In January-May 2023, 172 cafes and restaurants opened in Kyiv, about 350 establishments since the beginning of the war, Olha Nasonova, co-founder of the National Restaurant Association of Ukraine, has told Interfax-Ukraine.

"About 60% of openings in Kyiv are small establishments: coffee houses, bakeries, shawarma, something in kiosks, something in the premises. Up to 100 sq. m. Microbusiness, but if there is a lot of it, this is strength. Very few large restaurants were opened, more often it was rebranding at existing locations," she said, adding that there are practically no pubs among the openings.

"Bars have raised their heads a little, but the restrictions on work until 22.00 greatly reduce their profitability," Nasonova said.

For the popularity of establishments, the issue of safety is in the first place. This explains the best performance of pubs and cellar bars, as well as the geography of new openings. The activity of the foodcourt zones in the mall is gradually recovering. The most "restaurant" areas of the city are Podil and Yaroslaviv Val Street, activity is higher in areas of old buildings than in new residential complexes.

"Up to 50% of the residents remain in elite residential complexes, and there are many people in old residential areas, including because rental housing for migrants is more affordable there," the expert said.

As for promising formats, soon, demand will also be focused on mini-formats. "Investment in the launch of a coffee shop with an area of up to 50 square meters – from $10,000 to $30,000. Excessive demand – for locations with good traffic," Nasonova said.

Established in 2021, the National Restaurant Association of Ukraine as of July 2022 united more than 100 members, 370 restaurants and cafes, and managed 164,000 sq. m.