Kiev Nightlife
Ukrainian dishes are typically a hearty affair. Cabbage, sausage and borscht make up many of the dishes, in variously disguised forms.
Kiev's main thoroughfare, vulitsya Khreschatyk, is a good place to find cafes and restaurants and the majority of places will be of a good standard and reasonably priced.
Those visitors that are on a tight budget may wish to try the chain of restaurants known as Dva Gusya (Two Geese). This string of eateries is extremely popular in the Ukraine and serve up a good selection of decent meals, all for a knockdown price. Especially recommended are the borscht, meatballs and vereniki, which is a local form of ravioli.
For the best in local food, however, try Schekavitsia on Kostiantynivs?ka. There is a good menu to choose from and a number of the waiters speak English and will be able to point you towards some of their most popular dishes. Decently priced too.
If you want to feel really touristy, you can try the Kozak Mamai, which a Cossack-themed affair on Prorizna. This too has many good dishes to try and in the summer has plenty of space for outdoor seating.
Those who want to combine something to eat with a lively bar atmosphere could try Eric's Bierstube on Velyka Vasilkivska. It is very popular with locals on weekends and makes for a vibrant start to an evening.
For those after a good night out, many of the side streets off vulitsya Khreschatyk have noisy bars and the occasional club; the area around Nezalezhnosti is particularly rowdy too. However, there is no difficulty in getting a beer wherever you happen to find yourself in the city, as stalls can be found selling the stuff on most street corners.
As you may have gathered, the Ukrainians love a drink and are not adverse to a long and raucous, let-your-hair-down type of evening. To this end, there are plenty of clubs around to dance the night away in. One of the most sophisticated is the Opium Dance Club, which can be found on Saksahans? Koho's and is open from Thursday to Sunday. You have to look the part to get in and then act nonchalantly until the alcohol kicks in ? at which point most people head to the dance floor to enjoy the house music.
One of the top clubs on the city's gay scene is Androgyne on Garmatnaya. Only opened in 2003, it is decently priced, friendly and extremely lively.
For those wishing to have a night off from the sweaty masses, why not head to the Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet and watch someone else prance around for a change? Founded in 1867, the building has a long tradition for putting on top quality productions and the theatre's in-house troupe are well received throughout the world.
Lastly, Art-Club 44 on Khreschatyk is a great place for the fan of live music. Most nights have a live band on but the genre is open to change, with jazz, rock and more avant-garde offerings popping up in equal measure.
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Nightlife and Eating & Drinking
