At least two dozen of new venues have opened in Kyiv recently, with menus ranging from American hot dogs to banush (Carpathian corn porridge). Here are five new places that shouldn't be missed:
Barbara Bar
37-41 Artema St.
24 hours
096-875-7587
Barbara Bar is for people who are hungry when it’s very late or very early or any time in between. It’s open around-the-clock and it serves breakfast any time, day or night. We recommend the oatmeal with a drop of whiskey (Hr 30), pumpkin soup with coconut and ginger (Hr 45) and Scandinavian salmon meatballs with pine nuts (Hr 90). In a nice twist, the furniture and decor in the cafe are handmade and can be purchased. Sundays are “Barbara Days,” when female guests receive special discounts and freebies. Barbara Bar shares the same owners and space as Atlas Club, where there are parties on Fridays and Saturdays.
Dogs & Tails
19 Shota Rustaveli St.
12 p.m. till the last visitor
044-353-0907
The founders of the popular Milk Bar have opened a new venue, just across the road from their first successful restaurant. Their new project, Dogs & Tails, specializes in American hot dogs, with unique recipes carefully compiled by New York chef Christopher Faulkner and Milk Bar chef OleksandrKatayev.
Dogs & Tails has live music and DJs most evenings. The bar menu contains about two dozen original cocktails.
The cafe is located in the Small Hall of Kinopanorama. (This cinema, by the way, holds special Movie Mondays for movie buffs, screening old American films and serving popcorn.)
Kiflyk Ethno Gastro Cafe
4 Shota Rustaveli St.
10 a.m. – 11 p.m.
050-378-3782; 093- 672-2201
Ukrainian cuisine is so much more than borscht and varenyky. And those who want to learn more about it will find that this place comes in very handy indeed.
Kiflyk opened last month and focuses on Carpathian cuisine, including corn porridge, small fried potato bagels (krumplianyky), Carpathian sausages, cheeses and potato pancakes. The dessert specialty is kifli, – the small sugar rolls for which the cafe owes its name.
For dinner, we recommend the cream soup with the Carpathian cheese brynza (Hr 52), blood sausage with hurka rice (Hr 65), a plate of Carpathian cheeses with grapes, marmalade, honey and nuts (Hr 115), or a meat plate (Hr 105).
In terms of drinks, Kiflyk offers homemade Carpathian tinctures, mulled wine with rum and fresh juices, as well as tea and coffee.
Kiflyk’s only drawback is its lack of space. We recommend making reservations.
Liubimyi Diadia
20 Pankivska St.
8 a.m. – 11 p.m.
044-289-1885
Liubimyi Diadia is a new venue specializing in Middle Eastern cuisine. Its chef is from Israel.
Here, one will find hummus (Hr 45), bourekas (Hr 75), Arab salad (Hr 75), the pizza-like dish sfiha (Hr 75), Iraqi tomato soup (Hr 85), salmon carpaccio (Hr 149) and Jewish braided breradchallah (Hr 55).
The restaurant is in sections: a living room, a library and a kitchen. The details of its design, with vintage and handmade furniture and a large bookcase full of old books contribute to the restaurant’s relaxed atmosphere.
St. Murena
16 Yaroslaviv Val
Sunday – Thursday12 p.m. – 11 p.m.,
Friday – Saturday 12 p.m. – 2 a.m.
044-230-9460
A small cozy cafe in the old part of central Kyiv, St. Murena offers a basic cocktail menu, simple food, and regular screenings of art house movies and music sets from popular DJs on weekends.
The cafe’s owner lived in Italy for over a decade before coming back to Kyiv with inspiration to open an eatery.
We recommend noodles with turkey and the beef salad. The noodles are made for order and require some waiting – but its worth it.
St. Murena also compliments its food with original liqueurs, uniquely flavored with pineapple-lemon, melon, a mixture of peppers and buckwheat-horseradish.
Kyiv Post staff writer Victoria Petrenko can be reached at [email protected].
