Showing 1-21 of 21 results
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Arena Night Club
At the top end, new clubs are constantly trying to outdo each other in terms of price, decadence and beauty of clientele, such as Arena Night Club, Decadance House and Barsky. To enter any of these you'll have to pass through some of the strictest feis kontrol (face control, ie door policy) in the city, so dress the part. Women usually get a substantial discount off the admission prices listed.
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Baraban
This popular journo hangout is hard to find but a colourful cast of regulars manages to do so on a nightly basis. This is the place to talk politics and plot revolutions, and it also has decent food at good prices - including burgers.
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Barsky
At the top end, new clubs are constantly trying to outdo each other in terms of price, decadence and beauty of clientele, such as Decadance House and Arena Night Club, but the talk of the town when we were there was the newly opened Barsky. To enter any of these you'll have to pass through some of the strictest feis kontrol (face control, ie door policy) in the city, so dress the part. Women usually get a substantial discount off the admission prices listed.
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Bierstube
The German-influenced menu (all dishes served with charming mugs o' ketchup and mustard), smoky basement air and chummy environment persist post-Eric (a well-known bar and club entrepreneur and former manager of Bierstube). However, the service has taken a nosedive. Go through the archway and hug the right.
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Blindazh
This textbook dive bar, done up like a Red Army bunker, has old Kalashnikovs, grenades and other weaponry behind the bar for you to fondle. Order a 'Boromirovka' - Burn energy drink and tonic mixed with 14 shots of vodka and served in an old metal pail.
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Caribbean Club
Sort of a Latin version of Shooters (another club), complete with sleazy Wednesday 'Ladies' Night'. It's been around forever, which tells you something. Women usually get a substantial discount off the admission price listed.
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Decadance House
At the top end, new clubs are constantly trying to outdo each other in terms of price, decadence and beauty of clientele. Decadance House was the original VIP club, and was soon followed by Arena Night Club and Barsky. To enter any of these you'll have to pass through some of the strictest feis kontrol (face control, ie door policy) in the city, so dress the part. Women usually get a substantial discount off the admission prices listed.
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Dnipro Party Boats
To really go local take one of these 1½-hour 'disco' river cruises. They're cheap, they're cheesy, and they're unpredictable. Just buy a ticket, board the boat (they leave when full) and start drinking. Didn't think you'd get caught dead dancing to Russian pop? Think again. Catch the boats at pier 11, south of the richnoy vokzal (river boat terminal). Women usually get a substantial discount off the admission price listed.
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Double Coffee
Of the chains, our favourites are Double Coffee for its breakfasts and Kofiym for its general bohemian ambience.
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Jeans Beach Club by Opium
Two popular summer venues are in Hydropark: Jeans Beach Club by Opium and Sun City. Hydropark also has a clutch of more downmarket clubs on the south side of the metro tracks that can get decidedly ugly as the evening wears on. Women usually get a substantial discount off the admission prices listed.
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Kaffa
The recent onslaught of coffee houses has not changed one thing: long-standing Kaffa still serves the most heart-pumping, rich-tasting brew in town. Coffees and teas from all over the world are served in a pot sufficient for two or three punters in a blissfully smoke-free, whitewashed African-inspired interior - all ethnic masks, beads and leather.
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Kofiym
Of the chains, our favourites are Kofiym for its general bohemian ambience and Double Coffee for its breakfasts.
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Pasazh
This Austrian-style coffee house is one of several cafés found on and around Pasazh, a hip street accessed through an ornate archway off vul Khreshchatyk. Great for people-watching as you tuck into some of its delicious cakes.
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Pomada
You know Kyiv's come a long way when we can actually publish the names of gay clubs (they used to all be underground). This is lively and centrally located, but it's the one place in town where women pay more to get in.
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Repriza
Not only does it have good coffee and delectable pastries and cakes, but it also makes a fine, affordable lunch stop.
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Shakalad
An über -hip student crowd gathers here to take advantage of affordable eats and swap digits (and occasionally saliva) in the co-ed bathrooms. The outdoor patio is a fun place to warm up for big summer nights out - indeed many people never make it beyond here.
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Shato
Mainstream by location and comfortably so by nature, this popular brewpub has large picture windows overlooking Kyiv's main drag. Order a Slavutych beer; it's brewed on the premises.
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Shooters
A classic pick-up joint where hordes of expats and pretty young things flock night after night to dance to the same tired soundtrack until way past bedtime. Women usually get a substantial discount off the admission price listed.
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Sun City
Two popular summer venues are in Hydropark: Sun City and Jeans Beach Club by Opium. Hydropark also has a clutch of more downmarket clubs on the south side of the metro tracks that can get decidedly ugly as the evening wears on. Women usually get a substantial discount off the admission prices listed.
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Sunduk Pub
Although the motif here is old movies, it still has a fairly traditional pub feel and a wide selection of imported and local beer. Still, most people come for the relatively cheap Ukrainian eats and outdoor patio. There's a smokier, much less appealing version on vul Mykhaylivska 16.
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Viola's Bierstube
The Bierstube's former sister bar is still run by Eric's (a well-known bar and club entrepreneur and former manager of Bierstube) ex-wife, Viola. It's similar to the Bierstube (down to the mugs o' mustard), but the service is friendlier and better. The hard-to-find dark wooden door is on the left under the archway leading to the courtyard (it's under a vent).
Showing 1-21 of 21 results
