Kiev has greatly succeeded during the last years in terms of opening new cafes and restaurants. But there is a question still remaining: can vegetarians not get lost in jungles of meat burgers, steaks, grilled wings and nourishing broths? Sometimes it is very disappointing, when coming to a cafe that looks sweet at first glance, to find out that the only thing that does not contain a piece of an animal is a mineral water..
In general, I would like to draw your attention to several outlets, where it is pleasant to have a meal both for vegetarians and for all those who are concerned about the proper and healthy diet.
The family-run vegetarian restaurant [TRI:]
First of all, you can visit the family-run vegetarian restaurant [TRI:]. There’s a nice interior and a variety of delicacies, which are prepared in accordance with the principles of healthy eating, and, of course, with no animal products. In [TRI:] there are three rooms: the first – a buffet, the second – a restaurant and a place for seminars, workshops and family activities. Also in [TRI:] you can enjoy a morning yoga, a cup of tea, cereal drink or business lunch.
The restaurant is situated near the Peizazhnaja alley, a beautiful street Yaroslavov Val and Golden Gate. After a delicious lunch we recommend you to walk there, go to the Museum of History of Ukraine, or simply play badminton on the lawn outside.
Cafe “Imbir”
You may taste the food of different cuisines without meat, fish, eggs and seafood in the vegetarian literature cafe “Imbir.” The food in the “Imbir” is cooked based on principles of Vedic cooking, so the products meet the highest quality standards.
In the menu there are a lot of soups, main dishes, appetizers and desserts. Upon request of the guest most of the dishes may be prepared as vegan.
Since the “Imbir” is a literature cafe, there you can read all kinds of books on spiritual development, philosophy, esotery and psychology. There is also a useful shop of organic products, aromatic oils with light and pleasant interior made of natural materials and other nice little things.
Eco Buffet
We also ought to mention the Eco Buffet – the network of vegetarian cafes with a varied menu. There you can even try very exotic dishes that are prepared without meat, fish and eggs. Instead, the menu has many delicious dishes with natural dairy products, nuts and beans, and all the products are delivered from a farm. There’s a very simple but pleasant atmosphere, because these cafes seem to be designed for people who prefer a healthy and wholesome food to pathos interior. Probably because of this the prices in the menu are very affordable and pleasant. This place can be recommended to those who have not chosen where to have a daily lunch.
The delivery service, catering services are available, and two stores “Vega Lavka” are open where you can buy organic food, and yet there is a vegetarian sausage and pate from seitan.
If you have no time to sit in a restaurant and wait till your food is cooked, my advice to you is to visit the Street Buffet stalls, and quite many of them are spread in the city center.
Falafel on Bessarabki
All vegetarians of Kiev agree that the most delicious falafel is cooked on Bessarabka. It costs 10 – 15 hryvnia + as a bonus you get a pleasant chat with the guys from Tunisia and Algeria, who cook it. They are working almost seven days a week, always smiling and joking in broken Russian. After many hours of work it is so nice to listen to their stories about how beautiful and very blue is the sea in Tunisia, how they celebrate New Year in their home countries, and also that the air in Svyatoshino is much cleaner than in Basseinaya.
And in general, it is very useful to turn an ordinary meal into a pleasant resting time.