Summary
- What are the Ukrainian specialties?
- 1. Puzata Hata
- 2. Varenichnaya
- 3. Spotykach
- 4. Barvy
- 5. Korchma Taras Bulba
- 6. Khutorets on the Dnieper
- 7. Petrus-b Restaurant
- 8. Klukva and Brukva
- 9. Kanapa Restaurant Lounge
Are you going to visit Ukraine? A good trip often goes through the taste buds! Here is a top 9 of the best places to eat in Kiev!
Knowing Ukrainian specialties will undoubtedly help to know the Ukrainian culture and traditions. How indeed, how to visit Kiev and other cities in Ukraine without tasting the culinary specialties of the locals? Kiev is the capital of Ukraine, located in the northwest of the country and bordered by the river Dnieper. It has almost 2.9 million inhabitants and is one of the oldest bastions of Christianity in Europe. Straddling Eastern Europe and the Asian continent, Kiev has a cultural, historical and gastronomic heritage that cannot be ignored.
Would you like to know the best restaurants where to eat in Kiev? The editorial staff of Génération Voyage puts on its gastronomic guide apron to help you prepare your taste journey through the best tables of the Ukrainian capital! Here is a brief selection of the best restaurants where to taste Ukrainian specialties!
What are the Ukrainian specialties?
Mostly, Ukrainian cuisine is based on country productions marked by cold and very long winters and short and hot summers. But Ukrainian specialties are based on the legacies of German, Turkish, Polish or Russian culture. Thus Ukrainian agriculture is based on cereals, vegetables (potatoes, cabbage, squash, beetroot, mushrooms, carrots), pork, chicken, beef and dried or smoked fish. Traditional dishes include soups, salads, breads, dishes with a wide selection of local drinks. Here are a few examples:
- Borsch : Vegetable soup, made from beetroot,
- Solianka: soup with smoked meat, carrot kidneys, onions, tomatoes,
- Youchkra: soup based on carp and freshwater fish,
- Russian salad: a Russiansalad,
- Vinihret: beetroot salad with peas, onions and white beans,
- Oseledets: marinated herring, with onions, pepper and sunflower oil,
- Paska: Easter bread, decorated with Easter symbols,
- Korovaï: round braided bread,
- Kalatch : ring-shaped bread, served at Christmas,
- Varenyky: boiled ravioli, stuffed with potatoes, cabbage, fresh cream, cheese and seasonal fruit,
- Holubtsi: cabbage stuffed with minced meat and rice,
- Kapustiany: cold coleslaw, oil and mayonnaise,
- Galoubtsi: cabbages stuffed with meat,
- Chachliks: meat skewers (pork or chicken).
There are many others, to be enjoyed with vodkas, Crimean wine, local Ukrainian beers such as Chernigovsky, Obolon, Rogan or Lvivsky.
Also read :
The 8 must-do things to do in Kiev
9 unusual things to do and see in Kiev
1. Puzata Hata
Puzata Hata is not a restaurant, but a chain of restaurants (here it is not pejorative). One will taste typical Ukrainian specialities there cheaply at lunch and in the evening. Puzata Hata means "the den of the belly". As much as to say that one is going to "break the belly" at lower cost: salads, soups, salted or sweet pies, meats, sweet or salted varenyky, thousand and one vegetables, rice and pasta, pancakes and desserts, etc. There are several establishments in the city of Kiev.
Address: Kontraktova Square, 2/1, Kyiv, Ukraine, 04070
2. Varenichnaya
Varenichnaya is another popular channel among Ukrainians. You can taste traditional dishes such as "chicken Kiev", chicken with blueberry sauce, varenyky. The dishes are not copious: if you are hungry for wolf, you will have to order several things to "pick up" from several plates: tapas from the east!
Address: Khreschatyk St, 29/1, Kyiv, Ukraine, 02000
3. Spotykach
Sometimes described as one of the best restaurants in Kiev, Spotykach serves all Ukrainian specialties, with borscht, beef Stroganoff makis, and the famous Varenyky. The restaurant is cheap considering the quality of the plates served. The Spotykach also does fusion cuisine.
Address: Volodymyrska St, 16, Kyiv, Київська, Ukraine, 01025
4. Barvy
This restaurant of traditional cuisine allows you to explore Ukrainian specialties and is very popular with locals. The cuisine here is reputed to be tasty, copious and succulent. What to eat at Barvy? Pâtés and foie gras, varenyky (local dumplings), golubtsi.
Address: Mechnykova St, 3, Kyiv, Ukraine, 01023
5. Korchma Taras Bulba
Another must-see restaurant is the Korchma Taras Bulba: in fact, it is less a restaurant than a chain of restaurants. The place specializes in Ukrainian specialties and the room is decorated in the colors of the local culture. On the menu, try Borsch, Varenyky, "chicken Kiev", Russian vodkas and local liquors.
Address: Pushkinska St, 2-4/7, Kyiv, Ukraine, 02000
6. Khutorets on the Dnieper
How would you like to eat Ukrainian specialties on a converted barge? Khutorets on the Dnieper is original but the cuisine is traditional. You will enjoy this Ukrainian meal with a view of the Dnieper: ravioli, pork, lamb, Varenyky, etc.
Address: Naberezhno-Khreshachatyts'ka St, 10А, Kyiv, Ukraine, 04070
7. Petrus-b Restaurant
This restaurant is popular with locals and tourists alike. It has a fairly complete menu that should satisfy all taste buds. The ingredients are fresh, and one finds the inescapable Ukrainian specialities: Borsch, varenyky, golubtsi, sprinkled with beers and local vodkas. On the side of the tourists having tested it, most of the opinions collected on the web are laudatory.
Address: Esplanadna St, 28, Kyiv, Ukraine, 01023
8. Klukva and Brukva
Klukva and Brukva is one of the first restaurants in Kiev to offer local cuisine. The menu consists mainly of carefully prepared local and seasonal Ukrainian food. Pork Borsch is replaced by duck for a more innovative mix. The typical traditional Ukrainian dishes and specialties are composed with a search for lightness, which should appeal to you if you are looking for a way to eat well, fresh and healthy!
Address: Antonovycha St, 16, Kyiv, Ukraine, 02000
9. Kanapa Restaurant Lounge
Here's one last restaurant, yet another among the best restaurants in Kiev: Kanapa has received rave reviews for its setting - a view of the Dnieper -, its borscht, "chicken Kiev", goluptsi (stuffed cabbage), caviar trio (sturgeon, pike, herring), Kiev pie for dessert.
Address: Andriivs'kyi descent, 19, Kyiv, Ukraine, 01025
