Restaurants Japanese Murakami D-2, Sahaidachnoho 35, MDnipro, tel. (+380) 44 425 01 90, www.murakami.com.ua/en. All the usual suspects (nigiri, maki, sashimi, etc.) are represented in Murakami, and they also offer a touch of Thai and their own original dishes. We went on a Saturday and the place was packed. Don’t worry, the sushi will arrive fresh and tasty, but your order will definitely start at the back of the queue. Karaoke gets started at 22:00. (One side note about karaoke in Kyiv: Ukrainians take their singing very seriously. If you think that the audience will get a kick out of your piss-take of Barry Manilow’s “Copacabana” think again – you’re likely to get booed). Delivery is also available. QOpen 11:00 - 24:00, Sat, Sun 13:00 - 06:00. €€ PTALVGBW
Nobu A-5, Shota Rustaveli 12, MPalats Sportu, tel. (+380) 044 246 77 34, www.2k.ua. A great Asian restaurant right in the centre, and guess what - sushi is not the main course! It has a lovely Asian design, holds 50, and has both smoking and non-smoking sections. The menu is in English and the staff spoke it really well. An average meal will run about 350-400Hr and certainly worth it. We had the “duck brisket in teriyaki sauce” with salad for just 198Hr. QOpen 11:00 - 24:00. PALGXW
Seafood Barkas B-4, Volodymyrska 49A, MZoloti Vorota, tel. (+380) 44 569 56 42, www.brsystems.ua. It is right by Kyiv’s “Golden Gate”, yet you would be forgiven if you thought you had been transported to Crimea. It’s a great seafood restaurant with “Black Sea” cuisine. But not just cuisine - all the food comes from Crimea; fish, veggies, wine, and preserves. You can actually pick your dinner from the large aquarium. Its design is of a ship and there is seating for 150 – banquets are welcome. The prices are quite reasonable with an average meal - with wine - costing around 350Hr. On Thursday & Friday there is a musical duo for your entertainment. There are 2 “happy hours” weekdays; unlimited buns are served from 10:00-12:00 and unlimited coffee is available from 14:00-16:00. QOpen 10:00 - 23:00. Porto Maltese H-4, Chervonoarmiys’ka 72, MOlimpiyska, tel. (+380) 44 288 18 88, www.portomaltese.kiev. ua/en/restorant.html. Porto, which can be found inside the Olympiys’kyi trade complex is the latest in the worldwide chain of Porto restaurants. The venue specialises in dishes made from the finest fish and seafood, as well as cuisine from Serbia and Montenegro, Croatia and Slovenia. Visitors can select the fish themselves and then observe the entire preparation process. QOpen 12:00 - 24:00. €€€€ PA
Soviet Varenichnaya Katusha C-3, H-2, Sofiivska 14,
MMaidan Nezalezhnosti, tel. (+380) 44 220 00 15, katysha.com.ua/en. A recently opened member of a rapidly growing restaurant chain here in the capital. It is authentic Ukrainian food at very reasonable prices. The atmosphere is homey with books and lots of knick-knacks from by gone days. Everything is fresh and homemade including some yummy cakes! The menu changes every four months. Aside from the expected Ukrainian food there are other great dishes such as salmon steak for just 89Hr. There is no English menu, but the pictures did help, and communicating is English was a bit difficult. QOpen 09:00 - 22:00.
kyiv.inyourpocket.com
Vegetarian In the not so distant past there was not a single restaurant where Kyiv citizens and guest could eat purely vegetarian food. Some of the better restaurants though did have some vegetarian dishes to choose from. Recently this tradition (which in our opinion was a bad one) has finally come to an end. Restaurants are finally offering more and more vegetarian dishes and there are even a rare few that offer the real thing: a healthy philosophy and thinking, a healthy surrounding, and healthy food. iLive A-5, Esplanadna 32, MPalats Sportu, tel. (+380) 095 700 53 37, ilive.kiev.ua. This lively lounge café found its place in a basement, just a step from Olimpiysky stadium. The menu and philosophy are based on a diet of raw vegetables, with some of the food coming from the proprietor’s own garden. The menu features mainly vegetarian food, the exception being dishes with salmon. Different soups, porgies, vegetable cutlets, rise, risotto, sauté... if you have never tried to avoid meat you will be surprised to meet so many various options. Whatever you choose from the main dishes, for dessert, their baked apple is a must. There is a menu in English and the staff eagerly speak some. QOpen 10:00 - 22:00. PAVGBSW Tri B-3, Olesia Honchara 15/3, MZoloti Vorota, tel. (+380) 44 292 03 03/(+380) 67 628 25 15, tri.kiev. ua. To our memory this is the fourth restaurant that has opened in this location. We really do hope it will have long life. This is probably without any exceptions, the only completely vegetarian restaurant in town. The menu excludes dishes from meat, fish, eggs, sugar, yeast, white flour, and milk. It is based on seasonal food which grows in the region. The bar and healthy bakery offer fresh juices, smoothies, organic teas including their own house blends, cereals drinks, and cocktails from nut milk. The menu features main course dishes from spinach, mushrooms, cabbage, and other vegetables for 65-79Hr. There are also soups for 35-49Hr and salads for 43-69Hr. But the restaurant itself is only a part of the space. Tri: is a family place, so bring your kids with you to take part in numerous activities offered by the restaurant. QOpen 07:30 - 21:00, Sat, Sun 08:00 - 21:00. PAGS
Uzbek Eshak H-6, Chervonoarmiyska 85/87, MPalats Ukraina, tel. (+380) 44 383 33 00, www.eshak.com.ua. A new addition to the Uzbec Restaurant trend. It is a stunning place to vist with the “Mongol decor” transporting you to another time & place. It is quite large with seating for 300 including several VIP rooms for private gatherings of up to 10. It is also “children friendly” with many families visiting on weekends. An average meal will cost around 300Hr per person. From Thursday through Sunday there is live music in the restaurant and a DJ on the terrace. There are also products & fresh exotic spices for sale. QOpen 11:00 – 23:00. PAGSW Tubeteyka H-3, Tarasivska 29/50, MOlimpiyska, tel. (+380) 44 287 02 42, www.2k.ua. A real Uzbek restaurant! It’s just outside the centre but easy to get to. There is a lovely terrace outside and inside it’s decorated to the hilt with items and costumes from Uzbekistan. It seats 120 with smoking and non-smoking areas. The staff is really friendly and speaks English ok. An average meal costs around 200-250Hr and there are business lunches weekdays from 12:00-16:00 for 64 and 84Hr. There is another restaurant of this chain nearby the Olimpiyskiy Stadium at Esplanadna 2 and another one at Lesi Ukrainky bulv. 34. Each of these two is as perfect as the first one. QOpen 10:00 - 23:00. PTAEGXSW Winter 2013 - 2014
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