Even in the midst of war, life goes on in Kyiv and the coffee culture is thriving. I enjoyed several exquisite cups of coffee without much effort and loved how seriously Ukrainians take their coffee.
Great Coffee In Kyiv, Ukraine
Last time I spent time in Kyiv (2011), I was a tea drinker and had no appreciation for coffee. This time, I was on the lookout for coffee but did not have to look far: good coffee is everywhere you turn your eyes.
Best of all? No Starbucks that I encounter. No American or European coffee chains. Just a number of wonderful, independent, mostly tiny coffee shops. In fact, there are more coffee kiosks than coffee shops, all of which appear to have a nice machine (foundational to nice coffee).
As I mentioned earlier, Kyiv-Pasazhyrsky station had a number of coffee shops including a great one called Idealist Coffee Company (a Ukrainian chain) with a beautiful green La Marzocco coffee machine.
I spent the afternoon walking and stopped for coffee along the way.
My first stop was at a place called Grushevskiy Coffee Bar.
Grushevskiy Coffee Bar (Грушевс’кий кав’ярня)
Sichovykh Striltsiv St, 60
Kyiv, Ukraine 04050
+380 98 211 2109
8:00 am – 7:00 pm (Monday – Friday)
10:00 am – 6:00 pm (Saturday, Sunday)
My ApplePay did not work here, which was quite annoying, but thankfully my physical credit card did.
I ordered a flat white and it was perfect…though the barista refused to use a real cup. Still, great coffee.
Next, I found an even smaller place called Innache Coffee Bar.
Innache Coffee Bar
Kopernyka St, 3
Kyiv, Ukraine 04116
+380 50 405 5506
8:00 am – 8:00 pm (daily)
Innache was located within a gated residential high-rise compound. I had a bit of trouble finding it (you walk through a gate on the street and around the back of the building).
Here, the cozy little shop was such a warm oasis from a very cold afternoon and the coffee was even better than Grushevskiy (and served in a “real” cup).
Now fueled, I began my walk back to the hotel.
CONCLUSION
The coffee culture in Kyiv is exquisite. If you love coffee, great choices abound. Even in the midst of war, Ukrainians need coffee and there is no shortage of options in the capital city.
Next: I discover a very stupid mistake…
Disaster tourism and you’re annoyed your ApplePay doesn’t work? SMH
@Ella: Go watch TV.
I don’t see how this is disaster tourism.
I live in eastern Europe, I admit Ukraine probably wouldn’t be my top destination right now, but tons of people still travel there for business, to support families, and as part of ongoing support for the local economy.
One thing that this series accomplishes brilliantly is demystifying today’s Ukraine for clueless outsiders, many of whom frequent these comment sections. It’s not like Matthew took a stroll through the streets of Bakhmut or Luhansk in the midst of artillery fire. If anything, this is a testament to the will and resilience of the Ukrainian people, and I’m glad we get to read about it.
+1
if you will go this far for good coffee, i’m terrified what you would do for fresh squeezed orange juice.
Thankfully, I did not have go beyond the hotel for that! 😉
Is the Intercontinental still operating? I stayed there a couple of years ago and loved it.
It is still open. Hilton too.
Good lord. What is the big deal about coffee? Just drink water.