Cost of eating out in Kiev

restaurants are not really very expensive lots of lovely places i visited last time dont remember the name though ....near the railway station many service appartments or private appartments up for lease 400 $ is an apt price

thank you!

I spend somewhere between $3 and $12 USD every time I eat out.

price all depends on where you eat.   Prices have gotten a little better since the UAH has been free falling.  But still you get what you pay for.

If you want a good steak,  good as in American standard steak at a steak house, well it's going to cost you just the same.   If you eat Mc Donalds, it's going to be something like 2.70 USD for a Big Mac meal. 
Not particularly cheap when you consider how much the average person makes.

Over all the quality in Ukraine is really bad.  Puzata Hata is great if you're 18 and you don't care what you eat.  But in general most of the cheap food is just buckwheat, cheap greasy,  cold meat, some salad, or soup and a glass of watered down drink.    Is it worth 3 bucks US?   Depends on what you've been eating.    Are girls enamored by McD and Puzata Hata?  Helllllll  NO. 

Personally I think the food quality is atrocious.  And those that say beer is cheap should look at the label before calling malt liquor, beer.

BTW, people watching on the outside seat is practically over by end of October.

There are real restaurants and pubs here, not only McDonalds and local fast foods.

There are plenty of good restaurants in Kiev but yes, it is gonna cost you a bit more than you're 2 or 3 bucks at McDonalds !

I never go to fast foods and I have no problem finding good and tasty places to eat here in Kiev ! If you don't like Ukrainian beer, there are plenty of German, Belgian and British beer.

To come back to the original subject, I would say that expressed in USD, a meal with meat, a salad and a few drinks will cost between 15 and 25 USD per person.

If you eat a pizza with a salad and a few drinks, it would be more likely between 10 and 15 USD.

I have been to Kiev several times with my wife and we have found some good restaurants.  It all depends upon what you want.  I cannot complain about the food here for I have enjoyed it.

About service.  The worse service I ever received was in Norway.  Does not matter where you go.

Before you get critical on Ukrainian Restaurants.  Research what you want.  But for cheap restaurants, you get what you pay for.  I tend to spend a little more and get really good quality and good service.  I have no complaints.

If you come to Kharkiv, I will be more than happy to give you advice upon where to eat.  We have excellent restaurants.  I tend to spend more along the line of $30 to $50 when we go out.  Quality comes with a price.  Enjoy your stay and enjoy Kiev.

Please everyone,

Let us calm down here and shed the light on the initial poster's queries.  Each and everyone is entitled to his own opinion but it doesn't mean they are facts. So let us get back to the topic.

--------------------------------------------------------

@ Manolo1, did you make the move in October ? What about monthly rental ?

All the best,
Bhavna

Getting back to the topic,   30-50 bucks is the normal in Kharkiv.  In Kiev double it.

I get a kilo of veal sirloin at the meat market for 180-225 UAH.   We are talking tournado quality.   The women tells me that I am one of the few independant customers that buy this stuff.  Most of them are snagged by restaurants.    No one buys this stuff because it's too expensive for the average guy.   The average guy doesn't eat med. rare or rare steak either.  It isn't in the culture to eat steak.   

You guys ever go eat tournado quality steak at a restaurant here?     I am not even going to go into aged beef.  Just regular tournadoes. 

The prices are outrageous at restaurants.  Anything less than 15 bucks, you are now getting into iffy territory of a few days old food.   


Despite the UAH falling like a rock, restaurant prices have not risen all that much.    That should tell you that the cost has been high.     Bang for buck it is bad here.   Quality?  I guess that is subjective.   But why on earth would anyone spend 500 UAH on mediocre steak when you can just get better quality for a fraction of the cost and cook it correctly?


But that is the average knowledge of food for the average person here.   We are dealing with a culture that puts emphasis on greasy food that fill you up, and you down it with vodka.    It's only recently that people have started to think about health and quality.

Spend the extra and get real cheese, not the fake guar gum cheese.  Buy real butter.  Yes it does exist in Ukraine.   Get real beer.  Get good whiskey.  Go to the butcher get real tournadoes.   Get home grown chicken that doesnt look like some pale pink marshmallow.  Get ostrich.  Eat rabbits, not cats.   Get real dairy at the dairy store and not some Auchan fake homomilk.   Then please tell me that you actually think the food tastes good here.   

The good thing is, you can actually get all this stuff in Ukraine.  Unlike in the US, most of Europe, Japan, etc, where you cant get real stuff without blowing 10,000 bucks on food a year.    Everyone has the ability to buy this stuff here.  All it takes is a little time and effort.  It isnt even expensive.  You eat the good stuff and then you'll see that eating out in Kiev is a big joke.   That is when you start eating at home with your friends and enjoy real food.