If you can get past the intimidating nationalistic facade and can stomach the somewhat chauvinistic menu listings, Ostannya Barrikada is a quirky restaurant that serves up hearty food in a unusual atmosphere.

But not all will see the humor in this new restaurant that was started by Oleksandr Dony, an oppositionist and a participant in the 1990 hunger strikes.

My friend from Crimea wanted no part of the place. Fluent in both Russian and Ukrainian, she considers herself a “Russian” Ukrainian – and was put off by what she felt was an air of Ukrainian nationalism.

Ostannya Barrikada means The Last Barricade, a reference to Ukrainian’s centuries-long struggle for independence. The restaurant’s business cards feature a photo of soldiers’ boots standing on a concrete rampart and reads, “We speak Ukrainian here!” The front door of the restaurant – situated in a renovated brick building along pleasant, tree-lined Suvorova – is adorned with two bronze-colored pieces of metal set to look like wooden boards nailed across the entrance.

Inside, the restaurant is less intimidating and even amusing for those who remember to bring their sense of humor. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the staff tolerates non-Ukrainian speakers. My Ukrainian is lacking, but I was able to communicate in both English and surzhik (Ukrainian-Russian mix with a heavy dose of the latter).

Barrikada’s brand of nationalism is meant to inspire both humor and spirited debates. But the place does feature entertainment other than heated discussion.

On a recent Friday night there was a disco in the main dining room upstairs. When the lights went down and the staff set out candles, the room, with barbed wire running across the low ceiling, did take on the feel of a bunker. Patrons huddled in groups around their round wooden tables and shouted over the din of the booming amplifier.

We dined late and decided to move downstairs to eat in the quieter cafe on the first floor. We ended up at a table right beside the bookshelf, stocked with coffee-table books on Lviv, biographies of Ukrainian composers and, more surprisingly, several low-brow romances. The cozy room boasted a collage of newspaper clippings of political and historical events, several framed paintings (for sale), a barricade-looking bar and bright yellow T-shirts with slogans like, “Kiss Me, I’m Ukrainian!” which it turned out had been imported from Canada. Barrikada will doubtless be popular among diaspora.

The food, well prepared and affordable, was nearly as interesting as the decor.

The potato pancakes with sour cream (Hr 4) rank up there as Kyiv’s best. We also ordered stuffed eggplant with mushrooms (Hr 10), which turned out to be a rich and satisfying combination.

For entrees, we selected the almond sheet fish (Hr 22 for 200 grams) – a scrumptious catfish baked to perfection. The Lucky Pot stew (Hr 9.50) was a hearty mix of pork, potatoes, mushrooms and beans served in a clay pot. We bypassed several of the stranger menu listings (written in Ukrainian and English), like “Death to the Enemy!” which was described as a toasted ham-and-tomato sandwich (Hr 3.95), the “Small Elephant Tortured by Those Damned Moskals,” which was a tongue-and-brynza sandwich (Hr 3.40) and the most politically incorrect item, “Ruins of Jerusalem” chicken salad (Hr 6.50).

Barrikada offers a large variety of sandwiches, snacks and salads, so it’s easy to select a number of dishes and share them over drinks. A half-liter of Obolon on tap costs Hr 4 and Stella Artois goes for Hr 10.

Barrikada also boast a full menu of events and entertainment. Artistic director Tanya Dony organizes cultural events at the restaurant, which hosts three to four presentations a week. These include readings by young novelists and political lectures like the Sept. 18 discussion of “Ukraine and Democracy” by Socialist Party leader Oleksandr Moroz. Sept. 22 will see a commercial art exhibition with music and dancing to follow.

For those who enter with an open mind, Barrikada is a welcoming, yet unusual place.

Nibble

Sept. 22 sees the grand opening of the Fashion Cafe. Located at 2 Tarasa Shevchenko, it’s to serve up fresh juices, gourmet coffee and healthy snacks and also house an English-language bookstore. Management has an ex-pat opening party scheduled for Sept. 23 at 5 p.m., when membership cards will be given out.

Ostannya Barrikada

4 Suvorova.

Tel: 290-5522.

Open Monday to Friday,

10 a.m. to 2 a.m.;

weekends 10 a.m. to 6 a.m.