create a cozy, comfortable, and even somewhat secluded atmosphere.

One thing that really stood out to me was how poorly lit the staff area is. It's hard for them to see and maintain cleanliness. For example, I went to the bathroom to wash my hands. At first glance, it looks great - a shared bathroom with lots of stalls, a huge central counter with sinks and all the amenities, and even a bull on the wall that looks like it's about to charge. But it's actually really dirty.

Even from the photo, you can see soap scum in the sink, but it's hard to tell how dirty the surrounding area is, or how many puddles are on the floor, or which dispensers are empty. Thankfully, the stalls themselves are clean.

Our table was a bit of a weird setup - two small, heavy, wooden tables that seemed to be slightly askew, with really comfortable stools. On the table, there was the menu, a bottle of water, and some glasses (I like the idea of refilling the water after each customer, but I do wonder how well it's sanitized).

Overall, the place could use a bit of a deep clean, but I do like the decor. And I have to give them points for the festive atmosphere during the holidays - they even had a decorated Christmas tree and some of the bulls were wearing Santa hats.

Ordering food

Now, let me give you the lowdown on the concept of this place. What's unique is that the restaurant isn't just about meat dishes - they also have fixed prices. So, on a weekday, the main menu is 350 rubles, but on weekends and holidays, it's a bit pricier. We visited on a holiday, so the main dishes were 400 rubles at the time.

Aside from the main menu, there's a section for steaks, which are usually around 700 rubles (but some are even more expensive). There are other dishes at different prices too - you just need to flip through the menu pages.

The menu itself is on paper, printed on sturdy cardstock. Each dish is simply listed, but you can check out pictures on their website to see how they look (I actually browsed through it before visiting and decided what I wanted).

There are plenty of appetizers (meat, cheese, and other options), salads (which, by the way, are really good, judging by what I saw and heard), first courses, and even pizza (not the usual round kind, but a rectangular Roman-style one). There are countless meat dishes to choose from, with options for whole meat, ground meat, or chunks - basically, anything you could want.

Initially, when I first heard about this meat restaurant, I was set on trying the shashlik, but then I changed my mind and decided I wanted the chicken kebab even more (I'm a big fan of poultry over beef and pork).

My husband decided to try the steak. Here, it's always cooked to the same medium level, so you can't choose the degree of doneness (that's a shame). The kids opted for burgers, each one different.

From drinks, we chose tea from a teapot and a cappuccino.

They took our order quickly, told us how long to wait, and asked how they should bring the food out when it was ready. After that, they brought us the drinks first, followed by everything else.

Our order

First up, they brought us the tea from the teapot. Everything's ceramic, heavy, and styled to look like stone or wood (the patterns aren't very clear). We ordered a fruity tea, but it was surprisingly not very flavorful and not sweet at all. We could've added sugar ourselves, but there wasn't any on the table, and they didn't bring us a sugar bowl either (I'm still not sure what the point was). I didn't try the cappuccino, but my husband seemed to be happy with it.

The burgers were all very tall, served on paper with extra gloves in a plastic container. They only brought gloves for one burger, and we didn't really notice until we'd almost finished eating.

The kids really enjoyed their burgers, though. The one called the 'Cheeseburger' was their favorite, according to my child, who said it was the best one they'd ever had. The 'The Bull' burger also seemed to be a hit.

I was really impressed with my dish, too - it was super flavorful, not dry at all, and not too saucy. The chef did a great job seasoning it with herbs and spices, so the turkey meat didn't taste bland. It came with some spicy pepper, flatbread, onion, and a really tasty tomato-based sauce.

My husband's steak, on the other hand, was a total disaster! They brought us this:

This is the spider steak they mentioned on their website:

The rarest steak with a fatty web-like pattern

Can you see the web-like fat pattern here? It looks nothing like the steak on their website. I'm not even sure which part of the cow this piece came from - it looked like a total mess, especially considering it's a Prime category steak and the price to match (not like their regular menu items).

And it's not like it's some dodgy fast food joint - it's a restaurant, a meat restaurant, no less! It's a total embarrassment.

So, to sum it up: the coffee was great, the tea was unsweetened, the food was all delicious, except for that awful steak that looked like something from a sci-fi movie. We paid a bit over 2,500 rubles for all this, and here's the receipt:

Customer Support

Customer support was top-notch - they delivered everything without any issues, didn't spill a thing, and were super careful. The only thing that bugged me was having to pay via QR code, so I had to wait for the terminal.

Pros and Cons

The food from the main menu was actually really tasty;The interior was super cozy.Cons

The steak was a total letdown - it looked like something out of a horror movie.Verdict: My experience at The Bull was pretty mixed. On the one hand, the all-you-can-eat concept was interesting, the meat dishes were delicious, and the interior was a great touch. On the other hand, the scary-looking steak really ruined the experience for me, and it would've been awesome if they had the option to book a table - if that's even possible.

Overall, I'd say that The Bull is a decent place to grab a bite, especially if you're in the mood for some good meat dishes. However, be prepared for a potentially long wait, and don't expect too much from the service. Maybe they'll improve their steak game, but for now, I'd recommend sticking to the main menu.

Rating: 3/5 stars