Kyiv
Spotykach shed its retro-Soviet theme in 2014 and adopted a Ukraininan revolutionary theme, with pictures of Taras Shevchenko and Bohdan Khelmytsky (and…
Must-see restaurants in Kyiv
Kyiv
Sneak away from the busy uzviz into this beautiful old wooden house with sliding-glass doors overlooking a lush ravine out back. Kanapa serves modern…
Kyiv
Hidden in a 'secret bunker' under maidan Nezalezhnosti, this is both a nationalist shrine and one of Kyiv's best restaurants. Everything – from the…
Kyiv
One of Bakhchysaray's best restaurants, Musafir relocated to Kyiv in May 2015. The unmistakable scent of Crimean cooking wafts from the kitchen, where a…
Kyiv
Kyiv's best Italian restaurant has been around seemingly forever, churning out legendary homemade pasta and risotto in a whitewashed cellar smack next to…
Kyiv
This is modern Georgian cuisine at its finest. Try the fork-whipped egg-and-butter khachapuri (cheese bread) and a shoulder of lamb or charcoal-grilled…
Kyiv
A perpetually long queue moves with lightning speed towards a window where two women hand out pieces of fried dough enclosing a mouth-watering sausage…
Kyiv
An upscale stolovaya, 'Hut of the Pot Belly' is an excellent place for budget travellers to sample traditional Ukrainian cuisine. There are plenty of…
Kyiv
'Ginger' is a delightfully earthy cafe filled with books, Zen-inspired music and the scent of jasmine. The Asian and European menu is all-vegetarian,…
Kyiv
This gem enjoys a wonderfully surreal end-of-the-universe setting by the velodrome and doubles as a really cool bar. Owners seem to be positively obsessed…
Kyiv
There are only so many quintessential Ukrainian dishes for experiment-prone chefs to play with, but it's not an obstacle for the true culinary pioneers…
Kyiv
Foodies will love this farm-to-table restaurant for its seasonal menu and locally sourced ingredients. Classic dishes are incorporated with different but…
Kyiv
This is much more than the best wine shop in increasingly wine-happy Kyiv. On the premises you'll also find an upscale grocery store, a top pizzeria …
Kyiv
This fun if slightly hokey eatery offers a great introduction to Ukrainian food without breaking the bank. Pumpkin is not just in the name, it's all over…
Kyiv
This place masterfully re-creates old Kyiv (c 1900) without falling into the schmaltz trap that dogs many a Ukrainian-theme restaurant. The chefs boldly…
Kyiv
Tucked away in a small lane opposite Pechersky market, the Badger set several trends when it opened in 2010 – namely, gastropub, organic food and open…
Kyiv
In addition to being the most kid-friendly restaurant in town, Vero Vero serves some of the best Italian food in Italy-obsessed Kyiv, highlighted by its…
Kyiv
Krym also goes by 'Qirim' and occupies several spaces around maydan Nezalezhnosti, including a well-placed summer terrace. Tasty and wildly affordable…
Kyiv
This centrally located pizzeria is entirely owned and operated by veterans of the war in the east. More than a great story, it actually has really good…
Kyiv
For a memorable dining experience on the Dnipro River, visit this elegant restaurant in a stationary boat. The view alone is worth the visit but the menu…
Kyiv
A lively falafel embassy in the land of borshch. Lamb kapsa (shoulder with wild rice, good for two) and shashlyk (kebab) are the specialities, but its…
Kyiv
Cupid is a great Lviv-styled cellar knaypa (pub) abutting a secondhand bookshop. The culinary highlights are the domestic sausages and the eclectic,…
Kyiv
The food here is some kind of magic: salmon carpaccio, bistecca alla fiorentina, ravioli nero with salmon and a nice rack of New Zealand lamb – certainly…
Kyiv
This is Kyiv's quintessential theme restaurant, decorated in rustic 18th-century style and filled with tour groups from the nearby Lavra. Ukrainian…
Kyiv
This little bakery specialises in delicious pies with various fillings, all hand-rolled and freshly baked on premises – you can watch the bakers work…
Kyiv
Tucked into a vaulted cellar with green walls and Chagall-style frescoes, this place has a unique menu of Jewish dishes from all over Ukraine. The bill is…
Kyiv
Wildly popular Gogi serves four varieties of khinkali (dumplings) in addition to the full complement of Georgian staples and soups, like chakapuli (lamb…
Kyiv
Owner Walter has made this simple eatery near the maydan a home-away-from-home for expats from the Apennines – a sure sign that nothing can go terribly…
Kyiv
This veteran institution with stand-up tables serves awesome pies with a variety of fillings – from jam to meat – and coffee. There's also an adjoining…
Kyiv
The capital's best blyny (pancakes) come from a shack in front of the otherwise unspectacular Ukrainian restaurant, O'Panas, in the heart of Shevchenka…
Kyiv
Delicious little spot for fresh-baked pyrizhky (pies), with several locations around town, including near Palats Sportu.
Kyiv
A great snack stop occupying a supremely cosy wood house next to the Bulgakov Museum, specialising in extra-thin bliny (pancakes) topped with cheese, eggs…
Kyiv
This pricey French-owned cafe offers a chance to mingle with oligarchs, politicians and their dressed-to-kill partners. There's a full raw/vegan menu,…
Kyiv
The closest you'll find in Kyiv to an American diner. Think large bowls of salad, burgers, hot dogs, fluffy pancakes and full English breakfasts. The…
Kyiv
This long-running basement restaurant in a courtyard off Podil's vul Sahaydachnoho does reliable khachapuri, khinkali (dumplings), chanakhi (lamb stew)…
Kyiv
Fresh from the Black Sea is the fish and fresh from Sevastopol is this Crimean transplant. Favourites include the sterlet (a small sturgeon) and Black Sea…
Kyiv
Named after the ubiquitous Russian salad, this modern stolovaya (cafeteria) is a great place in the centre of town to fill up cheaply on Slavic…
Kyiv
Barcelona meets Odesa in this miniature restaurant a few steps from maydan Nezalezhnosti. Food is mostly Spanish – think paella and fideua – but the chef…
Kyiv
A lighthearted take on an American diner – large bowls of salad, burgers, hot dogs, fluffy pancakes and full English breakfasts. The pride of the place…
Kyiv
In business since 1997, Himalaya is the best place to get your curry fix in Kyiv. It somehow has gotten both better and cheaper with age. The Indian food…
