Kiev Restaurant — Restaurant in Kyoto

My mother was born in Kiev and moved to Brooklyn, NY 26 years ago - where I was born. Our family saw this on the map and decided to give the place a try to see their take on our food (using their ingredients of course), and I must say, we weren't disappointed.

All the food was spectacular, no doubt at least in part due to the freshness of the ingredients.  We had stuffed peppers, garden salad (with the pinkish-white inside which tastes somewhat like olivye), borscht, mushroom soup, locks/smoked salmon/red fish, beef stroganoff, sea bass (the white dish), a bit of sour cabbage came with the main dishes, cherry dumplings (which came with vanilla ice cream covered in a bit of jam), a piece of cheesecake (which also came with that), rose petal jam, and tea.  Though nothing besides the soups was really prepared traditionally, if honest, everything was stunningly delicious.  We were surprised dish after dish and each person ended up ordering more of what the other person had for themselves.

Not to set expectations, as of course this is subjective, but in each case we found the food better than the home-cooked meals we were used to from our parents and otherwise friends and family.  You honestly don't and can't even get anything this well prepared back in the US, especially for this kind of money.  Only the beef stroganoff was just average.

I tried only a small piece of the fish and it was incredibly soft and tasty - no hyperbole intended.  My mother and stepdad said it was the best fish they have eaten, certainly so far in Japan or possibly ever. Keep in mind that at first I actually barely convinced them to even go here.

Interestingly, the salmon was prepared in the style that we typically have herring, but that sort of made it even more delicious.  If anything, whatever they did or further used I'd argue can definitely benefit Russian/Ukranian food if borrowed from.  The only thing in reverse I'd say is perhaps they can look at vinaigrette and olivye salads and how they're made.  I'm sure a real attempt at them would be delicious.

When it came to the desert, let's just say I actually don't like and never eat jam and find that it ruins something like ice cream.  Let's just say I devoured it like it was the last thing on earth.  Needless to say, it was all excellent.

Our waiter's name was Kawamoto and he of course was very polite.  He made a real effort to converse and said and understood bits of Russian, Ukranian, and English.  It was a lot of fun.

Usually any part of the experience we had while here would be great if experienced somewhere, so regardless of your experience, unless things change, bottom line is that the very least which can be said is that there's very good food at this place which would pass at any restaurant for arguably any price point.  If you're familiar with our culture's food and are here just to judge it for its accuracy, that defeats the point and would certainly actually make things less interesting if it was just attempts at literal copying.  Instead, it was food which wasn't made good through seasoning - instead, good purely by just how well it's cooked.  I love salty food in general, but I promise that would only conceal it's true goodness in this case.

If you're in the area looking for possibly something different but, in the most regular sense, just good tasting, whether you're familiar with this food or are local or not, this place is worth trying.  If I lived here, I'd certainly come frequently.

I've attached pictures of all the dishes we had (missed the salmon though because of how quickly it was eaten) and a picture of us together with Takahiro Kawamoto who served us. All credit to the...

I recently dined at the restaurant "Kiev" in Kyoto and it left me with mixed feelings. The place is advertised as a Kyiv-themed restaurant, with a strong focus on Russian and Soviet decor. While it might appeal to some, I couldn't help but feel that it missed a significant opportunity to celebrate true Ukrainian culture.

Upon entering, you're bombarded with russian dolls, balalaikas, and russian cutlery, which seem oddly out of place in a restaurant named after the capital of Ukraine. The predominantly Russian-speaking staff only added to the disconnect.

To make matters worse, the menu is entirely in Russian, leaving me to decipher what I'd be ordering. It would have been a more authentic and welcoming experience if they'd researched Ukrainian culture and included Ukrainian attributes like motanka dolls, rushnyk, Ukrainian hata, palyanytsya, the trident, Ukrainian flag, pottery, and pysanka. Btw, borsch is a authentic Ukrainian dish which has been confirmed by UNESCO. You may collaborate with some famous Ukrainian chefs like Ievgen Klopotenko to make your food more authentic. Also 'Kiev' is an incorrect communists' spelling of Kyiv.

The lack of Ukrainian representation in a restaurant with the name "Kyiv" is a missed opportunity to celebrate Ukraine's rich heritage. I hope the management considers embracing the true essence of Kyiv and Ukraine in their decor, menu, and overall atmosphere to provide a more genuine experience for...

I recently visited Kyiv, hoping for an authentic experience honoring Ukraine’s culture and cuisine, especially given the restaurant’s name, which pays tribute to the Ukrainian capital. However, I was dismayed to find the decor predominantly Russian-themed, with all the menu items listed only in Russian. In light of the current war and the ongoing hardships Ukraine faces, this choice feels deeply insensitive.

The restaurant claims to keep the ‘Soviet vibe’ as a legacy from when it opened in 1972. But maintaining Soviet decor and Russian-only menus under the guise of ‘nostalgia’ ignores the painful associations and context that many Ukrainians, and those who support them, now feel.

In a time when Ukrainian identity and sovereignty are under attack, the very least a restaurant named Kyiv could do is acknowledge the importance of Ukrainian culture in meaningful ways. This experience left me saddened and disappointed. A respectful reimagining of the restaurant’s theme and an inclusive approach to language would go a long way toward honoring Ukraine, its people, and its...