In this selection — restaurants in Kyiv with unique cuisine and distinctive concepts. Some work with gastronomic heritage, others bring culinary traditions from different countries to the city, and some turn dinner into a full-fledged авторський experience. This is not a ranking of «the best restaurants for everyone», but a guide for those who want to try something new and not choose at random.
«100 Years Ahead»
«100 Years Ahead» — a restaurant by Yevhen Klopotenko and Inna Poperezhniuk that works with Ukrainian gastronomic heritage as a living material. The team studied historical sources, traveled across regions of Ukraine, collected local recipes, and reinterpreted them using modern culinary techniques.
You should come here not for «classic Ukrainian cuisine» in a typical tourist format, but for an attempt to show what Ukrainian restaurant cuisine could have been like if its tradition had not been interrupted. The menu features dishes based on local products, regional recipes, and gastronomic research: stewed duck with grated oven-baked potatoes, dumplings with carp and smoked sauce, kulish, galushky with meat and cherries, as well as special formats like the «Gastrospadok» set.
Address: 4 Volodymyrska St.
What to come for: Ukrainian cuisine without clichés and the stereotypical «borscht-lard-dumplings» set
«Hlek»
«Hlek» — a modern Kyiv cuisine restaurant in a historic building on Velyka Zhytomyrska Street. Its main feature is a focus specifically on Kyiv gastronomy: urban, seasonal, connected to local products and the memory of familiar tastes.
Chef Andrii Severenchuk works with traditional recipes, reinterpreting them through modern techniques and актуальні restaurant formats. The menu may include Kyiv borscht with mushrooms and a meat pampushka, chicken Kyiv, dumplings, cabbage porridge, dishes made from local fish, house-made pastries, and «Kyiv Cake» ice cream. This is a cuisine that grows out of the city context: products, seasonality, memory, and a specific place on Kyiv’s map.
Address: 6 Velyka Zhytomyrska St.
What to come for: local Kyiv cuisine, seasonal products, and modern interpretations of familiar dishes
«Selyam»
«Selyam» — a Crimean Tatar cuisine restaurant by Alex Cooper in Podil. Its concept grew out of the restaurateur’s personal memories of a Qırımli family his parents were friends with: making manty together, backyard шашлыки, shurpa in a kazan, chebureki, and long family feasts.
The menu features dishes that shape an understanding of Crimean Tatar cuisine: pide, chebureki, manty, yantyky, lagman, shurpa, kebabs, and grill dishes. The restaurant’s format is built around the idea of a large table and hospitality, so «Selyam» is well suited for group dinners, family gatherings, or a first introduction to Crimean Tatar cuisine in Kyiv.
Address: 35 Petra Sahaidachnoho St.
What to come for: modern-format Crimean Tatar cuisine
Hanh Cafe & Market
Hanh Cafe & Market — a Vietnamese cuisine café on Honchara Street by chef Hanh from Vietnam. Before opening a standalone venue, her cuisine operated in a seasonal format called «U Hanh» at the Okno bar, and later moved into a separate space near the Golden Gate.
Hanh described her cuisine as «pure Vietnam»: the menu combines her childhood memories of home cooking with years of experience working with Vietnamese cuisine in Ukraine. Here you’ll find pho bo, nems, spring rolls, bao, Vietnamese pancakes, noodle soups, tofu dishes, and Vietnamese drinks.
Address: 30 Olesia Honchara St.
What to come for: pho, nems, spring rolls, bao, and an intimate Vietnamese café format
«Thai Hello»
«Thai Hello» — an urban Thai cuisine café near the Golden Gate by Misha and Dasha Katsurin, founders of «Chinese Hello» and «Vietnamese Hello». The team built the concept around different regions of Thailand: before opening, they traveled across the country, trained in markets, families, and restaurants, and involved Thai brand chef Cha and his assistant Chakit in the launch.
The menu features dishes most commonly associated with Thailand: tom yum, pad thai, green and red curry, som tam, Thai fried rice, mango salads, mango roti, and mango sticky rice. This cuisine is known for its vibrant balance of spicy, sour, salty, and sweet — exactly what draws people here after work, for lunch, or for dinner with friends.
Address: 2 Chekhovskyi Lane
What to come for: tom yum, pad thai, curries, and bold Thai flavors
Himalaya
Himalaya — one of Kyiv’s long-standing Indian restaurants: it has been operating since 1997 and is located near Olimpiiska metro station. Its history is tied to a family from India, and today it is run by Yashvi Tripathi. The concept stays true to traditional Indian cuisine, family recipes, and a menu that has not changed radically over the years.
The cuisine is based on curries, butter chicken, chicken tikka masala, kebabs, rice, naan, tandoor dishes, and vegetarian options. To explore different flavors, you can choose the Thali lunch — a set meal with several Indian dishes, rice, and tandoor bread.
Address: 80 Velyka Vasylkivska St.
What to come for: curries, tandoor dishes, and naan
Mirali
Mirali — a restaurant by chef Mirali Dilbazi on Mezhyhirska Street, where seasonality, local products, and fermentation play the leading role. The chef describes his approach as permacuisine: the menu depends on the season, the farmer, the condition of the product, and what is available right now.
The cuisine at Mirali begins even before the product arrives at the restaurant: the team works directly with farmers and sometimes grows ingredients specifically for the menu. Fermentation plays a practical role here — helping preserve products, transform their taste, and reveal new properties.
Address: 82 Mezhyhirska St.
What to come for: seasonal авторська cuisine, farm products, fermentation, and a tasting experience
Musafir
Musafir — one of the main Crimean Tatar restaurants in Kyiv. Its story began in 2007 in Bakhchysarai, in a small café near the Khan’s Palace. After the occupation of Crimea, the owners moved the business to Kyiv along with recipes and service standards, and since 2015 «Musafir» has been operating in the capital.
The cuisine at Musafir is based on homemade Crimean Tatar recipes. The team explains that they cook dishes the way mothers and grandmothers do at home, aiming to recreate the warmth of a Crimean Tatar household and Bakhchysarai. Among the key dishes are chebureki, yantyky, pide, soups, pilaf, sarma, dough-based dishes, grill, kebabs, ayran, khoshaf, and sherbet.
Addresses: 57A Saksahanskoho St., 3B Bohdana Khmelnytskoho St., 4A Rohnidynska St., 1 Kostiantynivska St., 25 Dniprovska Embankment
What to come for: Crimean Tatar cuisine, homemade recipes, and a story that began in Bakhchysarai
If after your gastronomic route you’d like to find a quieter place for work, a meeting, or a few hours with a laptop, we recommend checking out our подборка «Where to Work with a Laptop in Kyiv: TOP 7 Cozy Cafés». There, we’ve gathered locations with large tables, power outlets, coffee, and a comfortable atmosphere — from Podil to Pechersk.
