Caucasian hospitality at Kunatskaya Tavern

Kunatskaya Tavern, which recently opened in Holosiyivkiy district, invites all to appraise its Caucasian hospitality. In fact, “kuntatskaya” means “friendly” and is a common term for this type of eatery in the Caucasus. The owners of the tavern come from Dagestan and naturally decided to open a restaurant of their favorite kind.

Located on the first floor of a business center, the tavern has a patio, one moderately sized hall and a VIP room. The interior is designed to carry the authentic flavor with roughly carved wooden tables and chairs, walls decorated with statuettes, dishes, hand-woven bags and painted ornaments.

Only some dishes on the menu are actually Caucasian, yet many names allude to this culture. The menu is supplied with informative descriptions of some historical peculiarities of the region – the nationalities, Ubykhi and Narty, and national hero Kotsy Bega. Perhaps in this way the owners wish to acquaint the visitors with their national culture and history as well as cooking.

During the day, the place is an obvious lunch choice for employees of the business center – the business lunch for Hr 33 sounds very inviting, while in the evening it turns into a popular hangout for local residents and office workers looking for a relaxing evening.

I experienced it in full when I came to Kunatskaya Tavern on a Thursday night. By the time I had arrived the party was already in full swing. All of the tables, but for the one I had booked, were taken, a football game was showing on TV and a number of guests were watching it and discussing loudly. At the same time, a band was getting ready to play onstage. The VIP room was taken by a group of young men wearing “golden” medals around their necks – obviously athletes, maybe even football players, watching the game and cheering loudly.

As I was seated right by the window and just a step away from the stage, I knew that the friend I was expecting would want to change tables. The music was fine, but we had a lot of things to discuss and it was so loud, we’d have to shout the whole time. Luckily it was one of those Indian summer nights and we soon moved to the terrace.

Dishes on the menu were for the most part quite simple but supplied with funny names, like a mushroom assortment (Hr 35) called “After Rain on Thursday” (a common Russian proverb, meaning something that is unlikely to happen). The salad section contained “Kunak Abroad” (Hr 50) of eggs, tomatoes and shrimp served in avocado, several kinds of Cesar – classical (Hr 44.56), the “female” version (supposedly, especially mild) and with salmon, Hr 55. A mix of salmon and mushrooms was also advised as a “great option for ladies.” Also, there was Viennese liver (Hr 55), pancakes, shashlik, veal medallions, hachapuri Dagestan-style and other dishes.

I was tempted by the “Kremlin Diet” – cheese fried in breadcrumbs (Hr 37) and ordered them, but, given my sore throat, I decided to start my meal with a hot soup and pickled solianka (Hr 35). The solianka was a classical home-made style version of the popular soup with meat, pickles and a mix of vegetables. My friend had a cream of mushrooms soup (Hr 33), which she also enjoyed.

For the second course, my friend opted for fried cauliflower (Hr 24), a simple and healthy dish. I was then disappointed to hear that the “Kremlin Diet” wasn’t available at the moment. I had planned to share it with my friend. But I still got my veal steak “Kunatskiy” (Hr 78) – a big piece of meat that should satisfy the hunger of a man – but I just felt carnivorous that night. There was indeed something wildly Caucasian about the steak, generously spiced with unusual herbs and somewhat at a pine flavor. Unfortunately, it was also not soft enough, so I felt like a real cave woman, digging into it with my teeth. The White Caucasian Sauce (Hr 11) served with it tasted like mayonnaise with generous bits of pickles mixed in.         

I finished my dinner with a piece of Napoleon cake (Hr 36) – all right, but not outstanding, while my friend dared to have ice cream (Hr 30), even though we were seated outside. Something about the style of the place coupled with ridiculous names on the menu made Kunatskaya seem a bit like something from the classic Soviet 1960s comedy “Kidnapping Caucasian Style.” However, the loud rock’n’roll tunes played inside distinctly pronounced that this was nothing but nostalgia.

Kunatskaya Taverna (7 Holosiyivska, 332-4560). Open 9 a.m. till the last customer

English menu: No

English-speaking staff: No

Average meal: Hr 150