My adventures in Ukraine continued with a mind-blowing classic breakfast buffet of amazing Ukrainian Galician food in Lviv in western Ukraine! Come with me as I dive even further into this cuisine, which is so close to my heart!
My friend and guide Diana from Tours by Locals and I began our day at Baczewski Restaurant, the most famous Galician-style buffet in Lviv. On Sundays, there’s a huge queue stretching out the door, so you know it’s good!
They have an outdoor, covered terrace where the buffet is laid out. I could see eggs, vegetables, sandwiches, salad, vareniki, salami, and more. The waiters even carry champagne on their arms. Unlike American buffets, the cooks serve you! It felt like a high-end brunch or breakfast spot. The décor is beautiful, with lots of plants, live birds, and live musicians playing Adele on the piano!
Explore the exquisite charm of the Biltmore Sunday Brunch, a delightful blend of opulent ambiance and delectable offerings; learn more about this must-try experience here.
Our Ukrainian Galician food was amazing. The vareniki was fantastic, as was the champagne. Everything was bite-sized and super easy to eat. I also got beetroot salad, potato salad, cottage cheese, bruschetta, and eggplant. The caviar bruschetta was excellent. They popped in my mouth! Meanwhile, the eggplant was a little spicy and really creamy. They went well with the potato vareniki. I also loved the fried cauliflower and cottage cheese.
I also enjoyed an amazing North African dish called shakshouka, which is tomato-based and has a fried egg on top. It reminded me of the tavas I ate in Albania and Kosovo. It was a little spicy and so full of mouthwatering flavor!
The potato salad also contained carrots and egg and had a very creamy texture! Then, I headed back past photos of their liquors and facility into their kitchen. I could see the cooks making cottage cheese fritters, types of pie, pasta, and a Polish soup called Zurek. It contained carrots, chicken, meat, and celery and smelled amazing!
In the fish, meat, and poultry section were guys pounding chicken and veal. I could also see matzoh bread. Then, we headed down to their cellar, where they have dozens of liqueurs on shelves along the wall!They serve lunch and dinner in the cellar. There’s a poster of the Baczewski family painted on the wall. It was super funky and cool!
From there, we headed back upstairs to the dessert section where they had honey, croissants, yogurt, cakes, and more. I had chocolate cake, as well as cottage cheese pancakes and cheese-stuffed crepes drizzled with caramel. Ukrainian Galician food desserts are so sweet and decadent!
The chocolate cake was delicious, and I also loved the cherry juice. Next, we saw their liqueurs, vodka, and beers. The black currant vodka was good, as was the dogwood berry and cherry cordial. The cherry was my favorite, and the horseradish and traditional vodka with honey were also amazing! I was stuffed and it was only 10 a.m.
After seeing their jams, pickled vegetables, and cheeses from local farmers, Diana and I headed through Rynok Square to Grand Café Leopolis.
There, we’d get some amazing coffee. Lviv’s name translates to “City of Lions,” and there are 4,500 lion statues in the city.
It was like an old-school 19th-century café inside. They have lots of liqueurs and cakes, and the waiters carry stacked plates. The rose lemonade was floral and refreshing, and the rose coffee was Turkish-style coffee made with rose water! It was strong and super unique! One of their cakes is the famous Leopolis Napoleon cake, which I couldn’t wait to try!
Then, we got the Leopolis Napoleon cake, which is doused in cream. It was fluffy, creamy, layered, and I loved the meringue on top. It was so good, but we were both so full! It’s easily my favorite cake in Lviv! It was an amazing way to cap off our Ukrainian Galician food tour in Lviv, Ukraine.
Then, we saw some singers in the square and the city executioner and stopped by a strudel place called Shtrudel. They sell sweet and savory varieties, including salmon, spinach, and cheese; chicken; as well as apple and cherry. They also sell Galician cheesecake!
I was too full to eat more, so I tried some light, fresh lemonade. Back in the square, we saw some retro cars and then a trumpeter performance before going to the top of the town hall to see the view! Here, you can schedule a meeting with any city official.
It costs 40 hryvnia/roughly $2 USD to buy an adult ticket to the top. You have to climb 408 wooden steps to get there. It’s a workout! The final section is a tight spiral staircase that fits only one person at a time. At the top are the best views 65 meters above all of Lviv! It’s beautiful! You can see the Old City and all of the greenery. What a beautiful, sunny morning in Lviv!
I hope you liked coming with me on my Ukrainian Galician food tour in Lviv, Ukraine! If you did, please give this video a thumbs up and leave a comment below. Also, please subscribe to my YouTube channel and click the notification bell so you don’t miss any of my travel/food adventures around the world!
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