Since its invention in the late 19th century in America, the hamburger has become one of the most popular dishes in the world, helped on its way around the globe by the spread of fast-food chains.
On its journey through time and across space, the basic burger theme — a beef patty between two halves of a freshly baked bun — has undergone countless variations, with lettuce, cheese, sauces and bacon being frequent additions to the basic burger.
Western-style burgers only arrived relatively recently in Ukraine, with the first McDonald’s restaurant opening next to Lukyanivka metro station in Kyiv in May 1997.
Since then a number of burger joints have come and gone, but the range and choice of America’s favorite fast food in the Ukrainian capital has only continued to grow, with one restaurant now even offering a menu based largely on fish and seafood burgers.
The Kyiv Post checked out this, and other spots where readers can find the capital’s best burgers.
Star Burger
The Star Burger chain consists of five restaurants, dotted all around the capital, and is known for offering a large variety of delicious burgers at reasonable prices.
Star Burger’s menu is divided into 5 categories: beef burgers, ribs burgers, chicken burgers, and vegan and seafood burgers.
There are 18 meat burgers, including a turkey burger with mushrooms, Caesar burger with chicken and Caesar salad dressing, as well as French burgers with beef and caramelized onions, salad, cheese, and sauce.
The burgers at Star Burger are made from local meat and served with freshly-baked potato buns.
On the seafood burger menu, the restaurant offers burgers with salmon, shrimps and white fish. Each burger is served with French fries or sweet potatoes, and a salad.
Star Burger also serves sets of three small burgers, including a bacon and Cheddar burger, a turkey burger, and an Italiano burger, for Hr 219.
Apart from burgers, Star Burger’s menu includes variety of starters, salads, desserts, and drinks to suit all tastes.
Prices: Beef burger — Hr 229, French burger — Hr 199, pork burger — Hr 229, cider — Hr 59
Star Burger. 7/11 Khreshchatyk Street, 1B Tychyny Ave., 34B Stepana Bander Ave., 6D Berkovetska St., 37 Sahaidachnoho St. Mon-Sun — 12–10 p. m. +38067 828 2081
Furgoneta
The small but cozy fast-food outlet Furgoneta is located right at the heart of the city and offers a small but tasty range of burgers.
Furgoneta stands out not only due to the taste and quality of its burgers, but also because of the venue’s design — it’s basically a food van, located inside of an eating area. Its name means “little van.”
Although Furgoneta’s burger menu is not so large, the quantity of choices here is compensated for by the burgers’ quality. The venue serves five kinds of burgers, including a lamb burger, a chicken burger and three types of beef burgers — all delicious.
On the beef-burger menu, Furgoneta offers a burger with goat’s milk cheese — Buche de Chevre, as well as the traditional grilled beef burger, and it’s well-known “Matia” burger with two beef patties, egg, cheese, salad, bacon, and BBQ sauce.
Apart from burgers, Furgoneta serves noodles and rice with meat or vegetables, and four kinds of non-alcoholic drinks, including lemonade and berry compote.
Additionally, Furgoneta also has a delivery service, available from 10 a. m. — 9 p. m., for Hr 30 in Kyiv’s downtown, and for Hr 60 in other areas.
Furgoneta’s delivery map can found at https://furgoneta.com.ua/contacts/addresse
Prices: Grilled chicken burger — Hr 79, 137 depending on its size, grilled beef burger — Hr 97, 149, citrus-mango lemonade — Hr 60.
Furgoneta. 13 Basseina St. Mon-Sun — 10 a.m — 10 p. m. +38099 341 8088
The Burger
Located in the Arena City business center, The Burger is a pricier restaurant, serving 15 types of burgers, some named after U.S. states.
For instance, the venue serves a New York burger, with a double beef patty, cheddar cheese, onions, tomatoes, pickles, salad and BBQ sauce, for Hr 260.
The Burger’s Kentucky burger is made with chicken, the Indiana one with turkey, the Idaho burger with lamb, the Texas burger with spicy beef, the Carolina burger with duck, and the Hawaii burger with pikeperch and dried tomatoes.
The restaurant is also child-friendly, as it has a kids’ burger, with a turkey patty, iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, cheddar cheese, and mayonnaise, for Hr 140.
The venue also offers a selection of steaks, soups, salads, desserts and drinks, and its friendly staff is always ready to recommend something from the menu. However, delivery is not available.
Prices: The Burger — Hr 250, Indiana burger — Hr 190, kids burger — Hr 140, ginger lemonade — Hr 80
The Burger. 5 Velyka Vasylkivska St. Mon-Sun — 12 a. m. — 12 p. m. +38044 384 2717
True Burger Bar
True Burger Bar is a perfect place for those looking to try something more adventurous than the traditional burger for a reasonable price.
The place offers 14 burgers made with local meat, served with French fries and coleslaw salad.
True Burger Bar also has a Mexican burger with pickled cactus on a beef patty, a Thai burger with a chicken patty, mushrooms and coconut sauce, as well as a burger with crayfish and chicken patty, and a truffle burger with beef patty, bacon chips and truffle sauce.
Apart from that, the venue offers an Azov Sea burger with double fish patties and goby fish instead of a burger bun.
For spicy food fans, True Burger Bar also offers pepper steak burger and big Diablo burger, served with hot peppers and sauces.
This is also a good place for family dinner, as it serves a special burger for kids, with chicken and fresh vegetables, along with a number of soups, desserts, and milkshakes.
Prices: Vegetarian burger — Hr 138, chicken burger — Hr 108, turkey burger — Hr 148, grapefruit lemonade — Hr 38
True Burger Bar. 42 Bohdana Khmelnytskoho St. Mon-Sun — 11 a. m. — 11 p. m., Fri-Sat — 11–3 a. m. +380099 010 9993
Crab’s Burger
Crab’s Burger restaurant, located in Kyiv’s historic Podil district, welcomes visitors with a warm atmosphere, great service, and excellent food, including, as one can guess from the name, a variety of seafood and fish burgers.
The burger menu features six types, served with French fries and salad, including a burger with crabmeat cutlet, a tuna and shrimp burger, a surf and turf burger with marbled beef and prawns, and a traditional cheeseburger.
Apart from that, the restaurant also serves up a lobster roll burger, with a half lobster for Hr 488, as well as a burger with king prawns.
Additionally, Crab’s Burger is pet-friendly and serves lunches Mon-Fri, 12–4 p. m., for Hr 129.
Prices: Crab’s burger — Hr 268, lobster roll — Hr 488, double cheeseburger — Hr 128, orange fresh juice — Hr 39
Crab’s Burger. 21–23 Vozdvyzhenska St. Mon-Sun — 11 a. m. — 10 p. m. +380961213131
