My Slowienie We are Slavic (2014)
KYIV DESTINATION: The restaurants of the lower town of Podil
Indeed in the 15th Century Polish generals went to the lower town of Podol to raise an army to oust the Russian army of the Duchy of Muscovy who had occupied the upper town of Kyiv. They failed.
Podil was where the Poles built their Roman Catholic churches and did their business close to the wharfs along the river Dnipro.
No. 35 is one of the first places you come to is Call me Cacao https://www.facebook.com/chaocacao.kyiv/. This shop specialises in natural chocolate. It is the only store of its kind in Ukraine.
At No. 37/20 there's the Craft-vs-Pub https://www.facebook.com/craftvspub/.
You return back to the main restaurant area, and hit a new trendy coffee shop: Izha (Hedgehog Cafe).
This is then followed at 24 Verkhniy Val by Sport Pub Fighthouse: http://fighthouse.com.ua. They feature rock and heavy metal music.
The beer continues flowing next door at Beer Point also No. 24 Verkhniy Val http://beerpoint.ua.
In quick succession there's Mafia. A huge Italian restaurant that sells sushi! (and pizza) http://mafia.ua/cities/. This huge chain is nationwide. Mafia's company mantra?: "Family Values".
At No. 18 Verkhniy Val is one of the few places where you can eat with Queen Elizabeth II : London Cafe https://www.facebook.com/LONDONcoffeehouse/, where HRH is painted on the wall in Ziggy Stardust makeup.
Crossing over back to the top of Nizhniy Val you will come to the real restaurant hotspot.
No. 17/8 Nizhniy Val: "The Burger Mexico" https://tomato.ua/en/kiev/restaurants/the-burger-mexico. This is an über-trendy beef burger joint. Look up over the entrance to spot the neon pigeons.
No. 19 In Mood Cafe and Hookah Bar. https://www.facebook.com/InMoodRestaurant This Middle Eastern restaurant also provides halal meat.
No. 19/21: "Honey" - a patisserie and restaurant. This is considered one of the top eateries in Kyiv and produces small portions of tasty meals and cakes. It's good to book here.
Next door is Khinkalnaya. This is a very new and very authentic Georgian cafe that is rapidly becoming a favourite eating place.
No. 19 Pink Freud https://www.facebook.com/pinkfreudkyiv/ is a popular courtyard drinking hole, which is popular with a young crowd.
Polish embassy:
Address: 12, Yaroslaviv Val St, 01901 Kyiv
Tel: +380 44 230 0700
Website: http://kijow.msz.gov.pl/uk/
What Polish links do you know of in Kyiv?
Podil, Kyiv's historic Polish quarter
EUROVISION COUNTRY: PolandKYIV DESTINATION: The restaurants of the lower town of Podil
In 1569 Kyiv became a part of Poland.
It remained a Polish city for 100 years until 1686.
But even after Kyiv became part of the Russian empire, Kyiv remained highly Polish. Polish was the main language in schools. The director of the Warsaw stock exchange was Kyiv's city mayor. in the 19th Century.
According to some historical sources http://www.pallotyni.kiev.ua/en/?poles-in-kiev, the Poles have always tended to settle in the lower part of the city Podyl (or Podol) - which just means "Lower".
It is now a very pleasant place to wander the streets and soak up old Kyiv, pop into churches and amble along narrow streets.
Because one of the main universities is based here, there is a big student and arty population in Podil.
As a result the streets have lots of bars and places to eat.
There are two main strips of restaurant along the two streets of Nizhniy/Verkhniy Val and Petra Sahaidachnoho St about which this blog has already devoted a post. So let's take a walk up and down Nizhniy/Verkhniy Val. This street has two names - depending on whether you are walking down to the river - or up from the river. Down is called Verkhniy Val (or Wall Descending).
The main metro station for this area is Kontraktova Ploscha. The station platform has two exits. One leads to the Contract Square (hence the name of the station, the other leads directly onto Nizhny Val.
To tell the difference alight from the train and focus on the escalators. There is lit up signage over the middle of the escalators. One sign has a green advert for the Goethe Institut. This takes you to the square. The other way leads you into a warren of underground kiosks. There are no signs.
So keep popping up the stairs and bear towards this yellow and blue unfinished building:
Nizhniy Val is the wide boulevard with a central tree-lined park running through the centre of the two separate carriage ways. This park marks the Val (or wall) that used to defend medieval Kyiv.
Start your walk by following Nizhniy Val down the gradual slope towards the river and away from the hills at the top of the road.
No.33 is Aunt Klara's pie shop https://www.facebook.com/tetyaklara/.No. 35 is one of the first places you come to is Call me Cacao https://www.facebook.com/chaocacao.kyiv/. This shop specialises in natural chocolate. It is the only store of its kind in Ukraine.
At No. 37/20 there's the Craft-vs-Pub https://www.facebook.com/craftvspub/.
Around here the cafe's thin out. But if you walk to the end of the boulevard you will see on the opposite side of the road the Che Guevara grill pub http://www.cheguevara.com.ua. The bar has its own Che beer, brewed on the premises. It often hosts live music.
If you walk now back up the boulevard you will now be walking on Verkhniy Val (or Wall Ascending street) and will come to Ethnodim (or Ethno House). This store sells hand made and hand-embroidered traditional Ukrainian clothes. Embroidery is BIG in Ukraine. In fact in the last five years the national shirts (for men and women) or "vyshvanka" have made a come back. So much so that the third Thursday in May (18th May) has now been declared National Shirt Day https://www.kyivpost.com/article/guide/about-kyiv/why-ukraines-national-shirt-vyshyvanka-came-back-t-112070.html when everyone shows solidarity and patriotism by wearing the shirt to work.
One door up at No. 22 Verkhniy Val, is the very elegant bakery and cafe Volkonsky http://wolkonsky.com/en. This small chain of artisan bakers and patisseries is said to be favoured by the First Lady. She has good taste. This is one of the few places in Kyiv where you can eat quiche.
Beyond this point there are four further eating options walking up the hill:
Outside the dipped-roof market is a silver kiosk, called Sofra. Here you will get authentic and freshly made Crimean burke.
No. 10 Verkhniy Val: "Restoran" (literally Restaurant) http://finefamily.com.ua/index-eng.htm a Mediterranean restaurant, currently awaiting a new name.
No. 10 Leto Cafe https://www.facebook.com/letocoffeekiev/about/
No. 2A Verkhniy Val: "To Be" https://tomato.ua/en/kiev/restaurants/tobe
Crossing over back to the top of Nizhniy Val you will come to the real restaurant hotspot.
No. 17/8 Nizhniy Val: "The Burger Mexico" https://tomato.ua/en/kiev/restaurants/the-burger-mexico. This is an über-trendy beef burger joint. Look up over the entrance to spot the neon pigeons.
No. 19 In Mood Cafe and Hookah Bar. https://www.facebook.com/InMoodRestaurant This Middle Eastern restaurant also provides halal meat.
No. 19/21: "Honey" - a patisserie and restaurant. This is considered one of the top eateries in Kyiv and produces small portions of tasty meals and cakes. It's good to book here.
Next door is Khinkalnaya. This is a very new and very authentic Georgian cafe that is rapidly becoming a favourite eating place.
No. 23 Silvio D'Italia http://www.silvio.kiev.ua is a classic pizza restaurant.
You are now back where you started. But if you turn left round the corner onto Kostiantynivska St, you will quickly come to a very new ramen restaurant called Menya Musashi https://www.facebook.com/MenyaMusashiKyiv/ at No. 19 Kostiantynivska St.
Nearby is a Ukrainian wine shop. This specialist store stocks an extremely wide variety of Ukrainian wines, brandies and calvados. It's wine cask doorway gives itself away.
Address: 12, Yaroslaviv Val St, 01901 Kyiv
Tel: +380 44 230 0700
Website: http://kijow.msz.gov.pl/uk/
What Polish links do you know of in Kyiv?
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