There's more on tap than just the big game, as a range of pubs fly their true colors as fall soccer season starts anew.
and decide on where to watch the games. We’ve already had Shakhtar taking on AC Milan and AS Roma hosting Dynamo, but there are other crucial events to come.
To help fans decide where to go, I’ve compiled a short-list of places in the city center for checking out the action, including notes on the food and drink.
O’Brien’s Irish Pub
One of the best things O’Brien’s (17A Mykhailivska, 229-1584) does is simply advertise loud and clear when the games are on. Right inside the front door is a prominent list of games and game times, so only a drunken fool is going to miss anything important.
One of the worst things about O’Brien’s is it’s the most expensive place of all the central sports bars when it comes to eating, though it’s less so when it comes to drinking.
For nibbles the standards are wings, French fries, onion rings and fried mushrooms – in that order. At O’Brien’s, you’re going to shell out Hr 42, Hr 22, Hr 20 and Hr 18, respectively, for these bites. Granted, the service is fast and the food arrives hot, so there’s nothing too much to complain about unless one of your buddies stiffs you on the bill.
As for beers, O’Brien’s has 11 varieties on tap, with a low-end price of Hr 8 (Slavutich, Lvivske) and a high-end price of Hr 24 (various imports). They have happy hour discounts, but no games in recent memory fell anywhere between the hours of 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Golden Gate Irish Pub
The last time I checked out the city’s sports bars I neglected to mention that Golden Gate (40/2 Volodymyrska, 235-5188) flies high as a city sports venue. Actually I forgot to mention it at all. Quite a mistake, really, as Pub general manager Robin Attryde gave me a royal chewing-out over the affair. His big-screen TV is working just fine, and he’s got a new promo on to let people know all about it.
Throughout the fall Champions League schedule, from Saturday through Thursday starting at 6 p.m., Golden Gate will offer 20 percent off meals ordered (and eaten) at the downstairs Bothy Bar, and to make the deal sweeter yet, half-pints of local SunInterbrew beers Chernihivske, Chernihivske Biyle and Stella Artois will all be reduced as follows: Hr 6 for Chernihivske, Hr 7 for the Biyle, and Hr 8 for Stella. House wine will also be reduced, to Hr 14 for 200 ml.
Attryde knows his business as well as anyone, and for sports fans that means quite a bit. In addition to the above special, his pub has the largest selection of beers on tap in Ukraine (at last count it was 22), and the nibbles served at GG come in bigger portions than elsewhere. They’re not cheap, but you get what you pay for: Hr 40 for chicken wings, Hr 19 for fries, and Hr 26 for onion rings. A chicken torpedo sandwich (with fries) comes in at Hr 47.
Still, Attryde hasn’t got it all right. He still needs to install televisions directly behind the bars upstairs and downstairs so that more people will take advantage of the bar meal deal, and the pub’s signage advertising games is pitiful. Actually, there is none. Instead there are all those handouts and flyers from the Myrovaya Karta restaurant group, of which GG is part.
Opera Cafe
Long known as a student’s sports bar, Opera Cafe (51/53 Volodymyrska, 228-2836) opposite the Opera has plenty going for it. The drinks and eats are cheap; if you’re young, single and speak Russian, it’s a great place to meet people; and it’s open 24 hours. TV screens are everywhere, and for those bored of the sports the place has a foosball table, pool tables and a small casino.
As for drinks at Opera, look to pay about the same as elsewhere – about Hr 7 to Hr 8 for domestic pints. But for food, it’s going to be a lot less. The ample basket of chicken wings and fries goes for just Hr 16, fries for just Hr 6, onion rings for just Hr 7, and fried mushrooms for Hr 12. A club sandwich costs Hr 12. And it’s all quite decent considering the price. You’ll need to know Russian or Ukrainian to communicate with the staff, though.
Planeta Sport
The flashiest sports bar in the center, Planeta Sport (3 B. Khmelnytskoho, 229-7929) covers all the games, has more TV screen per square inch than a circa 1980s Bryan Adams video, and tons of seating. This is all good, as it means there’s no straining your neck to watch the game, but it’s more of a place for taking your date out to watch the game than for gathering a huge crowd of guys together for the same purpose.
Planeta Sport has lots to offer in terms of pub food, from chicken wings with five different sauces to chicken sandwiches, blinys and lots more, but the kitchen staff is not equal to the task, and even on a slow night the food often arrives tepid. As for beers, the selection is pithy for such a place, with only various Obolon varieties, Amstel and Edelweiss wheat beer on tap (from Hr 10 and up per pint).
