Business
Food court flop? Kyiv’s historic market empties after million-dollar makeover
Bessarabskyi Market has stood in Kyiv for 114 years. Its upscale makeover lasted less than one. Less than a year after the late-2025 reopening, most of the restaurants are gone, and the hall is quieter than before the renovation. Before the makeover, Bessarabskyi was a labyrinth of produce stalls, offering everything from churchkhela — a sweet from the Caucasus — and watermelons from southern Ukraine to pigs' feet and sauerkraut craft beer. But by the end of 2025, the maze of vendors had shru
