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After three years, the Ukrainian bistro Mriya, run and staffed by refugees, is due to close its doors. 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.
‘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 says. ‘We are deeply grateful to everyone who supported Mriya.
‘As the first Ukrainian restaurant opened abroad after the full-scale invasion, Mriya was born during a difficult moment in history, and we are proud of what it has become: a place of deep and modern flavours, warmth, and community.’
If you’re yet to try Mriya, or want to keep supporting it, the restaurant will be open until Sunday June 7 when it will have its final service. But, even though the Chelsea site is shutting down, there is still hope that Mriyaz’s story will continue.
‘This is a very emotional moment for us, and in many ways it feels like the end of another chapter,’ says the restaurant’s statement. ‘But even as one dream comes to an end, we continue dreaming – because “Mriya” means “dream” in Ukrainian, and some dreams never truly disappear.’ So, fingers crossed the dream will stay alive in some form.
Mriya, 275 Old Brompton Road, SW5 9JA.
In other food and drink news, a new ice cream shop has opened in west London – and it’s inspired by classic Italian gelaterie
Plus, this central London neighbourhood is getting its first ever rooftop bar
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