{"id":10140,"date":"2024-04-13T21:42:24","date_gmt":"2024-04-13T19:42:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/?p=10140"},"modified":"2024-04-14T17:04:31","modified_gmt":"2024-04-14T15:04:31","slug":"bar-sovetov-kaliningrad-retro-in-the-house-of-soviets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/bar-sovetov-kaliningrad-retro-in-the-house-of-soviets\/","title":{"rendered":"Bar Sovetov Kaliningrad Retro in the House of Soviets"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;\" class=\"sharethis-inline-share-buttons\" ><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bar Sovetov Kaliningrad Retro with a Heart of Gold<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-blue-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-0e56381bf4817781eb0db1088b4accc9\">It&#8217;s a venue which immortalises the House of Soviets, serves good beer, hosts music evenings and likes you, the customer.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>13 April 2024 ~ Bar Sovetov Kaliningrad Retro in the House of Soviets<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Do you believe in coincidences? In my most recent post I wrote about the gradual disappearance of Kaliningrad\u2019s most infamous and controversial landmark, the <a href=\"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/kaliningrad-house-of-soviets-melts-into-the-past\/\" title=\"House of Soviets\">House of Soviets<\/a>. Less than a week later, I find myself in a subterranean bar dedicated to that very building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Bar Sovetov is located in what once was, during the late 19<sup>th<\/sup> and early 20<sup>th<\/sup> centuries, the residential quarter of choice for K\u00f6nigsberg&#8217;s affluent citizens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">On foot, it is something of a trek from the city centre to this still sought-after district, but it is one I made on numerous&nbsp; occasions in the days when a bar, long since gone, the enigmatically named Twelve Chairs, exercised a consistent influence and justified the effort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-medium-font-size\">Bar Sovetov Kaliningrad <\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Whilst in the character of its rooms, Bar Sovetov does not possess the intricacy or the old-world charm that gave Twelve Chairs its <em>je ne sais quoi<\/em>, it is no less thought-provoking in the nature of its decoration and appurtenances of thematic quirk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">The two-roomed bar, with its truncated corridor leading to the lavs, is very much a pop art haven. <a href=\"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/victor-ryabinin-konigsberg-artist-historian\/\" title=\"Victor Ryabinin, former artist and local historian\">Victor Ryabinin, former artist and local historian<\/a>, would have adored it!&nbsp; Symbolism abounds: \u2018Look Out!\u2019 the slogan reads. \u2018Big Brother is Watching you!&#8217; You see it above the full-sized wall mirror in which you are watching yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"625\" height=\"831\" data-attachment-id=\"10153\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/bar-sovetov-kaliningrad-retro-in-the-house-of-soviets\/big-brother-is-watching-you-min\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Big-Brother-is-Watching-You-min.jpg?fit=963%2C1280&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"963,1280\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Big-Brother-is-Watching-You-\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Big-Brother-is-Watching-You-min.jpg?fit=226%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Big-Brother-is-Watching-You-min.jpg?fit=625%2C831&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Big-Brother-is-Watching-You-min.jpg?resize=625%2C831&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"OIga Hart Bar Sovetov\" class=\"wp-image-10153\" style=\"width:378px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Big-Brother-is-Watching-You-min.jpg?resize=770%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 770w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Big-Brother-is-Watching-You-min.jpg?resize=226%2C300&amp;ssl=1 226w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Big-Brother-is-Watching-You-min.jpg?resize=768%2C1021&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Big-Brother-is-Watching-You-min.jpg?resize=9%2C12&amp;ssl=1 9w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Big-Brother-is-Watching-You-min.jpg?resize=624%2C829&amp;ssl=1 624w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Big-Brother-is-Watching-You-min.jpg?resize=18%2C24&amp;ssl=1 18w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Big-Brother-is-Watching-You-min.jpg?resize=27%2C36&amp;ssl=1 27w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Big-Brother-is-Watching-You-min.jpg?resize=36%2C48&amp;ssl=1 36w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Big-Brother-is-Watching-You-min.jpg?w=963&amp;ssl=1 963w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 625px) 100vw, 625px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">A white face mask framed between two suspended lamps exudes from the wall. Wearing a baseball cap in such a way that it partly conceals its features, it holds to its lips an admonitory finger attached to a long white arm. As with the face above it, the arm emerges from solid brickwork as it would through the fold of a curtain. Both face and arm are whimsical, especially in the matter of their relative dislocation, but irony and surrealism are the uniting forces that bring them together. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"625\" height=\"938\" data-attachment-id=\"10154\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/bar-sovetov-kaliningrad-retro-in-the-house-of-soviets\/mask-in-bar-sovetov-kaliningrad-sssshhhh-min\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Mask-in-Bar-Sovetov-Kaliningrad-sssshhhh-min.jpg?fit=853%2C1280&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"853,1280\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Mask-in-Bar-Sovetov-Kaliningrad-sssshhhh\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Mask-in-Bar-Sovetov-Kaliningrad-sssshhhh-min.jpg?fit=200%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Mask-in-Bar-Sovetov-Kaliningrad-sssshhhh-min.jpg?fit=625%2C938&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Mask-in-Bar-Sovetov-Kaliningrad-sssshhhh-min.jpg?resize=625%2C938&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Bar Sovetov Kaliningrad retro bar\" class=\"wp-image-10154\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Mask-in-Bar-Sovetov-Kaliningrad-sssshhhh-min.jpg?resize=682%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 682w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Mask-in-Bar-Sovetov-Kaliningrad-sssshhhh-min.jpg?resize=200%2C300&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Mask-in-Bar-Sovetov-Kaliningrad-sssshhhh-min.jpg?resize=768%2C1152&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Mask-in-Bar-Sovetov-Kaliningrad-sssshhhh-min.jpg?resize=8%2C12&amp;ssl=1 8w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Mask-in-Bar-Sovetov-Kaliningrad-sssshhhh-min.jpg?resize=624%2C936&amp;ssl=1 624w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Mask-in-Bar-Sovetov-Kaliningrad-sssshhhh-min.jpg?resize=16%2C24&amp;ssl=1 16w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Mask-in-Bar-Sovetov-Kaliningrad-sssshhhh-min.jpg?resize=24%2C36&amp;ssl=1 24w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Mask-in-Bar-Sovetov-Kaliningrad-sssshhhh-min.jpg?resize=32%2C48&amp;ssl=1 32w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Mask-in-Bar-Sovetov-Kaliningrad-sssshhhh-min.jpg?w=853&amp;ssl=1 853w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 625px) 100vw, 625px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">These are just two of many examples of Bar Sovetov\u2019s camp milieu. Wherever you look, be it high or low, another element of the quaint and fanciful leaps out to greet and surprise you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">With the obvious exception of <a href=\"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/kaliningrad-gothic\/\" title=\"Aleks Smirnov\u2019s Badger Club\">Aleks Smirnov\u2019s Badger Club<\/a>, lovers of the out-of-the-ordinary will be hard pushed to find even among Kaliningrad\u2019s most unconventional watering holes anything that surpasses Bar Sovetov\u2019s quaint burlesque. But for all that it camps it up, the nostalgia has a genuine ring; it springs from a source of real affection. And the humour the props elicit, be it aimed at you and me or tailored to the refined perception of the discerning intellectual, leaves plenty of form intact for the inquisitive mind of the history buff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">The genesis, erection, completion&nbsp;and the long-standing but idle years of the House of Soviets\u2019 occupation are captured step by step in a series of timelined photographs. The images of the building in its promising phase of construction, with cranes on either side, are particularly poignant memories, given that in its obliteration almost identical cranes in almost identical places stand either side of the shrinking structure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"625\" height=\"420\" data-attachment-id=\"10155\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/bar-sovetov-kaliningrad-retro-in-the-house-of-soviets\/bar-sovetov-house-of-soviets-min\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Bar-Sovetov-House-of-Soviets-min.jpg?fit=1280%2C860&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1280,860\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Bar-Sovetov-House-of-Soviets\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Bar-Sovetov-House-of-Soviets-min.jpg?fit=300%2C202&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Bar-Sovetov-House-of-Soviets-min.jpg?fit=625%2C420&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Bar-Sovetov-House-of-Soviets-min.jpg?resize=625%2C420&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"House of Soviets at Bar Sovetov\" class=\"wp-image-10155\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Bar-Sovetov-House-of-Soviets-min.jpg?resize=1024%2C688&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Bar-Sovetov-House-of-Soviets-min.jpg?resize=300%2C202&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Bar-Sovetov-House-of-Soviets-min.jpg?resize=768%2C516&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Bar-Sovetov-House-of-Soviets-min.jpg?resize=18%2C12&amp;ssl=1 18w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Bar-Sovetov-House-of-Soviets-min.jpg?resize=624%2C419&amp;ssl=1 624w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Bar-Sovetov-House-of-Soviets-min.jpg?resize=24%2C16&amp;ssl=1 24w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Bar-Sovetov-House-of-Soviets-min.jpg?resize=36%2C24&amp;ssl=1 36w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Bar-Sovetov-House-of-Soviets-min.jpg?resize=48%2C32&amp;ssl=1 48w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Bar-Sovetov-House-of-Soviets-min.jpg?w=1280&amp;ssl=1 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 625px) 100vw, 625px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">On the opposite side of actuality, a wall in the bar\u2019s first room is a bold painted visual replica, close up and in your face, of the House of Soviet\u2019s exterior. The effect is profoundly Gotham City, gaudy, haunting, claustrophobic but seminally cartoon, a perfect piece of \u2018dark deco\u2019 kitsch. Further urbanisation occurs not in the question itself, which is off the wall whilst on the wall, but in the way it is daubed across the wall, which reflects the mind of graffiti man stretched to its utmost limit: \u201cWho,\u201d it asks, \u201ckilled the House of Soviets?\u201d If we didn\u2019t laugh, we\u2019d cry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"625\" height=\"831\" data-attachment-id=\"10156\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/bar-sovetov-kaliningrad-retro-in-the-house-of-soviets\/pop-art-in-bar-sovetov-min\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Pop-art-in-Bar-Sovetov-min.jpg?fit=963%2C1280&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"963,1280\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Pop-art-in-Bar-Sovetov\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Pop-art-in-Bar-Sovetov-min.jpg?fit=226%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Pop-art-in-Bar-Sovetov-min.jpg?fit=625%2C831&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Pop-art-in-Bar-Sovetov-min.jpg?resize=625%2C831&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Who Killed the Houe of Soviets?\" class=\"wp-image-10156\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Pop-art-in-Bar-Sovetov-min.jpg?resize=770%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 770w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Pop-art-in-Bar-Sovetov-min.jpg?resize=226%2C300&amp;ssl=1 226w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Pop-art-in-Bar-Sovetov-min.jpg?resize=768%2C1021&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Pop-art-in-Bar-Sovetov-min.jpg?resize=9%2C12&amp;ssl=1 9w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Pop-art-in-Bar-Sovetov-min.jpg?resize=624%2C829&amp;ssl=1 624w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Pop-art-in-Bar-Sovetov-min.jpg?resize=18%2C24&amp;ssl=1 18w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Pop-art-in-Bar-Sovetov-min.jpg?resize=27%2C36&amp;ssl=1 27w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Pop-art-in-Bar-Sovetov-min.jpg?resize=36%2C48&amp;ssl=1 36w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Pop-art-in-Bar-Sovetov-min.jpg?w=963&amp;ssl=1 963w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 625px) 100vw, 625px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">More real photos of the fated&nbsp;hulk that over its 53-year existence dominated Kaliningrad\u2019s skyline, exciting in its awesome prospect, ambivalent and contentious in what it actually stood for and why it stood for so long, can be found in the bar\u2019s back room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"625\" height=\"831\" data-attachment-id=\"10157\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/bar-sovetov-kaliningrad-retro-in-the-house-of-soviets\/inar-and-mick-house-of-soviets-photo-min\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Inar-and-Mick-House-of-Soviets-photo-min.jpg?fit=963%2C1280&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"963,1280\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Inar-and-Mick-House-of-Soviets-photo-min\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Inar-and-Mick-House-of-Soviets-photo-min.jpg?fit=226%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Inar-and-Mick-House-of-Soviets-photo-min.jpg?fit=625%2C831&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Inar-and-Mick-House-of-Soviets-photo-min.jpg?resize=625%2C831&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Mick Hart and Inara at Bar Sovetov in Kaliningrad\" class=\"wp-image-10157\" style=\"width:364px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Inar-and-Mick-House-of-Soviets-photo-min.jpg?resize=770%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 770w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Inar-and-Mick-House-of-Soviets-photo-min.jpg?resize=226%2C300&amp;ssl=1 226w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Inar-and-Mick-House-of-Soviets-photo-min.jpg?resize=768%2C1021&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Inar-and-Mick-House-of-Soviets-photo-min.jpg?resize=9%2C12&amp;ssl=1 9w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Inar-and-Mick-House-of-Soviets-photo-min.jpg?resize=624%2C829&amp;ssl=1 624w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Inar-and-Mick-House-of-Soviets-photo-min.jpg?resize=18%2C24&amp;ssl=1 18w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Inar-and-Mick-House-of-Soviets-photo-min.jpg?resize=27%2C36&amp;ssl=1 27w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Inar-and-Mick-House-of-Soviets-photo-min.jpg?resize=36%2C48&amp;ssl=1 36w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Inar-and-Mick-House-of-Soviets-photo-min.jpg?w=963&amp;ssl=1 963w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 625px) 100vw, 625px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">It is here that the structure\u2019s rightful place in the socio-political era into which it was given a sort of life or maybe a life of sorts is given historical context. Framed copies of Soviet art, amusing, powerful and all iconic,&nbsp;visually break up the hard brick-wall to which they are attached, whilst in one corner of the room a little shrine pays tribute to the final days of Sovietism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">There, upon a shelf, rubbing shoulders with the printed word and a quaint assortment of nick-nacks, sits a large portrait photograph of if not the architect of perestroika then the man who is widely considered to be its chief executive officer, former General Secretary Gorbachev, twinned in the opposite corner with a replica set of traffic lights, which, for some exotic reason or perhaps no reason at all beyond their anomalous presence and illuminative oddity, cast a lurid reddish glow across the whitewashed brickwork.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"625\" height=\"416\" data-attachment-id=\"10160\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/bar-sovetov-kaliningrad-retro-in-the-house-of-soviets\/bar-sovetov-kaliningrad-back-wall-display-min\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Bar-Sovetov-Kaliningrad-back-wall-display-min.jpg?fit=1280%2C853&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1280,853\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Bar-Sovetov-Kaliningrad-back-wall-display-min\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Bar-Sovetov-Kaliningrad-back-wall-display-min.jpg?fit=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Bar-Sovetov-Kaliningrad-back-wall-display-min.jpg?fit=625%2C416&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Bar-Sovetov-Kaliningrad-back-wall-display-min.jpg?resize=625%2C416&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10160\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Bar-Sovetov-Kaliningrad-back-wall-display-min.jpg?resize=1024%2C682&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Bar-Sovetov-Kaliningrad-back-wall-display-min.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Bar-Sovetov-Kaliningrad-back-wall-display-min.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Bar-Sovetov-Kaliningrad-back-wall-display-min.jpg?resize=18%2C12&amp;ssl=1 18w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Bar-Sovetov-Kaliningrad-back-wall-display-min.jpg?resize=624%2C416&amp;ssl=1 624w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Bar-Sovetov-Kaliningrad-back-wall-display-min.jpg?resize=24%2C16&amp;ssl=1 24w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Bar-Sovetov-Kaliningrad-back-wall-display-min.jpg?resize=36%2C24&amp;ssl=1 36w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Bar-Sovetov-Kaliningrad-back-wall-display-min.jpg?resize=48%2C32&amp;ssl=1 48w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Bar-Sovetov-Kaliningrad-back-wall-display-min.jpg?w=1280&amp;ssl=1 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 625px) 100vw, 625px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">The seats in this comic-strip memory, when not authentic 70s&#8217; vintage, are made from wooden pallets, painted to look distressed, put together as benches and kindly equipped with padded seats. However, recalling the slatted wood benches with which Kaliningrad\u2019s\u00a0 trains were furnished twenty-three years ago, such convenient cushioned luxury may be but the useful product of indulgent historical revisionism. Whilst the past is unrelenting in its prescribed but often unforgiving and impractical perpetuity, concessions ought to be made, don\u2019t you think, to our poor post-Soviet posteriors. Historical accuracy has its virtues, but is it worth corns and blisters?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-medium-font-size\">Bar Sovetov Kaliningrad<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">The bar itself, that is the thing on which when you buy your beer it temporarily rests on top and the area to the rear of it, is a content-managed zone, where normal things normally sold behind bars share more than their fair share of shelving space with the weird, the wild and the whimsically whacky. Note the hollow concrete blocks shown in the photo below that have been used to comprise the wall of the bar. Is that or is it not a passing nod to the House of Soviets?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"625\" height=\"470\" data-attachment-id=\"10159\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/bar-sovetov-kaliningrad-retro-in-the-house-of-soviets\/bar-sovetov-kaliningrad-beer-menu-min\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Bar-Sovetov-Kaliningrad-Beer-Menu-min.jpg?fit=1280%2C963&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1280,963\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Bar-Sovetov-Kaliningrad-Beer-Menu\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Bar-Sovetov-Kaliningrad-Beer-Menu-min.jpg?fit=300%2C226&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Bar-Sovetov-Kaliningrad-Beer-Menu-min.jpg?fit=625%2C470&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Bar-Sovetov-Kaliningrad-Beer-Menu-min.jpg?resize=625%2C470&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Bar Sovetov beer menu\" class=\"wp-image-10159\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Bar-Sovetov-Kaliningrad-Beer-Menu-min.jpg?resize=1024%2C770&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Bar-Sovetov-Kaliningrad-Beer-Menu-min.jpg?resize=300%2C226&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Bar-Sovetov-Kaliningrad-Beer-Menu-min.jpg?resize=768%2C578&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Bar-Sovetov-Kaliningrad-Beer-Menu-min.jpg?resize=16%2C12&amp;ssl=1 16w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Bar-Sovetov-Kaliningrad-Beer-Menu-min.jpg?resize=624%2C469&amp;ssl=1 624w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Bar-Sovetov-Kaliningrad-Beer-Menu-min.jpg?resize=24%2C18&amp;ssl=1 24w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Bar-Sovetov-Kaliningrad-Beer-Menu-min.jpg?resize=36%2C27&amp;ssl=1 36w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Bar-Sovetov-Kaliningrad-Beer-Menu-min.jpg?resize=48%2C36&amp;ssl=1 48w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Bar-Sovetov-Kaliningrad-Beer-Menu-min.jpg?w=1280&amp;ssl=1 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 625px) 100vw, 625px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">A conforming principle of all such bars, that is to say craft-beer bars, is that the beer selection is written in chalk on good old-fashioned blackboards. What is it, I ask myself, and I suppose you ask yourself too, about this rudimentary practice that makes it so applicable, so pleasingly, conventionally and fundamentally right and so well received in its prime objective, which is to call to our eager attention the dispensation of quality brews? When you\u2019ve found the answer to that one, you might go on to answer the question \u2018Who killed the House of Soviets?\u2019 I have a hunch that in both cases we will discover the hand of Old Father Time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">From the six or so beers on offer, I ordered myself a \u2018Milk of \u2026?&#8217; Er, a &#8216;Milk of \u2026?\u2019 What was the name of that beer? Ah yes, now I remember, I bought myself a \u2018Milk of Amnesia\u2019. How could you not drink a beer like that, with a name so unforgettable?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">In summing up the Bar Sovetov experience, the beer is good. The atmosphere is atmospheric. The people who run the bar are real; in other words, they are genuinely friendly and they are also good at what they do. They effortlessly embody and earnestly convey the qualities prerequisite for fulfilling the role they have given themselves, that of convivial mine host, in an age when many are either not up to it or simply not fit for purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Those who earn their living in the hospitality trade at customer-facing level, would do well to bookmark this truth, that the bar or pub in which they perform is as much a stage as any other and their customers are their audience. Once the curtain goes up, if you cannot manage authenticity, you must put yourself out there, put on a smile and remember that it\u2019s show time! If the act is one the punters like or at least is one that they can believe in, and the beer is good and well kept, they\u2019ll keep on coming back. Loyalty is everything, and that applies to the service industry as it does to everything else, and I cannot think of a better bar more deserving of it than Sovetov.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Copyright \u00a9 2018-2024 Mick Hart. All rights reserved.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-blue-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-8c5ebd878baa9502a4f7ee8022417b83\"><strong>The main thing:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Bar Sovetov<\/strong><br>Prospekt Mira, 118\u200b ground floor, Central District, Kaliningrad, 236022<br><br>Link to street map: <a href=\"https:\/\/2gis.ru\/kaliningrad\/firm\/70000001082036462\">https:\/\/2gis.ru\/kaliningrad\/firm\/70000001082036462<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Tel:<\/strong>&nbsp;<strong>&nbsp;<\/strong>+7 921 616 36 26<br><strong>Telegram:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.me\/barsovetov\">https:\/\/t.me\/barsovetov<\/a><br><strong>VK:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/vk.com\/barsovetov\" title=\"\">https:\/\/vk.com\/barsovetov<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Opening times:<\/strong><br>Mon: Closed<br>Tues to Thurs: 4pm to 12 midnight<strong><br><\/strong>Fri, Sat &amp; Sun: 4pm to 2am<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br><br><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Bar Sovetov Kaliningrad Retro with a Heart of Gold It&#8217;s a venue which immortalises the House of Soviets, serves good beer, hosts music evenings and likes you, the customer. 13 April 2024 ~ Bar Sovetov Kaliningrad Retro in the House of Soviets Do you believe in coincidences? In my most recent post I wrote about [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":10152,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[116,40],"tags":[2317,480,2319,483,2320,15,587,2318,2321,66],"class_list":["post-10140","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-kaliningrad-bars-restaurants-cafes","category-visitors-guide-to-kaliningrad","tag-bar-sovetov-kaliningrad","tag-beer-drinking-kaliningrad","tag-craft-beer-bars-kaliningrad","tag-englishman-beer-kaliningrad","tag-guide-to-kaliningrad-bars","tag-kaliningrad","tag-konigsberg-2","tag-mick-hart-reviews-bar-sovetov","tag-retro-kaliningrad","tag-victor-rybinin-artist"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Mick-Hart-Bar-Sovetov-min.jpg?fit=899%2C1599&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":10189,"url":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/craft-garage-kaliningrad-a-pit-stop-for-good-beer\/","url_meta":{"origin":10140,"position":0},"title":"Craft Garage Kaliningrad a Pit Stop for Good Beer","author":"Mick","date":"17 \u0430\u043f\u0440\u0435\u043b\u044f, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Arty Crafty it is and all the better for it! 17 April 2024~ Craft Garage Kaliningrad a Pit Stop for Good Beer On the same evening that we happened upon the Beer Bar on Prospect Mira and Bar Sovetov, we stumbled upon and into Craft Garage. You\u2019ve guessed it! Whereas\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0412 &quot;Kaliningrad bars, restaurants, cafes&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Kaliningrad bars, restaurants, cafes","link":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/category\/visitors-guide-to-kaliningrad\/kaliningrad-bars-restaurants-cafes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Craft Garage Kaliningrad","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Craft-Garage-pouring-beer-rz-min.jpg?fit=900%2C1196&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Craft-Garage-pouring-beer-rz-min.jpg?fit=900%2C1196&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Craft-Garage-pouring-beer-rz-min.jpg?fit=900%2C1196&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Craft-Garage-pouring-beer-rz-min.jpg?fit=900%2C1196&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":13815,"url":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/zotler-bier-kaliningrad\/","url_meta":{"origin":10140,"position":1},"title":"Z\u00f6tler Bier Kaliningrad: Buy One and Get One Free!","author":"Mick","date":"28 \u043d\u043e\u044f\u0431\u0440\u044f, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"I don't often see double before I start drinking 28 November 2025 - Z\u00f6tler Bier Kaliningrad: Buy One and Get One Free! There is a place in New Orleans, but I bet you can\u2019t buy one beer there and get one free, whereas, in Kaliningrad there is, and you can.\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0412 &quot;Kaliningrad bars, restaurants, cafes&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Kaliningrad bars, restaurants, cafes","link":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/category\/visitors-guide-to-kaliningrad\/kaliningrad-bars-restaurants-cafes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Mick Hart at Z\u00f6tler Bier Kaliningrad","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/rz-Zotler-Beer-Restuarant-Kaliningrad-Mick-Hart-Menu-min.jpg?fit=900%2C1196&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/rz-Zotler-Beer-Restuarant-Kaliningrad-Mick-Hart-Menu-min.jpg?fit=900%2C1196&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/rz-Zotler-Beer-Restuarant-Kaliningrad-Mick-Hart-Menu-min.jpg?fit=900%2C1196&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/rz-Zotler-Beer-Restuarant-Kaliningrad-Mick-Hart-Menu-min.jpg?fit=900%2C1196&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6263,"url":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/premier-cafe-bar-kaliningrad\/","url_meta":{"origin":10140,"position":2},"title":"Drinking Beer in the Premier Caf\u00e9 Bar Kaliningrad","author":"Captain Codpiece","date":"23 \u0430\u043f\u0440\u0435\u043b\u044f, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"A review of the Premier Caf\u00e9 Bar Kaliningrad by Mick Hart Updated 20 August 2022 | First published: 25 April 2022 ~ Drinking Beer in the Premier Caf\u00e9 Bar Kaliningrad After a two-year coronavirus hiatus that, give or take the odd sortie, dissuaded me from drinking in bars, I allowed\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0412 &quot;Kaliningrad bars, restaurants, cafes&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Kaliningrad bars, restaurants, cafes","link":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/category\/visitors-guide-to-kaliningrad\/kaliningrad-bars-restaurants-cafes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Premier-Bar-Kalingrad-Mick-Hart-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C554&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Premier-Bar-Kalingrad-Mick-Hart-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C554&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Premier-Bar-Kalingrad-Mick-Hart-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C554&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Premier-Bar-Kalingrad-Mick-Hart-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C554&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Premier-Bar-Kalingrad-Mick-Hart-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C554&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1665,"url":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/variety-of-beer-in-kaliningrad\/","url_meta":{"origin":10140,"position":3},"title":"Variety of Beer in Kaliningrad","author":"Captain Codpiece","date":"30 \u0438\u044e\u043d\u044f, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Mick Hart\u2019s totally biased review of bottled beers in Kaliningrad (or how to live without British real ale!) Introduction Published: 30 June 2020 ~ Variety of Beer in Kaliningrad Everybody knows that vodka is Russia\u2019s national tipple, but it may come as surprise to learn that the second favourite is\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0412 &quot;VISITOR'S GUIDE to KALININGRAD&quot;","block_context":{"text":"VISITOR'S GUIDE to KALININGRAD","link":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/category\/visitors-guide-to-kaliningrad\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Mick Hart & Olga Hart Residence of the Kings' Terrace Summer 2019","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/At-the-Three-Kings-Late-Summer-2019-RZ.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/At-the-Three-Kings-Late-Summer-2019-RZ.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/At-the-Three-Kings-Late-Summer-2019-RZ.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/At-the-Three-Kings-Late-Summer-2019-RZ.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/At-the-Three-Kings-Late-Summer-2019-RZ.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":11944,"url":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/pivovar-restaurant-brewery-kaliningrad\/","url_meta":{"origin":10140,"position":4},"title":"Pivovar Restaurant Brewery Kaliningrad","author":"Mick","date":"27 \u0434\u0435\u043a\u0430\u0431\u0440\u044f, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"British pub-like brew bar and restaurant 27 December 2024 ~ Pivovar Restaurant Brewery Kaliningrad Shame on me! It was one of my brothers who first discovered the Pivovar Restaurant Brewery, \u2018hidden away\u2019, he said, close to the foundations of a Kaliningrad Spar. That\u2019s Spar as in supermarket not spa as\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0412 &quot;Kaliningrad bars, restaurants, cafes&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Kaliningrad bars, restaurants, cafes","link":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/category\/visitors-guide-to-kaliningrad\/kaliningrad-bars-restaurants-cafes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Pivovar Restaurant Brewery Kaliningrad","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Brewery-sign-Pivovar-Brewery-Restaurant-Kaliningrad-min.jpg?fit=1200%2C903&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Brewery-sign-Pivovar-Brewery-Restaurant-Kaliningrad-min.jpg?fit=1200%2C903&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Brewery-sign-Pivovar-Brewery-Restaurant-Kaliningrad-min.jpg?fit=1200%2C903&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Brewery-sign-Pivovar-Brewery-Restaurant-Kaliningrad-min.jpg?fit=1200%2C903&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Brewery-sign-Pivovar-Brewery-Restaurant-Kaliningrad-min.jpg?fit=1200%2C903&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":14017,"url":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/yeltsin-forma-bars-kaliningrad\/","url_meta":{"origin":10140,"position":5},"title":"Yeltsin Forma Bars Kaliningrad: Many Happy Returns","author":"Mick","date":"20 \u044f\u043d\u0432\u0430\u0440\u044f, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"History is always worth repeating if the bar is good 20 January 2026 - Yeltsin Forma Bars Kaliningrad: Many Happy Returns No, of course it has nothing to do with birthdays, anniversaries or anything like that, neither mine, the Yeltsin\u2019s nor Forma\u2019s; it\u2019s just what anyone who appreciates good beer\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0412 &quot;Kaliningrad bars, restaurants, cafes&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Kaliningrad bars, restaurants, cafes","link":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/category\/visitors-guide-to-kaliningrad\/kaliningrad-bars-restaurants-cafes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Mick Hart sampling sweet pizza in the Forma bar, Kaliningrad","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/rz-Mick-Hart-Forma-Bar-Pizza-Kaliningrad.jpg?fit=900%2C1196&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/rz-Mick-Hart-Forma-Bar-Pizza-Kaliningrad.jpg?fit=900%2C1196&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/rz-Mick-Hart-Forma-Bar-Pizza-Kaliningrad.jpg?fit=900%2C1196&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/rz-Mick-Hart-Forma-Bar-Pizza-Kaliningrad.jpg?fit=900%2C1196&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10140","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10140"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10140\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10152"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10140"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10140"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10140"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}