Kyiv's historic market sits nearly empty after upscale food court 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.

Bessarabskyi’s transformation is part of a wider trend. Across Europe, developers have sought to turn grocery markets into profitable food courts. But in wartime Ukraine, the reality of changing a historic market and piece of Kyiv’s heritage into a trendy food court proved more difficult than developers expected.

Photo: Danylo Antoniuk/ The Kyiv Independent