O'panas — Restaurant in Kyiv

I recently dined at O'panas on the edge of Shevchenko Park in Kiev. Upon entering the restaurant that evening with my lady friend I received a marvelous visual impression. The restaurant resembles a traditional, old-world dining hall perhaps from a Ukrainian fable or folk-tale. The structure is round, built from massive timbers of golden hue with a very high thatched roof for its ceiling. The effect is magical and sets a mellow tone for an idyllic dining experience.

A trio of roaming musicians serenaded diners with traditional Ukrainian songs. My companion was most pleased when they made a stop by our table on the second level to sing a traditional love song to her. So, for romantic ambiance - you could not ask for anything better!

The menu is extensive with many traditional selections. Everything we ordered was delicious. I enjoyed a diverse selection of Ukrainian appetizers, salad, and entrees with the emphasis on fish. The wine list was impressive but not overwhelming and we each were able to enjoy our favorite wine selection by the glass. Our waiter was friendly, informative, efficient, and relaxed. I enjoyed the dining experience while still focusing my attention on my female companion. Our four course dinner for two with wine, tea, and tip came to 1500 hryvnia.

O'panas has a memorable look and feel to it and is worth a visit with the kids or a romantic companion just for its delightful coziness. The food and drink is also excellent, which of course, makes the whole experience that much better. I highly recommend...

When we first came in.. I was mesmorised by the decorations and how traditional the restaurant was. I had high expectations, but soon we were in for disappointment. Im not sure wether we ordered not popular foods or was it a bad luck. Ive had Chicken Kiev and my other half had Grilled Sea Bass. Now Kiev is my favourite food - Ive had them all my life... Ive got a small piece of meat with the bone that took 30% of the place in the meal. Had maybe 2-3 full bites out of it.. it was quite dry and small.. Ive ordered it with rice.. and there it was - just plain rice.. no salad.. nothing.. 1 piece of tomato... I wish they would have told me that no salad was on the plate - so I would have just ordered a separate bowl ( it was very unusual as most places do salad on the side of the meal included). It was the worst Kiev Ive ever had. Now my boyfriends meal was even worse.. Fish was so overcooked or old.. that it tasted like carboard.. he almost choked on it, it was that dry.. maybe they deep fried it from frozen.. or something.. because thats how it tasted. It was horrible.

No one asked how was our meals.. so we had no chance to complain or change them.. Waiting time of our meal was around 40mins.. Service was ok.

We left not only unsatisfied, but...

If I could give it 0 I would. Walked in after hearing good reviews, got sat upstairs on our own? Menu was less than appealing even though it had it more pages than the fellowship of the ring. Sat down and some reprobate with no teeth made us feel awkward WHILST he took our order. I went for a chicken Kiev as I thought it was the safest on the menu...how wrong. My guest ordered rabbit and when it came the reprobate with 0 teeth kept shouting “don’t eat it” as he has to set it alight. This failed, he kept touching the dish with his fingers... My Kiev well, wow. Leg attached, used a melon scoop to hollow out 1/4 of the meat. Love to say chicken but I doubt it was more than a local rat. 1 full garlic bulb and a slight garnish of herbs. Had to put it in a napkin and walk out with it. Not edible. Came to the bill. We were asking and no one came. Had to walk downstairs where said reprobate was taking to his pal, ignored us and we could have walked out but had the decency to ask for the bill. Which he sighed about. Avoid at all costs unless you want to be ill. Vile place, vile staff,...