For a dark, smoky atmosphere, you could do worse than Bar Beer, which is on the main street, just off Ploshad Volkovo, heading towards the monastery. Be warned though, they ONLY sell beer. If you're looking for anything other than beer, you would be better off heading to Ars Café yes, it was funny the first few times I heard it as well, which is located inside a theatre next to the Bear's Corner hotel. There are three main sections to Ars Café, an upstairs, with comfortable sofas, which is often busy, a downstairs section, with dance floor and a big long table for larger groups, and a back room, which you have to pay to get into, but is very comfortable, and is primarily supposed to be used to smoke Kalyan Shisha. Across the road from Ars Café is Tarzan, a higher end establishment, which is a restaurant by day. Dark inside, with a jungle theme. Relatively recently, the new bar "Silver" opened on Ulitsa Svobody, near the Ulitsa Pobedy junction. Pleasant inside, with a very silver theme. They also serve food. Bristol, on Kirova, is nice, but pricey. As you walk past, be sure to listen out for the George Michael blaring from the speakers on the outside of the building.
Aktor, a studenty bar a few years ago, has now become a seedy, unpleasant place, and Cocktail Bar, next door, threaten to serve you "Cancer" a mis-translation of Crab, but that's the least of your worries - bad vodka, appalling service, and a joke of a toilet means it's better avoided.
