When we ask readers to name Kyiv’s best restaurant each year, many complain that the question is too general. The answer, they protest, depends on what kind of food you are looking for. One reader this year even urged us to change the poll and ask people to list their top three choices. Some went ahead and did just that.

Our view is that the beauty of this question lies in its generalness. It challenges readers to make judgments based on the whole package, rather than on just one criteria, such as best food, best service or best liverwurst sandwich.

This year, for the second year in a row, the place that does it all right for our readers turned out to be Tequila House. It shares top honors with rival Arizona BBQ.

Last year Tequila House edged Le Grand Cafe in a shock victory decided by a last-minute vote as the Post went to press. With a number of snazzy restaurants opening over the last year, we figured Tequila’s reign at the top would be put to a swift end. But surprisingly it wasn’t any of the swanky new eateries, but five-year-old ex-pat staple Arizona, that provided by far the biggest threat to the supremacy of Tequila House, which again needed a couple late votes to tie for first.

It could be that relatively new upscale eateries like Fellini, Le Grande Cafe and the renovated Concord split the vote for top-end eateries. That left Tequila and Arizona to snatch up all the votes for the portion of the electorate that prefer the laid-back to the luxury dining experience. Both restaurants are known more for their friendly service and festive atmosphere than for their food, although the latter shouldn’t be knocked.

The runners-up list is hardly shabby. Da Vinci may have taken the grand prize if it had not opened up its new Fish Club earlier this year. Combined, Da Vinci and Fish Club received enough votes to win. As it was, Da Vinci finished third, with Fish Club back in a tie for seventh in only its third month of existence. Could Fish Club be the favorite for next year?

– Greg Bloom

RESULTS

(Standing from last year’s poll in parentheses, if Top-10)

1. Arizona (t4)

(tie) Tequila House (1)

3. Da Vinci (t4)

4. Fellini

5. San Tori (3)

6. Khutorets (t7)

7. (tie) Da Vinci Fish House, Himalaya, Le Grand Cafe (2), Mimino (t7), Pantagruel, Zaporizhya, Concord

Others receiving votes: Amazonka, Apollo, Barcelona, Butterfly, Caesar, Campai Sushi Bar, Caravella, Cave, Celentano, Concord, Deja vu (t7)), Domashnya Kukhnya, Drum, Dubki, Edelweis, Egoist, Golden Gate, Gorets, Hunter, Nobu, Ostannya Barikada, Pervak, Richelieu, Shelter, Svytlytsa, Swing.

NEXT QUESTION

What Kyiv bar or club has the best live music?

Send answers to readers@kyivpost.com