Beloved west London Ukrainian restaurant Mriya is closing down

Ukrainian bistro Mriya opened on Chelsea’s Brompton Road in August 2022, six months after Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The restaurant was run and staffed by Ukrainian refugees and aimed to provide culinary and emotional support for homesick Ukrainians while keeping the realities of the conflict visible. Mriya became a meeting place for the Ukrainian community in London, where people gathered to share food, culture, music, conversation, and a sense of home. The team included lawyers, business owners, teachers, and students, and the workplace offered stability, friendship, and belonging. The menu featured traditional dishes such as chicken Kyiv, borscht, herring pâté, fermented vegetables, and oxtail, alongside a wide selection of vodkas. The space was decorated with Ukrainian artists’ paintings and salvaged furniture, hosted community events and cultural evenings, and supported outreach including catering at 10 Downing Street and cooking demonstrations.

"Mriya, or 'dream' as it translates in English, opened on Chelsea's Brompton Road in August 2022 - just six months after Russia launched a invasion of the country. Its mission was to provide culinary and emotional sustenance for homesick Ukrainians, as well as to keep the struggles of the conflict in Ukraine on the agenda."

"'Mriya was created at a time when millions of Ukrainians were displaced by war. More than a restaurant, it became a meeting place for the Ukrainian community in London - a space where people gathered to share food, culture, music, conversation, and a sense of home, while the local community learned more about Ukrainian cuisine and wines,' said Mriya in a statement."

"Created by Olga Tsybytovska and her celebrity chef husband Yurii Kovryzhenko, the restaurant was entirely staffed by Ukrainian refugees, including lawyers, business owners, teachers and students. ' For many on the team, Mriya was not only a workplace but also a source of stability, friendship, and a sense of belonging during an uncertain time,' the statement continues."

"As well as serving traditional dishes like chicken Kyiv, borscht, herring pâté, fermented vegetables and oxtail, as well as serving a formidable collection of vodkas, the restaurant itself is decorated with paintings by Ukrainian artists, and full of salvaged furniture. It held community events, cultural evenings, and countless informal reunions around the table. It also catered at 10 Downing Street, introduced Londoners to the tradition of eating borscht with a shot of khrinovukha on the BBC, and taught MasterChef judges how to properly cook chicken kyiv."

Read at Time Out London