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Volume 4, issue 08 August 2010 Kharkiv was not originally included among Ukraine`s four first choice Euro 2012 host cities, but the East Ukrainian capital forced itself into contention by pushing ahead impressively with a variety of infrastructure projects. This determination was finally rewarded when Kharkiv replaced Dnipropetrovsk as a UEFA host city in 2009.
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Metalist maracles win UEFA respect
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Kharkiv airport: ready for take off
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23:52 Saturday, September 4, 2010 |
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Tourism Cafe capital
Tourism: Lviv’s summer terrace scene is blossoming and enhancing the city’s reputation as Ukraine’s most dynamic dining destination
Ivan Matieshin Volume 4, issue 6 June 2010
While much of agricultural West Ukraine has been particularly hard hit by the global downturn of the past two years, the work of turning Lviv into a respectable 21st century international tourism destination has continued almost unabated. As a result this year Lviv officials expect to match or surpass the 2009 total of just over one million international visitors to the city. Meanwhile, within the Lviv tourism sector preparations for Euro 2012 are dovetailing with the longer-term efforts of the city administration and local entrepreneurs to turn Lviv into Ukraine’s most Euro-friendly tourist destination. Although service standards in Ukraine’s lion city can still sometimes offer echoes of the sullen Soviet past, Lviv’s thriving tourism sector has been a driving force in the modernisation of West Ukraine’s de facto capital city. Nowhere is this more evident than in the restaurant scene, where new venues open up at a rate which over the past few years has probably outpaced Kyiv. Nor do Lviv venues tend to share the provincialism and faux ostentation that often undermine the good intentions of top-end restaurants in other Ukrainian regional capitals. Lviv’s restaurateurs like to emphasize the fact that they look towards Europe for market trends and to Lviv itself for their inspiration – it is no coincidence that Lviv has more dining out venues dedicated to famous locals than any other Ukrainian city. It is an innovative scene which has produced some of Ukraine’s most enduring restaurant brands – not least the Pizza Celentano chain, which started out in Lviv in the late 1990s and has since grown into the biggest franchise in the country. This should all come as no great surprise - Lviv has always been a city where life has buzzed and hummed through the drawing rooms and dining areas of one hundred and one coffee shops and cafes. Leopold Masoch of masochism fame plied his trade here in Lviv’s bohemian cafes (there is a venue named in his honour today, naturally), while many of the independence ideals of the 20th century were honed and developed in the city’s backrooms and basement bars. The city is even steeped in international café history - the first coffee shop in Europe’s great coffee capital, Vienna, is said to have been opened by a Lviv native who pillaged the siege train of retreating Ottoman armies and secured large quantities of coffee. Today’s Leopolitans are particularly proud of this story as it fits in nicely with the local self-image they tend to habour of a supremely hospitable, innovative and enterprising people with a history rich in imperial anecdotes. The rapid development of the Lviv summer terrace season offers a window on this dynamic. Just ten years ago there was relatively little on offer at street level throughout downtown Lviv except for the mandatory collections of plastic tables and chairs underneath umbrellas emblazoned with garish soft drink logos. Tepid drinks were served in bottles (or plastic cups) and you would consider yourself particularly lucky if you managed to secure an empty peanut can ashtray and a single stray napkin. These seemingly makeshift summer terraces reeked of both inertia and poverty; they were the polar opposite of all the emotions evoked by the quiet majesty and sophistication of downtown Lviv and served as a reminder of the country’s transitory existence. This anomaly could not last forever, however, and with the steady economic improvements of the past decade the Lviv summer terrace scene has evolved and blossomed as restaurant owners have sought to take advantage of the gorgeous surroundings which they can offer. Today’s Lviv is full of summer terrace options that do justice to the city’s sensational architectural ensemble. Here we offer readers a number of terraces which are worth trying, but we must also stress that Lviv is a treasure trove - so when it comes to summer terraces in the West Ukrainian capital it always pays to explore every nook and cranny. Guide to Lviv Summer Terraces: Dim Legend (House of Legends) 48, Staroevreyska Street Tel.: +38 050 4302924 This rooftop terrace is the latest addition to the Lviv summer terrace scene and it has succeeded in raising the bar considerably with its wonderful views of the city skyline. Situated on the roof of an entire building which has been turned into a dining and socialising emporium featuring everything from library room to halls dedicated to ancient Lviv, this terrace is likely to be one of the places to be seen this summer season. Fashion Club 1, Pidkova Square Tel.: (+38032) 2728891 Prices are slightly above average in Lviv’s Fashion Club, but that extra expense also buys a touch of exclusivity and access to what is arguably the Lviv venue with the highest flirt factor in town. During the day you will struggle to find a table on the summer terrace as it plays host to local business meetings and sit-downs with goggle-eyed visiting foreign business partners. In the early evening hours the venue transforms itself into a glitzy and bling-friendly nightlife focus complete with designer labels and visiting DJs. Unsurprisingly, this formula has proven popular with the upper echelons of the local Majori. Italian Courtyard 6, Rynok Square Tel.: (+38032) 2720671 Is there a finer courtyard coffee shop in the world? Lviv’s Renaissance-inspired architectural masterpiece stands at the very heart of the city’s Rynok (Market) Square, hidden from view by the 18th century facades and facing away from the square itself. As you enter the courtyard it is almost impossible to escape the sensation that you are entering a haven of calm and tranquility. Gorgeous arched architecture and Juliette-style balconies decorate the upper stories of the courtyard, while Renaissance statues litter the yard itself and lend a sense of opulent ruin to the ambience. The fact that all this is available for just UAH 5 is one of the reasons why Lviv remains such an old school treasure trove. Svit Kavy (Coffee World) 6, Katedralna Square Tel.: (+38032) 2975675 This hip and popular hangout terrace is situated literally in the shadow of the city’s splendid Latin Cathedral. As the name suggests, this is the place to come for a wide range of coffees including thirst-busting summer iced coffee cocktails. However, don’t be surprised if this venue is full to capacity on the sunniest of days. Cafe 1 5, Katedralna Square Tel.: (+38032) 2423369 Café 1 has earned a reputation in recent years for being one of the first Lviv venues to erect its summer terrace annually, leading some wags to suggest that the arrival of the Café 1 summer terrace was a sure sign of the coming of spring. The venue is certainly not without its fans – it tends to be busy throughout its annual April to late September run and offers a central yet secluded summer terrace option with a great menu and excellent wine list. Kentavr 34, Rynok Square Tel.:(+38032) 2355512 There is something slightly regal about the lush greenery and elegant arcs that dominate this summer terrace, and yet while it is secluded it also paradoxically provides fabulous views of the passing pedestrian traffic moving across Rynok Square. Watch the world go by and experience a lazy Lviv haze on this timeless terrace. Dzyga 35 Virmenska Street Tel.: (+38032) 2975612 Like everything connected with Lviv’s trail-blazing Dzyga Art Centre, the venue’s summer terrace is a little bit iconic. The menu is full of the kind of authentic local cuisine you would expect from Dzyga, which as an arts group has also been behind some of the key events in Lviv’s modern Renaissance as the spiritual capital of Ukraine. This artistic approach is evidenced in both the crowd which the venue attracts and the funky decorations which have been added over the years to the summer terrace – including pop art depictions of a young Taras Shevchenko. Korzo Pub 10 Brativ Rogatyntsiv Street Tel.: (+38032) 2757092 Popular with expats and famed as one of the relatively few Lviv bars that could actually justify the honour of being known as ‘pubs’, this venue’s summer terrace offers the same Irish inspired charm and efficient service. The venue’s central location also helps, just five minutes walk from Rynok Square. Yapona Hata sushi terrace 4 Staroevreyska Street Tel.: (+38032) 2975117 Most people would associate sushi with space age venues full of chrome and conveyor belts, but such is Ukraine’s passion for sushi that it was only a matter of time before we saw the sushi bar summer terrace become a mainstay in the country’s regional capitals. This place offers the whole range of Japanese dishes served professionally and efficiently. Cukernya Confectionary/coffee shop 3 Staroevreyska Street Tel.: (+38 032) 2356949 Cukernya is a Leopolitan version of a Parisian sidewalk café - tiny table tops and chic décor make this spot the perfect place to spend a lazy afternoon with a cup of coffee and a newspaper, with the possible addition of some beret-sporting company and a few books on the futility of existence. As you’d expect in such a tasteful and feminine environment, the dessert menu is well worth exploring and is full of temptations.
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