Opening Ukrainian bistro in Prague

About us

Hi there. We are Tasha and Alex.

We are a Ukrainian couple living in Prague since 2017 when Alex got a job offer to move here.

We loved Prague and made friends with people from many countries. We love to have guests and our place is always open for friends. Of course, we like to treat our guests with something tasty.

Tasha’s borsch is a popular dish at our home parties. During one of them, we’ve got an idea to open a cozy "borscharna". There, Ukrainians can have a home-made borsch and Czechs and foreigners can taste Ukrainian food.

Our idea

In the Czech Republic, "polevkarnas" that sell soups are quite popular (‘polevka’ is a soup in Czech). We were inspired by this format! Ukrainian borsch fits perfectly into such a model. We have it in different styles of red, green, and vegetarian with prunes and mushrooms.

So we will have our borsch polevkarna. There will be 2-3 types of borsch, and with them we will serve other Ukrainian dishes: pyrizhky (pies), golubtsi (stuffed cabbage rolls), varenyky (dumplings), and with them traditional drinks like uzvar (a beverage made from dried fruits) and kvas (a fermented drink made from rye bread) and also craft beers from the Czech Republic and Ukraine.

Our values are:

• Hospitality and friendly service
• Delicious food
• Being modern

Why are we running a crowdfunding campaign?

We’ve already found and rented a great place in the hip area of Prague - Vynohrady. We are just a block from the Jiriho z Podebrad square. The location is perfect and at a price much lower than anything nearby. The problem is that it was neglected for a long time without major repairs. The ventilation system can’t be saved - a new one must be installed. Electricity and plumbing are also in a semi-emergency condition.

We made some calculations and understood the approximate costs. But after two month of renovation, we see that we need help.

What we have already done:

• finished the renovation in the kitchen: we changed the electrical wiring and plumbing, replaced the tiles, and bought most of the appliances that were missing
• renovation in the bathroom
• about a third of the work related to the ventilation system
• cleaned the old plaster off the ceiling and walls
• ordered handmade ceramic tableware
• cool logo and branding from a talented Ukrainian artist;

What’s left:

• ventilation requires new wiring because the old one can not handle the load of powerful ventilation motors (115,000 Czech crowns/€4400)
• electric motors, fans, and noise absorbers in the ventilation system (140,000 Czech crowns/€5400)
• renovation of the main hall (~ 220,000 Czech crowns/€8500)
• replacement of the street sign and front doors (~ 65,000 Czech crowns/€2500)
• some equipment (refrigeration chamber, refrigerated display case, convection oven) (~ 160,000 Czech crowns/€6200);

We have already invested about two-thirds of the required funds. But most likely without your help, the opening date will be significantly postponed and the world will not know for a long time that Ukrainian borsch can be as tasty and popular as ramen or pho. =)

Risks

For the success of our project, we must consider the risks. Here are the main ones:

1. The pandemic. Geez, it will definitely end soon. And even if it won’t, polevkana works perfectly as a takeaway. We are not a luxury restaurant where one dines for an hour or two. We are flexible for the challenges of the covid environment.

2. Lack of experience. We are not restaurateurs. Alex works in IT. Tasha has a background in management and sales. But we have a lot of restaurateurs friends who help us with advice. In the Czech Republic, we have a chef friend who worked in awesome Ukrainian cuisine restaurants "Sho" and "Barvy" in Kyiv, and he will help us with the menu. Also, we hired local restaurant consultants.

3. Competition. Borsch in Prague, although served in many places, is far from ideal. One easily can find a great pho soup. But there are no borsch places to which you will be eager to return to.

We know that we can cook borsch better than what is now offered on the market. We will also offer other dishes that you will not find anywhere else.

4. Visitors will not come. In a country where the largest ethnic minority is Ukrainians, and where there is no modern Ukrainian restaurant, we have a huge potential audience.

How you can help us

• Make a donation in exchange for a gift of your choice

What else can you do?

• Tell your friends about our project (especially the friends who live in the Czech Republic)
• Share this page on your social networks
• Follow us on Instagram or Facebook to stay updated on the status of our project.

Let's promote Ukrainian cuisine together!