Food & Drink in Lviv

In the years leading up to the full-scale invasion, Lviv witnessed a surge in its restaurant, cafe, and bar industry. New establishments seemed to pop up every few days, making it a challenge to keep track of them all. Despite the initial disruptions caused by the war, as life has returned to a semblance of normalcy in the city, the food scene is flourishing once again.

Lviv has long been renowned for its coffee, chocolate, and beer, with these centuries-old culinary traditions making a strong comeback in the post-Soviet era. The city’s prowess in these areas has gained international recognition, as Lviv chocolate shops have expanded to other European cities, and its craft beer scene is starting to make waves globally.

Another highlight of Lviv’s culinary scene is its infused vodkas (nastoyanky) and liqueurs (nalyvky), with many restaurants, bars, and shops offering an impressive variety of these bottled delights.

The restaurant scene is also finally starting to experiment with new dishes, ingredients, and fusions and coming up with great culinary offerings, especially ones using traditional Ukrainian recipes or ingredients.

With an abundance of coffee houses, delectable chocolate and sweets shops, and a thriving brewery and restaurant culture, Lviv guarantees a memorable experience for even the most discerning food lovers.

I’ve put together a list of Top 5s of some of the best spots to wine and dine in Lviv. These are places that I recommend to friends anyone seeking culinary delights in the city.

Top 5 Galician Cuisine Places

• Baczewski Restaurant – 8 Shevska St.
  Named after the Baczewski family, which in 1782 founded a famous vodka distillery. In addition to delicious Galician cuisine (Polish, Ukrainian, Jewish, Austrian), it also boasts a selection of 45 tasty infused vodkas. Also a great breakfast spot: all you can eat brunch buffet everyday 8-11 a.m. but beware of long lines.
• Kumpel – 6 Vynnychenka St.
  Galician (Polish, Austrian, Ukrainian) food, including Wiener Schnitzel, sausages, fried varenyky (dumplings), salads, garlic soup. Very good beer from their own brewery.
• Trapezna Idey – 18a Valova St.
  Delicious Ukrainian and Galician fare, including some lesser known dishes. Homemade infused vodkas. My favorite borshch in Lviv, includes prune and lemon zest. Located in the basement of an old monastery.
• Restoratsia Nad Cukierneyu – 3 Staroyevreyska St.
  Located above the famous cafe Cukiernia, the restaurant offers delicious schnitzels, soups, salads, and other dishes inspired by local cuisine.
• Viennese Coffeehouse – 12 Svobody Ave.
  Both a coffeehouse and restaurant. Lviv’s oldest coffeehouse, established in 1829. In Austrian and interwar Poland times was frequented by many famous figures, including Mykhailo Hrushevsky and Ivan Franko. Very good (Austrian, Polish, and Ukrainian inspired) food.

Top 5 Prewar Lviv Atmosphere Places

• Sztuka – 8 Kotliarska St.
  Cute cafe, interior decorated with antiques from prewar Lviv. Large coffee and tea menu. Desserts. Polish-style crepes. The facade has some of Lviv’s finest ghost signs.
• Under the Gold Star – 1 Kopernyka St.
  Delicious sweets in an famous converted pharmacy.
• Kupol – 37 Chaikovskoho St.
  Polish restaurant with many prewar antiques. Located in a cozy courtyard tucked away on a hill leading up to the Citadel.
• Under the Blue Bottle – 4 Ruska St. (through the courtyard)
  Named after one of the first coffeehouses in Vienna, which allegedly was opened by the Ukrainian Yuriy Kulchytskyi in the 17th century. Coffee, wine, fondue, desserts, drinks.
• Atlas – 45 Rynok Square
  Atlas was Lviv’s most popular establishment in the late 19th & early 20th centuries. The restaurant was revived a few years ago in the same location. Serves Galician cuisine.

Top 5 Ukrainian Cuisine Places

• Amadeus – 7 Katedralna Square
  Fancy restaurant with delicious food. Ukrainian and European dishes. Very good varenyky (dumplings) and creme of mushroom soup.
• Inshi Cafe – 2A Soborna Square
  Ukrainian cafe from chef Yevhen Klopotenko.
• Zashkvarka – 2 Pekarska St.
  Wide range of Ukrainian food, including varenyky, vushka (mini-dumplings), borshch, and much more.
• Kryjivka – 14 Rynok Square
  Dedicated to the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, Ukrainian food, lively atmosphere, located in a recreated underground hideout. Most visited restaurant in Europe (before Covid/war). Need password to enter.
• Boykivska Hostyna – 8 Mytropolyta Andreya St.
  Restaurant with Boyko cuisine, very affordable
  

Top 5 Vegetarian Cafes

• Tovarystvo – 11 Pekarska St.
  Coffee, Wine & Food + People
• Green – 36 Staroyevreyska St.
  Lviv’s first vegetarian restaurant, opened in 2014. Seasonal menu, lots of smoothies and fruit drinks, vegan desserts. Also includes a little vegetarian shop with tofu, seitan, beans, oils, etc. FYI, no WI-FI.
• Steppe Cafe – 1 Koliivshchyny Sq.
  Desserts. No sugar, no lactose, no gluten, vegan.
• Tse Falafel, Krykhitko – 10 Staroyevreiska St.
  Delicious + fast + affordable falafel wraps.

Where to find –

Vegetarian borshch:

• Inshi Cafe – 2A Soborna Square
• Bilyi Shum – 24 Maksyma Zaliznyaka St.
• Steppe Cafe – 1 Koliivshchyny Sq.
• Amadeus – 7 Katedralna Square (beet broth served with vushka (small mushroom dumplings)

Vegetarian cabbage rolls:

• Trapezna Idey – 18a Valova St. (with potato and buckwheat)
• Kupol – 37 Chaikovskoho St. (Polish-style)
• Boykivska Hostyna – 8 Mytropolyta Andreya (with potato and mushrooms)

Top 5 Meat Restaurants

• Arsenal – Ribs & Spirits – 5 Pidvalna St.
  I’m mostly vegetarian, but after I heard so many of my American friends praise it, some going as far as to say they were the best ribs they have ever had, I did try it. Yes, they are quite delicious.
• Mons Pius – Beer & Meat – Enter from courtyard of Armenian church or alley between buildings 7 & 13 on Virmenska St.
  Meat, fish, hummus, salads, good beer, lemonade, and linden infused vodka.
• Kryva Lypa Culinary Studio – 8 Kryva Lypa Passage
  Interesting, more unusual selection of meat dishes, such as curry with turkey, fajitas, etc. Borshch in a bread bowl. Also has some vegetarian options, including a spinach strudel and pasta with mushrooms.
• Churrasco – Grill & Beer – 13 Halytska St.
  Unlimited meat, specialty beer and crayfish.

Top 5 Jewish & Crimean Tatar Places

• Shalom – 32 Brativ Rohatyntsiv St.
  An Israeli city cafe with love for the world”
• Lehaim – 27 Lesi Ukrayinky St.
  “Small plates, booze and untold stories”
• Cafe Jerusalem – 39 Mechnikova St.
  “Small family cafe with delicious food and respect to the traditions of our Jewish grandmothers”
• Selyam – 20 Dzherelna St.
  Crimean-Tatar restaurant
• Chiberechna – 29 Lesi Ukrayinky St.
  Crimean-Tatar restaurant specializing in chebureki (deep-fried turnovers)

Top 5 Georgian & Armenian Places

• Georgian – 2 Kovzhuna St.
  Delicious Georgian cuisine with some original dishes.
• Akhali – 7 Dudayeva St.
  Georgian cuisine. Very good khinkali (Georgian dumplings), but also several kinds of khachapuri (cheese-filled bread), salads, and several vegetarian options. 
• Toy Samyi Baranchyk – 3a Lazneva St.
  “A tasty and proud Georgian restaurant!”
• Para Janov & Port wine – 12 Lesi Ukrayinky St.
  Dedicated to the famous director Sergei Parajanov (Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors). A large selection of wines, Armenian food, and all-day breakfast.

Top 5 Asian & Indian Places

• Tiki Thai – 4 Staroyevreiska St. & 9 Kryva Lypa Passage
  “The first authentic Thai street food in Lviv”
• Ramen Mo – 11 Nalyvaika St.
  Asian fast food: Ramen, noodles, rice
• Red Monkey – 3 Yana Zhyzhky St.
  Specializes in ramen.
• Lotus Zaika India Ka – 35 Pekarska St.
  Authentic Indian food. Large menu.

Top 5 Pizzerias

• PROMIN – 15 Hnatiuka St.
  Pizza, pasta, brunch
• Teddy Restaurant – 20 Chaikovskoho St.
  Pizza, pasta, brunch
• Marymo – 5 Virmenska St.
  Pizza, pasta, risotto, cocktails, dessert, brunch
• Mriinyky – 5 Kryva Lypa
  Pizza & more. And one of the best French onion soups I’ve ever had!
• Sytsyliyskyi Dvoryk (Sicilian Courtyard) – 20 Bohdana Khmnelnytskoho St.
  Sicilian pizza in a Lviv courtyard

Top 5 Brunch Places

• Teddy Restaurant – 20 Chaikovskoho St.
  Pizza, pasta, brunch
• Cukor – day’n’night breakfast – 21 Brativ Rohatyntsiv St. & 3 Kryva Lypa Passage
  Egg dishes, crepes, croissant sandwiches, fried chicken and waffles. Two locations, two different menus, with some overlap.
• SHOco – 3 Lesia Kurbasa St. & 44 Sakharova St.
  Casual food & handbrew coffee
• The Cheese Bakery – 1 Halytska St. (on Ploshcha Rynok) & 120 Shevchenka St. & 57 Vitovskoho
  Specializes in cheesecakes, but also has a wonderful breakfast menu
• PROMIN – 15 Hnatiuka St.
  Pizza, pasta, brunch

Top 5 Dessert Places

• Cukіernia – 3 Staroyevreiska St.
  Delicious strudels, cakes, tortes, pastries.
• Veronika Confectionery – 21 Shevchenka Ave.
  Delicious cakes, croissants, Danish pastries, eclairs, macaroons.
• Lviv Handmade Chocolate – 3 Serbska & 5 Sichovykh Striltsiv St.
  Handmade chocolates, all kinds of desserts and drinks with chocolate.
• Under the Gold Star – 1 Kopernyka St.
  Delicious sweets in an famous converted pharmacy.
• Grand Cafe Leopolis – 1 Rynok Sq. (City Hall)
  A huge selection of desserts and all day breakfast. A great collection of historical photographs of Lviv adorn the walls.

Top 5 Coffeehouses

• Svit Kavy – 6 Ploshcha Katedralna (original more traditional cafe) and 30 Ploshcha Rynok (newer one with a more hipstery vibe)
  Lviv’s most famous coffeehouse. A favorite place of Lviv’s mayor. Very good strudels and cheesecakes. Now with two locations and two different atmospheres.
• Virmenka – 19 Virmenska St.
  Opened in 1979, was the hangout for Lviv’s hippies, artists, and musicians. Recently completely renovated, but the old charm and excellent coffee (prepared Turkish style) are still there.
• Black Honey – 3 Kryva Lypa & 20 Halytska St.
  Very good coffee, simple Scandinavian-style interior.
• SHOco. – 3 Lesia Kurbasa St.
  Cafe with delicious eclairs, croissants, cookies, as well as brunch.
• Kredens – 5 Valova St.
  Specialty coffee chain.

Top 5 Craft Beer Pubs

• Choven and Zolotyi Kolos – 33 Virmenska St. and 6 Kryva Lypa
  Large selection of craft beer on tap. Everyday new beers on the menu, and there is always one very good cider on top (red current, pear, strawberry, mint). Also very good food menu, I especially like their pizzas (some of the best in Lviv) and homemade potato chips.
• Pravda Beer Theater – 32 Rynok Square
  Their beer has won many awards, and the brewery has been on international news due to their beers that they dedicate to political leaders such as Obama, Putin, and Trump. Every night live brass band. Fun and lively music, but quite loud.
• Pijana Kaczka (Drunken Duck) – Pl. Koliyivshyna/45 Brativ Rohatyntsiv St.
  A small bar in the center with a small selection of craft and regional beer, homemade infused vodkas, beer snacks.
• Bratyska – 11 Kryva Lypa
  Wide range of craft beer on draft.
• Beerfreak – 7 Furmanska St.
  Craft beer and hot dogs. Polish and Ukrainian breweries.

Top 5 Nastoyanky (Infused Vodkas) Bars

• Pidpilnyi Kindrat – 25 Valova St.
  A restaurant with a large menu of their homemade infused spirits, including some unlike any I’ve tasted anywhere else, including those based on balzams, honey, and milk. Beware, as some are very strong. But very delicious. Also includes a shop to take some home with you.
• Pyana Vyshnia – 11 Rynok Square & Stryiskyi Park
  I’m not a huge fan of cherries; however, their cherry cordial is to die for.  Very popular place located right on Rynok Square. Only standing tables, can also take to go. Open late.
• Fatset – 26 Virmenska St.
  Small cafe with Ukrainian & Galician dishes, homemade infused vodkas.
• Vuyko Sem (Uncle Sam) – 23 Brativ Rohatyntsiv St.
  “We are sure that we will change the attitude towards strong alcohol made in Ukraine and improve the culture of its consumption. … A drink that preserves the fresh taste of all the fruits and herbs we add. Fragrant, with a special taste.” Their “Opium” (poppy-seed infused grappa) is divine!
• Medivnia – 17 Krakivska St.
  The best honey-infused vodkas.

Top 5 Wine & Cocktail Bars

• Inshi Bar – 12 Fedorova St.
  Bar farm from chef Yevhen Klopotenko
• People Place – 6 Katedralna Sq.
  Cocktails, wine and “Mediterranean fast food”
• The Room Wine Bar – 18 Lesi Ukrayinky St.
  “A chic place with a voguish atmosphere and a bohemian, precocious character… Come free and easy!”
• Pstruh, Chlib ta Vyno (Trout, Bread, and Wine) – Arsenalna Square (49 Brativ Rohatyntsiv St.)
  Specializes in trout, open faced baguette sandwiches, and salads, as well as wine and Pravda beer.
• 4friends Whiskey Pub – 2 Dudayeva St.
  Lviv’s best whiskey pub, also nice selection of cocktails and food.