Kazakhstan's restaurants with global recognition

The World’s 50 Best is one of the most influential brands in the restaurant, bar, and hotel world. It’s easily on par with the Michelin Guide in terms of prestige. Here’s what makes up the «50 Universe»:

• The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, The World’s 50 Best Bars, and The World’s 50 Best Hotels rankings are the main international top lists where projects from around the world take their well-deserved places.
• The World’s 50 Best Discovery is an expanded database of establishments recognized by the 50 Best team. The list includes not just participants in the main rankings, but also other projects that impressed the jury of 1100 industry experts: critics, chefs, restaurateurs, and food travelers.
• 50 Best Stories is a media outlet where reviews and top lists are published. The editorial team might cover the world’s most unusual desserts or inventive cocktail menus (for instance, the Signs of the World nonalcoholic cocktail list from Almaty’s Syo-Syo made an appearance here), but it’s important to understand these aren’t special award categories. That said, any mention on the 50 Best’s website is already an honor.

Kazakhstan’s projects aren’t (yet) represented in the main rankings, but three our projects have been featured in the current 50 Best Discovery 2025 list.

See also: The World’s 50 Best Restaurants from the first person

Auyl in Almaty retells nomadic cuisine in a modern way, doing so in strikingly colorful ethnic-style interiors with mountain views. Nomad dishes by brand chef Ruslan Zakirov served straight from the fire, a kazan, or tandoor, a solid wine pairing by sommelier Yulia Lomteva, and impressive attention to detail, from the symbolic avant-garde shangyrak to specially composed steppe music — all of this is worth seeing, hearing, and tasting at least once.

Qazaq Gourmet in Astana calls itself a restaurant of high Kazakh cuisine — and there’s no arguing with that. Here you can discover new stunning food combinations, like kurt, liver, and coconut, horse meat and grape leaf, camel meat and buckwheat dough, or qazı and truffle. The real adventure is in chef Artyom Kantsev’s tasting menu — it’s a genuine gastronomic journey, nothing less.

Temple, a bar in Astana, carefully maintains speakeasy vibes: an unmarked entrance, private Instagram account, mystical noir-style hall, and conceptual integrity throughout. This bar is like a temple where guests are called parishioners and drinks feel ritualistic. We’re convinced the secret to its success is the team’s absolute attention to detail. Just consider the 150-year-old oak root organically woven into the interior.

The award from the leading specialized publication Wine Spectator recognizes restaurants with the strongest wine lists. 

• One glass — at least 75 items, all carefully curated to match the cuisine style.
• Two glasses — serious depth, broad geographic range, typically 350+ wines.
• Three glasses — top level, 1000+ items, including rare vintages.

In 2025, the collection of Almaty’s Champagne Restaurant & Wine Gallery (1120 items), was awarded «two glasses». The bottles span Europe, South Africa, Argentina, the USA, Chile, Israel, and Azerbaijan, plus a solid champagne selection. Kazakhstan’s wine industry is exclusively represented by Arba Wine. The menu and interior are full of elegance — even breakfast is served on white tablecloths. 

Almaty’s Inzhu restaurant also earned «two glasses» last year for its collection of 850 items. This project’s wine cellar on Kok-Tobe holds everything from basic prosecco to 15-liter bottles (called Nebuchadnezzars, by the way) of champagne worth millions. The menu, like the wine list, focuses on Europe: pasta, paella, bruschetta, and tartares.

Since 2024, the Agora Wine & Deli wine room in Almaty proudly carries its «two glasses», too. In 2025, its selection counts 900 offerings, nearly fifty of which are available by the glass thanks to the Coravin system. The menu — quite substantial for a wine bar — was produced by Ruslan Zakirov (remember him from the Auyl description above), and the display case features all sorts of goodies like European cheeses, olives, and jamón.

Wine Cafe & Shop in Almaty has proudly held «one glass» from Wine Spectator since 2022. Among its 330 options — France, Italy, Germany, Australia, Chile, New Zealand, and of course Kazakhstan. The menu and atmosphere are rather casual, so that a random Tuesday evening can become surprisingly wine-focused. 

La Liste is an international ranking of the world’s best restaurants and hotels. It’s compiled based on professional reviews and guest feedback from various sources. All ratings are converted to a unified 100-point scale, ultimately forming a list of the world’s 1000 best establishments.

Qazaq Gourmet (Astana) with its haute Kazakh cuisine made this ranking, too — the restaurant scored a Kazakhstan record of 75.5 points. Let’s raise a glass of shubat- and kumis-based distillate to that (look for it on the bar menu)!

Panoramic Selfie in Astana — a co-production of the Good Project holding and Moscow’s White Rabbit Family — entered the ranking with 75 points. Chef Yevgeny Chekanin’s multicultural menu, where trendy borscht and spaghetti sit alongside neo-Kazakh specialties, raises the bar higher than the 18th floor of The Ritz-Carlton.

Almaty’s Ogonek by the abr team also scored 75 points in 2025. They know their way around «fiery» comfort food — the recipes are straightforward but striking, with most dishes prepared on the grill or in the oven. The historic round building in the very center of the city, the meticulous work of Ruslan Zakirov’s team (there he is again), and enviable consistency — that’s why we love this place and keep coming back.

Photos: restaurants' websites and social media accounts; Yandex Maps