Cognac for Brunch or Dinner? How to Choose in St. Petersburg

Cognac, a French bistro from the Bacchus team, serves brunch from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. Dinner begins at 3 p.m., running until 9:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

The simplest way to choose is by your must-have dish. Breakfast-focused choices point to brunch, while dinner provides a broader list of appetizers, meats and seafood. Some bistro dishes—including escargot, grand aioli, steak frites, grilled chicken and salmon—also appear during brunch, so they are not reasons by themselves to wait until after 3 p.m.

Choose brunch for pastries, sweets and eggs

Brunch is the clear choice for Cognac’s breakfast dishes. The pastry selection includes a croissant, pain au chocolat, blueberry danish and spinach-and-feta pastry. Sweeter options include homemade pancakes with whipped cream, fresh fruit and maple syrup, plus French toast.

Egg dishes include three Benedict preparations, French omelets, eggs your way and an egg croissant. For a varied order, combine a pastry with an egg dish. If a sweet breakfast is the priority, build the meal around the pancakes or French toast instead.

Arrive before 3 p.m. for these brunch choices.

Choose dinner for the broader savory menu

Dinner suits diners who want to build a longer savory meal from appetizers and a wider range of meat or seafood entrées. Appetizers include salmon tartare, escargot, grand aioli and a duo of foie gras.

The meat selection includes steak frites, grilled chicken, lamb chops, filet mignon flambéed with Cognac, ribeye and a tomahawk for two. Seafood options include salmon, mussels, trout with almonds, potato-crusted cod and coquille Saint-Jacques.

A concrete dinner plan is to start with salmon tartare, escargot or grand aioli, then choose a meat or seafood entrée. Lamb chops, filet mignon, ribeye and the tomahawk expand the meat choices beyond steak frites and grilled chicken, while mussels, trout, cod and coquille Saint-Jacques broaden the seafood side.

The practical choice

Book brunch when the visit revolves around a croissant, pain au chocolat, pancakes, French toast, Benedict or omelet. Choose dinner when you want the broader savory selection or prefer a later meal. For the latest dining window, Friday and Saturday dinner continues until 10:30 p.m.