London restaurant Tatar Bunar puts Ukrainian heritage front and centre

Family recipes and contemporary design merge at this new east London restaurant by Ukrainian restaurateurs Anna Andriienko and Alex Cooper

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tatar bunar london restaurant review
(Image credit: Courtesy of Tatar Bunar)

Ukrainian food may be synonymous with chicken Kyiv, but there’s far more to the cuisine than garlic and chook. Anna Andriienko and Alex Cooper – who between them operate more than 30 restaurants in Ukraine – have opened Tatar Bunar to showcase the diversity of Ukrainian cooking, brought to life through the recipes of Cooper’s family.

Cooper, who pivoted his restaurants into food distribution points for soldiers and vulnerable communities during the early stages of the conflict with Russia, remains in Ukraine, while Andriienko has relocated to London.

Wallpaper* dines at Tatar Bunar, London

The mood: Ukraine comes to east London

tatar bunar london restaurant review

(Image credit: Courtesy of Tatar Bunar)

The interiors, designed by Andriienko, feature materials sourced where possible from eastern Europe – reclaimed oak from the Carpathian Mountains, Bulgarian stone from Bessarabia – while Kyiv-based ceramicist Svetlana Sholomitska has handmade every plate, cup and vase adorning the hand-carved tables.

Vintage Ukrainian rugs hang on the walls alongside photos of Cooper’s family, while the open kitchen is framed by handmade clay tiles. A small courtyard for summertime alfresco dining, planted with olive trees and a cascade of ivy, is a Shoreditch secret worth knowing.

tatar bunar london restaurant review

(Image credit: Courtesy of Tatar Bunar)

The food: Keep it in the family!

tatar bunar london restaurant review

(Image credit: Courtesy of Tatar Bunar)

Tatarbunary is the name of Cooper’s hometown in the Bessarabian region of southern Ukraine, and menus will draw on his mother’s recipes, reinterpreted by Ukrainian chef Kate Tkachuk.

So, while you’ll find the expected dumplings stuffed with braised cabbage and smoked sour cream, the sharing plates also include onion bread with lardo, rabbit skewered on grapevine twigs, and a twist on crème brûlée featuring dumplings filled with sweet cottage cheese.

And if you really can’t go without chicken Kyiv, don’t worry – it’s on the menu too. To drink, expect a curated selection of wines from top Ukrainian producers including Beykush, Kolonist, and Stakhovsky.

tatar bunar london restaurant review

(Image credit: Courtesy of Tatar Bunar)

tatar bunar london restaurant review

(Image credit: Courtesy of Tatar Bunar)

Tatar Bunar is located at 152 Curtain Rd, London EC2A 3AT, UK; @tatarbunar.london

Ben McCormack

Ben McCormack is a London-based restaurant journalist with over 25 years’ experience of writing. He has been the restaurant expert for Telegraph Luxury since 2013, for which he was shortlisted in the Restaurant Writer category at the Fortnum & Mason Food and Drink Awards. He is a regular contributor to the Evening Standard, Food and Travel and Decanter. He lives in west London with his partner and lockdown cockapoo.