A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to spend the weekend in Kiev, Ukraine. This was a trip for fun, not business. I was able to eat at a couple of very good restaurants and do some sightseeing. I also made my way to the Ukrainian version of Coyote Ugly.
When I learned of this trip to Ukraine, I started looking for places that I felt were must-sees. One of the places was St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery. From the photos I found online, I knew I had to see it in person. While preparing for this trip, we watched the documentary Winter on Fire. This movie is based on the 2014 political protests and ultimately the 2014 Ukrainian Revolution and gave me another reason to see St. Michael’s as well as Maidan Square. Maidan Square is where the protests began and the monastery was used as a sanctuary and to provide medical care for those fighting in the revolution. Seeing these places and knowing what transpired there just a few years ago was truly unfathomable.
I was able to eat a couple of restaurants that were absolutely amazing. I was told to eat at this place affectionately described at The Butcher Shop. Our Air B&B was about 200 meters away so we decided to try it. We walked up to the door of Steakhouse Kiev and saw a butcher shop with one small table that was occupied. We didn’t know if we were going to be able to eat there or not, but we walked in any way. We were guided through this small walkway into this beautiful restaurant. The place was unbelievable. I had the chicken noodle soup and the filet mignon. Probably the best steak I’ve had since I’ve been in Ukraine.
We also ate at Vinsanto Wine Bar. There wasn’t a lot on the menu that fit my taste buds so I decided to forego the main course and head straight for the dessert, which was amazing!
The highlight of the weekend was experiencing an American club in Ukraine. I would have never thought that I would have found a Coyote Ugly in Ukraine, but it was a happening place. No cowboy hats or boots and no country music, but the everything else was the same and a good time was had by all.
All-in-all, it was an amazing experience. Although I look forward to getting back and exploring Kiev some more in the near future, my next adventure will be 14 days traveling across Europe. I’ll be writing and posting photos of experiences in Copenhagen, Dublin, Amsterdam, and Vienna within the next month.
Thanks for reading and take care!
