The people of Odessa may need to heed the advice given in the internationally known slogan ”Eat to live, Don’t live to eat”. Although you may hear Odessans say it themselves, the fact remains that here food is everything.

People talk about it, argue about it, give advice on how to prepare it and hold heated discussions about the merits and otherwise of the food in different establishments - with the passion of football fans discussing the last World Cup!

The cuisine in Odessa is very diverse and represented by a large number of establishments, all ready to welcome you as an honored guest. Restaurants in Odessa are proud of their" house" dishes. There is a long established tradition of hiring famous chefs to work in restaurants here and they take great pains to develop attractive menus.

In general restaurants open at 11 a.m and work till midnight, or until “ the last client leaves” The catering industry in Odessa now boasts plenty of fine restaurants ,offering cuisine service and prices on a par with other European countries. In such restaurants ,menus are available in English and in Russian and the well-trained staff speak English.

You can also easily find a number of cafes with a more limited selection where you can enjoy an excellent meal at minimum cost and maximum enjoyment. Some places take credit cards such as “Ukrainska Lasunka”  “Kumanez” but of course in most places it will be better if you ask if they take credit cards.

The people of Odessa are very good - natured and practical ,so if you have overestimated your capabilities and were not able to eat up everything, the restaurant staff will be happy to pack up the left over delicacies, so you may take them home.

If you are short of money, Odessa can advice you to visit some places where you will taste "home cuisine" Near Greek squire you can find very popular place "Zhary-Pary". This modern -day canteen, located in the center is for those people who prefer a three-course lunch at cheap price-from starters through to desserts .At 'Zhary-Pary' there are no waiters; diners serve themselves. But only here you can taste the dishes which Odessans cook at home.

The next popular place where most busy people like to relax and have snack is Snack Bar Chain 'Top Sandwich''

A visit to one of this cafes will cost you 6-20 hryvnas ( it is round $4).Service is quick (about 7 minutes) and a variety of snacks are on the menu , from sandwiches to kebabs. You can enjoy of cup of coffee here and can order light salade.

The Odessa's restaurant «Captain Morgan» occupies a building dating back to the 19th century. The architects were initially given the task of complete reconstruction of the restaurant, constructive connection of its two levels and harmonious combination of the interior elements. Thus «Captain Morgan» has been renovated into a fascinating place that has preserved its traditional air of hospitality

"Kymanets" is restaurant which most of the tourists enjoy to visit. Walking into Kumanets is like entering a Ukrainian Disney World - without the rides and lines. Despite an effusion of stuffed chickens, the traditional atmosphere is very friendly and the service excellent.

The food is fantastic, fairly inexpensive, and comes in mountainous portions. The red and green borsht come in bowls big enough to swim in and are probably the best available outside Ukrainian kitchen. Soups, vareniky (dumplings), and diruny (potato pancakes) are all wonderful and very tastfull.