Bolshoy Bar

«Bolshoy Bar» occupies a former archway at Bolshoy Prospekt of Petrogradskaya Storona, 45, near the Petrogradskaya and Chkalovskaya metro stations. It was opened by Felix Naroditsky, founder of the JFC jazz club, Georgy Dartsmelia, who represents Illy coffee, and architect Dmitry Davydov, known for the Goose Goose and Italy bottega projects. The inspiration was Termini, a tiny Italian bar in Soho, where every drink is taken seriously — be it coffee, a cocktail, or spirits. Here, they don't chase trends in craft drinks or complex mixology. From nine in the morning, the bar welcomes guests with jazz, croissants, and Italian coffee from a La Spaziale machine. In the evening, the format changes: it starts with Aperol Spritz and Negroni, and after that the choice of drinks depends on the mood and the proof. After six in the evening, the bar switches to different lighting, black-and-white Italian films play on the screens, and the bartenders change into blue checked shirts. Guests move out to the summer terrace, from where Petrogradskaya Storona looks like a small Italian neighborhood.