Nomad visa: 7 Kazakh restaurants and cafes for tourists

A restaurant-museum designed with the help of historians and ethnographers, Sandyq takes authenticity seriously. Their «қазақ ет» (known as beshbarmak) follows every traditional rule—so much so that you could confidently bring both your grandmother and a UNESCO culinary heritage expert. And that’s just the beginning: the menu includes baursaks (stuffed with irimshik), kuyrdak, kazy, köje, and more. Basically, it’s everything you’ve heard about Kazakh cuisine and always wanted to try in its most authentic form.

Here, you can forget the usual bar menu. Instead, Sandyq offers a «kumys bar,» offering the rare opportunity to sample different varieties of kumys, shubat, and shalap. It’s a true cultural time capsule, set to a unique musical backdrop.

A neo-nomadic dining experience in the Medeu mountains, Auyl has been featured in Condé Nast Traveller and ranks among the top 16 most beautiful restaurants in the world, according to Prix Versailles. Think of it as a living exhibition of nomadic culture and cuisine—except instead of an audio guide, you get expert servers who can spend a good 20 minutes telling you about the historic building, the reimagined shanyrak (yurt dome), the dombra collection, the intricate textile patterns, and the unique dishware.

The open kitchen is pure culinary theater, with flames roaring, hand-pulled Dungan noodles stretching meters long, and a massive kazan of plov. For the full experience, grab a seat in the tapchan (low seating area). After all, eating on the floor and then lying down to digest is the true nomadic way.

We recommend booking your table in advance, preferably around sunset, so you can enjoy both the daylight views and the sunset behind the mountains.

The name Tör translates to «a place for honored guests,» and it more than lives up to the name. Located in Esentai, Almaty’s sleekest district (think Prada, Ritz, and Starbucks), the contrast between its modern luxury and deep cultural roots makes the experience even more striking.

Tör’s aesthetics fall somewhere between a stylish Pinterest board and a Kinfolk magazine. These aren’t your typical yurt-style decorations. Here, everything is elevated to contemporary perfection.

The menu doesn’t try to be a rigid encyclopedia of Kazakh cuisine. Instead, it’s a modern retelling, blending tradition with cutting-edge culinary techniques. Expect dishes like tartar made from kazy with sweet potato and onion chips or lagman served with a machete steak. Who says national dishes can’t have a little reinvention?

Take the cable car up to Kok Tobe, one of Almaty’s most iconic spots, soak in the panoramic city views, and stay for lunch at Abay. The dining hall is shaped like a yurt, with a glass shanyrak (central dome) and walls decorated with scenes from Kazakh traditions, like a bride’s farewell (uzatu) or the ancient horseback game kokpar.

The menu highlights regional specialties, including horsemeat delicacies, a variety of kebabs, sorpa, four kinds of lagman, five kinds of samsa, AND six kinds of cheburek. For something more modern, try the kazy carpaccio or kuyrdak salad. In the evenings, an ethno-ensemble performs traditional Kazakh music.

If you’re planning a shopping spree at Mega Alma-Ata, the city’s largest mall, finish it off with a meal at Alma, a French bistro with true Almaty spirit (yes, that’s a thing!).

The interior blends Soviet constructivism, a tribute to the Green Bazaar’s tiled floor, and contemporary art by local painters. The menu offers comfort food made from local products, like our favorites, the niçoise salad with Almaty-raised shrimp (the city may not have a sea, but it does have a shrimp farm), sweet potato fries with kurt (Kazakhstan’s umami-rich answer to Parmesan), horsemeat tartare, lamb burger with adjika, and fettuccine with chicken and smoked chechil cheese.

Housed in the historic Alma-Ata restaurant building, Kese is a great place to experience Kazakh cuisine while exploring Kazakhstan’s first food hall.

At the Kese counter, the baursaks and three types of manty—beef, chives, and pumpkin—are crowd favorites. But true foodies come for the side-by-side tasting of classic and Southern-style beshbarmak. The first is tender and comforting, the second is bolder, spicier, and full of character. Of course, the only way to pick a favorite is to try them both.

A no-frills lagman joint with a simple interior, average service, and… probably the best lagman in town. Just ask the crowds waiting outside and the variety of customers inside, from taxi drivers to sophisticated magazine editors.

One hearty portion is enough to keep you full all day, and the average check of 2,000 tenge is the cherry on top of this comfort-food paradise.