Once again, writer Ed Placidi paints a vivid picture of a destination that’s not usually on the top of people’s travel bucket lists. As in so many of his other articles though, he makes us eager to visit and spend some time in Lviv, experiencing the authentic food and drink of the area.

Spending time in Lviv? Here’s your guide to the food, drink, and sites

Loving Lviv: A Taste of Honey in Eastern Europe

In researching Lviv (luh-veev),  a UNESCO World Heritage Site often called the cultural capital of Ukraine, I found several references to a spiced honey mead called medovukha, based on a local recipe dating from the 18th century, that’s unique to the city. Within a few hours of arriving in Lviv, we were sipping this lip-smacking libation of fermented honey and herbs at Medivnia restaurant. Served hot and frothy with a slice of lemon and a sprig of rosemary, it was nothing short of  a piece de resistance ‒ and the perfect mood-elevating start to our stay.

Glasses of Medovukha honey mead at Medivnia restaurant.

We traveled to Lviv on a comfortable, modern Ukrainian train from the Polish border – arriving to a scene of confusion and neglect. It seemed we had slipped back in time to the seedy and chaotic Soviet days. Faded black-and-white posters from a past era hung on walls of peeling paint; shabby, threadbare salons were stuffed with a sea of tired, haggard travelers and dotted with scruffy kiosks selling cigarettes, candy and greasy snacks; surly officials barked at us when we went the wrong way in search of a place to change money.

This first impression, however, was anything but a harbinger of things to come. Historic Lviv, on the contrary ‒ with its rich architectural legacy and ebullient center of cobbled pedestrians-only streets ‒ was captivating and vibrant, with thriving Lviv restaurants alongside popular coffee and craft-beer cultures. Couples spontaneously danced in the heart of the old city, in Opera House Square. Numerous street-side patios, decks and gardens were filled with people eating and drinking. The aroma of strong java in the air was so enticing. Street musicians – saxophonists, guitarists, multi-piece bands and more – were performing on seemingly every corner. Artists displayed their paintings hung on rope lines in open-air galleries.

The Old Center in Lviv.

The central market was a must visit to get a feel for the ingredients available to local chefs. Chickens right from the farm were being plucked on the spot. Loaves of fresh-baked dark breads were stacked high. Wild mushrooms from the nearby forests filled large sacks. And there were more slabs of raw pig fat than you are likely to see anywhere else. Called salo, it’s a time-honored favorite food beloved by the Ukrainians. A less expensive alternative to meat, salo is offered on menus usually spiced with garlic and salt. It’s sometimes slathered on bread like peanut butter, and even dipped in chocolate as a dessert.

Pig fat is a popular item, sold in the Lviv central market.

Ukraine has its own variations of the the typical dishes popular in the region, from steaming bowls of beet soup (they claim borsch originated in Ukraine) and meat-and-rice-stuffed cabbage rolls to various pancake dishes and kasha porridges. But Lviv is distinctly the country’s most European city, with cuisine that is notably more European influenced ‒ and geography had a lot to do with it. Neighboring Russia has long been a major influence in Ukraine, with tensions flaring in recent years in the Crimea and with the separatist movement in the east and south. Lviv, however, has stood apart due to its distant location in the country’s far-west corner bordering Poland.

When they seated us at Medivnia restaurant, the gracious staff scrambled to find the one server who spoke English. The sweet young lady who approached our table was filled with trepidation. We tried to put her at ease, offering big smiles and complimenting her broken English, but to little avail. With great difficulty, she communicated the unique culinary style of the half-century old eatery: The owner is a beekeeper who developed a menu where honey is the star ingredient, and all coming from his own apiary. Even the décor is honey themed, the interior awash in honeycomb designs, as well as vintage photos of Lviv.

The food is delicious, but if you’re an incurable honey lover (as I am) you’ll find it irresistible. The Honey Pork Ribs were caramelized to perfection in the oven, and the grilled Honey-Glazed Sausages were lean and bursting with flavor. In keeping with Lviv’s European culinary bias, the sausages were served on a bed of grilled Mediterranean vegetables and the ribs with a salad of shredded beets, cabbage, carrots and peppers with goat cheese, sesame seeds and homemade sunflower oil. The true star at Medivnia (which means “Honey Brew”) though is the medovukha, the aforementioned spiced honey mead ‒ which purportedly was a traditional drink of the Cossacks.

Grilled sausages with grilled vegetables and onions served at Medivnia restaurant.

One of the most pleasant and delicious dining spots here is the shady and verdant garden of highly regarded Mons Pius restaurant, tucked away on a side street adjacent the old Armenian Cathedral in a building that was a bank for 300 years. The menu features aged meats and local lake fish, cooked on sizzling grills, complemented by salads, several vegetarian offerings and western European cheese plates. The trout was simply prepared with herbs and butter, the tender veal steak caramelized on the grill and served with charred romaine. The perfect complement to my delectable veal was a tall glass of Leopolis, a luscious dark beer claiming a significant pedigree back to the 16^th century, poured with a thick, foamy head.

A cheese plate with pears, raspberries, and honey at Mons Plus restaurant.

While vodka is largely the drink of choice in Ukraine, in Lviv it’s microbrews. Bars, beer halls and beer gardens pour a wide array of craft beers from around the country. Some 30 different brews are on tap, with new ones regularly rotated in, at popular Bratyska. The recipe for Leopolis dark beer purportedly is hundreds of years old, dating from a brewery founded adjacent to today’s Mons Pius in 1695 and resurrected in the 1990s. It has withstood the test of time: rich, silky, flavorful.

We were lucky to be in Lviv for the annual Coffee Festival in September in Opera House Square. It was was an indulgent celebration of rich coffees from all over the world – the grinding and brewing producing a heavenly Robusta aroma that permeated the center – complemented by an endless selection of sinful desserts. It seemed the coffee was just an excuse to indulge on the huge array of sweets, from glazed candy apples rolled in candies, chocolate or nuts, to éclairs of every flavor and color, to overstuffed poppy seed cakes smothered in vanilla sauce.

Poppy seed cake drenched in vanilla sauce enjoyed at the Coffee Festival.

Lviv’s throwback train station was a misleading introduction to the city ‒ because Lviv is embracing the future with vivacity, éclat, and culinary standards that are among the highest in Eastern Europe.

Sites to see to make the most of your time in Lviv

Stunning Prague and Krakow are the star destinations of the region, but Lviv also boasts an architecturally majestic, historic center ‒ that was named an UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998 – filled with many cathedrals and palaces, ancient city walls, an ornate opera house and an array of towers, spires, gables and facades adorned with statuary and relief work.

The older churches and buildings date back to the 13^th century and, while they are mostly in good condition, the flaws of time give Lviv such character, authenticity and depth. Walking the stone streets ‒ with the fashionable Lvivians dressed in torn jeans, spiked heels and leather jackets ‒ brings a surprise every moment, from a pair of spirited horse heads above a door to a statue of a mounted Marco Polo on the facade of a 600-year-old patrician house that once belonged to an Italian merchant.

With more than 100 churches and cathedrals dotting central Lviv, the Ukrainian and Russian Orthodox houses of worship – with their gilded interiors, golden icons and chapels illuminated by numerous candles – are dominant architectural features of the city.  As throughout the country, Lvivians are very devout, the churches brimming with worshipers and the scent of frankincense spills out into the streets.

An open-air art market, largely under tents, offers the works of local artists, mostly oils and acrylics on canvas. Rock music echoed late into the night from free concerts. The sound of a coffee machine steaming and foaming milk is never far away in this java-loving city. Most restaurants have outdoor seating, bringing the lively food scene into the streets.

Lviv’s mysterious cemetery is a Ukrainian counterpoint to famous Pére-Lachaise. While the celebrated Parisian necropolis is filled with international celebrities from Jim Morrison to Oscar Wilde, Lychakivske Cemetery is the final resting place of Ukrainian athletes, poets and opera stars who are mostly unknown outside their country. But Lychakivske is no less intriguing with a fascinating array of ornate tombstones from as far back as the 1700s overgrown with moss and adorned with whimsical and lavish statuary, floral tributes and emotional photos of loved ones.

Dramatic headstones at Lychakivske Cemetary in Lviv.

While the political headlines in recent years have harmed travel to Ukraine, iconoclastic Lviv remains a very welcoming, convivial and fun place to visit. Those who take the plunge are richly rewarded.

Things to keep in mind when you go

With ongoing news reports during the 2010s of separatist conflicts and political turmoil, Ukraine didn’t make the bucket list of many travelers. Lviv, however, is not only easy to get to but also safe, welcoming and exceptional value for your money.

• Lviv is just 99 miles from the Polish border and can be reached from Krakow in a half-day trip by comfortable, modern train.
• The conflict areas are some 750 miles away (Ukraine is huge – it’s Europe’s largest country); at the time of writing, tensions had subsided some and a truce was in place.
• Lviv is not only ultra tourist-friendly but considered one of the safest cities in Europe.
• Costs are surprisingly affordable for Europe: A 25-minute taxi ride from the train station to our hotel was $5; a beautiful, spacious room at the Astoria Hotel, perfectly located by Opera House Square, with a steam room in the bathroom, a wall of windows overlooking the city (ask for a high floor for the best view), and a superb breakfast included, was about $95. Dinner for two at a good restaurant with a glass of wine or beer costs around $30. A ride on the city tram was the equivalent of 15 US cents.

Download ‘Lviv In Your Pocket Guide’ in pdf format for more information.

— Story and photos by Ed Placidi

Hungry for more? Read about another of Ed’s trips to Eastern Europe. And see where he experienced another unique drink. See how Real Food Traveler got its start, on a train in Italy.

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