Ukranian restaurant lands in Shoreditch

Tatar Bunar, a new Ukrainian restaurant from restaurateurs Alex Cooper and Anna Andriienko, is now open on Curtain Road in Shoreditch.

Tatar Bunar is the duo's first London venture, bringing Ukrainian cuisine to the capital. Named after Cooper’s hometown of Tatarbunary in southern Ukraine, Tatar Bunar reflects decades-old family traditions, with a menu led by Cooper’s mother’s recipes.

Kate Tkachuk heads up the kitchen, who has worked alongside the restaurateurs to create a menu that celebrates the diversity of the Bessarabia region, sourcing produce from the fields, seas and forests.

Guests are met with natural tones and textures, including reclaimed oak wood from the Carpathian Mountains and Bulgarian stone sourced from the Bessarabia region. Hand-carved tables made by a local Ukrainian carpenter further repurpose the reclaimed oak. Vintage Ukrainian rugs adorn the walls alongside photos of Cooper’s family, with an olive tree sitting at the heart of the restaurant.

An open kitchen spans the restaurant, piled high with handmade ceramic bowls and plates where guests can pull up a stool and watch the chefs at work. 

The Tatar Bunar experience

Designed to be shared, dishes include Ukrainian onion bread with lardo, sprat with potatoes, pickled tomatoes, Bunar tartare, plachinda with bryndza and signature varenyks, a traditional dumpling thought to symbolise new beginnings and prosperity. Tkachuk has created unexpected variations on these dumplings, including lamb and beef with smoked sour cream and pickled tomato sauce and braised cabbage with smoked sour cream, Bessarabian paprika and crispy onions.

The menu continues with the Tatar Bunar bourscht and a section dedicated to skewers made from grapevine twigs with lamb, rabbit, cod and mushroom. For pudding, a cottage cheese creme brûlée varenyk, baked in custard with sweet cottage cheese, homemade sour cream and redcurrants or ice cream with white grape confiture, is offered.

The wine list features a curated selection of wines from local Ukrainian producers, thoughtfully handpicked by Anna and Alex from the vineyards of the Bessarabian region, including the likes of Baykusk, Kolonist and Stakhnovsky, alongside other winemakers from across Ukraine.

"We have long admired the food scene in London and its ability to celebrate and champion cuisines from all over the world," say Cooper and Andriienko. "We believe there is work still to be done in showing London how wonderful Ukrainian food is, which is why we have decided to open Tatar Bunar and we can't wait to show London what Ukraine's cuisine has to offer."

You may also be interested in…