Restaurant Review: Valentino in Lviv, Ukraine

Lviv has many great restaurants, that is a fact. There are some places that have amazing food, and others that have a great atmosphere, but there are also places that have both: amazing food and atmosphere. One of those places in Lviv is Valentino restaurant. 

Valentino restaurant is located in the Swiss Hotel, just 10 minutes walk from Ratusha (the center of Lviv old town).

Swiss Hotel

To be frank, I am not that keen on hotel restaurants. They are usually too pretentious for my liking, and too overpriced, however that is not the case with Valentino.

As you know I live in Lviv, so I have no real reason to stay at a hotel. However with a few months old baby at home my husband decided to gift me a ‘staycation’ for a couple days so I can go enjoy myself for a bit without stress. And when I checked into the hotel I found that they have 20% off for the restaurant. Well, what’s a staycation without calling a girlfriend of mine for a couple cocktails and a nice meal overlooking our city!

Valentino Layout

I decided to write a whole separate part about the layout of the restaurant and here is why. As I already mentioned the restaurant is located in the hotel, and it is also spread through the hotel. If you want my review of the entire hotel click here.

Location: Ostapa Nyzhankivs’koho St, 20, Lviv, Lviv Oblast, 79005

Rooftop Terrace 

The terrace at Valentino restaurant is the highlight of the whole place. It is the most desirable place to be when the weather is warm (unfortunately the terrace is closed in winter). The terrace has two floors with a few tables on each. 

Rooftop Terrace Valentino restaurant

Note: my advice is to try to get on the top terrace (do a reservation). At the very top you will enjoy one of the best views of Lviv old town.

Main Restaurant

The main restaurant area is located on the first floor. It is spread through a few halls, which creates cozy corners for those who value privacy. 

Main restaurant

The whole first floor looks very bohemian, it reminded me a bit of Versaille. You’ll see beautiful chandeliers, originals and replicas of famous artists, and of course those wallpapers that take you right out of the 21th century.

On the first floor, and in one of the hotel rooms (on the third floor), the restaurant also has a few private rooms for parties and banquets (definitely my next birthday party location).

Cellar 

There is also a wine cellar in the (drum roll) dungeon. 

The wine cellar is quite small, but well organized and maintained. It holds a good collection of wines that are gathered by the restaurant sommelier Oleg. Here you can find wine from all over the world, and some of them are quite unique. 

sommelier Oleg

If you are a wine lover, or looking for a good date activity I advise you to book a wine tasting. You will learn a few things about the wine culture, explore the cellar of the Swiss hotel, and of course try some wine (4 different wines). The cost of the wine tasting is  770 UAH (around $20) for two people.

Wine cellar at Swiss hotel

Note: no worries if you don’t speak Ukrainian, the sommelier also speaks English, Polish, and German. So, as long as you know any of these languages (and I assume you know English since you are reading my blog), you are going to have a good time.

Inside Courtyard 

Have you ever got lost in a new city and you ended up finding the most charming places? Believe it or not, that is what happened to me. Between all the restaurant halls that I wanted to see and take pictures of, and hotel corridors I got lost and ended up at the cutest inside courtyard with a balcony and what I assume was an antique piano that I really liked (later I learned that the hotel serves breakfast in this courtyard).

Inside courtyard

The courtyard had direct access to a kids club, where (I asked one of the waiters) you can take your kids in, and enjoy your meal while watching them play. 

Kids Club

That was an amazing discovery for me and all the moms. I want you to know that this is a place where you can enjoy your food and not stuff yourself as quickly as you can, because your kid is bored at the restaurant and throws a tantrum! I am exaggerating of course, however this is a well thought out place for parents and for kids to have a good time.

Menu

The menu at restaurant Valentino is enormous. You can find a large selection of…well, everything: meats, fish, salads, soups. Basically this menu has whatever your heart desires (as long as it desires Italian or Ukrainian cuisine). 

However, there are always two sides to big menus, you either will find the exact thing you want to try, or you will get lost among all the choices and choose something familiar that you always get. 

The restaurant also offers a seasonal menu. For example right now (the end of May) they have a “Strawberry menu”.

After going through a menu and getting super hungry just from reading all the choices we ended up ordering a few starters, salad and two mains. 

Vitello Tonnato (slices of baked roast beef served with tuna sauce) 

I actually fell in love with this dish. The meat was very tender and the tuna sauce unexpectedly (for me) created quite a harmony. 

Vitello Tonnato

Recommended: Yes

Price: 260 UAH ($7)

Baba Ganoush (a dip consisting of mashed/chopped roasted eggplant, olive oil, lemon juice, herbs, and tahini)

The baba ganoush was served with dried tomatoes, pine nuts  and cherry tomatoes on top with focaccia on the side. 

Baba Ganoush

I actually am a big fan of baba ganoush. It is, in fact, my go-to dish when I am traveling in Turkey (you can find baba ganoush in basically every restaurant). The baba ganoush in Valentino was quite good. The extra pine nuts and sundried tomatoes were a good garnish. 

Recommended: Yes

Price: 280 UAH ($7.3)

Focaccia Mix (flat leavened Italian bread baked in an oven)

What surprised me the most at Valentino was focaccia. Focaccia (as I know it) is a bread. It is kind of squishy and soft. Focaccia at Valentino is more of a cracker. It was super crispy and it crumbles every time you break a piece or bite it. I wouldn’t say that it tasted bad, I just wouldn’t call it focaccia. 

Valentino Lviv: Focaccia mix

Recommended: No (unless you like the texture of focaccia I described above)

Price: 140 UAH ($3.6)

Salad (beef,eggplant, dorblu cheese)

This was a very good salad. I absolutely would order this salad again. I actually am not sure what was the best part of this meal: the tender steak, or the eggplant with cheese; but I for sure would recommend this dish to my friends. 

Salad with beef, eggplant

Recommended: Yes

Price: 360 UAH ($10)

Ravioli (with spinach and salmon)

Spinach and salmon is a great combination, especially in ravioli. I quite liked the sauce as well. The pasta was cooked perfectly and I would order this dish again.

Valentino Lviv: Ravioli with salmon

I am often a fan of stuffed pasta dishes so you will often see them in my restaurant reviews. To me, the well balanced flavors of spinach and salmon in the creamy sauce was executed perfectly. 

Recommended: Yes

Price: 295 UAH ($8)

Lasagna (with «Bolognese» sauce) 

Lasagna is, in my opinion, a dish that is easy to do okay, but hard to make amazing. Unfortunately I found the lasagna bolognese at Valentino to be a bit bland and uninspired. This isn’t to say it was bad – more average. 

Valentino Lviv: Lasagna with Bolognese

If you really, really have a craving for lasagna then you might want it, but it just isn’t something that blew me away. 

Recommended: Maybe?

Price: 195 UAH ($5.3)

Drinks

Besides the large food menu, Valentino has a wide variety of drinks, including cocktails. They even have their special “Valentino” cocktail that you can try. Make sure to write in the comment section whether it is worth ordering next time I am there, or not.

Aperol Spritz. I am sure everyone knows what aperol spritz is. Aperol liqueur, prosecco, and an orange slice. It is simple enough but there are plenty of ways to spruce it up. In fact the aperol spritz is my go to cocktail in Summer so it was extra nice to enjoy a well made one with a gorgeous view. 

Aperol Spritz

Recommended: Yes

Price: 290 UAH ($5.3)

Lemonade (orange). I rarely like lemonades since they are often too sweet, luckily for me the one we got at Valentino wasn’t so cloying, so I really enjoyed it.

Valentino Lviv: Lemonade

Recommended: Yes

Price: 90 UAH ($2.5)

Service

As I have mentioned before, the menu at Valentino is huge, therefore you probably will have some questions about some dishes. Our waitress certainly knew her food. She was very attentive to our every need. And I for sure felt very welcomed at the restaurant. 

Atmosphere

The atmosphere at the rooftop terrace in Valentino restaurant was magical. 

Valentino restaurant in Lviv

Just imagine: a delicious dinner on the rooftop with a great view of Lviv during the golden hours. And while you are soaking in all that beauty, a live performance is happening (every weekend the violin is playing from 7 to 9 pm). 

Violin

Disclaimer: Jet Set Together was not paid by “Valentino” restaurant in Lviv, Ukraine for a good review. The words expressed in this article are my honest opinion.

Restaurant Review: Valentino in Lviv, Ukraine

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