Editor’s Note: Ukraine is under nationwide restrictions as the number of COVID‑19 cases surges. Restaurants are obliged to work under the government’s measures, which include social distancing, a mask-on policy and a limited number of diners. They are also supposed to close by 10 p. m.
Kyiv’s dining scene has seen some dramatic changes due to the coronavirus pandemic: Many eateries had to change their concepts and invest in delivery to survive the nearly two-month-long lockdown that started in March. Dozens closed for good.
But the crisis couldn’t stop creative Kyiv restaurateurs from launching new venues. In the last month, nearly 20 new restaurants, cafes and bars have opened in the capital, livening up its dining scene.
Some of them had been scheduled to launch long before the pandemic. Others expanded their chains or opened entirely new restaurants, using the crisis as an opportunity. But all of them are united by the desire to surprise their guests with a variety of delicious dishes, amazing atmosphere and standout concepts.
And while a total lockdown may be imposed during the winter holidays, now is the perfect time for Kyiv residents who plan to dine out to support these new, local businesses.
The Kyiv Post has picked out five of the recent additions to the restaurant scene in Kyiv that are worth visiting this December.
Food Couture
This new restaurant can amaze its visitors with both an impressive menu and beauteous interior design.
Food Couture is located on the busy Velyka Vasylkivska Street. The recently-opened venue is currently operating in a “test mode” when all tables should be booked in advance.
As the name of the restaurant hints, everything here is about food, fashion and beauty. The place resembles a greenhouse inside, with lots of greenery, a fountain, wall-sized mirrors, chandeliers and a glass ceiling.
Food Couture does not stick to one particular cuisine. However, the menu of the restaurant is as sophisticated as its interior design and has something for everyone. Food Couture serves eight types of appetizers for all tastes and budgets, such as smoked burrata cheese with figs, sweet potato cheesecake, popcorn chicken in sweet and sour sauce and more.
It also serves three types of soups and various main courses, including fish ravioli with beurre blanc sauce, beef cheeks in hoisin sauce, ribeye steak with mashed parsnips, tomato salsa and mushrooms, a lobster roll and more.
To sweeten the pot, one can choose between four desserts on the restaurant’s menu: It offers “caramel popcorn made of citrus eclairs,” Pavlova cake, bird’s milk cake and tiramisu. Apart from the food, Food Couture also offers a great selection of wines and alcoholic cocktails.
Prices: Smoked burrata cheese with figs — Hr 310, Mexican pepper soup with cocoa and stracciatella cheese — Hr 190, fish ravioli with beurre blanc sauce — Hr 295
98 Velyka Vasylkivska St. Mon-Fri — 6–10 p. m. +38067 008 2888
Angar
Angar is an unusual venue. Located in Kyiv’s downtown, on Reytarska Street, Angar combines a coffee shop with a wine bar and an art gallery.
The venue’s interior design is minimalist, yet cozy. There is a lot of greenery as well as a nice and comfortable sofa, a big table and several smaller ones accompanied by bright red and yellow chairs. When the sun goes down, the place turns into a romantic spot with candles and dim lighting.
Angar’s dark blue and white brick walls are adorned with bright photographs — a photo exhibition of contemporary Ukrainian photographer Oleksiy Kuchma.
The exhibition features a selection of Kuchma’s photographs, including portraits and some nude photography. It will be held until Dec. 17; entrance is free.
The venue’s menu is as minimalistic as its interior design. Angar serves several types of coffee drinks such as black coffee, latte, cappuccino and Flat white, all for Hr 40–60. Apart from coffee, Angar also offers six types of wines including New Zealand’s Marlborough Sun, Croatian Zinfandel and more. The venue also plans to offer new wines every week.
To accompany the wine, Angar offers a selection of cheese, couscous with vegetables or Spanish spicy, smoked sausage Chorizo, various toasts with dried tomatoes, tuna, Italian sausage mortadella or mozzarella cheese, all for Hr 100–120. On the dessert menu, Angar serves grated pies and fudge.
Prices: Flat white — Hr 50, tuna toast — Hr 120, mozzarella cheese toast — Hr 100, grated pie — Hr 50
30 Reytarska St. Mon-Sun 9 a. m. — 9 p. m. instagram.com/angar.kyiv/
A chef at Simona Ristorante in Kyiv prepares pizza on Dec. 3, 2020. Simona is a new restaurant that serves Italian cuisine in Kyiv. (Volodymyr Petrov)
Samna
Samna is a recent addition to the Kyiv restaurant scene that serves Middle Eastern cuisine.
It is located in the capital’s downtown, on Ivana Mazepy street, inside the historically significant 18th century Ypsilanti mansion. Here, ancient meets modern in both food and design.
The restaurant’s interior design fascinates with the combination of ancient and modern elements: Samna’s wooden tables and bar counters are adorned with white clay jugs. The restaurant features two big halls, united by the so-called bridge between them, as well as a bar. Its dark red and white walls along with dimmed lights add to the restaurant’s special romantic atmosphere.
Samna serves a modern twist of Middle Eastern cuisine. The menu here is developed by the world-renowned Israeli chef Meir Adoni, who has also launched restaurants in Tel Aviv, New York, Berlin and Barcelona.
On the menu, Samna offers a variety of dishes for all tastes with vegetables, meat, fish or seafood. It serves Adoni’s special eggplant carpaccio, couscous with lamb, baked pumpkin, eggplant, paprika and garlic, Middle Eastern risotto with beef, squid and stewed spinach and more. Apart from that, Samna serves over 200 types of wines and also welcomes visitors with their pets.
Prices: Veal tartare — Hr 290, baked seabass fillet with eggplant cream — Hr 710, Yemeni brioche with tomato salsa — Hr 201
6 Ivana Mazepy St. Mon-Fri — 6–10 p. m. 38067 391 0881
Naushi
Naushi is a new noodle shop located in Kyiv’s Podil neighborhood. The venue’s specialty is Japanese ramen — one of Japan’s most popular and culturally significant foods.
The venue attracts passersby from Hryhoriia Skovorody Street with bright neon signs and huge windows. Inside, Naushi resembles a loud food market somewhere in Asia, with colorful Chinese lanterns and bright drawings on the venue’s walls.
Its convenient location and reasonable prices make Naushi a perfect choice for a lunch break or dinner with friends.
On the menu, Naushi serves five types of ramen flavors: traditional shio or shoyu ramen, as well as vegetarian ramen with mushrooms and vegetables. There are also extra toppings such as corn, mushrooms and tofu.
Shio is the most basic and the lightest type of ramen. Naushi serves two types of it — shio chintan and shio paitan, with chicken or pork, a hardboiled egg, nori seaweed, noodles and narutomaki, which is a Japanese crab stick. For shoyu ramen, the restaurant adds soy sauce and prepares the broth for 12–16 hours. Naushi also makes its own wheat noodles for their ramen soups.
Apart from ramen, this eatery also serves Chinese dumpling jiaozi with pork and vegetables. One can choose between deep-fried and boiled jiaozi. Also, Naushi offers traditional Japanese karaage chicken, which is bite-size chicken dusted with rice flour and deep-fried in hot oil.
Naushi is pet-friendly. It also offers delivery across the Podil neighborhood.
Prices: Ramen — Hr 99–150, jiaozi — Hr 79–99, deep fried chicken karaage — Hr 79–99,
7 Hryhoriia Skovorody St. Mon-Fri — 11 a. m. — 10 p. m. Sat-Sun — 12–8 p. m. +38099 701 7966
Simona Ristorante
Simona Ristorante is a recently-opened restaurant that serves Italian cuisine in Kyiv. It is located in the capital’s historic center on Sichovykh Striltsiv Street. Simona Ristorante is a new project of Klara Group, a company that has established some of the capital’s well-known eateries, such as Titka Klara and Mira Cafe.
The two-story restaurant features a chic and stylish interior design with antique furniture, huge chandeliers, fireplaces and bright pictures, as well as mirrors adorned with golden frames.
Pizza is the restaurant’s specialty. It offers a wide choice of pizza for all tastes, including traditional Italian Margherita pizza or four-cheese pizza along with some salmon, spinach pizza and more. Guests to the restaurants can also add some ingredients to their pizza for an additional price.
Moreover, Simona Ristorante also offers various kinds of pasta, soups, salads and bruschettas, along with main courses such as mussels served with creamy sauce and parmesan cheese, chicken with spicy sauce, baked salmon, or shrimp in creamy white wine sauce.
Apart from pizza and pasta, Simona Ristorante also serves breakfast all day. It offers syrnyky, Ukrainian pancakes made of cottage cheese, served with caramel or strawberry sauce; oatmeal; omelets with salmon or bacon; avocado toast and croissants, all for Hr 85–155.
Prices: Shrimps, avocado and tomato salad — Hr 195, pumpkin cream-soup — Hr 75, baked salmon with wild rice — Hr 195, pizza — Hr 139–220
11 Sichovykh Striltsiv St. Mon-Tue — 9 a. m. — 11 p. m. Wed-Sun — 10 a. m. — 11 a. m. +38067 557 0270
