Propaganda is slated to open May 7 on Cherokee Street.
After closing the popular watering hole Art Bar last month, owner Tatyana Telnikova announced Wednesday her new plans for the Cherokee Street space: a Soviet-themed bar called Propaganda inspired by her early years growing up in the USSR.
Propaganda is slated to open at 2723 Cherokee Street on May 7—the Saturday after Cinco de Mayo and always a big party day in the growing entertainment district. Telnikova tells SLM she plans to offer a curated selection of spirits and Russian-style hors d’oeuvres amid a Soviet-themed dive bar atmosphere, complete with “propaganda posters, murals to inspire the bar’s comrades, and cozy booths to conspire in.”
Telnikova says Propoganda won’t be a “Russian bar” so much as a dive bar with a strong dose of Russian hospitality, defined by elaborate toasts, deep conversation, and, of course, vodka.
Telnikova already displays her Russian heritage on the menu at HandleBar, the Grove bar she also owns, which serves Russian-style crepes and dumplings. Propaganda's limited menu will focus on Zakuska, the Russian word for appetizers that go with drinks and literally means “something to bite after.” Telnikova says the menu will start with soups, pierogi, pickles, and spreads.
“Much like HandleBar is my tribute to my adult home, St. Louis, Propaganda will be a playful take on the Russia of my childhood,” Telnikova says.
See also: Eastern Promises: HandleBar Owner Stuffs Menu with Russian Delights
Keeley Kromat will take over the beverage program at Propaganda in addition to her role as Director of Inebriation at HandleBar.
“I’m not planning to theme the bar around any specific spirit or type of drink, but instead offer a small but well curated selection of offerings,” says Kromat. “It’s far more important to both Tatyana and I that we incorporate vital aspects of Russian culture into the experience.”
Telnikova was born in Moscow and moved to St. Louis at age 16.
“It was truly a time of change,” Telnikova tells SLM of her childhood in Russia. “I was born in the USSR, but by the time I moved to the U.S., I moved from the Russian Federation. In my short time in Russia, I watched our currency change three times. I stood in endless lines with my mom to get basic produce like bread and milk, heard stories of my grandparents living and dying during Stalin’s rule, saw tanks going down main avenues of Moscow.”
Telnikova remembers hearing and seeing Soviet propaganda “coming from every direction” as a child and plans to riff off that incessant messaging in her new bar.
“I think what I did learn back then is that propaganda exists everywhere at all times, but just because you hear a message loud clear and often, it doesn’t make it true,” Telnikova says. “So in a way, I'm poking fun at the beautiful brainwashing messages and hope to remind people to try to think for themselves as much as possible.”
Telnikova will hang personal photos of family and friends in Russia in the bar along with posters, flags, and Matryoshka dolls. She plans to bring more decor home after visits to Russia.
Propaganda will open on all Fridays and Saturdays in May, with hours expanding in June and a grand opening on June 1.
Contact Lindsay Toler by an email at LToler@stlmag.com or on Twitter @StLouisLindsay. For more from St. Louis Magazine, subscribe or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
