The Best Breakfast and Brunch Spots in Chernihiv, Ukraine

The amazing and extremely cosy Chashka Espresso Bar is a coffee shop for everyone. It is a pet-friendly spot, where you can come with friends, family or alone and never get bored. It welcomes early birds from 8am on and serves ‘lazy’ vareniki (dumplings without filling) topped with berries and sweet smetana (sour cream), traditional British breakfasts, green smoothies and Belgian waffles. At Chashka Espresso Bar, you’ll also find freshly roast coffee drinks ranging from a classic espresso or latte to alternative drinks like filter coffee.

Italian cuisine is popular worldwide, and Ukraine is no exception. While Pasta Basta serves Italian delicacies like pasta and pizza, it also has a variety of breakfast and brunch dishes. For example, dishes like pancakes with salmon and poached eggs, eggs Benedict with chicken or crêpes Suzette (thin pancakes with caramelized sugar and butter sauce) are just perfect. As for drinks, you can choose tea, coffee, fresh juice or even sparkling wine.

Whether you’ve scheduled an early morning meeting or late Sunday brunch, Avenue 33 is a great choice. Located in the historical part of the city, the café is easy to find. It offers dishes drawn from European cuisine. Therefore, for breakfast or brunch, you can get a delicious omelette with salad, hearty fried eggs with sausages, French fries and beans or a Ukrainian nalisniki (thinly rolled pancakes) with salmon and spinach. Those who prefer to start the day with sweet dishes can choose something from the abundance of desserts.

The homely ambience at Sharlotka makes you feel like you’re at your granny’s house. Nourishing homemade dishes like eggs Benedict, healthy salads and eggs or pancakes with berry soufflé taste as good ever at 8am. Most importantly, the menu has a diverse selection of coffees. In case you are short on time, food and drinks can also be taken to go.

Fotel’ is a venue for those who consider morning coffee an urgent necessity. Here, they prepare coffee from selective beans; therefore, it is a true joy to have a cup of a ‘fuel’ at Fotelʹ. In terms of food, the coffee shop has an extensive choice of sweet treats like cookies, puff pastry rolls with baked meringue and succulent cakes. However, there are also savoury dishes that cannot be found anywhere else in Chernihiv: tartlets with three kinds of cheese and cherry tomatoes and signature mozzarella sandwiches.

The urban bakery Tsapa should primarily be visited for its selection of sweet and savoury homemade strudels. In the coffee shop, there’s always a choice of freshly baked pastries. So, if you miss croissants and coffee, you’ll be delighted by the choice at Tsapa. Pay special attention to the rich syrniki (cottage cheese pancakes) with smetana (sour cream) and caramel sauce, which are the best here. Good coffee, refreshing lemonades and tea are also served here from 9am onward.

BonAmi is a bakery that welcomes guests for breakfast and brunch every day. It is a special place with a soulful atmosphere and very tasty breakfast and brunch options. The shop’s spacious dining room has panoramic windows that fill it with daylight. Thus, both the food and the interior at BonAmi are really Instagrammable. They offer tantalizing dishes like Hong Kong waffles with salmon and oatmeal over milk with apples and nuts. There are also smoothies, lemonades, fragrant coffee drinks and matcha.

Cappuccinoff is the perfect spot in Chernihiv for a morning business meeting. It has soft music playing in the background, a minimalistic interior, a wide selection of European dishes and popular coffee drinks. If you prefer to have a proper breakfast, you can order a meal from the breakfast menu. The deruny (potato pancakes) at Cappuccinoff are very delicious. There is also a choice of thin pancakes, the same that are usually served during Maslenitsa week (pancake festival) and, of course, dishes with eggs and bacon.