You’d never guess it, but behind the sleek facade of this high-end Italian restaurant by renowned chef Alexander Proshenkov, you’ll find shockingly affordable lunch sets.
If your mission is to find a budget-friendly, tasty, and interesting lunch in the heart of Almaty, consider your mission accomplished!
Now, this isn’t just a list of the cheapest options in the city. These spots may be affordable, but they don’t skimp on flavor or quality. From a chef-crafted lunch to a homemade meal from an apashka, from a spa café without the spa to pancakes, pizza, and a taste of Italy, here are all our favorite hidden gems.
Monday to Friday, from 12:00 to 16:00, you can enjoy a full set meal for just 4,000 tenge. The set includes everything you need for a hearty meal: salad, soup, a main course, and drink. Somehow Extra Virgin manages to offer different options every day of the week (seriously, you try coming up with 10 different soups in a week!), which means you’ll never be bored.
A glass-walled pancake spot with just a few seats but a whole lot of love for blini. And oh, the fillings! The most budget-friendly option is the classic pancake with a sauce of your choice for just 390 tenge (we had to double-check that price ourselves). The priciest is topped with fancy caviar for 3,390 tenge. In total, there are 18 sweet and savory choices, from the simple ham and cheese combo to boiled condensed milk with pecans. This spot also offers set lunches, with the soup of the day, a pancake, and a drink. Visit now, thank us later.
A pizzeria and coffee shop in one, with a Berlin Mitte vibe, vinyl music, an in-house bakery, and a coffee roastery. These are just a few of the reasons why this place became a local favorite in less than a year.
Portions here are generous, so prepare to leave feeling full. The menu features 18 pizzas from 2,850 tenge, all made with 72-hour fermented dough. You can also enjoy salads from 2,650 tenge, ranging from classic Caesar to healthy green bowls, along with sandwiches, snacks, and fresh pastries (don’t skip the banana bread!).
Tucked behind one of the four main pavilion columns is a hidden gem you won’t find on Google, called The Green Cafe, or «Gulnara’s Cafe.» The warm and welcoming owner, Gulnara, will greet you, walk you through the daily-changing menu, and make sure you leave satisfied. The food is homemade, hearty, and served in generous portions. Grab a seat with a view of the bustling bazaar—it’s an experience in itself.
The Green Bazaar is an iconic Almaty spot, where locals have their go-to vendors and secret shopping tricks. For tourists, it’s like a cultural tour, as vendors are always ready with free samples and a bit of history.
For generations, Arasan Bath Complex has been a place of relaxation and rejuvenation, and not just because of the steam rooms. Inside, you’ll find a tasty restaurant that you can visit without even booking a bath session. To find it, just head through the main hall and look for the right door.
And just like that, you’ll be telling your colleagues how you had a business lunch inside a landmark of 1980s Kazakh architecture, from the Kunayev era. Expect a few jealous looks.
In the warmer months, the restaurant opens its outdoor terrace for quiet and peaceful dining in the fresh air. The menu features legendary sorpa (slow-cooked for 10 hours) for 3,000 tenge, crispy chebureki with hearty fillings for 1,100 tenge each, and homestyle cutlets with mashed potatoes for 3,550 tenge.
Crank up the «healthy eating» dial to the max and you get The Green Station. Whether you’re vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, lactose-free, sugar-free, keto, or just counting calories, this cafe has a meal for you.
Forget the stereotype that healthy eating is boring, complicated, or expensive. Here you can enjoy a turkey wrap for 2,990 tenge, shrimp pasta for 3,590 tenge, or a salmon bowl for 3,590 tenge. For an extra healthy treat, their signature detox shots start at 1,490 tenge.
If you stop by on a weekday from 12:00 to 15:00, you’ll find a lunch menu with shockingly low prices: salads for 350 tenge, soups for 600 tenge, and mains for 700 tenge.
This spot brings together authentic recipes from nine Turkic cultures. Try the Moghur lagman (3,290 tenge), a rare find in Almaty’s lagman scene, or go for the spicier Tsomyan lagman (3,290 tenge), loaded with fresh vegetables.
This tiny Italian café is run by three brothers who truly make you feel like a guest in their home. It’s super compact, with just a couple of tables, and with this price-to-quality ratio, seats are hard to come by (there’s sometimes even a line outside).
The samsa here is next-level, offering beef with truffle or pumpkin with cumin for just 1,990 tenge each. Of course, the undisputed fan favorite is the Samarkand-style plov, filled with tender veal, for just 2,990 tenge.
The menu features Italian classics, like Margherita pizza for 1,990 tenge, Arrabbiata and Carbonara pastas for 2,990 tenge, and ciabatta sandwiches starting at 1,490 tenge.
It’s the kind of place where you can feel the passion in every dish, where you know you’re in good hands—and where you’ll definitely want to come back.
