Eating Out

The restaurants of Lvov are mostly cozy, old-fashioned, traditional Ukrainian places serving delicious belly-filling food. Hearty soups and rich, heavy dishes are their specialties. These restaurants are usually not "gourmet", but they have a comforting and cared-for atmosphere that makes you feel at home. You don't need a lot of money to eat out in Lvov; most dishes are under $5 USD.

Soups and Breads

Borshch is a typical Ukrainian soup made from beats. Kapusniak is a distinctive sourkraut soup. A thick, creamy mushroom soup is called Hrybivka, and a pickle soup is called Rosdnyk. All of these soups use traditional Ukrainian ingredients that are also used in a variety of other dishes. In Lvov, and all of Ukraine, braided breads are popular. Sometimes they are made with sweetened dough, and sometimes they have a mix of dried fruits in them. Usually these breads have some sort of symbolism in their design or shape and they are generally made during certain holidays or special events or ceremonies.

Main Dishes

Shypyndra is a dish made with a thick slice of pork and beets on the side. Varenyky is a doughy pastry filled with potato or sauerkraut,or cottage cheese; the list goes on and on. Kyshka is a sausage made of buckwheat and blood, whil deruny is a meal of potato pancakes smothered in sour cream. Don't forget to try out Lvov's famous cabbage rolls filled with hamburger meat and rice, called Howbtsi. It you visit around Christmas time, try a Ukrainian classic, Kutya, made of poppyseed, honey, and wheat and garnished with almonds, cherries, and sherry.

Drinks

As in most countries, wine and beer are very popular. The main beer companies in Ukraine ar Chenihivske, Lvivske, and Obolon. Vodka, called Horilka here, is very common as well. Another drink, mead, made from honey, water, and yeast was important historically in Ukraine and is now regaining its former popularity.

Restaurants

For traditional, home-cooked food in Lvov, you have tons of choices. Two really cozy places with cheap, delicious food are Na Soborniy and Oselya. Oselya is actually an old Ukrainian home with all of the typical furnishings and decorations. It provides a cultural show every evening as well. In the central area of the city, international cuisine is becoming more common than before. Nowadays, you can visit more expensive, Western European restaurants like Europa, the Italian Yard, and Amadeus. However, it is recommended that you try out the more traditional places first before going directly to the types of restaurants that you can go to almost anywhere in the world.