The Places Chefs and Restaurateurs Keep Coming Back To

Chef, Bizou

«When my parents are in town, we go to Navat — they have a soft spot for traditional Central Asian cooking. We order plov, beshbarmak, always tea served in a tary, and hot baursaks with kaymak. With friends, it’s usually Uyde. I also find myself drawn to the atmosphere at Atomic. Of the newer openings, I’ve been particularly taken with Lievito Madre. It’s interesting to watch how Adilgazy Koilybayev is shaping the place — and, just as importantly, he’s turning out consistently excellent bread.»

Owner, Sushiman restaurants

«For breakfast with the family, we tend to go to Big Apple or Cult — both are calm, comfortable, and reliably good. At lunchtime, it’s usually La Bottega or Bitanga. I like their approach to the food, and the atmosphere holds up. With friends, we gravitate towards Hola-Hola or Ketchup — places with energy, ease, and the right kind of mood.»

Chef, Selfie

«Breakfast, more often than not, means Tochka — the kind of place where a morning settles into focus: an unhurried room, properly made coffee, and food kept deliberately simple, but exactly right. After a walk, when the appetite is lighter and the mood calls for something more contained, I tend to drift towards Om or Shio Izakaya. They offer a brief, welcome pause — somewhere to reset, to order something warm and quietly satisfying, and to linger just long enough. For non-alcoholic drinks, I go to Temple. The menu is consistently thoughtful — flavours are handled with a certain curiosity, combinations feel considered rather than obvious. Among the more recent openings, Nana has become a clear favourite — a place where the kitchen has real character, the details are carefully considered, and the warmth towards the guest feels entirely genuine.

Brand Chef, Good Project Family; Chef, Eva Wine Cafe

«Mornings, for me, favour a certain stillness. More often than not, I stay in, or go to Eva Wine Cafe — a room that lets the day begin without effort: good coffee, food handled with care, no sense of hurry. Now and then, I’ll stop at Chia for shakshuka — something brighter, warmer, with a bit more lift. With family, where we go tends to follow the mood. For Italian, La Bottega — central, comfortable, and consistently right. For Eastern flavours, Ravat. When it’s Korean, Chef Bek — assured, expressive, full of character. And when the evening calls for wine and oysters, I make for Wine Cafe on Kabanbay Batyr — a quieter register, and a by-the-glass list that rewards a second look.»

Brand Chef, La Creme Group

«With family, dinner usually means Osoba, out towards the Eurasia district — for shashlik and khinkali. When it’s steaks, I go to Line Brew. For lagman, Shafran. And if it’s simply a good plate of beshbarmak, there are a few trusted spots around the wholesale market — nothing polished, but quick, direct, and exactly right. For drinks, it’s Dark Side, Temple, or Gol + Pas. And from time to time, I end up at Kamila Aubakirova’s events — The Hedonist Flat.»

Brand Chef, Qazaq Gourmet

«For lunch or dinner with family — or with family friends — we tend to go to Mino in the park. It’s consistently comfortable, consistently good. La Bottega falls into much the same category — a place you go simply to spend time, and to enjoy the food without overthinking it. When the evening is built around wine, I look to places like Monte Bianco. There’s a clear sense of care — in the produce, in the cellar, in the way guests are received. It’s the kind of setting that quietly recalls Europe, for those who miss its atmosphere.»

Founder, Dark Side Bar; co-owner, Melodies and Rhythms; Fullers (Botanical Garden; Green Quarter)

«Breakfast tends to fall into a familiar rhythm: Tochka on the right bank, Big Apple on the left. At Tochka, it’s the consistency that holds — the kitchen is steady, the service well paced, and the syrniki exactly as they should be. At Big Apple, my wife and I sometimes stop in for what we’ve come to think of as an Almaty breakfast and a good cup of coffee — simple, but very precisely done. For lunch, or when the table fills with family and friends, I usually go to Saksaul. Lula, plov, samsa, salads — and manty, always — the kind of food you return to without needing to think twice. When I’m in the mood for Asian cooking, it’s Shio or Luckee Yu. After spending time in the East, those places took on a different weight for me — something close to a reference point. Ramen, noodles, gyoza, wok — everything you come for, done with enough clarity to keep you coming back.»

Images: restaurant websites and social media; Yandex Maps