You're reading: Summer night route: Dogs & Tails, The Bar, Barbara

A key to a good Saturday night out is picking a bar route. Here's a simple recipe that works: start with some filling food and drinks in a stylish eatery, go on to a trendy bar, and polish it all with a sunrise seen from an around-the-clock rooftop pub.

A recommended choice to begin the night is Dogs & Tails. A relatively new venue is a second eatery for a company of the owners of Milk Bar, a little overpriced but a generally pleasant hipsterish cafe with a stylish design. The same goes for Dogs & Tails, which is located just across the street from the Milk Bar, at 19 Shota Rustaveli St, in the back of the Kinopanorama movie theater.

The place offers a dozen varieties of hot dogfrom a classic one with tomato sauce and onions to various original recipes, including a tofu hot dog for vegetarians (all around Hr 80-90). It’s better to stick to the hot dog menu, because appetizers can be disappointing – mostly because of the size of the servings.

Dogs & Tails offers a cocktail menu with local variations of the classic cocktails for about Hr 90-120. A simple classic cocktail like margarita (Hr 115) can be served too. The quality of the cocktails gets mixed reviews on the bar’s Foursquare page, but three out of four cocktails turn up good for me and my friends. Bonuses: pinball tables and DJs.

On weekends Dogs & Tails is open until the last visitor, but staying in one place is a waste of a Kyiv summer night.So slide out of the cozy courtyard at Shota Rustaveli and proceed down the street and to the left to one of the centers of Kyiv nightlife, Arena Mall (2A Basseyna St.).

Here, stop at The Bar for a couple drinks. While being in a similar price range with Dogs & Tails, The Bar attracts a different crowd – here, the bearded hipsters and girls in pricey sneakers are replaced by businessmen in a party mood and the women whose heels’ height is nearly the same as the length of their skirts. English is common here – the place attracts expats and tourists. Drinks go for Hr 100-120. Bonuses: an indoor swing and a free photo booth.

When you feel tired of The Bar’s loud chatter, it’s time for the culmination. Take a taxi (for Hr 40) to Barbara Bar at 37-41 Artema St. On weekend nights, this popular gastropub offers DJ music on its lighted rooftop terrace overlooking a residential neighborhood. Drinks are Hr 90 and a kitchen works around-the-clock, so one can see the sunrise holding a plate of chocolate pancakes (Hr 55) or an American breakfast (Hr 70). Bonus: the terrace is smoke-free.

Kyiv Post lifestyle editor Olga Rudenko can be reached at [email protected]