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Practical information : Eating out Kyrgyzstan
Timetable
There are no real timetables: the restaurants run continuously all day long. Except in large hotels or very touristy areas, the establishments generally close their doors quite early, at 10 or 10.30 p.m. maximum.
Budget & Tips
You can eat for less than nothing in small neighborhood tchaikhanas, but the menus will always be more or less the same: soup, tomato-onion salad, chachlyks, laghmans or plov washed down with tea, and always for the equivalent of a handful of euros. You'll find more choice in bazaar canteens, with the advantage of being assured of fresh produce. But these usually only operate at lunchtime. In the big cities, the bill can rise a little faster in restaurants reserved for the intelligentsia or expats. But you can now find some very good mid-range restaurants offering fine local specialities for budgets that are still very reasonable: expect to pay between €15 and €25.
What costs extra
Tipping is a discreet part of Kyrgyz culture. You don't usually negotiate boldly for hours on end, only to leave more than you bargained for. But in the tourist industry, and given the low local wages, it's customary to tip drivers, guides and interpreters in recognition of the quality of service they provide. Similarly, in mid-range and high-end restaurants, it's customary to leave the waiter 5-10% of the bill.
The local way
Order a samsa: this small triangular doughnut filled with mutton and onions is very common in Central Asia, but in Bishkek there's a very famous cheese samsa variant. You can find it literally on every street corner. Don't forget to taste the butter when it's placed on the table, or you risk awakening the evil spirits! In the jailoo, when the mutton is butchered, the eldest member of the family distributes the pieces according to each person's needs: you may end up with a piece of leg, a piece of brain or... an eye, the piece of choice!
To be avoided
At the table, if you are invited, avoid taking, holding or giving anything with your left hand. This is considered impure, and you'll find that anything offered to you is held out to you with the right hand. This is also the case when it comes to eating with your fingers ( beshbarmaq, the Kyrgyz national dish, is served without cutlery): you should only touch the food with your right hand.
Smokers
Smoking is now banned in most public places in Bishkek. In open-air restaurants such as chaikhanas, there are no restrictions. But for enclosed establishments, you'll have to ask to be placed in the room reserved for smokers.