Good news, bar lovers: with the number of bars and pubs in Kyiv increasing all the time, the city can now support a great old Friday night tradition: the pub crawl.
The rules are simple: enter the bar, have one drink there, and move on to another place.
For those looking for an organized pub crawl with the chance to meet new people, Bar Crawl Kyiv (barcrawlkyiv.com) offers a tour of five bars (and five drinks) for Hr 500 ($18).
But the more adventurous can follow one of the Kyiv Post’s three pub crawl routes. There are wine, beer, and cocktail routes, although mixing drinks is also an option for the brave.
As for prices, expect to spend Hr 90–150 per cocktail, Hr 30–60 per glass of beer, and Hr 50–100 per glass of wine.
Route No. 1: Cocktail crawl
Parovoz — True Burger Bar — Bar /13
— N::B — PR Bar — Khvylyoviy — Pink Freud — Wood You Like Bar — Podil East India Company
This cocktail-focused bar crawl kicks off near Lva Tolstoho Square and ends in Podil.
Start the night with a drink at one of Kyiv’s oldest cocktail spots, the Parovoz Speakeasy, hidden in the basement of Kyiv Cinema on 19 Velyka Vasylkivska St. The place is famous for its friendly atmosphere and skilled bartenders. The bar even has its own mixology school.
Next, walk past Bessarabska Square, along Tarasa Shevchenka Boulevard, and turn to Ivana Franka Street to find the True Burger Bar on 42 Bohdana Khmelnytskoho St. In its basement, there is the even better Hendrick’s Bar — just go down the low-key stairs and knock on the black metal door. However, this will only be possible after May, when Hendrick’s reopens after reconstruction. Meanwhile, enjoy a top-notch cocktail in the True Burger Bar.
The next stop is a 15-minute walk away – Bar /13 (21/13 Reitarska St.) is a cozy spot with a relaxed atmosphere, DJ sets, and a large choice of mixed drinks. Make sure to have enough cash to pay here, as payment by card often isn’t available.
Some fresh air won’t hurt at that point, so take a walk along the Volodymyrska Street and then Volodymyrskyi Passage to get to N::B Cocktails on 13 Mykhailivska St. This tiny bar opened last year but has already become famous for its house drinks served in unusual metal glasses.
Then go to the European Square and down the hill to Poshtova Square, where PR Bar (6 Sahaidachnoho St.) offers its famous house cocktails such as Podil Apple Mule, a twist on the classic Mule, and Rusty Beard with tequila, coffee, rosemary, and lemon fresh.
The next stop is Khvilyoviy Bar on 18 Verkhnii Val, a place to drink another cocktail and enjoy a game of table football.
Just across the road from there is Pink Freud (19 Nyzhnii Val), one of the best cocktail places in town. Its menu has pictures of its cocktails, so guests can see exactly what they’re ordering.
Wood You Like Bar on 24 Mezhyhirska St. attracts visitors with its home-like atmosphere. The last spot on the pub crawling menu is Podil East India Company, on 9 Mezhyhirska St. Co-founded by the American expat and bartender Adam Howell, the place offers a large variety of exclusive and classic cocktails originating in India, such as Fourth Regiment.
Route No. 2: Wine crawl
Nevinniy Bar — Vinsanto — Shampanela — Vian — Malevich — Like a Local’s
Wine lovers in Kyiv now have a wide range of wine bars to drop by.
One of them is Nevinnyi Bar on 15 Shota Rustaveli St., close to Palats Sportu metro station. The place offers white, red and rose wines, and cheese or meat platters to go with them.
Continuing on the wine trail, walk towards Lva Tolstoho Square, turn into Pushkinska Street and walk two blocks. The classy Vinsanto wine bar (20 Pushkinska St.) offers 100 types of wine.
Shampanela (11A Pushkinska St.) is just across the road from Vinsanto and focuses on sparkling wines. It is a tiny place, but well worth a visit.
When done with the bubbly, walk along to Maidan Nezalezhnosti Square. Then go up Mykhailivska Street to the Vian wine bar (21 Mykhailivska St.), which has more than 15 types of wine, which visitors can enjoy with oysters and various types of cheese.
From Vian, walk along Volodymyrska Street to reach the Golden Gates monument. Malevich bar (9 Yaroslaviv Val St.) is nestled in the yards of Yaroslaviv Val Street, which starts at the Golden Gates. This place serves Ukrainian wines and delicious cheese.
The last wine bar is 15 minutes away: To get there, walk along the Yaroslaviv Val Street, cross the Lvivska Square, and continue moving along Sichovykh Striltsiv (former Artema) Street. Like a Local’s wine bar (26 Sichovykh Striltsiv St.) offers various Ukrainian wines and delicacies to go with them.
Route No. 3: Beer crawl
Taphouse by Collider — Golden Gate Irish Pub — Blues Bar — Solomyanska Brovarnya — Pyvna Duma — O’Connors — Fight House — Beer Point, Plan B, Klaipeda or Doska
Kyiv beer pubs offer much more than just the drink: a friendly atmosphere, finely crafted sandwiches and often very cheap prices.
To start, check out the two best beer spots near Zoloti Vorota metro station: The recently-opened Taphouse by Collider on 16 Yaroslaviv Val St. and Golden Gate Irish Pub on 15 Zolotovoritska St.
Then move along Volodymyrska Street and turn down to Mykhailivska Street to Blues Bar (24 Mykhailivska St.), which treats its guests not only to tasty beer but also live blues music.
From there, it takes about 10 minutes to walk to Solomyanska Brovarnya in the middle of the picturesque Andriivsky Uzviz Street. The brewery offers several types of house beer and beer cocktails.
Keep walking down Andriivsky Uzviz, turn left and reach the bunch of beer spots clustered around Kontraktova Ploshcha metro station. Pyvna Duma (5 Spaska St.), right next to the metro entrance, offers four types of house beer.
Move on to O’Connors Irish Pub at 15/8 Khoryva St., and continue to the Fight House (24 Verkhnii Val) — a boxing club with a bar.
From there, pick one of the four beer places that are within two-minutes walking distance: Beer Point at 24 Verkhnii Val St., Plan B at 19 Kostiantynivska St., Klaipeda at 37/20 Nyzhnii Val St. and Doska at 12 Mezhyhirska St. Klaipeda offers the widest range of beers.
Bonus Cocktail Route: Circling Bessarabka
Barmen Dyktat – Bar Ber Bar – Loft Bar – Mozgi Bar – The Bar – Budu Pozhe – Par Bar – Alchemist Bar – Vopros Bar – Dogs & Tails
Since nobody can have too many cocktails, here’s a slightly more compressed route for a cocktail-based pub crawl. All the bars here are concentrated in an area close to Bessarabska Square.
Start with Barman Dyktat on Khreshchatyk Street, where Art Club 44 used to be. The bartenders, who are not as authoritarian as the name suggests, mix delicious house cocktails, as well as twists on famous classic cocktails such as Old Fashion with spice.
Next on the route is Bar Ber Bar on Tarasa Shevchenka Boulevard, which offers cocktails and a full food menu. Traditional Mexican cocktails such as Bad Mama and Cuban Antigua Daiquiri are available, along with a long list of other drinks in Loft Bar on Bessarabska Square. Those who want to have a drink and shake off stress at the dancefloor can try out Mozgi Bar on Baseina Street. Budu Pozzhe on Krutyi Uzviz is ideal for those who prefer minimalistic interior and classic cocktails.
Afterwards, move the party to Par Bar on Shota Rustaveli Street, which is famous for tasty house cocktails based on fresh vegetable juices. Vopros Bar is on the same block – try their warm whiskey cocktail. The last spot on the route is Dogs & Tails, which offers a mix of elaborate hot dogs and nice cocktails.
