Nukus
This unexpectedly modern and hip place has real coffee and a tempting array of cakes and house-made gelato. They also make pizzas (big enough for two) and…
Must-see restaurants in Central Asia
The Pamir Highway
Right beside the Ak-Balyk (White Fish) spring near the Km840 marker on the Pamir Hwy, an enterprising cook has set up a lonely shop selling delicious…
Tashkent
The mouth-watering Italian food, professional English-speaking service and subdued, candlelit ambience combine to make this the obvious choice for a…
Bishkek
Long a local favourite for baked goods and sweets, Kulikovski has moved off of the supermarket shelves and into their own cafe space in the city centre…
The Pamir Highway
Deservedly popular for pre-prepared lunches, manty (steamed meat dumplings), shashlyk and chilled flagons of kompot (fruit cordial), this extensive,…
Bukhara
Occupying a large property just a short stroll from Lyabi-Hauz, this self-styled chaikhana is actually a full restaurant rather than just a teahouse. Come…
Tashkent
This popular Italian place boasts an open-plan kitchen, friendly staff and a menu covering classic Italian dishes from pasta and salad to lasagne and…
Uzbekistan
This friendly Turkish restaurant serves up pre-cooked comfort food at lunchtime, changing daily but centred on grilled chicken and moussaka. If there's…
The Pamir Highway
Attached to Lal Hotel and with access to the seating pavilion in the hotel garden, this fun, bright cafe is decorated with traditional patterns, and…
Almaty
Trendy without being snooty, this bare-brick-walled, industrial-themed place attracts meat lovers with the best steaks in Almaty. Ribeyes, T-bones, flank…
The Pamir Highway
This small upmarket restaurant sports tables with white linen and side plates, and the outdoor tables on the terrace overlook an attractive riverside…
Tashkent
After some shopping in Chorsu Bazaar head for this arcade draped with colourful ikat fabrics. It's a good place to get plov, but the various family-run…
Almaty
It's worth travelling all the way to the outskirts of Almaty to sample some of Kazakhstan's most imaginative sushi rolls amid floor-to-ceiling manga art';…
Bishkek
This unassuming basement cafe is Bishkek's only Afghan restaurant, with delightfully fluffy raisin-studded plov and grilled meat heavy on the spices…
Tashkent
'Beans & Brews' is perhaps our favourite cafe in town, with good espresso coffee, juices and sandwiches, plus French toast and oatmeal that knocks the…
Bukhara
There is surprisingly decent Italian food at this classy space on the eastern edge of the old town. The outdoor seating is romantic and the pizza and…
Samarkand
Right in the heart of the city, this bright two-room cafe aimed at students serves everything from real coffee to breakfast pancakes, as well as salads,…
Nur-Sultan (Astana)
With a diagram on the exposed brick wall showing the different parts of a cow, fashion shows on the TV screen and a solid menu of (mostly) European wines,…
Tashkent
Perhaps the best pizza in town, with fresh ingredients, fresh basil and crispy crusts, and big enough for two. Also good coffee, salads and cakes and a…
The Pamir Highway
This excellent lunch stop, by the statue of Shamsiddin Shohein and unpromisingly in the forecourt of an NFC petrol station, offers delicious local and…
Bishkek
Classic Russian and Ukrainian dishes fill the menu of this diminutive cafe tucked off of Chuy, but the namesake vareniki dumplings are the standout…
Bishkek
This hip take on common pelmeni rises to the occasion: dumplings are flavourful, filling and won't cost you a lot of dough. Popular fillings include lamb…
Bishkek
Highbrow fusion in a modern setting that feels removed from Bishkek. European cuisine with a post-Soviet twist fills the inventive (but expensive) menu,…
Bishkek
A quick and cheap 'taste of the east' is available 24 hours a day at this casual national cuisine restaurant – the laghman with black mushrooms (ГГуйру…
Tajikistan
Around 20km west of Ayni, this characterful roadside teahouse has capitalised on the mountain water that rushes through the premises. Cauldrons of chicken…
Bukhara
Dining al fresco around the venerable pool with grey-beards, local families and Russian tourists is the quintessential Bukhara experience. The chaikhana…
Almaty
Popular Venetsia sits beside the little Malaya Almatinka River and its outdoor terrace is a great place to eat on a summer evening. There's a huge choice…
Bishkek
Fans of Chinese-style hand-pulled noodles should head to this authentic cafe in the Vostok 5 neighbourhood, east of Bishkek's centre. Generous portions of…
Almaty
The pick of the city's Georgian establishments, Daredzhani serves numerous favourites from the Caucasus, including pkhali (cold, fragrant, herb-rich…
Almaty
This exotically decorated, Central Asian–themed restaurant is a place to come for quality regional cooking. Old favourites such as manty, laghman,…
Kyrgyzstan
The grounds are run-down, the music's too lound, and it's too far from the centre – but take a bit of the delicious shashlyk and you'll agree it's worth…
Bishkek
Despite the large menu of Central Asian and international favourites, there's little reason to stray too far from the namesake plov (pilaf). The smaller…
Nur-Sultan (Astana)
The owners of this restaurant chose a 'Ukrainian peasant inside a windmill' theme and then decided to run with it a few miles. Expect hay wagons,…
Bishkek
One of central Bishkek's most convivial upper-market eateries has delicious national cuisines, but the service is notoriously slow. Unusually tasty…
Bishkek
The faceted facade evokes an archetypal Central Asian teahouse with carved wooden columns, tapchan (bedlike platform) and octagonal lattice-work pavilions…
Bishkek
You don't need to dig too far into the menu of Kyrgyz and Russian dishes – Fakir is known for laghman, and for good reason. Wander over for a look in at…
Nur-Sultan (Astana)
Walk in past the vintage Soviet cars by the entrance and you're free to indulge your communist fantasies. The decor is OTT USSR – Stalin portraits, hammer…
Almaty
This is one of Almaty's best Uzbek restaurants and especially nice in summer when you can sit around the courtyard. Go for the plov prazdnichny (festival…
Bishkek
This modern version of the old Soviet stolovaya cafeteria serves up surprisingly high-quality fare at excellent prices, and the round-the-clock hours make…
Kazakhstan
Near the promenade and the MiG plane, this Georgian place has a medieval-cellar ambience. Standout dishes include slow-cooked lamb and veal chakhushuly …
