Must-see nightlife in Southern Ukraine

  • The entrance to Shkaf, a basement bar and club in Odesa

    Shkaf

    Odesa

    It feels like entering a shkaf (wardrobe) from the outside, but what you find inside is a heaving basement bar–club, a surefire antidote to Odesa's trendy…

  • Dizyngoff

    Odesa

    Each of the three young owners here throw something into the mix: Israeli cultural influence, French culinary education and really good musical taste…

  • The Fitz

    Odesa

    Doubling as a barbershop by day, this little bar has an edgy, decadent feel enhanced by aged walls and a magnificent chandelier that bedazzles incoming…

  • Friends and Beer

    Odesa

    This charming re-created USSR-era living room littered with photos of Russian film stars is proof that 'retro Soviet' doesn't have to mean political…

  • Kofeynya ZheTo

    Odesa

    If one dessert can save the world, then it is Kyiv-style cake produced in this tiny coffee shop that looks like a slightly cramped dollhouse. But the main…

  • Foundation Roasters

    Odesa

    Designed in a cool, retro-industrial style, this coffee shop is run by bearded lumberjack hipsters who approach the brewing process with a near-academic…

  • Mick O'Neill's Irish Bar

    Odesa

    This long-standing Irish pub is a great place to start an evening and an even better place to finish it, as it's the only outdoor patio on vul…

  • Plyazhnik

    Odesa

    As often happens, you need to walk an extra mile to find something smarter than the clubs on Arkadia. This one attracts a crowd of goatee-bearded Vespa…

  • Itaka

    Odesa

    It's slightly more downmarket than other clubs in Arkadia and consequently often rowdier (in a good way). The Greek columns and statues are a tad much,…

  • Ibiza

    Odesa

    This white, open, cave-like structure is Arkadia's most upmarket and most expensive club. European DJs and big-ticket Russian and Ukrainian pop bands…

  • Palladium

    Odesa

    The winter headquarters of Itaka takes up the slack downtown when Itaka shuts down in September. There's a nightly show at around 11pm, followed by…