La Perestroïka

The competitors around here default to tarte flambée and regional wine lists. La Perestroïka does something else entirely: propaganda posters, Cold War kitsch, and a back bar that treats vodka as the serious subject it deserves to be. It's attached to the Hôtel Le Grillon on Rue Thiergarten, which makes it sound like a hotel bar — but the locals who've claimed it as their go-to spot will tell you it's something more than that.

The outdoor seating is the draw in warmer months, good for a long apéro that slides into evening without anyone noticing. Inside, the decor does the heavy lifting — there's a visual density to the place, photos and artifacts that reward slow drinking more than a rushed round.

Vodka shots are the move the staff will point you toward, and the regulars seem to back that up. Beer and wine are available and unpretentious. The team is genuinely warm — the kind of staff that makes a solo seat at the bar feel like a reasonable Tuesday-night decision rather than a slightly sad one.

This isn't where you come for a meal. There are no dish hints because there aren't really dishes — this is a drinking spot, full stop. In a neighborhood that can feel transitional, somewhere between the station and the Ill, La Perestroïka's clarity of purpose is its actual selling point: it knows what it is, it does that thing with conviction, and the 4.2 rating across 400-plus reviews suggests Strasbourg has noticed.