Cafe Ostanovka Teatr (Theatre Stop)
in Kaliningrad

How can you liven up a Monday? Lunch with a friend in a stylish place can fix everything. The arrival of spring adds magic and creates a mood, and you want pleasant impressions and long walks around the city coming back to life after winter. We chose a special place for lunch.

Cafe Ostanovka Teatr is perhaps in one of the most picturesque parts of the city — the square opposite the Drama Theatre and the regional library, in the centre of Kaliningrad.

We had not booked a table and around lunchtime we were able to sit down in the cafe without any trouble. But I noticed that literally 15 minutes after we arrived there were no free seats left. The cafe is popular with visitors and locals, and if you are planning some kind of event, it is better to book a table in advance.

A small, cosy place: lots of light, French windows, living plants in the room and bouquets on the tables, pleasant background music, an open kitchen. The only drawback is that the tables are close together, so for lovers of intimate places or a more private setting this spot may seem less comfortable, and there is no internet, in such a touristy place.

At the entrance there is a dessert display. You can take drinks and sweets to go, and an hour before closing there is a discount on pastries and bread. It is very hard to resist the cottage cheese ring or the Napoleon cake with raspberries.
In the warm season a summer terrace is open. There is parking next to the cafe building and pets are allowed.

The menu is small but varied. A small list of wines, pét-nats, ciders and spirits — tried-and-tested classics.
A special page is devoted to breakfasts: omelettes, syrniki, porridges and pancakes with various fillings and toppings.

We decided to order a green salad, Baltic cutlets of salmon and pike-perch with mashed potatoes, and fried halloumi with baked aubergine as a starter. For drinks — tea with blackcurrant and rosemary, and matcha with nut syrup.
Special thanks to our waitress: a witty and courteous girl.

And it was delicious: the tenderest cheese combined with grilled aubergine and spices, a creamy sauce and a purée of pickled tomatoes. The waitress recommended this dish to us — and indeed, the cheese from their own cheese dairy, slightly salty with a delicate milky taste, was beyond praise.

A big portion of green salad with slices of lightly salted salmon and a sweet-and-spicy sauce: avocado, mixed salad leaves, edamame beans, cucumber, broccoli, a mix of seeds — filling and light, just what you need on the eve of spring when vitamins are in short supply.

Steamed fish cutlets with mashed potatoes — juicy and tender, with a creamy purée with herbs and a pickled cucumber on the side.

Lunch cost me almost 2,000 ₽, tip included.
Cafe Ostanovka Teatr is a warm, intimate and tasty place with excellent service and a gorgeous view. A place for gatherings with friends and a leisurely tea.