Restaurant Kazakhstan - The 10 best restaurants Kazakhstan in 2024

Practical information : Eating out Kazakhstan

Timetable

In local restaurants, there aren't really any opening hours: establishments operate continuously throughout the day. With the exception of large hotels and touristy areas, they generally close their doors quite early, at 10 or 10:30 p.m. maximum.

Budget & Tips

You can eat for next to 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 the shops reserved for the intelligentsia or expats. Astana and Almaty have a wide choice of top-of-the-range restaurants to indulge in. There are also some very good mid-range restaurants offering fine local specialties at very reasonable prices. As for variety, the choice is equally concentrated in Almaty and Astana, with Japanese, Georgian and Italian restaurants as well as English and Irish pubs. Only restaurants and pubs catering to Western customers or to Kazakhstan's golden youth accept international cards (Visa, Mastercard...). For smaller establishments, bring local currency.

What costs extra

Prices include all taxes. Tipping is part of Kazakh culture, but not compulsory. Service is often not up to the standard of Western establishments, again due to the lack of hotel schools. In the tourist industry, and given the low local wages, it is customary to tip drivers, guides and interpreters in proportion to 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

In Kazakhstan, food is fragrant, even spicy, but not necessarily spicy. You'll find plenty of flavors in the local cuisine (cumin, coriander, sumac, fenugreek...) without feeling like you're spitting flames. In local restaurants, as in Asia, it's customary to order several dishes, which are then shared between diners. While nomadic cuisine is in pride of place throughout the country, many Russian dishes and recipes can be found on restaurant menus.

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 everything 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: you should only touch the food with your right hand.

Smokers

Smoking is now banned in most public places in Kazakhstan. 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 part of the room reserved for smokers (not all establishments are obliged to have one).

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