Local Men, Local Tables: Where Men Go in Almaty

Chef behind Auyl, Spiros, Jinau, Palomar and Ogonek

If the plan is to meet friends and spend the evening talking, there are three obvious scenarios. The first is Red Beer: a great atmosphere, always a few familiar faces, and a pool table if the mood calls for it. The food by Kudryavtsev is excellent, especially with beer.

If the mood is quieter and calls for wine, then it’s Agora or Korkem. Both have strong wine lists and teams that know exactly how to guide you towards something interesting. If it’s meat and long conversation you’re after, then it has to be a shashlik place. I’m particularly fond of the one on Remizovka: a wide selection, quick from the grill, and consistently good. The pickles are excellent, too.

Head of PR and Influencer Marketing

If the conversation is meant to turn to life, business and whatever comes next, then Tangiers Lounge is the natural choice. The light is low, the room unhurried, and the atmosphere conducive to the sort of conversation that benefits from time. You come here not for noise, but for focus: tea from the Chinese collection, food to share, and the sense that an evening can pass almost unnoticed.

If the mood is more decidedly masculine — beer, meat, and a proper gathering of friends — then Fuller’s Pub remains a dependable option. It’s a well-tested formula for longer, fuller evenings: generous portions, straightforward food, a respectable beer list, and just the right degree of lively disorder. If, on the other hand, the aim is to relax, move into cocktails and shift the tempo entirely, then French 42 makes immediate sense. The energy is different here: jazz, a low conversational hum, elegant presentation, and cocktails that are every bit as good as they look.

Entrepreneur, founder of SlonWorks

A great new opening lately is Sobremesa: an excellent cocktail list, a lively room, and a crowd that feels right. It’s the kind of place you go to for atmosphere — the staff are open and warm, and it doesn’t take long before the whole evening begins to feel like your own company.

For more traditionally male conversation, we usually end up at Irwin Grill & Bar. The steaks are reliably good, and it’s easy to stay for hours without ever feeling hurried. For brunch, I like Alma Café, especially when I’m on my own: there’s almost always someone familiar to run into, and it’s the sort of place where a few hours can disappear into conversations about nothing in particular. For quieter, more romantic evenings, my favourites are Giardino, La Barca and Nuala — all consistently good, all easy to return to. Most work meetings, though, tend to happen in abr projects — Cafeteria, Astra, Afisha, Spiros, depending on where I am. What I value there is the consistency: the service is dependable, and the atmosphere always feels exactly right.

Co-owner and chef of Molli

If there’s something important to discuss, we go to Café Venezia. The shashlik is consistently excellent: we order the mixed grill, the Caucasian cold cuts, khychiny — and settle in. It’s the sort of place that does not ask much of you beyond appetite and time. If the mood calls for something more polished, more overtly occasion-worthy, then it’s JZ Peking Duck. It’s a classic for a reason: strong Asian cooking, and a team that never seems to miss a beat. If it’s a weekend morning after a particularly lively night, then the answer is Kuldja Hogo — usually the one on Gogol, sometimes Rozybakiev. It works especially well for groups: you can cook at the table yourselves or order from the wok, and either way, by the end, everyone feels better. For smaller meetings and more serious conversations, we go to Line Brew on Nazarbayev. It’s understated rather than flashy, but the live-fire steaks are excellent, and the beer list is strong.

Wine specialist; importer of wine and glassware

Sometimes all you want is to meet, eat something simple, have a beer, and catch up on the news. In those cases, we go to the places that have already proved themselves. After work, we often end up at Svetloe Budushchee — good beer, straightforward food, and an atmosphere that works especially well for foreign guests, who tend to take to it immediately. If the conversation turns to wine, the choice is uncomplicated: Agora. Calm, elegant, home to the strongest wine list in the country, and matched by excellent cooking. The pairing feels almost too obvious. If the mood calls for a proper dinner, then it’s Canteen, one of the more recent openings. Small plates to share, a lively European atmosphere, and service that manages to feel warm without ever becoming overfamiliar.

Images: restaurant websites and social media; Yandex Maps