Asian food, dumplings and wood-fired pizza: 10 veteran establishments in Lviv, Ternopil, Kyiv, Poltava

There are dozens of establishments in cities across Ukraine, withfounded by veterans - coffee shops, restaurants, bakeries. It serves delicious coffee, offers original cuisine and creates a special atmosphere.

LIGA.net has compiled a list of 10 interesting veterans' institutions in different regions that you can visit and support is a veteran business.

Restaurant of Asian cuisine "Senseo". Ternopil

The only Pan-Asian restaurant in Ternopil, Senso, is located in the city center. It was opened in 2024 by veteran Nazar Boyko and his brother: he saw a promising niche.

"There was no good level of Asian cuisine in Ternopil, so we decided to make it," says the veteran.

Nazar Boyko is a career soldier. He has served in the army since the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) in the East. The defender received UAH 500,000 in grant funds under the "Own Business" program to open the establishment, added his own savings and borrowed more money.

The restaurant has two halls and a summer terrace. The most popular dishes are udod with chicken (195 UAH), ramen in chicken broth with chicken in batter (225 UAH), chicken tempura – chicken fillet in batter, deep-fried (235 UAH).

The restaurant has a large selection of noodles: soba (buckwheat), funchoza (legume), pad siu, hoisin, and pad thai (varieties of rice noodles). Two months ago, rolls were added to the menu. They belong to the higher price segment, explains the restaurateur. The classic Philadelphia with salmon costs 350 UAH. Fusion's specialty rolls, depending on the filling, start at 270 UAH. The most expensive, Kimiko, weighing 400 g, costs up to UAH 495. It is filled with salmon, eel, daikon (Japanese pickled radish), campio (dried pumpkin chips), mango, avocado, cream cheese, and rice.

"You won't find anything like this in Ternopil anymore," the restaurateur assures.

The restaurant is located at 4 Dmytro Sichynskoho Street.

Pancake Karman. Vinnytsia

Near the railway station in Vinnytsia, there is a pancake house Karman, which was opened in 2023 by veteran Andrii Karmazin and his wife. Before that, Andrii served as a border guard. From the beginning of the full-scale invasion, he served in the Sumy region.

Karman operates as a fast food outlet where pancakes can be ordered both on-site and with delivery. The couple also makes frozen semi-finished products. They plan to open several more outlets in Vinnytsia. In general, the entrepreneur is considering scaling up through a franchise. Karmazin says he has already received requests.

Since its opening, the restaurant's assortment has expanded from 10 items of pancakes with different fillings to 17.

"We tried it, saw what people liked. We added something, took something away," says the veteran.

The entrepreneur uses high-quality, home-grown raw materials in the production of pancakes: eggs, milk, chicken, and pork. That's why, he explains, the price of pancakes is in the higher price segment.

"We'd rather sell less, but be confident in our product," he explains his approach.

Pancakes cost from 130 UAH to 250 UAH, depending on the filling.

There is not a single item on the menu with a high margin, says the entrepreneur. Although, he admits, if they were located in the city center, the margin could be higher.

To get to the pancake house, you have to go through a completely underground passage under the train station and get off on the opposite side of the station. This location is not very convenient, the entrepreneur admits.

However, it is convenient for him to hold "Donation Tuesdays" here: the veteran cooks a 20-liter cauldron of bohrach and treats visitors. In return, they give an arbitrary amount of money to donate to the army.

Coffee shop "Kit Nikita". Mykolaiv

In Mykolaiv, opposite the "I Love Mykolaiv" stele, there is a coffee shop called "Mykyta the Cat". It was opened in June 2025 by Maryna Muzyka in memory of her husband Dmytro, who died in the war.

The name of the institution is symbolic and has a history. "Mykyta" is the call sign of a fallen soldier. He received it because he could find a way out of almost any situation, which is why he resembled the cunning character in Ivan Franko's fairy tale "Mykyta the Fox," says Maryna. And "cat" because he could move almost silently and see even in the dark.

"The coffee shop was my husband and I's dream. Together we came up with the name, the concept, and the neighborhood in which it should be located," says the entrepreneur.

Maryna invested about $5,000 in opening the restaurant. She rented the premises. The money was spent on repairs, equipment, and food. Within six months of opening, the cafe gained regular customers and expanded its range of drinks and desserts.

"I opened a restaurant with no experience. Desserts and drinks were added on request. So I had to move in an exploratory way," she says.

The main item on the menu is Hong Kong savory and sweet waffles with different fillings. Dmytro was very fond of them.

Salty waffles can be complemented with red fish, grilled chicken, and sausages. Sweet waffles can be filled with strawberries, blueberries, and tropical fruits. The price starts from 150 UAH depending on the filling.

Drinks include coffee, tea, non-alcoholic mulled wine, and bubble tea.

The cafe is located at: 75a Tsentralnyi Avenue

Restaurant TrePoisty. Novosilky, Kyiv region

Family restaurant TrePoisty, which takes place in the village of Novosilky near Kyiv, opened in July 2024. This is how the couple Bohdan and Viktoria Pantiushchenko realized their dream of owning their own establishment.

Bohdan has been fighting since 2014. In January 2015, he was captured near Donetsk airport, where he spent five years. After his return, he opened a restaurant with his wife.

Initially, the Pantiushenko's planned a cafe or burger joint. However, when they became parents, they realized that there was an unmet need in the market for a place for families with a children's corner. This is how the concept of a 120-square-meter family restaurant was born.

TrePoisty has burgers with chicken and beef. There is also pizza, salads, breakfast and a children's menu. The cost of a burger served with fries starts from 330 UAH, pizza – from 205 UAH, first courses – from 119 UAH.

Visitors in their reviews on Google maps praise the restaurant for its delicious cuisine, friendly staff and pleasant atmosphere.

Cafe 5.45. Kyiv

Two brothers-in-arms, Serhiy Kucheriavyi and Serhiy Shendryk, opened a cafe for the military called 5.45 in Kyiv. These numbers are one of the calibers of bullets.

The idea behind the establishment is to create a place where the military can feel free. Although, the owners assure us, civilians are welcome here as well.

The cafe is decorated in a military style. For example, the outside and inside are completely covered with camouflage netting. Interior elements include flags of several brigades, chevrons, shell casings, fragments of a "shahed" and an unexploded shell. Ukrainian cuisine is served in earthenware from Sloviansk.

Menu items include first courses, side dishes, salads, dumplings, pancakes, chops, and grilled dishes.

The cafe is located at 6 Berkovetska Street (at the exit from Kyiv towards Gostomel).

Bar Limoncello. Lviv

The founder of the Lviv bar Limoncello, Yevhen Shaptala, is currently serving in the reconnaissance platoon of the 215th Battalion of the 125th Separate Brigade of the Tank Division of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The bar menu includes classic, hot and signature cocktails. Strong alcohol and beer are served. Here you can also order classic Italian dishes and complex breakfasts

Specialties of the house include potato cream soup with chorizo and croutons with cream, poached egg with toast and salad, veal tar-tar, and pasta with bacon.

It is located in Lviv at 25 Lesi Ukrainky Street.

Street food "PRO dumplings". Poltava

There is a street food cafe called PRO Galushky in the center of Poltava. It was opened in March 2025 by veteran Artem Lifridov. It serves six types of Poltava's signature dish: turkey, shrimp, jamon, mushrooms, and fruit. They can be ordered to take away or eaten in the restaurant.

A portion of dumplings costs from 150 UAH, for example, dumplings with porcini mushrooms and feta cheese. Dumplings with sun-dried tomatoes and mozzarella cost 180 UAH, and those with shrimp and cherry tomatoes cost 240 UAH.

A fellow veteran, Oleksandr Zhuravel, who lost his leg in the war, works as a cook at the restaurant. The restaurant has a loyalty program for the military, with a 20% discount on dishes. Dumplings can also be "suspended" for defenders, i.e. paid for in advance for the military.

It is located at 2 Sobornosti Street.

Sushi bar Sushi Take Out. Zaporizhzhya

In October 2024, Serhii Barshatskyi, a veteran from Zaporizhzhia, and his wife Maya opened a sushi bar under the Sushi Take Out franchise. The idea came about after the couple noticed that there was no sushi and rolls delivery in their neighborhood.

Barshatsky's Sushi Take Out works mainly for delivery through Uklon and Glovo services, although there are several seats for visitors. The menu includes sushi and sets with various fillings, funchose (transparent noodles), tom yum and miso soups, baked mussels and shrimp, as well as hot dogs, shawarma, burgers, and soft drinks.

Sushi Take Out helped Barshatsky develop a business plan to receive government support, and after the opening, they trained the staff. The restaurant has four employees. One of the sushi chefs is also a war veteran with 20 years of experience who worked in Japan.

The establishment is located at 2-A Spartak Makovskoho Street (3rd Shevchenkivskyi district).

Restaurant of Crimean Tatar cuisine Kurultai. Ivano-Frankivsk

A restaurant has been operating in Ivano-Frankivsk since 2024 Kurultaifounded by veteran Odessite Ivan Artyushkov.

He and his brother were mobilized in the first days of the full-scale invasion. In 2023, he received the news that his brother had gone missing in the Luhansk region. After that, Ivan was demobilized, moved with his wife from Odesa to Ivano-Frankivsk, and started his own business.

Before opening the restaurant, the veteran consulted with ethnic Crimean Tatars. He gathered information about their culture and way of life, which was embodied in the interior of the restaurant.

Before opening his own restaurant, Ivan was not very familiar with Crimean Tatar cuisine. Now, his restaurant's menu includes more than 50 traditional dishes: shurpa and talagman soups, as well as kebabs and lulya kebabs, pilaf, and manty.

It is located in Ivano-Frankivsk at 15 Nezalezhnist Street.

Wood-fired pizzeria Lisopylka. Chernihiv

In 2023, veteran Ihor Diachuk opened Lisopylka pizzeria in Chernihiv, a pizza restaurant that is special because it is baked in an oven. The veteran works at the oven himself and claims that this method of cooking makes the pizza taste different from those cooked in ovens.

The idea of opening a restaurant of this format was inspired by his military experience. The defender often cooked for his comrades, and there was nothing else but firewood in the forest at their positions.

The restaurant offers more than 15 varieties of pizzas ranging in price from 185 UAH (Margarita) to 305 UAH (with seafood). You can also order shawarma from the oven – with chicken and stewed beef.

The pizzeria is located at the intersection of Myra Avenue and Kozatska Street, Boiova Market


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