Announcing the decision, the team behind the Old Brompton Road restaurant said it had been “born during a difficult moment in history”.
“Mriya was created at a time when millions of Ukrainians were displaced by war. More than a restaurant, it became a meeting place for the Ukrainian community in London - a space where people gathered to share food, culture, music, conversation, and a sense of home,” a spokesperson says.
Billed as the first Ukrainian restaurant to open abroad following the full-scale invasion, the restaurant introduced Londoners to contemporary Ukrainian cuisine through its creative neo-bistro concept, while also hosting community events and cultural evenings.
The restaurant features ceramics, furniture, textiles, art, and design elements sourced from Ukraine with each chosen to ‘reflect the country’s culture, craftsmanship, and spirit’.
Ukrainian chef Yurii Kovryzhenko and his partner Olga Tsybytovska launched Mriya in 2022 after they found themselves stranded in London following Russia’s invasion of their country.
In 2024, the restaurant relaunched with a new executive chef and a ‘refreshed’ concept that features an emphasis on fire-grilled dishes.
Kyiv-born chef Anton Vasyliev’s menu includes chicken giblets skewers with beef juice; carrot, hazelnut cream and fennel salad; pampushka sando with beef tartare; and a sharing plate of shish kebab with grilled shishito peppers and herbs.
But the restaurant’s famed take on chicken Kyiv - which was featured on MasterChef -never left the menu.
The final day of service will be June 7.
“We are deeply grateful to everyone who supported Mriya — our guests, team members, partners, and the city of London. What was built here went far beyond hospitality, and we hope the connections and memories created at Mriya will continue long after the restaurant closes,“the spokesperson continues.
“This is a very emotional moment for us, and in many ways it feels like the end of another chapter. But even as one dream comes to an end, we continue dreaming — because ‘Mriya’ means ‘dream’ in Ukrainian, and some dreams never truly disappear.”