There's a new Mexican restaurant in town, and judging by the crowds of people dining inside, it's already proving a popular venue.
Situated on the Fontanka not far from Nevsky Prospect, La Cucaracha's central location is ideal.
Its decor looks expensive and completely Western. There's not a trace of Russian-ness anywhere to be seen. And although it might look expensive, the food is extremely reasonable. A meal for two, including cocktails, will set you back around 150,000 roubles.
And the food, when you finally get it, is genuine Mexican cuisine, which is well prepared and, as you would expect, very spicy. When I say "finally," I jest not. Arriving at the restaurant at 9:30pm, we waited until nearly 10:45pm before a morsel of food reached our lips.
The service is slow, but it seems that those who book in advance or who are from St Petersburg's Latin community get served first. If you arrive late in the evening, you're liable to perish from hunger before you get your meal. But let's give the place a fair chance: the first week has been chaotic for the owners and things look set to settle down.
The atmosphere is refreshingly non-mafia and rather like a student hangout. This seems to be a popular joint among expatriates, young Russian couples and university students from various Western countries. Sitting here, you could almost feel you were in Paris or London rather than St Petersburg.
The restaurant is done out like a Spanish/Latin buttery, with low vaulted ceilings and painted in a warm peaches-and-cream color. The chairs and tables are really interesting: smooth matte black steel, which is the latest in state-of-the-art Italian furniture.
So let's turn to the menu, which is bright orange, fun-looking and written in faux Aztec script in both Russian and English. Firstly you'll notice the prices are in Mexican pesos. It took us ten minutes to figure this out. One peso equals 1,000 roubles, so with the average main dish costing 25-30 pesos, you're not left stung.
We decided to order two tequila sunrises, which arrived in tall glasses. The bright orange juice topped with deep red liqueur looked great, as did the creamy white pina colada I spotted being served up on another table.
For starters we chose a basket of french fries with a hot and tasty guacamole dip at 12,000 roubles, but you can also choose an avocado dip at 13,000 roubles.
Then came the main courses -- delicious and succulent burritos con carne at 35,000 roubles and enchiladas con pollo (chicken) at 28,000 roubles. Each dish consisted of three light pancakes with a creamy cheese and sour cream filling, meat and spiced vegetables. Rice with sweet corn and peppers provided the finishing touches.
Also on the menu is a range of tasty American burgers, barbecued chicken wings, spare ribs, chili con carne, crema Mexicana soup and various ensaladas (salads).
Unfortunately we were too full up for sweets, but you can choose from home-made apple pie at 15,000 roubles, rice pudding at 10,000 roubles and a fantastic tropical desert with fresh kiwis and mint ice cream at 13,000 roubles.
Uta Heil, La Cucaracha's manager, said, "We have been overwhelmed by the public's response. We have been packed out every night since we opened. The problem is that we didn't anticipate this success so quickly.
"And because our kitchens are quite small, it's difficult to serve people quickly when it's so busy," she added.
The restaurant is a joint venture between Ms Heil and her two partners, one from England and the other a St Petersburger.
"Our aim was to create authentic Mexican cuisine in a cozy atmosphere at reasonable prices. We can say that we're democratic here. Even a student on a grant can afford to come here once a week for a good meal and the prices are not beyond the reach of the average Russian either," said Ms Heil.
We asked English student Flora Smith what she thought. "This is my second trip here since opening and I can see it's going to be a real lifeline. We all love it."
After your meal, we suggest a cool walk along the Fontanka Canal or if all that hot and spicy food left you feeling parched, there's an attractive beer garden around the back of the restaurant.