There are a couple foods that you absolutely must try when you’re in Ukraine for the first time. One of those is the iconic Ukrainian beet soup, Borscht and the other is Varenyky, Ukraine’s take on dumplings. However, I found them to be a lot closer to Pierogies (from Poland) than your typical Asian dumpling.
It was a Saturday and I had just finished teaching English to children at the orphan center. In the morning, I walked dogs at the animal shelter in Lviv, Domivka, so I think it’s fair to say I had a pretty packed day. I was walking back with one of my friends, Ben and we decided to go get something to eat. What do you want, he asked.
“Honestly… I’m craving varenyky” and thus we walked over to Zashkvarka. It was the first time I had gone inside, although I often walked past it as it was pretty close to the Airbnb I was staying at. But it definitely wasn’t the last!
It has somewhat of a modern retro vibe, not common in Ukraine- but definitely a fun, funky atmosphere here!
The Food:
The menu here is very authentically Ukrainian, which is great and exactly what I wanted! I shared a plate of Salo with Ben- and let me tell you! I have gotten so many “disclaimers” about salo before I tried it.
Perhaps it’s that people are nervous I won’t like it, but good thing I am an adventurous person because I got so many disclaimers “are you sure…?” or “It’s kinda weird,” or “not everyone likes it…” that I almost didn’t try it.
Yes, it’s true- salo is inherently pig fat. Sure, it may not be for everyone but honestly I loved it! I got it twice actually (the second time I came).
It’s served with red onion, garlic, bread, green onion and mustard. You eat it together, take a bite of everything and the flavor explodes in your mouth! If you’re not used to European mustard… just… take it slow haha!
But of course… I wasn’t here for pig fat, was I? No… no, I was here for Varenyky! Most of the Varenyky I’ve had in Ukraine was shaped more like a pierogi, or very large ravioli, if you don’t know what Pierogies look like. The varenyky at Zashkvarka was a little bit different, it did remind me (in shape) of what you might see with Asian dumplings.
I believe the first time I came, I had gotten some type of meat- chicken? Pork? I can’t remember varenyky with mushrooms. And that white thing in the back?
That’s sour cream. In Ukraine, they call it Smetana and I would say it’s their favorite condiment. They put it in their borscht, their varenyky, etc.
So, yes- you don’t use soy sauce, you use smetana! I typically found smearing the sour cream over the varenyky is a better way to go than trying to dip it in. The consistency of the sour cream is too dense for a classic dipping (such as with soy sauce)
And of course I couldn’t just not take anything home, and in retrospect, I am so glad that I did. If you’ve been following some of my blog posts about Ukraine (you can view all of them here) then you’ll know I got sick halfway through my trip. BUMMER! Which meant I was really glad I got some food to eat while I was out of commission.
And this… my friends, is called Chicken Kyiv. It’s a type of breaded fried chicken breast. It is filled with cold garlic-herb butter, breaded, and then fried until golden and crispy, often served with mashed potatoes or another side.
It was quite delicious and filling as well. It’s not dry, like some chicken breast is, but it all came together quite nicely.
The second time I came back was when I was recovering from whatever sickness I had and wanted somewhere close to grab something. I had salo again- hoping the garlic and onion would open up my nasal pathways a little, which it did- thankfully!
I often don’t drink things when I’m out, but I got compot this time around.
Compot is a fruit drink made from simmering fresh, frozen or dried fruits (apples, cherries, etc.) with water and a sweetener. It’s a bit like a type of tea but using fruit instead of leaves.
It has a sort of sweet but light texture, and I really liked it! They had several types of compot here, so there are also is a variety!
Well… if you’re beginning to know me by now- I am a total sucker for varenyky… (how many times will I say this by the end of this blog post?!) I had gotten Varenyky again, but this time with a twist. It was called “Asian Varenyky” so it had some Asian tastes with the Ukrainian-style dumplings. It was flavorful and really delicious! Not 100% Ukraine-authentic, but delicious none the less!
To wrap it up… the last time I came, I came with a bunch of other expats, it must have been maybe 10 of us there, some from the US, some from Poland, others from the UK, Scotland, Norway, Sweden and other areas. It was really a great group of people and I actually strayed away from my normal Varenyky and got Schnitzel with Potatoes, I know- I know…
Schnitzel is considered a comfort food and consists of a thin cutlet of meat (mine was chicken but it can also be pork or veal) that is breaded, dredged in flour, egg, and breadcrumbs and pan fried until golden and crispy.
This was served with eggs, pickled onion, a slice of lemon and potato wedges.
Absolutely delicious!
The service and waitress’ were also very nice and quick. They were bilingual, or close to at least and there were QR Codes on the table for ease as well. I can’t remember if you could order through them or if it was just the menu, but I know that you could pay through them without needing the waitress again which was nice for the sake of convenience.
There were usually a couple other people in the restaurant, it was never too crowded but also wasn’t eerily empty either.
Do I Recommend Zashkvarka / Зашкварка?
If me going 3x in a 2 week span wasn’t indication enough, yes! I absolutely adored this place. The food was delicious, the atmosphere was fun and casual and it was a great place to just chill with friends without needing to dress up!
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Address: Pekarska St, 2, L’viv, L’vivs’ka oblast, Ukraine, 79000
Hours: 11:00-21:00 (9pm) daily
Cheers friends & Travelers!
~Sho, Founder of Backroad Butterflies ~
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