Svit Kavy Roastery & Cafe, Lviv

Svit Kavy Roastery & Cafe at 59 Kulparkivska Street is the roasting plant of Svit Kavy ("World of Coffee"), one of Lviv's best-known coffee brands, with a café right next to it. The chain's founder, Markiian Bedrii, is described by Lviv media as one of the creators of the city's modern coffee culture. Everyone who has walked through the Old Town knows Svit Kavy's cafés on Rynok Square and Katedralna Square, but this is where you can see where their coffee actually comes from.

What happens here

The plant roasts green coffee that Svit Kavy buys directly from plantations together with its partner Mare Terra. The company describes its mission as building a "bridge" between farmer and roaster: fewer middlemen means a better understanding of where each lot comes from. From here freshly roasted coffee goes to the chain's cafés in Lviv and Kyiv, to its own shop at 6 Katedralna Square and to online customers all over Ukraine.

The café at the roastery is a tall, bright space in industrial style with big windows, glass-block walls, concrete and wood. The roaster and work area are visible from the hall, so you drink your coffee literally next to where it is roasted, and the smell of fresh roasting greets you at the door. It is a calmer alternative to the tourist cafés of the centre: people work on laptops, meet friends and take beans home.

What to taste and buy

• Freshly roasted coffee — single origins and blends, whole bean or ground for your brewing method; baristas will advise what suits a cezve, moka pot or filter.
• Alternative brewing — filter coffee and pour-over, as well as classic espresso, cappuccino and flat white.
• Desserts and pastries — visitors especially praise the macarons, tarts and croissants (the latter often sell out before noon).
• Coffee subscription — regular home delivery of freshly roasted coffee.
• brewing accessories and gift packs of coffee.

Lviv's coffee tradition

Lviv has long been proud of its coffee culture, which dates back to Austrian times, when cafés were meeting places for townspeople, artists and students. Modern roasteries like this one continue the tradition in a new way: instead of anonymous "Lviv coffee" you learn the country, region and processing of the bean, compare different lots and understand how the roast level changes the cup. For a chance to watch roasting up close, a tour of the plant or a cupping (professional tasting), ask the roastery by phone in advance — the company does not publish a schedule of such events.

Practical information

• Address: 59 Kulparkivska St, Lviv (Frankivskyi district, south-west of the centre).
• Café hours: daily 08:30–20:00.
• Phones: café +380 68 945 55 72; roasting plant +380 68 999 00 99; online shop +380 96 945 12 42.
• Prices: above the Lviv average, but in line with the quality of fresh coffee; current bean prices in the online shop at svitkavy.com.

Getting there: the roastery is outside the Old Town, about 3–4 km from Rynok Square. From the centre take public transport or a taxi; by car, parking is easier here than downtown. Google Maps rating: 4.5 from over 260 reviews.

At a glance

• Address: Lviv
• Opening hours: Café: daily 08:30–20:00
• Season: All year round
• Phone: +380689455572, +380689990099, +380969451242

Website and social media: svitkavy.com · instagram.com · facebook.com

Photos: lh3.googleusercontent.com.