Why not try the Ukrainian beers and wines while you enjoy the local food and cuisine in Ukraine!

So you have just had a wonderful day sightseeing or shopping in Ukraine, well it is time to relax and enjoy the traditional food and cuisine of the Ukraine. This Ukraine Restaurant Guide provides information on the local delicacies and what you'll find on a typical Ukraine menu. Click on one of destinations below to find out what the local dining scene is like, as well as find some recommended restaurants to enjoy a great meal:

- Crimea
- Odessa

Food & Cuisine in Ukraine

Restaurants 

While Kyiv has the widest variety of restaurants in all of Ukraine, excellent eateries can be found throughout the country. And besides the restaurants, there are plenty of cafes, bars, pubs, and delicatessens offering unique dishes. So, whether it is a quick and inexpensive meal you are looking for, or something exotic and extravagant, Ukraine's many restaurants are sure to satisfy your hunger.

Local food

Ukrainian food is popular for its diverse flavours, which, over the centuries, have evolved from German, Polish, Turkish and Russian cuisines. Popular ingredients in Ukrainian food are berries, herbs, fruits, pork, vegetables and mushrooms, and their availability is dependent on the seasons. Ukrainians love tourists and are renowned for their hospitality, so it goes without saying that their meals are generous.

The local food has a sophisticated simplicity that is characteristic of rural cuisine. Fresh, pickled and smoked ingredients are combined to give each dish a rich, intense and diverse flavour. Bread is the staple food, along with a dish called kasha, which looks like porridge. It is part of a typical breakfast. Ukraine also has a national dish - a soup called borshch. Adopted by many countries around Ukraine, this beet-based soup can include as many as 20 ingredients depending on the season, availability of ingredients and region. As a tourist, you must remember to try this dish while in Ukraine.

Salads are very common and come in various forms, the only constant being mayonnaise or vinegar. Ukraine also excels in desserts. While they are less sweet than typical desserts, they are equally delicious. The local speciality is a torte called Kyivskiy. It is basically layers of crumbly wafers and hazelnuts. And you might also want to try a glass of the unique Ukraine local drink called kvas. A slightly sweet beverage, it is made from wheat and sold out of large tanks on wheels.

Drink

Ukraine's speciality is horilka (the local name for vodka) with pepper. Other flavours of vodka are also quite popular - birch, linden (tilia), honey, and wheat. Prices range from $1 to $10 (1-7€)/0.5 l. Slightly more expensive souvenir bottles are also available (some bottles can cost upwards of $50 (35€)/0.5 l). Besides this, there is a great choice of domestic and imported wine. While the Ukrainian wines are mostly from the south (the Crimean region is known for wine making), wines from the Carpathian region of Uzhorod are equally popular. Local wines cost anything between $2 and $50 (2-35€) per bottle of 0.75 l (avoid those that are $1 or less; these are sometimes house wines sold as local vintages); however, one can find genuine French, Italian, and Australian wines for $50 a bottle and more in the big supermarkets and posh restaurants.

Besides the vodka and wines, there are several other alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages to choose from. Ukrainian beer is very popular. Beer from barrels or kegs, which is common in cafes, is often watered down. While canned beer is available, it's not very common. Despite being of the same variety, it could taste very different from what is available in bottles. In fact, the best beers are by Lvivske, Obolon and PPB (Persha Privatna Brovarnia). Imported beers are easily available but more expensive - a bottle of Austrian Edelweiss, for instance, can cost upwards of $2, while Ukrainian beer costs about 50¢. That said, as a tourist, you should give the Ukrainian beers a shot. It is not for nothing that they are gaining popularity all over Europe.

Of the non-alcoholic beverages, tourists should try kvas - a typically Slavic drink made from rye or wheat. During the summer, you can buy it from any of the street vendors. Just remember it is better to buy bottles; one can not be too sure about the cleanliness of the barrels. All sorts of dairy drinks are available, although mostly at the supermarkets. Mineral water is available everywhere, and so are lemonade, beer, and other hard drinks. When buying bottled water, just make sure to ask for 'voda bez hazu' (water without gas); otherwise, you will end up with carbonated water.