Ostannya Barykada — Restaurant in Kyiv

I judge a restaurant visit by 3 variables: Food, Interior and Service.

Food and interior get 5 stars, service 2-3.

The place is really lovely. Differently themed rooms, the layout, the access. Everything is an experince.

The food is delicious. We struggled to chose from the menu, especially the value for money is outstanding.

Service was appalling. We were seated litterally in the last corner of the restaurant, so there was not chances to get the attention of a passing waiter/waitress...as they were just not passing by. So things took much longer. When taking the last plates from the main dish, there was no question whether we wanted something else...we gave up waiting and wanted to pay, which itself took way to long. So we got up in the end....the process from last plate to paying took 45 minutes.

What I don't understand, you have to pay twice when paying by card. (two different bills, because, there were two companies operating and each had to be paid individually. I was told by the waiter that this is normal in Ukraine. Whether it's true or not, I think it's ridiculous. Each card transactions costs money, so there was clearly no interest in "helping" the customer.

Certainly I'd recommend the place, but make sure to not seat at the very end of the restaurant, in the "hidden" corner (it was better hidden than the...

Here’s the deal: go in the elevator in the Globus Mall dome and press “OB.” You’ll come to a skywalk that’s kind of a shop of made in Ukraine items. There will be a “shopkeeper” in the back, smile at her and say “Slavokrainya” (long live Ukraine). It’s not the right password, but she’ll be happy you tried, and then she’ll teach you the password slowly while laughing at you. It’s a must-do experience.

Once inside, be sure to take the guided tour if it’s offered. The restaurant is exquisitely designed and there is attention to detail at every turn. There’s really interesting historical facts hung on almost all the walls, and the art is deeply symbolic of Ukraine’s history.

The cocktails. Are. Amazing. Every one we’ve ordered has been mind blowing, and the next time we come we may solely be drinking :) try the horseradish vodka too.

The staff were all kind and helpful. Just remember to smile, one review said they were rudely turned away at the door— well, it doesn’t hurt to be polite and interested in the culture, and at least try to speak a little Ukrainian. It goes a long way.

So why only four stars? The night we came (a Monday) the kitchen seemed a little off. Every dish we tried was just... not that great. We’ll certainly be back for drinks, but we’ll probably be ordering our...

Received dirty wine glasses. When we asked for new ones, we had all our starters served before we had to ask for glasses a second time so that we could finally enjoy our wine. Didn't receive any cutlery for our starters, so we had to grab them from other tables. Didn't receive any cutlery for our mains either, so we had to grab them from other tables again. The veal brains obviously were battered in flour but when we asked, they insisted there was no flour on them - when there was (see picture). We ordered rabbit dumplings, but when they arrived they were bits of dough with 3 bits of filling floating amongst the bits of dough in a puddle of double cream. This directly contradicts the definition of a dumpling, no matter where in the world you are. When we raised the issue of the non-dumpling dumpling, they were incredibly defensive about how there are different types of dumplings in Ukraine (which we weren't alerted to when ordering - also the Internet disagrees with you). When our porterhouse steak arrived 'medium rare', it was disappointing, dry, and merely medium. Also we had to eat looking into a shopping centre.

The one star goes to the amazing...