Look familiar? Yeah, “In here, it’s always Friday”
I’m a big fan of Eastern European food, but often find myself suffering from borscht and pelmeni fatigue when traveling in the region. Sometimes you just need deep-fried potato skins stuffed with massive amounts of cheddar cheese and bacon. And really, you can’t celebrate America’s birthday with beet soup and Siberian dumplings, can you? No, you need something that just screams America, like a thick, juicy hamburger and a side of fries. What better place to get a hamburger in Kiev than TGI Friday’s? (No, seriously, do you know of any other places to get a hamburger in Kiev?)
Dining at a TGI Friday’s in Eastern Europe is a surreal experience, similar to visiting the Friday’s of your childhood, before corporate filled the menu with “low-fat/low-carb/right price, right portion” entrees and introduced fancy desserts like Cinnabon cheesecake, or whatever. Much like our American Friday’s, assorted “Americana” junk lines the walls, but the placemats are in Cyrillic and the waitresses speak English with a Ukrainian accent. The red and white striped polo shirts and silly hats of yesteryear remain the standard uniform of Ukrainian Friday’s employees, along with ubiquitous suspenders decked out with a variety of “flair”. My personal favorite “silly hat” was the garrison cap, complete with Soviet insignia, worn by one of the waitresses. If I ever worked at Friday’s, I think I would wear my giant ushanka with the red star.
As for the meal, it was delicious end to a bizarre day touring Chernobyl, and a suitable way to celebrate America’s birthday while 6,000 miles from home. I had the peppercorn burger, fries, and a liter of Ukraine’s Obolon Premium, which I found to be a rather refreshing beer. For dessert we split the Oreo Madness (R.I.P.), which, along with the peppercorn burger, have been eliminated from the menus of Friday’s in the United States. It’s a shame really, Oreo Madness was one of the best desserts on the menu.
The Kiev TGI Friday’s: Where all your favorite menu items go to die.
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