A seasonal pop-up at Villa Boutiques & Restaurants on Al-Farabi Avenue, [baq] brings together the teams behind Méssa and Fika. Conceived as a contemporary urban greenhouse, herbs are grown on site, while vegetables and berries come directly from farmer friends. The kitchen is guided by a simple, honest philosophy: food should travel the shortest possible distance from the ground to the table. The menu remains intentionally concise, with freshly baked sandwiches (from KZT 4,200), bowls (KZT 8,500), smoothies (KZT 4,500), house-made pickles, salads and desserts. Like summer itself, [baq] won’t be around forever. Open only during the warmer months.
Grapes makes its point from the very first line: «Not your typical wine bar.» The wine list is devoted to independent artisan producers, with every bottle reflecting the identity of its vineyard and vintage rather than the hand of the winemaker. Even discussions of biodynamics unfold without a trace of pretension. The space is thoughtfully divided into three distinct settings: a lively wine bar for conversation, a retail shop lined with open shelves, and an intimate cellar reserved for rare bottles, mature vintages and private tastings. The selection ranges from natural and biodynamic wines from Sicily, Rioja, Champagne and Sardinia, with glasses priced between KZT 1,500 and KZT 9,500. The kitchen follows the same philosophy, pairing classic Spanish salmorejo with zhaya crisps, corn sponge with seasonal strawberries and kaymak, and Kazakh trout with fermented tomatoes — familiar flavours, reinterpreted through a distinctly local lens.
One of the latest arrivals is a café by the Jeti Aspan holding at Dostyk Plaza, with interiors designed by movs.studio. The menu centers on substantial bowls with house-made sauces (from 4,690 KZT) and sandwiches served on soft Hokkaido milk bread (from 4,490 KZT). Breakfast is served all day, with options including eggs with salmon, an omelette with beef pastrami and syrniki. Behind the bar, ready-made syrups are deliberately avoided: every base for the lemonades is prepared in-house using only natural ingredients.
Sun Group’s latest restaurant brings a contemporary take on Greek dining to Villa Boutiques & Restaurants on Al-Farabi Avenue. For the ancient Greeks, kosmos represented harmony and perfect order — an idea reimagined here through Mediterranean cooking, warm bread, pristine seafood, generous olive oil and the kind of atmosphere made for long, unhurried evenings. Brand chef Enver Dzhemilov builds the menu around seafood and open-fire cooking, with orzo with crab and stracciatella, octopus with fava cream and a lobster Wellington designed for sharing among the standouts. The cocktail list follows the same narrative, drawing inspiration from Greek mythology, where every drink bears the name of a different god and tells its own story. The average spend starts from KZT 25,000. Read more about the project in this article.
Part café, part concept store, Collab is the joint project of four co-founders — Anita, Natalia, Didara and Aigul. The menu centres on comfort food with a contemporary edge, where the signature bibimbap and chicken thigh with seasonal vegetables have already become house favourites. Behind the bar, the focus is on specialty coffee, natural wines and signature cocktails. The concept store evolves with the seasons, each edition built around a new theme and narrative, with every product carefully selected through the team’s own research. The interiors, designed by Levelstudio, balance a light, airy palette with bold accents, where a glass-block bar, an illuminated lightbox and benches crafted from 150 kilograms of recycled plastic by Rocket Plastic define the space
Inspired by Leonid Gaidai’s iconic 1973 comedy, Ivan Vasilyevich is a celebration of the great Russian feast. Generous portions, warm hospitality and the comforting flavours of Russian and Soviet home cooking come together in an atmosphere designed for lingering around the table. The menu brings together enduring classics, from Olivier salad (KZT 3,090), pirozhki (from KZT 990) and borscht (KZT 3,190) to more festive centrepieces such as pork knuckle (KZT 13,990) and whole baked crucian carp (KZT 6,090). Then, of course, comes the caviar: red (KZT 9,990), black (KZT 75,000) and the famous «overseas» eggplant caviar (KZT 3,590) — just as in the film. The perfect place to feast like a tsar.
Photos: Restaurant websites and social media; Yandex Maps.
Abr and brand chef Ruslan Zakirov’s latest project places a neighbourhood bistro in the heart of the Golden Square, built around the idea of everyday dining done with precision. The menu is divided into two clear chapters: «Water», dedicated to fish and seafood, and «Earth», focused on meat and vegetables. Dishes such as local trout with beurre blanc and pike roe, orecchiette with fermented tomatoes and top blade with polenta and green butter feel instantly recognisable, yet carry a quiet edge that keeps them from feeling predictable. The wine list is shaped around natural labels, with glasses starting from KZT 1,500. The average spend falls between KZT 12,000 and 25,000. The project was covered in more detail in this article.
Sandyq Group’s Italian restaurant is built around a theatrical concept, where the dining room feels as much like an auditorium as it does a restaurant. With a stage, soft lighting, velvet accents and every table carefully positioned to face the performance, dinner naturally unfolds alongside the show. The menu stays true to Italian classics, without unnecessary reinterpretation. Expect house-baked bread with Cantabrian anchovies and stracciatella, Genoese focaccia with basil pesto, lasagne finished with Parmesan mousse and simply grilled sea bream, among other timeless favourites. As evening falls, the stage belongs to the house band, Cinotti, performing a repertoire of Italian musical classics.
