There are several nice places in Kiev to get a drink. From small cafés that are only frequented by locals (they look dirty at first sight) to expensive places. Most locals buy some drinks (beer or vodka) at a stall in the street and drink it in a park, leaving their bottle for the homeless to collect and cash in. With this they often buy some chips or other salted things (I think it's squid, not sure, though tastes like seasalt).
The prices are rather high for Kiev, which means quite reasonable by European standards. Beer is around $3, iirc.
Antresol (vul T. Shevchenko 2) - directly in the center, they offer a nice selection of food to your coffee or drink, and they have Wi-Fi during the day for free.
Arena Bar & Sports bar (close to Bessarabsky market) - always a good place to meet other travelers and expats, and a good starting point for a night out.
Art club 44 (vul. Khreschatyk 44/b) it's a club that plays live music every day. Hard to find if you haven't been there. Go through the arch at Khreschatyk 44/b, there's a small Ukrainian-themed restaurant on the right (quite good actually), you need an unmarked door on the left. Or simply ask just about anybody between 18 and 35, they will probably know. Cover 20 UAH on Fri-Sat.
Bar Fidel (Grushevskogo 4B, Kiev, Ukraine) Well worth checking out. DJ plays late on a friday night and there is some serious moshing and crowd surfing in what must be Kiev's lowest bar / club. Great fun, open till 5am.
Blyndazh (Блиндаж, means "entrenchment") at the basement of 15 Mala Zhitomyrska (200 m. off Maidan sq.). Military-themed bar. Small, cheap and popular, mostly student types.
Orech ("Walnut") (ul Bolshaya Vasilkovskaya 126) - small, good selection of local beers, used to serve unlimited free walnuts if you drink beer. Recently the walnut servings have been limited unfortunately.
T.G.I. Friday's - The haven for any home-sick American. All staff speaks English, and the food has shapes you are familiar with. Again, just around Bessarabsky market (back-side). O'Briens, off Independence Square, has the same sort of thing.
Viola's Bierstube (bulevard Shevchenka 1a) is also well hidden behind a dark door in a small alley.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Kiev
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Kiev - updated May 2024
SAVE up to 75% on Last Minute deals! Search for discount Kiev hotels, motels, apartments, hostels, guest accommodations and vacation resorts. Book now and pay at the hotel. Instant email confirmation!
Kiev Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
