Odesa
From the multihued old bicycles and rainbow park benches bolted to the pavement outside to the jumble-sale decor of the quirky interior, this art cafe is…
Must-see restaurants in Ukraine
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…
Central Ukraine
Located in the 17th-century casemates near the fortress, this is the town's most characterful place to fill the hole, even if service is practically non…
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…
Central Ukraine
This old town cafe serves deruny (potato pancakes), pelmeni (dumplings), mamalyha (Romanian corn mash) and Ukrainian soups, and has a summer terrace that…
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…
Odesa
A kitsch little Ukrainian island in Russian Odesa, Kumanets produces affordable holubtsy (cabbage rolls), varenyky (dumplings) and deruny (potato pancakes…
Lviv
From the top of the Panorama Hotel there are unrivalled views over pr Svobody and central Lviv. OK place for a mid-morning coffee to admire the vista but…
Kyiv
An upscale supermarket with imported foods, pre-prepared meals and a clutch of expensive cafes where chefs do creative things with all of that premium…
Kyiv
Here at the central branch of the excellent and wildly popular upscale stolovaya chain, you’ll find a whole range of traditional Ukrainian cuisine.
Kyiv
The Khreshchatyk branch of this wildly popular chain of stolovayas is located just off the glamorous Pasazh shopping arcade.
Kyiv
Beijing duck comes in all shapes and sizes in this Chinese-expat getaway hiding in a courtyard off bul Tarasa Shevchenka.
The Carpathians
Indoors this place teleports you to a kind of Ukrainian Bavaria, but summer is the best time to visit Knaus when you can sit out with a Bavarian beer in…
Central Ukraine
The best all-around option in Uman, with a faux-country interior and a broad and busy summer terrace. It's English-challenged, so dial up shashlyk (kebabs…
Kyiv
Bila Tserkva's most upscale eatery has a summer terrace right on central pl Soborny and an elegant interior. The menu has pictures to point at but no…
Eastern Ukraine
Resembling a Ukrainian khutor (a traditional farmstead) with lots of outdoor seating in a lush garden, this folksy restaurant is the place to go if you…
Odesa
When lunchtime strikes, going where the local student and office-worker population find nourishment usually makes sense. This clinical self-service…
Lviv
The smaller Lviv branch of this national chain serves exactly the same food as its bigger brother but is much more cramped and stuffy in summer. However…
Central Ukraine
One of a handful of places along vul Hrushevskoho in the centre, this funky coffeehouse at the gates to Vinnytsya's central park has an African theme …
Eastern Ukraine
A riverside farmstead with a population of white geese and a dining room, where they serve hearty borshch and varenyky dumplings with all kind of fillings…
Central Ukraine
This modern and central cafe opposite St Nicholas Church is about as good as it gets. There's no English menu, but there are pictures so you can point to…
Central Ukraine
When it's 'time to eat' (a translation of the name), join the feeding frenzy at this cheap, quick and painless self-service canteen just across from the…
Lviv
A secluded but busy spot down the Passage Andreolli just off pl Rynok, this lively place is adorned with a collection of old radios and Mucha posters and…
Kharkiv
This city-centre branch of Ukraine's most celebrated fast-food chain is incongruously styled as a warren of thatched cottages bedecked in bucolic knick…
Lviv
Nothing more than a window through which a friendly Georgian woman passes the bready-cheesy-spicey snacks the country is known for. It's all delicious and…
The Carpathians
Brightly painted no-frills, no-smiles basement feeding spot with grim dinner ladies ladling out buckwheat, pasta, fried fish and other Ukrainian staples…
Central Ukraine
This underground Ukrainian interpretation of a Czech microbrewery, with exposed beer vats, serves several varieties of home brew, including a commendable…
Eastern Ukraine
Right by the entrance to Myrhorod-Kurort, this cellar place serving Ukrainian and East European standards is bland and reliable. Varenyky with sour cherry…
Central Ukraine
This Italian place sits halfway between the centre and Sofiyivka Park, serving the best pizzas in town along with soups, well-presented salads and some…
The Carpathians
Basic self-service canteen dolloping out cheap groats for budget travellers and office workers. It's on the 1st floor of the Rio Plaza shopping mall.
Eastern Ukraine
The best supermarket in the city centre, located on the left as you head from Korpusny Park towards Kyivsky train station.
The Carpathians
If self-catering, there’s a Vopak supermarket between the bus and train stations.
Central Ukraine
Around for longer than anyone can remember remembering, this old favourite has a bearskin spreadeagled on one wall and crispy pizza that is its main…
Kyiv
It's been here in Podil since the times of the Vikings (though not the current Soviet structure). Like any Ukrainian market, it is always rich in seasonal…
