Free Wi-Fi Internet hotspots are booming in Kyiv, people staring at their laptop screens are becoming a typical site in city cafes.
As free Wi-Fi Internet hotspots are booming in Kyiv, people staring at their laptop screens are becoming a typical site in city cafes.A lot of active modern workers don’t want to stay in the office all day but prefer remote work using free WiFi, or wireless fidelity Internet connections, in their local restaurants, bars and cafes.
For businessmen, WiFi is a possibility to “kill two birds with one stone,” combining a business lunch with negotiations. All the agreements can be signed at once and documents dispatched via the Internet. Restaurants and cafes without free WiFi are at risk of losing their popularity. At present there are more than 100 free WiFi hotspots in Kyiv. We just list some of them, scattered around.
Il Patio in Podil is very comfy, but if you want to come there with your laptop, on business days it’s better to do it between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., and then from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., to avoid the crowd. Plug sockets are accessible and a nonsmoking area is provided. The staff members are quite competent but music is a bit too loud. For serious work you should take a seat at the restaurant’s upperlevel, where it’s quieter and less crowded.
The style of Varenichna 1 restaurant is exactly what you expect from the name. It is spacious enough; plug sockets are easily accessible. A serious minus – Russian “chanson” played loudly, and noisy visitors on top of that. However, it gets thumbs up for being open around the clock. Therefore, nighttime Internet surfers are always welcome here.
During the day, the connection speed can drop significantly, possibly because of close proximity to the city center, a number of “competing” networks, and also heavy use by coming visitors.
In Ikra (Caviar) restaurant, you can ask any waiter for your free WiFi code. The Restaurant’s interior is done in dark colors, combining luxury and austerity. Their Internet connection is quite good, and its speed is high. Among visitors you may come across quiet persons in suits with laptops as well as loud celebrity gatherings. However, there are enough seats in the two halls, plenty of comfortable sofas and wide tables to accommodate your work.
Imposing Caravan carries the spirit of writer Omar Khayyam and popular scholar Hodja Hasreddin, as well as free WiFi. A nonsmoking hall and plenty of plugs are also available. It’s highly recommended for those looking for a peaceful place to eat and work. But be warned – Caravan can make you so relaxed that you may not want to go back to your office after a lunch there.
The creative interior of Kupidon, a mix of “afro” and “industrial” styles, and music, are well matched. Plenty of plugs, and a nonsmoking area is there too. Its mostly bohemian patrons fit into the scene, and sitting there with a laptop seems perfectly natural. The recommended time of work there is between 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Restaurant Capo di Monte really looks like an ideal place to work on your laptop. Its space is divided into small halls with just a couple of tables in each, rested against wooden book shelves, where among books you can spot Fyodor Dostoyevsky and Lev Tolstoy. You get a feeling of being in your own private office. Internet speed is high and it’s an open network, so you don’t need any access codes for it. The only slight minus is no plug sockets.
Wi-Fi addresses
Il Patio (13/5 Ihorivska, 501-7464);
Varenichna (128 Esplanadna, 287-1539);
Cupidon (1-3/5 Pushkinska, 279-7171);
Capo di Monte (33/35 Saksahanskoho/Zhylyanska, 287-1236);
Ikra (11 Pankovska, Ploscha Lva Tolstoho, 288-1990);
Caravan (10 Klovskiy Uzviz, 280-9577);
Da Vinci Fish Club (12 Volodymyrska, 490-3434);
Decadence House (16 Rustaveli, 206-4920);
La Casa Del Habano (13 Klovskiy Uzviz, 492-7448);
Marche (13 Chervonoarmiyska, 451-4050);
Nobu (12 Rustaveli, 246-7734);
Ani (72 Chervonoarmiyska, 590-2565);
Kazbek (30A Lesi Ukrainky, 285-4805);
Koleso (Naberezhno-Khreshchatytska, pier No. 14, 462-5596);
Marokana (24 Lesi Ukrainky, 254-4999);
Murakami (Naberezhne Shose, pier No. 2, 428-7224);
Rukola (Naberezhne Shose, pier No. 6, 428-7717);
Khinkali (4 Shota Rustaveli, 234-0692);
Shato (24 Khreshchatyk, 279-3704);
La Paella (83 Saksahanskoho, 289-5734);
Antresol (2 Tarasa Shevchenka, 235-8347);
Kafka (11/61 Lva Tolstoho, 390-7197);
Repriza (10/5 Sahaydachnoho, 417-1908).
