The Coffee Racer café in St. Petersburg‘s historic Tsentralniy district has been a fixture in the local hospitality scene for quite some time. Part of a growing chain of coffee parlours, its owner Ruslan Malkov had already laid down the venue’s design codes, being understated and distinctly industrial, but when the opportunity arose to expand next door, the entrepreneur called design practice Kidz for a makeover with more or less the same perspective. Interestingly, the premises have very much been an extension of Malkov’s personality and taste level, and as such, the revamp had to be meticulously coordinated in order to preserve the existing vibe. The name Coffee Racer is a nod to British café racer motorcycles from the 1960s which were technically modified to boost their speed, and very much linked to a bygone subculture.
The slightly subversive nature of the motorcycles is somewhat reflected in the interior design. That said, the new aesthetic takes the venue to the next level, featuring a table top of Brazilian granite, rusty sheet metal as wall cladding, and a brushed steel wall finish accented by rough welds. However, to avoid overly literal associations with bikers, ‘softer’ elements and materials have been added to the setting, such as a curved wall-mounted bench, vintage Finnish chairs, and minimalistic light fixtures. The menu at Coffee Racer lists classic coffee concoctions, and given the current sunnier climes, a range of coffee-inspired cold drinks, in addition to breakfast and lunch bites and freshly baked pastries.
Coffee Racer
8-ya ulitsa Sovietskaya 14 (Tsentralniy)
190961 St. Petersburg
Telephone: +7 812 4166107
Daily 9am-9pm
Publishers Note
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