Until recently, the idea of coffee to go sounded like something out of a movie to common Kyivans.
Tom Hanks uses Starbucks coffee as a metaphor for people’s ability to make decisions in “You’ve Got Mail.” Anne Hathaway, in “The Devil Wears Prada,” is often seen running in her fancy outfit to fetch carton coffee cups for her boss. And in one Simpsons episode, Bart walks into a piercing salon, warned at the entrance that Starbucks will open there in a few minutes, then walks out with a pierced ear and a coffee.
The world’s major coffee-to-go giant, Starbucks, was once promised to arrive in Ukraine. But while Starbucks is stalling, it’s lesser known but no less-worthy counterpart, Gloria Jean’s Coffees, already brought the coffee-to-go culture to Ukraine. Its popularity is growing with an increasing number of cafes. Some local coffee shops have also started offering the “to-go” option and, of course, there is McDonald’s. One of the benefits of coffee to go is being able to get yourself a cup on your way to almost anywhere. Unfortunately, in Ukraine you still need to know where to go to get your coffee to go. But hopefully the trend and demand will generate a bigger supply of places.
McDonald’s
It is widely recognized that, even if you refuse to eat at McDonald’s for reasons that don’t require explanation, its coffee is worth attention. Until recently, it was the only coffee-to-go option in town. Considering that there seems to be more outlets of this famous American chain than other cafes offering “to-go” options, it beats them all in availability. You can have espresso, cappuccino (Hr 7.50) or a latte (small and big) done in a minute.
Gloria Jean’s Coffees
We have written about Gloria Jean’s Coffees more than once, but it rightfully takes a special place in this story. Having opened one spot near Lva Tolstogo metro station, the franchise has already expanded and offers two more cafes. One is by the entrance to Passage on Khreshchatyk. The other is right in front of Palats Ukraina concert hall, on the opposite side of the street.
The first and oldest Gloria is the largest and a favorite with its big summer terrace. Ever since opening, I became such a frequent guest that the staff has learned my preferences by heart – usually a medium-sized Mocca White Chocolate. The advantage of the place is that it is specially equipped as a coffee-to-go cafe: the desks for ordering and preparing drinks are separated so that visitors won’t crowd one spot. After your drink is ready, you can powder it with chocolate, cinnamon, colorful additives and add in various sauces – caramel, chocolate, etc. Hot and cold drinks are served in paper cups for you to take away. White cups with Gloria’s logo are displayed in the showcases only. The latest special offer at Gloria Jean’s is fresh orange juice served in small, medium and large glasses – till now it was only possible to buy bottled Jaffa juices there. Snacks are also sold, including pies and cakes (Hr 19-25), salads (Hr 29) and sandwiches. The choice of coffee drinks is large. In addition to standard espresso and cappuccino, they serve various drinks – Irish cream, vanilla latte, chocolate, ice latte, smoothies, Italian sweet water and much more. The median price of the drinks is Hr 24 – not the cheapest coffee in town, but the quality speaks for itself. You are also able to choose the consistency of espresso and milk you prefer. By the way, I recently noticed with pleasure that the coffeehouse now operates one hour longer – till 11 p.m.
Gloria Jean’s at Palats Ukraina is twice as small as the first spot and, frankly speaking, I was a bit disappointed with their service. The guy at the coffee machine was so slow that I even managed to look through several pages of the Kyiv Post until I got to make my order. Maybe he was new. Anyway, I enjoyed sitting at a long narrow table facing the window and watching passersby.
The third Gloria Jean’s shares its premises with Kira Plastinina clothing store. There are no tables, except for a narrow desk at the window for five people and a terrace, not so much in use in this weather. Thus the place is meant solely for to-go orders. Despite such a central location (a few steps from Maidan), when I dropped by, it stood almost empty. This only made the service more attentive though.
Gloria Jean’s Coffees provides a casual discount system. You can get a card, on which the cashier will mark every drink you buy. After you have purchased ten drinks, the 11th drink is free. Students can get a discount till 1 p.m. (with student ID, of course).
Coffee House
Coffee House in Podil, which I liked for its comfortable sofas and unobtrusive atmosphere, failed me as a coffee-to-go place. First of all, they don’t have any decaffeinated drinks, so I had to order a tea-to-go for Hr 19 instead. Then I was further disappointed by the fact that they don’t sell tea in quantities less than 400 milliliters. Another disadvantage is that they don’t have any properly equipped station for serving drinks to go. So I had to wait by the cashier’s stand, where the assistant was busy preparing orders for visitors sitting inside. After my tea was ready, I had to ask for a saucer for the used tea bag.
If you choose coffee, you can be served any coffee drink plus cocktails and milk shakes, but the latter will take more time to prepare. What I liked about Coffee House coffee is that it always tastes the same. Coffee House has practically the same discount system as in Gloria Jean’s, but it seems more advantageous. After you buy four drinks, you receive the fifth for free, but you have to choose one that doesn’t include alcohol. And the main advantage of Coffee House is that it is open for 24 hours!
Shokoladnitsa
I can barely be called a frequenter of Shokoladnitsa (Chocolate Maker). Their cappuccinos seemed to be made up of milk foam rather than coffee, which I found really irritating. However, Shokoladnitsa earned some points in my mind when I learned that they serve decaffeinated drinks, though not all coffees from the menu can be served without caffeine. Shokoladnitsa on Chervonoarmiyska, which I visited to try their coffee to go, was practically empty and the bar counter was located far from the entrance, contrary to Coffee House on Podil. The prices are practically the same as in Gloria Jean’s Coffees – Hr 21 for a medium Cappuccino (taking into account that Shokoladnitsa’s medium is not as large as in Gloria Jean’s), but the coffee tasted decent. A big advantage for those wishing to order a snack in addition is that Shokoladnitsa offers a wide choice of dishes, including starters, salads, desserts and sushi.
Gloria Jean’s Coffees (34 Chervonoarmiyska, Ploshcha Lva Tolstoho metro; 118 Chervonoarmiyska, Palats Ukraina metro; 13 Khreshchatyk (Kira Plastinina shop), 289-6277);
Coffee House (16 Kostyantynivska, 425-1799; Globus, Maidan Nezalezhnosti);
Shokoladnitsa (1/2 Baseyna, 246-7079).
