Eating out is about more than just food—it’s about the full experience, where atmosphere, views and design matter as much as the menu. Nestled in St. Petersburg, a city often credited with a modern gastronomic revival, Mansarda Restaurant crowns the Gazprom Headquarters with a striking rooftop presence. Spread across around 1,000 square meters, this elegant restaurant pairs refined cuisine with panoramic views of the city, offering an exceptional vantage point to admire St. Isaac’s Cathedral in all its grandeur. With generous walls of glass, Mansarda ensures that the scenery outside complements every meal inside.
Designed by the Milan-based studio Piuarch, the restaurant departs from the usual rooftop trope with an interior that feels both sculptural and playful. The ceiling is a centerpiece: a three-dimensional geometric composition formed from neatly spaced oak strips that creates rhythm and movement across the volume. Slender vertical glass panels, positioned at different angles, introduce additional texture and reflections, refracting daylight and the city’s night lights in shifting patterns. The result is an interior that feels luminous and dynamic, where architecture and view work together to frame each dining moment.
RELATED: Juvia Penthouse Restaurant Promises Dazzling Views of Miami And Delectable Cuisine
Natural light floods the space during the day, while the city’s evening glow converts the restaurant into an intimate and glittering destination at night. The outer skin alternates between glass surfaces and solid elements, creating varied light intensities and privacy levels across the dining room. This thoughtful interplay of transparency and enclosure ensures that some tables feel immersed in the panorama while others remain cozy and sheltered.
The interior palette favors warm, natural materials and a restrained aesthetic. Minimal wooden tables and chairs underscore the architecture without competing with it, while custom room dividers introduce subtle separations between dining zones. One of the restaurant’s more playful touches is the use of everyday objects—spoons and wine glasses—reimagined as decorative elements and bar counter detailing. These small, inventive features lend the space character and reinforce the restaurant’s contemporary, handcrafted feel.
Lighting plays a key role in defining mood: discreet LED strips accent the ceiling’s geometry and highlight joinery, while ambient fixtures create warm pools of light over tables. The combination of considered materials, precise detailing and layered lighting results in a refined yet approachable dining environment.
Photography for the project was produced by Andrea Martiradonna, capturing the balance of architecture, light and the city beyond. Mansarda’s layout combines casual seating areas with more formal dining zones, and a clearly organized floor plan that supports both intimate dinners and larger gatherings. The result is a versatile rooftop restaurant that celebrates its spectacular location, polished interior design and thoughtful material choices.
Photography: Andrea Martiradonna
RELATED: Restaurant Rehab: COLONIE in Brooklyn Heights, NYC
