Che Guevara

In addition to Liberty Square and Liberty Avenue, Kiev can now boast its own island of freedom in Upper Val Street, near the Dnieper River. How can we recognize it? Look for a red and black house with a proud chiseled profile, which stands away from quiet residential blocks and boring offices. On the facade there is a portrait familiar to every Soviet child: a beret with a star, a thick beard and piercing black eyes. This is Che Pub and its spiritually strong patron Ernesto Che Guevara.

In Che there is just one, but big and cozy hall. Sitting at a table near a large window, one feels the overwhelming sense of pride, liberty and fraternity. Here, if you will, communism reigns in its utopian, ideal form. No one is hiding in VIP booths. On the contrary, people communicate openly: men look straight ahead, slowly smoking a cigar or sipping good whiskey, while ladies enjoy unusual cocktails.

During daytime the Che hall is spacious and light. The large windows pour light on the expensive counter, tobacco-colored leather armchairs and the solid floor. In the place of honor, right in the rays of the sun, a gleaming showcase with the best cigars is placed. Several kinds of the famous Trinidad, Cohiba Panetelas, Macanudo Montego Y Cia, and many other varieties await their fans. Ambitious and active people love to have lunch in Che. Useful, nutritious meals are energizing (sea bass with grilled vegetables under shrimp sauce; beefsteak glazed with rum; chicken fillets stuffed with mozzarella cheese and ham under cream sauce). The delicious cuisine will bring extraordinary thrills (Mexican tomato-based soup with beef and vegetables, cheese ‘nachos’, chilli peppers stuffed with ‘Kebab’).

Drinking beer at the bar, lovers of grilled dishes gladly watch as food is getting ready to be served: skewers of veal, beef liver in the net, a rack of lamb under a rosemary sauce, and much more. The barbecue menu in Che is interesting and varied, and a particular passion for it is felt with the first mouth bite. To compliment crisp crust, you are offered signature starters: roasted bell peppers and tomatoes with Cuban spices, an eggplant and tomato salad with a special Mojo dressing, pita and vegetables.

Later in the afternoon, after a day's victories, liberal and confident visitors stream to Che in order to drink a beer and relax after a working day. Excellent freshest beer is delivered to Che in small quantities and, therefore, very often. Here brandy and pure whiskey is drunk unhurriedly. Barbecued chicken wings, pork ribs, light salads bring aesthetic pleasure of masterly presentation and an excellent original taste. In Che you can relax without bothering about the time, because the pub is in a standalone building.

In Che everything will be always done your way. On this Kiev ‘Liberty Island’ you are assumed to be demanding in the best sense of the word. It implies that only in a society of successful people it is possible not to create chaos but a feeling of total, concentrated liberty.