There is no denying that Almaty is one of the liveliest cities in Central Asia. Due to the increasing youth population, thanks to the numerous universities located here, Almaty has seen an influx of all kinds of businesses that are trying to creatively compete for the youth.
And when it comes to foodies and coffee lovers, there are a ton of options you can choose from in Almaty. If you are in Almaty for a long period and you are looking to explore its unbeatable culinary culture, you are in the right place.
Within this guide, I will compile a list of all the best cafes and restaurants that I really like and you should definitely check them out while you are in Almaty. Without further ado, here are the 10 best cafes and restaurants to try in Almaty.
Almaty Cafes and Restaurants Itinerary Map
10 Best Cafes and Restaurants to Try in Almaty
1. Try Local Cuisine at Navat Restaurant
First of all, if you are looking to try out some of the best Central Asian cuisines like Plov and Manti in Almaty, you can't go wrong with Navat Restaurant, one of my favorite restaurants in Almaty.
The restaurant is extremely well decorated with Central Asian style decors and furniture and they serve a wide range of Central Asian cuisine as well as other fusion food you can try. When I was there, they had not yet provided menus in English; however, they did have pictures on their menus, making it pretty straightforward to choose what to eat.
If you want a proper Kazakh cuisine treat in Almaty, Navat Restaurant is the best place to be and you are going to love it. The restaurant is open from 10 AM to 12 AM every day.
2. Tarkhun Restaurant
Another of my favorite local restaurants in Almaty, Tarkhun Restaurant is a great place to try both the traditional and fusion cuisine of Kazakhstan in a well-decorated place with several seating areas, both outside and inside.
They have a wide selection of menus from the usual Central Asian foods like Plov, Manti, and Lagman, all the way to Georgian fusion food like eggplant roll with tomatoes (my favorite) and walnuts.
They are also priced really well and not too expensive. I highly recommend Tarkhun Restaurant over Navat if you wish to try more than just local cuisine. The restaurant is open from 10 AM to 1 AM every day. Although the entrance might not look that impressive, I assure you, the inside is way more atmospheric and you are going to love it.
3. SANDYQ
If you are looking for a place to fine dine in Almaty while enjoying live performances of local bands performing traditional music, SANDYQ is the best place to be.
They serve the usual Central Asian cuisine like plov and manti as well as delicacies like horse meat if you wish to try it, but in a more upscale way with small but filling portions, and a large selection of side dishes you can choose from.
You will also get to see local bands performing traditional music if you are there in the evening which is great if you have not experienced that yet. The restaurant is quite expensive but you are definitely getting your money's worth. It opens from 12 PM to 1 AM every day. Definitely one of the best restaurants to try in Almaty so be sure to check it out!
4. Vanilla Cafe
For a nice cozy cafe that serves delicious pastries and bakeries as well as coffee in Almaty, I have to give it to Vanilla Cafe, a lovely quiet spot in Almaty where I often frequent every morning for a nice cup of joe and a croissant before I begin my day of exploration.
The whole cafe is open air with many seatings both inside and outside of the cafe. They have a counter full of pastries and bakeries you can choose from which makes it much easier to order something especially if you do not speak the language.
During the weekends, the place gets very lively with people coming out enjoying brunch and hanging out with one another, socializing. It is the type of atmosphere that reminds me of European cafe culture and I love it. The cafe is open from 7:30 AM to 11 PM every day. Definitely one of the best cafes to try in Almaty so be sure to check it out!
5. Coffee Centre
Out of all the cafes I listed in this article, the one I frequented the most is Coffee Centre, located not too far from Kok Tobe Hill Gondola and a great place to take a break while you explore Almaty.
The cafe is quite spacious with plenty of seats available for you to choose from. Many of the seats are near power outlets which is great if you are looking to charge your phone or laptop and since the cafe is self-service, no waiter will bother you and you can sit at the cafe for hours on end.
Whenever I have to get an overnight train here and I have nowhere to go after checking out from my hotel, I always choose to reside at Coffee Centre where I can get my coffee fixes as well as lunch and dinner in one go and with power outlets available, I can wait until my train arrives as long as I want.
They have special lunch and dinner menus like pastas and salads which are quite affordable and they have one of my favorite iced coffee of all, the Chef Star's iced coffee, a strong and sweet chilled coffee just the way I like it.
If you are looking for a place to hang out while you wait for something, you can never go wrong with Coffee Centre. The cafe is open from 7:30 AM to 1 AM every day which is great for both morning risers (me!) and late-night owls, looking for something to eat at odd hours.
6. Coffee Boom
Coffee Boom is a popular cafe chain in Kazakhstan that you can always rely on whenever you crave breakfasts or some Western-style fast food like burgers and fries no matter where you are in the country.
They have cafes all over Kazakhstan from Almaty to Astana, usually in city centers and shopping malls and I often frequent the cafe whenever I want to eat something while chilling out in a comfortable and cozy environment.
One of my favorite dishes of theirs is the avocado toast that comes with slices of smoked salmons and all kinds of veggies sprinkled all over a well-chopped avocado on toast. It is healthy and great for breakfast and brunch.
If you are looking for a place to have lunch and you want to sit and relax for a while, be sure to check out Coffee Boom. The cafe is open from 9 AM to 12 AM every day.
7. Honest Coffeehouse
Another great cafe with a good atmosphere to relax at is Honest Coffeehouse, a cozy cafe with comfortable seating and a chill vibe with great selections of dishes and drinks to choose from.
They have a great selection of Western dishes for both breakfast and lunch as well as tasty coffees and teas you can order although they have yet to have an English menu, so be sure you have Google Translate installed on your phone.
They also have a really cozy summer terrace where you can enjoy the coffee outside or you can sit on one of the many comfortable sofas they have inside. If you want to check out the cafe, it is open from 9 AM to 12 AM every day.
8. Traveller's Coffee
If you want a little bit healthier option when it comes to food and coffee fixes, Traveller's Coffee is a cafe I recommend you check out while you are in Almaty.
They are one of the few places that serve non-dairy milk as well as healthy Western dishes like Pokebowls and salads. If you are finding local Central Asian food to be rather heavy for your stomach, you are going to love Traveller's Coffee.
They have a few branches around the city, most of which are spacious with both outdoor and indoor seating areas, so be sure to check them out while you are in Almaty. The cafe is open from 8 AM to 12 AM every day.
9. Nedelka
If you just want a quick breakfast and coffee before you continue on your exploration in Almaty, Nedelka is a great place to drop by and get your coffee fix.
They serve both breakfasts as well as some of the best pastries out with a wide selection of cakes that are not too sweet like pastries from other cafes.
They also have a handful of branches around the city you can drop by for a quick bite whenever you have a sweet tooth. The cafe is open from 7:30 AM to 10 PM every day.
10. Exo Summer Bar
Now, if you are looking for a nice bar to hang out with a glass of beer or wine in Almaty, Exo Summer Bar located right next to Kazakhstan Hotel is also a cool place to be with a lively outdoor seating area above water, right by a large fountain, keeping you cool even in the summer.
The place gets really lively after sunset all the way to the early morning so if you want to dance your night away, be sure to check the bar out. The place is open from 7 PM to 4 PM on Fridays and Saturdays only so be sure to align your visit carefully.
Now that we have all the information we need, it's time to start planning your trip! Here are some resources to help you get going:
Are you planning to travel independently? Be sure to check out my guide on How To Plan A Backpacking Trip here.
Further Reading for Central Asia
Are you looking to dive deeper into Central Asia? Here are a selection of travel guides and itineraries for traveling in Central Asia:
- Looking for a complete one-month itinerary and a travel guide for Central Asia? One Month Itinerary for Central Asia
- Looking for things to do in Almaty, Kazakhstan? Check out the 10 Best Things to Do in Almaty.
- Want to get off the beaten path in Kazakhstan? Shymkent is an awesome place to visit. Here are the 9 Best Things to Do in Shymkent.
- If you want to witness the city of the future in Central Asia, Astana is definitely the place you want to be. Here are the 10 Best Things to Do in Astana.
- A great country to start your journey in Central Asia is Kyrgyzstan because it is the easiest country to enter the region. Here's a complete 3-week itinerary travel guide to Kyrgyzstan.
- Bishkek, the capital city, is a great place to use as a base for you to obtain all tourist visas for the surrounding countries like Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, and the city has a ton to offer. Here are the 10 things to do in Bishkek.
- Kyrgyzstan is known for its mountains, and one of the best treks you can do is the Ala Kul trek. Here's a travel guide for trekking the Ala Kul trail and how you can do it in 2 days.
- The Pamir Highway is one of the best road trips you can do in your life, and it begins in Osh, Kyrgyzstan, and ends in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Here's a complete guide on how to plan your Pamir Highway road trip.
- If Kyrgyzstan is known for its mountains, then Uzbekistan is known for its culture and architecture. With several ancient Silk Road cities, there is a ton to see in Uzbekistan. Here's a 2-week itinerary and a travel guide in Uzbekistan.
- Last but not least, one of the hardest countries to visit in Central Asia is Turkmenistan, and you will require a lot of planning before you can visit. Here's a complete travel guide with a one-week itinerary for Turkmenistan.
- You can watch all my travel videos from Central Asia here: Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Tajikistan.
- Looking for more travel guides for Central Asia? You can find more on my Central Asia Travel Guide page.
- For more of my travel guides, visit our All Destination Travel Guide page.
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