Melnitsa

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, pitchforks and a menu full of gut-busting Ukrainian favourites, such as deruny (potato fritters), golubtsy (stuffed cabbage leaves), vareniki (cherry dumplings) and salo (lard). Service sometimes moves at a glacial pace.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Nur-Sultan (Astana) attractions

1. Duman

0.55 MILES

Duman is a modern leisure centre most worth visiting for its oceanarium, which has over 3000 creatures from the world’s oceans and a 70m shark tunnel…

2. Khan Shatyr

0.65 MILES

Nur-Sultan's most extraordinary building (so far), the Khan Shatyr is a 150m-high, translucent, tentlike structure made of ethylene tetrafluoroethylene …

3. Atameken

0.67 MILES

The Atameken – a 200m-long, walk-around country map with models of major buildings – is quite fun.

4. KazMunayGaz

0.7 MILES

East of Khan Shatyr, across a park, stand the grand headquarters of the state energy company, KazMunayGaz.

5. Transport & Communications Ministry

0.74 MILES

The tall, gleaming, copper Transport & Communications Ministry, has been dubbed the ‘Lighter’ by irreverent locals. Ironically, there was a fire inside…

6. Emerald Towers

0.95 MILES

Striking office blocks whose tops splay outward like the pages of opening books.

7. City Park

0.98 MILES

The large, somewhat-untidy city park abuts the south side of the Ishim river. On its southern edge you'll find the Atameken, a 200m-long, walk-around…

8. Nur Astana Mosque

1.03 MILES

A block south of the western part of Nurzhol bulvar stands the beautiful four-minaret Nur Astana mosque, opened in 2005. Its prayer hall (for men only –…