Prosperity Ukrainian Cafe & Restaurant — Restaurant in London

A tasty Ukrainian in Twickenham

The word prosperity has many meanings – success, wealth, comfort, well-being – and this restaurant truly lives up to its name. Prosperity Restaurant in 59 York St, Twickenham TW1 3LP, is just a few minutes away from Twickenham railway station, making it a very convenient place to get to. Its rustic looking frontage reminds you of past visits to Ukraine and its homely welcome puts you at ease as soon as you walk in. The décor by any accounts looks traditional and the food is unbelievably tasty. I was on a tight deadline, so did not have the opportunity to sample all three courses, but being a cold day, I opted for a warm bowl of borscht. This dish packed a real punch, was full of healthy ingredients, not just the red stuff, but various pulses and plenty of meat. The rye bread and other slices of goodness quickly filled me up. The manager and barman Roman was very attentive and gave me and my wife Anna a five-star service, while the owner and head chef Galina was busy getting to work on our dishes, Before we tackled the borscht, we decided on a herbal, and Roman asked us if we fancied a rose petal tea. It was something neither of us had ever tasted, and he could only offer us one cup. We said ‘yes’ and after some investigating in the pantry, he came back beaming – he’d found extra supplies and we both got the chance to sample this brew – which tasted extraordinary. Having grown up on varenyky (Ukrainian dumplings) with cheese and potato filling, this was what we had in mind for our shared main course. However, Roman tempted us to try something different – and being adventurous we were glad to assist. A plate of warm varenyky with a filling of strawberries landed on our table and it would be safe to say that this plate was so clean when we finished, that there was no need to put it in the dishwasher. With change from a £20 note on our bill at the end for both of us, I would not have been needed to do the dishes anyway. For those who have not experienced Ukrainian food, this is a perfect place to start and you will not be disappointed. However, for those who want to try something else, its varied menu has everything from Greek Salad to Polish-style chitterlings and Chicken Shish Kebab served with potatoes and salad. Prosperity is cosy but can still seat many – they recently had a party of 120 – which also filled out their downstairs area which includes space for musicians. For those partial to alcohol, its bar has Ukrainian Obolon beers and Georgian, Moldovan and French wines, plus many healthy fruit juices. How did we hear of this restaurant? An actor friend of mine who is starring in a production I am putting on happened to pass it by on the street and waded in with our poster which they kindly put on their noticeboard. How would I rate it? Probably one of the best Ukrainian...

The first time we decided to eat at Prosperity it was shortly after the Russian invasion, and when we arrived the restaurant had turned into a drop-off point for donations for the civilians of Ukraine. Time has passed and we thought it might be nice to eat there now things had calmed down a little. I googled Prosperity and was pleased to see the restaurant was now open again and serving food until 9pm. So we dressed up and caught the bus to York Street only to find the place shut, with no sign of life. Not only that there was no sign in the window indicating when it might be open again. So a wasted journey. Surely one of the owners has enough English to firstly adjust the site on the Internet to let people know when it is opening (if it is going to open) and secondly put a sign up in the window letting us know if and when it might be open again. In the meantime I cannot tell you how...

This is a family run restaurant and feels like it. They have mostly traditional Ukrainian food, hearty and made in-house, like sausage, Borsch, smoked meats and more. Its a bit like going home to Mum’s cooking and she’s not about to let you walk out hungry.

The restaurant has very recently received an upgrade to the decor, but its still very eclectic, with one of the owners being a collector of interesting items and art. Move through to the back of the restaurant and you’ll find a colourful garden patio, shaded in the hot days.

They like to make a fuss of you here, but still respect your privacy; no hovering waiters every two minutes. I enjoyed the food very much, the atmosphere was un-rushed. Its not expensive, and the served portions are designed to fill. Worth...