Pie Spot Burger Club
In September on Yaroslavska Street a new venue opened — Pie Spot Burger Club. It is a burger place from chef and restaurateur Illya Syomin, known for the projects “Spelta”, Pie Spot and Tin Tin. The venue immediately draws attention not only with its dishes, but also with an unusual interior — a mix of brutal squatter space and art‑space.
The design of the burger place was developed by the I’m Design team of architect Aliona Bondar, who had already worked on the interiors of both “Spelta” venues. In the place they created the atmosphere of a “derelict museum‑squat”: graffiti on the walls, metal elements and many details you want to look at.
The main art object of the space is an oil replica of “The Last Supper” by Daniele Crespi from the 17th century. But at Pie Spot Burger Club the storyline was reinterpreted: among Christ’s disciples are famous Ukrainian restaurateurs and chefs. The painting was created by the artist Oleksandr Grebeniuk (Graph0man), the work on it lasted three and a half months. Beside it — another one of his paintings.
The first burgers from Illya Syomin appeared on the menu of Pie Spot at Velotrek back in April 2022 — as a forced replacement of the project Chica Poblana. Syomin says he always looked for the “right burger” in Kyiv but couldn’t find it. So he decided to make it the way he considers ideal himself.
Pie Spot Burger Club was immediately conceived as a scalable project — as a franchise. Syomin is already negotiating with potential partners and finalising cooperation terms.
The menu now has six burgers: four with beef, one with chicken thigh and a vegetarian one with two vegan patties. Alongside — fries, homemade nuggets, coleslaw salad. All sauces are made in‑house (mayonnaise, jalapeño‑mayonnaise, burger sauce, sweet‑sour, ranch — ketchup is the exception).
Specially for Pie Spot Burger Club, in collaboration with Varvar they brewed Party Weizen — a wheat beer with light banana‑clove notes. On tap — only it; other drinks are served in bottles: Ukrainian craft beer and cider.
Address: 5/2 Yaroslavska St.
Fluffy
Near the metro station “Palats Sportu” a small Japanese‑cuisine café opened — Fluffy. It is the first venue of the couple Matvii and Oleksandra Rakashevich‑Vodyanytskyi, who moved to Kyiv from Orikhiv in Zaporizhzhia region — a city now located on the line of military confrontation.
The founders admit: Fluffy is about love for Japan. Currently they focus on a simple menu with emphasis on popular Japanese street food. They offer five types of onigiri: with shrimp, salmon, tuna, chicken and spicy‑crab.
Also — a large choice of mochi: pineapple‑coconut, forest berries, blueberry, lavender, mango‑passionfruit, strawberry‑lychee, pistachio‑raspberry, chocolate‑banana. There are handmade matcha desserts from Kasuteira, bubble tea and coffee. In the plans — to add Japanese pancakes, corn‑dogs and wok dishes.
Fluffy is a small by area venue that creates a cozy and unforced atmosphere. In the interior they used an image of Totoro — a character from Studio Ghibli’s anime by Hayao Miyazaki, which sets the mood of the space and enhances the connection with Japanese culture.
Address: 20 Shota Rustaveli St.
“Kyiv Carps”
In Podil the second location of the fast‑food “Kyiv Carps” opened. The first one operates on the left bank, in the Raidużnyy massif area. Founders Oleksii Semenenko and Artem Miz say the idea of the venue is simple: it is a place for those who love fish but don’t want to spend time preparing it at home.
The interior is kept in black‑and‑red tones. It was developed by the co‑owner of the establishment Oleksii Semenenko. On the walls — images of carps, and the central element of the hall — a large chandelier stylised as old‑fishing gear.
The menu consists of straightforward dishes: fried fish, fish soup (ukha), seafood and salads. The bar pours beer from the Lutsk brewery “Zeman” — there are four variants on tap: light, wheat, dark and IPA. They also offer cider.
“Kyiv Carps” is pet‑friendly, so you can come here with animals.
Address: 22 Khoryva St.
“Strichka” at VDNH
On the territory of VDNH, near Urban Park and opposite pavilion № 12, a new restaurant “Strichka” opened — the second eponymous project of Ihor Postoenko and Wisam Ahmed. The first venue appeared in 2024 on Beresteiskyi Avenue and works in the format of modern Ukrainian cuisine. The new “Strichka” continues the same approach: each location reflects the context of the place where it is located.
The venue at VDNH is composed of two spaces which they call the “small” and the “large” Strichka. Currently only the “small” is operating — it is a restaurant for 27 seats with a terrace that opens into an apple orchard.
The interiors for both restaurants were developed by AIIX studio, and for the new location the artist Yevhen Lytvynenko together with the Matt&Glossy team from Nikopol created a wall mosaic inspired by the apple orchard. The décor continues the tradition of the first “Strichka”: there the ceramists made tiles with imprints of wildflowers.
In “Strichka” at VDNH operates a dried‑flower shop “Zilviya”, and also a greenhouse where 90% of the plants can be eaten straight from the bed. On the shelves there is also the full set of ingredients for Ukrainian borscht: cabbage, beetroot, carrot, onion, dill, parsley, even horseradish. This project is conceived as an educational one for children.
Also, for the venue they produced limited‑edition plates, each of which bears an imprint of Ukrainian wild herbs. They sit alongside vintage plates that were chosen for the venue at flea‑markets.
The menu is overseen by chef Vitalii Mitun. Already now, in “Strichka” at VDNH on a temporary kitchen they prepare snacks (including Ukrainian specialities from craft producers), salads, sandwiches, cold soup and a salmon steak. The menu is currently concise but is constantly being updated.
Unlike the “Strichka” on Beresteiskyi Avenue, the restaurant at VDNH is developing a large grill zone with a wood‑fired oven where Ukrainian farm meat will be roasted and author’s pizza will be prepared. Already now on weekends in test mode they cook borscht and roast meats on fire.
Address: 1 Akademika Hlushkova Ave.
Romantica
A new gastro‑project from Mimosa Group appeared in Kyiv — Romantica Pizzeria. The team behind Mimosa Brooklyn Pizza, “Avtostantsiya”, “Chaika”, Fish&PussyCat Sushi Bar “Lusia” and “Zustrich” this time turned to Italy — but not the tourist one, rather the real one, with its local traditions.
The concept is built around Roman pizza alla pala. This is characteristic for Rome: presentation on a long board, with crunchy dough and expressive toppings. The dough recipe the team brought from the pizzeria Casa Manco in Rome — the chefs underwent special training in Italy to replicate the technology exactly. The menu was contributed to by Artem Baklitskyi and Oleksii Koshkalda, as well as chef‑ambassador of Italian cuisine Masha Ledina, who helped with some of the dishes.
The menu consists of pizza alla pala, author’s starters and dishes inspired by the cuisine of the Lazio region. There is a cocktail list created especially for this menu, as well as a selection of wines “from all over Italy”.
The interior was the responsibility of designer Aliona Bondar. The space is executed in the style of ancient Roman establishments: warm tones, faded surfaces, aged materials and a living texture. The tile was deliberately laid unevenly, without joints; the walls were left with “imperfections” which adds character. The décor consists of simple but non‑standard items — plates on the wall and chandeliers.
Address: 1 / ⅗ Yevhena Chykalenka St.
If after the new restaurants you want to continue your evening, check out our selection of atmospheric bars in Kyiv with music — ideal places for after‑work get‑togethers.
