Olivia

Top choice in Shymkent


Visually a sultry cross between a stone-walled cellar and a library, with plenty of books on art and design on surrounding shelves, this gorgeous restaurant serves beautifully executed pasta dishes, risottos and grilled meats from a short but sweet menu put together by the Michelin-starred chef. An excellent Euro-centric wine list and professional service make this place hard to fault.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Shymkent attractions

2. Alleya Slavy

0.44 MILES

In Abay Park, two tall concrete pillars lean on each other above an eternal flame, and the alley is lined with plaques bearing the names of the more than…

3. Wedding Palace

1.01 MILES

The squat, blue-domed Wedding Palace is a useful landmark.

4. Independence Monument

1.09 MILES

This monument consists of a tall, red granite column topped with the figure of Mother Earth.

5. Central or Upper Bazaar

1.14 MILES

The central bazaar is now somewhat diminished after the conversion of its outlying sprawl into parks and the removal of many traders to markets on the…

6. Altyn Shanyrak

1.26 MILES

The tall Altyn Shanyrak monument in the middle of Independence Park – a sort of tall, metallic funnel – represents the central roof opening of a yurt.

7. Tauelsizdik sayabagy

1.3 MILES

Tauelsizdik sayabagy, accessed by footbridge from the tall, Mother Earth–topped Independence Monument, was inaugurated in 2011 for the 20th anniversary of…

8. Bazar Samal

2.16 MILES

Of several new markets around the city fringes, Bazar Samal, next to Samal bus station, is the biggest and most interesting, with a particularly colourful…