Learn all about Kyiv’s varied fast food scene.
The first McDonald’s opened in Kyiv in 1997, and immediately turned into a popular attraction, a place for family outings and even romantic dinners for those who couldn’t afford expensive restaurants. Its chains spread their location all over the capital, still holding a monopoly on American fast-food brands in the city – unfortunately there is still no Burger Kings or Kentucky Fried Chicken to add some variety. Therefore it was up to local entrepreneurs to create competition and introduce alternatives to burgers and fries, and they rose up to the challenge. Presently, there is no shortage of various fast food eateries in Kyiv offering a great variety of different food, suited for different tastes and preferences. In fact, even those skeptical about fast foods in general, may be surprised to find that many Kyiv fast foods actually serve not only tasty, but nutritious and healthy food, often freshly prepared. So the time has come, we thought, to create a guide, explaining what’s what on Kyiv’s fast food scene – apart from McDonalds.
Home style
About one half of Ukrainian fast-food outlets offer national cuisine, and the most popular among them is Puzata Khata (Bulky House). Its locations can be found near the busiest metro stations: Khreshchatyk, Kontraktova Ploshcha, and Petrivka. The locations are ideal for tourists who also appreciate the eateries’ cozy Hutzul-style interior. During the “rush hour” (dinner time at the universities and offices) the Khatas are overcrowded. Standing for a while is worth the wait – you’ll be able to enjoy meals that truly resemble home-made food. The chain’s restaurants, as a rule, have a bar section, where you can order something stiff to drink, and a cafe, where you will find all possible kinds of pastry, cakes, fresh fruit juices, tea, and coffee beverages.
Domashnya Kukhnya (Home Cuisine) was the first fast-food outlet from home-style Ukrainian cuisine to open in Kyiv. Its interior is sparse, resembling a University canteen. The prices are practically the same as those in the Puzata Khata – a three course meal will cost approximately Hr 15-20. Domashnya Kukhnya, however, is usually less crowded than the other similar eateries. The assortment of offerings includes some European dishes in addition to traditional borscht, potato dumplings and cutlets, and also includes a selection of salads and pies.
Recently chosen the best Ukrainian cafeteria by the Guide, Puzata Khata keeps up with its high standards, both in terms of food and service. (Andriy Porokhnenko)
Another player on the Ukrainian fast food scene is Zdorovenki Buly behind Khreshchatyk. Although the restaurant claims its cuisine to be traditional Ukrainian, it offers, in fact, a strange mixture of Middle Eastern and European dishes – very spicy and rich. Zdorovenki Buly also has a salad bar, where for approximately Hr 6 you will be able to design your own vegetable mix. The interior is the most interesting part, as it is a fusion of Ukrainian culture and Chinese, Indian, Egyptian, Greek, and Roman exotic decor. The restaurant is divided into four halls, each with an interior dedicated to a certain country. Among the statues, bas-reliefs, mosaics, and frescoes you will find comedic images of paunchy Cossacks and impressive depictions of well-endowed Ukrainian peasant women.
The Dva Husya (Two Geese) chain of fast-food restaurants focuses less on decorations and fully complies with the original meaning of the phrase “fast-food.” The locations are recognizable by the two bewildered geese depicted on their omnipresent signboards (there are six locations in the city center alone). The menu includes dishes that are commonly prepared by local families, in other words a mixture of Ukrainian, Russian and European cuisines, including a modest assortment of salads, soups, and meat dishes. The portions are rather small, but the food is very popular among students.
Unlike the most popular fast-food joints, Trali Vali always has a lot of free tables, which is surprising, because the food is of good quality and the portions are big enough. The assortment of dishes is not that wide, but the food looks and tastes very fresh (not always the case with the similar restaurants). Considerably higher prices in comparison with the other eateries correspond to higher quality food. As for ambiance, Trali Vali’s halls are spacious, but with such a small number of visitors the place looks a bit deserted, although wide screen TVs set in the corners make space feel a bit livelier.
Puzata Khata (1/2A Baseyna, 234-1120; 15/4 Khreshchatyk (Passazh);24 Sahaydachnoho and other locations).
Domashnya Kukhnya (16/22 Khmelnytskoho, 234-2918; 2A Kostyantynivska, 467-6048; 4 Mishuhy, 492-0662).
Zdorovenki Buly (3 Lyuteranska, 278-3348).
Dva Gusya (42 Khreshchatyk, 229-7683; 46 Khmelnytskoho, 234-5133; Globus shopping center).
Trali Vali (65 Chervonoarmiyska, 238-6496; 83 Melnikova, 537-2730).
Sushi mania
The Japanese cuisine that’s the craze among the capital’s girls and boys, is now available not only at expensive eateries, but at fast food outlets as well. The first chain to open was Sushi Studio with several locations throughout the city. I visited only one of them only recently – on Mykhaylivska street – and wasn’t highly impressed. Decorated in what seems to be somewhat Japanese style, the place was empty in the late afternoon except for one other couple when I walked in. They soon left and I was alone with the wait staff that clearly had not much to do, and a very loud television set that was blaring a concert of Russian pop stars. From the standard Japanese menu, I chose a roll of cucumber (Hr 11) and “Dragon” roll of avocado and eel (Hr 43). I was bemused to see that no hot wet hand towel was served to me prior to the food. Speaking of the latter, both rolls looked decent on the plate, but turned out to not be exactly the best quality (although they could suit someone who isn’t especially demanding or simply hasn’t tried sushi.) My sushi lunch, complete with a glass of Cherry juice, cost me Hr 60. Of course I chose one of the most expensive rolls – “the Dragon.” But from past experience I already knew that a much more impressive sushi meal for the same amount of money could be had at other, truly popular Japanese fast-food restaurant – YaponaKhata.
YaponaKhata (“Japanese House”) has six venues throughout the city, with a seventh opening soon. Two of the spots are in Globus shopping center underneath the Maidan. YaponaKhata has a great selection on its menu, complete with soups, salads and of course sushi, which are really great. I tried that cucumber roll (Hr 7.95), salmon roll (Hr 17.95) and roll with eel (Hr 23.95) and was completely satisfied. Along with the rolls came hearty portions of wasabi and ginger and a wet napkin (in lieu of the traditional hot towel). After placing your order at the counter, you will be asked to wait 10 to 15 minutes, which you can spend in the nearby shops as I did in Globus. The YaponaKhata at the Aladdin shopping center is a separate cafeteria with normal restaurant service but prices that are the same as at the other YaponaKhatas, although the preparation of food takes somewhat longer. I did notice one peculiarity while ordering the same rolls at YaponaKhata’s two different locations at Globus and Aladdin: at the former I received eight bits of each roll, while at Aladdin there were only six. Perhaps that is the price to be paid for better service.
Sushi Studio (24 Mykhaylivska, 278-0133; 26A Artema, 486-1258).
YaponaKhata (Globus, Metrograd shopping centers; Aladdin shopping center, 5 Hryshko).
Mexico and Italy
Arguably the most popular fast food venues, the Celentano and Potato House chains, offer so-called high-end fast foods and combine features of actual restaurants and cafes with McDonald’s type eateries. While officially Celentano and Potato House don’t belong to the same chain, the fact that they are closely related is obvious both in their casual interiors, and their menus – both offer a similar selection of salads and pancakes. Another common feature is good music and humorous elements of pop-art design that help to create a joyous and relaxed atmosphere – a trademark of both chains. I especially liked the decor of a small Celentano outfit in Vinnitsa, with three pop-art pictures hanging side-by-side on the wall, depicting Winston Churchill, Che Guevara and Adriano Celentano, and the inscription over them, reading “Be like Che!” There is no such thing in Kyiv – all eateries differ slightly in design and each has something cool to see. For example Potato House in Podil has a cool vintage movie poster of “The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly,” which, an American acquaintance of mine, was eager to buy from the eatery. He even tried to negotiate the price with the waitress without success.
The Potato House chain succesfully combines tasty original food with a stylish interior and jolly casual atmosphere. (Konstantin Klimenko)
Despite all the similarities, the two chains differ of course by their specialty cuisines. Celentano is an Italian pizzeria, (some consider the best in town) that is relatively cheap – around Hr 30 for an average pizza. All you need to do is to choose the ingredients for your pizza, such as ham, chicken, salami, mushrooms, tomatoes, etc. and a hot steaming pizza will arrive on your table in less than ten minutes.
Potato House specializes in Mexican cuisine, offering a selection of burritos with chicken, salmon, cheese. The menu also includes traditional hot chili and spicy tomato based cocktail “Babtsya Konchita” (“Grandma Konchita”). Some of the Celentano and Potato House outfits have their own bars, offering a standard selection of spirits and cocktails. Several brands of beer, both bottled and on tap, are available everywhere. You can also enjoy some great desserts such as apple strudel and cheesecake at the outlets.
Celentano (41 Sahaydachnoho, 425-0046; 23V Chervonoarmiyska, 235-6687; 37 Yaroslaviv Val, 272-5462).
Potato House (6/5B Mala Zhytomyrska, 279-2153; 20 Porizna, 279-4289; 37/20 Nyzhniy Val, 425-4092).
For any taste
Those who love potatoes will really appreciate the Pechena Kartoplya (Baked Potato) fast food chain. The menu is mainly comprised of potatoes mashed in their skins with butter, cheese and a variety of different fillings. These are mostly mayonnaise-based salad sauces, but you can also have herring, sausages with ketchup or pickled cucumbers with mushrooms. My personal favorite is the “Tsarskiy” combination of cheese, mushrooms and chicken. An average meal at Kartoplya should cost around Hr 20, and everything is served fresh and tasty. Keep in mind, that there are two kinds of similar potato outlets in town. To make sure you get the right one (the one I recommend), look carefully for the logo on the signboard – it shows a little cook holding a potato.
If you prefer a good sandwich when you’re hungry, then Mister Snack sandwich bars are for you. The outlets can be found in shopping centers and as separate outlets. At Mr. Snack you can design your sandwich on your own choosing from among different ingredients such as ham, bacon, cheese, mushrooms, various vegetables and sauces. The ingredients you choose are placed inside of a sliced roll then slightly fried on both sides, making your sandwich crunchy, hot and delicious. Even though I realize it’s not exactly the healthiest food in the world, I can’t help visit Mr. Snack every now and then. In addition to sandwiches, the eatery serves soups, decent salads and desserts.
Another fast food outlet in the city center is Gourmet that specializes in Turkish cuisine. The restaurant is designed so that most of the menu is visible through glass windows from the street. The menu includes spicy vegetable and meat dishes, and tempting desserts of all kinds: Turkish cakes, pastry, pies, and candies. The quality of service and preparation of dishes is higher than the average, thus the prices are as well.
Pechena Kartoplya (Globus, Gorodok, Alladin shopping centers).
Mister Snack (29B Volodymyrska, 490-6071; 24 Sahaydachnoho, 494-3981; 12 Bohdana Khmelnytskoho, 234-8981 and other locations).
Gourmet (12 Chervonoarmiyska, 235-5660; 128A Borshchahivska, 241-6343)
