The author and a friend at Te Amo Lviv café
The café Te Amo Lviv, Spanish for «I love you Lviv,» has become a hub for Lviv’s expats and English-speaking locals. Joe Lindsley, Lviv Now’s editor, invites Te Amo regulars to offer their perspectives on the city of Lviv. By hearing the stories of a café, we will get to know some of the foreigners and also a few Ukrainians who call Lviv home.
By Dasha Honcharuk
I work for a marketing agency and am also learning to be a full-time content creator on Instagram. Originally I am from Kyiv, my home town but Lviv city is a place where my soul has its space and expresses its full creative potential.
At a party in 2020 I met Tanmay, aka Dew, the founder of «Te Amo Lviv» café. He struck me with an incredible first impression as a philosopher and entrepreneur. He talked about his goals in life and his primary passion of creating a welcoming artistic place, coffee shop, and hub for ex-pats and travelers. And what was so magnetic is that he started acting upon his dream right away by making events for locals and foreigners: speaking club, book club, and other events like Secret Santa, where we exchanged gifts.
Read more: Te Amo Lviv Café Becomes English-Speaking Hub
When welcoming the new 2021 year, I was invited to participate in Secret Santa organized by Dew and his colleague Tina at Te Amo–an event where strangers would exchange small gifts: Buy a thoughtful gift and then choose one for yourself while covering your eyes with a scarf. I bought a gift about creating a hygge atmosphere, a Danish idea meaning coziness: a candle, a pair of warm socks, and chocolate. I hoped that would bring joy and a genuine smile to the receiver’s face.
That event was impactful for me as it taught me that every human being is ready to share his or her deepest wishes and stories when there is the right atmosphere. I met a few strangers who became my friends and kept in touch even after a year. Dew has a fascinating concept that attracts creative, open-minded people who are ready to respect your boundaries and ready to start a talk if you are open to it.
The hospitality industry and every entrepreneur must find the right ways to communicate and satisfy different customers. I believe that the founders of Te Amo are those rare business people who put their whole heart and sweat into creating a unique place.
In 2022, it is more than just a cafe. Now events are happening every week, and everybody can choose one for his taste. Recently, I was at a poetry night and charity event to support homeless pets. The paintings on the turquoise wall show the works of young and talented local artists, and the art is being renewed every month.
I love to come here, again and again, to take my large cup of cappuccino, take a pen, and write in my diary about how grateful I am for living in this beautiful city and having friends while drinking professionally brewed coffee and enjoying the view from a French window.
You can see the Te Amo event schedule here; the café is located here.
You can read previous Café Society columns here.
By Dasha Honcharuk (follow on Instagram)
Does your Lviv café or restaurant have an interesting group of regulars? If so, please write to us via Facebook messenger.
For more information about Lviv:
Lviv Live Music: Here, always at the same page, is the weekly listing of live music events in Lviv, from cellar clubs to the grand Opera House.
Midnight in Lviv: The Story of Ukraine’s American Exiles
«The Americans in Lviv are looking for new ideas»: an essay by Lauren Spohn, American Rhodes Scholar
Virtual Tour of Lviv: A City of Spiritual Nourishment
With a mix of Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Greek Catholic, and Jewish temples, Lviv is a city that appeals to seeking souls. And it also gave birth to a legendary Muslim thinker.
From the swans of Stryiskyi to the views of the High Castle, Lviv is a city full of varied parks: some landscaped, some wild.
Top Ten Lviv Attractions: Like Paris in the 1920s
Here are things to see and do in a city of conversation culture.
Arriving in Lviv: Practical Tips
Here’s what to do at the airport, along with some suggestions about cash, tip etiquette, SIM cards, event schedules, and info to orient you to the city.
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Lviv Now is an English-language website for Lviv, Ukraine’s «tech-friendly cultural hub.» It is produced by Tvoe Misto («Your City») media-hub, which also hosts regular problem-solving public forums to benefit the city and its people.
To receive our weekly email digest of stories, please follow us on Substack.
Lviv Now is an English-language website for Lviv, Ukraine’s «tech-friendly cultural hub.» It is produced by Tvoe Misto («Your City») media-hub, which also hosts regular problem-solving public forums to benefit the city and its people.
