Good news for those who love nothing more than enjoying a cup of coffee or even a meal while they delve into books – book cafes are starting to appear in Kyiv.
Babuin cafe reopened in December last year, three years after it closed down. The cafe had developed into the center of cultural life in Kyiv, a place where creative people hang out, talk, eat, read and enjoy concerts of popular bands.
The traditional style is preserved in the new, larger cafe located on Symona Petlyury St. (former Kominterna St.), with its ceiling covered with newspapers, cages for chandeliers, old domestic stuff and paintings on the walls.
For a coffee shop, the drinks menu was not particularly impressive, so we opted for some tea for Hr 35. The herbal mix from the Carpathians, served with dried apples, was particularly good, especially accompanied with a fresh and light apple strudel for Hr 30. The potato and meat pie ordered by my friend for Hr 48 was disappointingly dry, as if had had been cooked the previous day. Thankfully, it is served with chicken or fish broth.
The place is definitely bigger than before, consisting of four rooms – Bar, Concert Hall, Gallery and Library. Books can be found in the latter only, though the diversity is impressive. Lighting is a big problem here in the evenings, as the rooms are quite dark.
One big plus is that the smoking and non-smoking areas are situated in different rooms, unlike in most Kyiv cafes where the division is purely symbolic.
There’s a huge variety of literature in Babuin for all tastes – from colorful children’s stories to serious classics and the latest hits. The only bad news is for foreigners – there are just a few books here that are not in Ukrainian or Russian, mostly fashion catalogs and books.
Babuin also has a little something for art lovers, including a permanent exhibition by the cafe’s co-owner and old photographs on the shelves and windowsills. Twenty-one photos by photographer Oleksandr Boyko will be on display from Jan. 24, displaying famous Ukrainian journalists with their thoughts on freedom of speech in Ukraine.
Babuin isn’t the only book café in the city. Azbuka, meaning “Alphabet,” opened in 2009 and has since opened two more places. The original cafe is on Saksahanskoho St., slightly below ground level.
The main room is like a school library, with white walls and ceiling and high book cases. It feels warm, relaxed and cozy. There are three small niches off the side of the room – ideal for a more quiet and private atmosphere. The place is small and, thankfully, non-smoking but only until 4 p.m.
There’s a wide range of Russian and Ukrainian books, but the only English book I found there was a heavy Russian-English dictionary.
The coffee wasn’t great – the menu was short and my latte tasted over-roasted. Annoyingly, some items on the menu weren’t available. I tried the cheese cake, whose light and sweet flavor was just perfect for breakfast.
The prices here are rather low compared to other Kyiv coffee shops. Tea and coffee cost Hr 17, main courses range between Hr 49 – 69, a bottle of wine goes for Hr 99 and desserts – Hr 33. There’s also a special menu for those watching their weight.
I also checked out the newest Azbuka café on Shota Rustaveli Street. The service was poor and the interior looked tired and rather Soviet.
The books there, though, were excellent. I had a great time checking out the Luxury Hotels of the World, as it was one of the few English books there.
The menu here is longer than in the original Azbuka. I had a Greek mussaka, a spicy shepherd’s pie with meat and cheesy cream. It costs Hr 49, the same price as the burrito my friend decided to have. The cafe also offers some Italian cuisine.
The mocha coffee was not so good here either and the cheese cake seemed dry, as if they’d used too much there, but my friend said the tiramisu was the best he’d ever had. Again, some items weren’t available.
Despite the reading designation of the mentioned cafes, there probably won’t be too many readers there anyway. Babuin seems more as a place to hang and grab a drink after work. Reading a book here is more a way to pass the time, while waiting for your friend to arrive. Azbuka, though, is more of a place to read.
The cuisine and prices make it perfect for a quick business lunch. It would be my favorite of all three places to spend a Sunday afternoon with a new book.
Kyiv Post staff writer Alexandra Romanovskaya can be reached at [email protected]
