As the third biggest city in Kazakhstan, I had some high hopes for the food scene in Shymkent. Though I know that as a pescetarian choices would be limited for me, its sheer size could help me overcome some such limitations with my diet. This turned out to be true, but compared to the likes of Astana and Almaty, I can say that it is certainly lagging behind when it comes to meatless yet decent venues. What is even sadder is that some venues that seemed to be good at one point are deteriorating today. Without further ado, let us take a look at the restaurants I dined at during my time in Shymkent, and see which ones are up to the standard.
El Doro – https://go.2gis.com/z9sd2
If my research is not misleading, El Doro used to be one of the best establishments in town for pizza. This seems to have changed recently when the ownership was transferred to another party. Unfortunately, the service I received here was quite poor, pizza itself was alright at best if you are fine eating pizzas with no tomato sauce, and the prices were a bit high given the lacklustre quality of the products. The only thing that tasted well to me was the garlic sauce, and I have a feeling that it was bought from elsewhere… It is best to avoid this joint for the time being.
Tang Ramen Bar – https://go.2gis.com/1gyoz
Perhaps the most disappointing meal of my trip was this one. Despite having raving reviews on many apps, and a lot of customers that seemed to enjoy their noodles when I was there, I cannot say anything good about the food that you can get at Tang Ramen Bar. Its noodles are subpar, the soup basically has no taste, and the so-called dumpling were more like cheburek than actual dumplings of any sort. On top of this, prices are on the higher side. I would definitely stay clear of this place if you want your food to be flavoured by, well, anything really.
K-Dog – https://go.2gis.com/k57on
Thankfully,not all was bad in Shymkent. Though I was certainly off to a poor start, meals I had in the southern metropole of Kazakhstan only got significantly better as the time went on. I ended up trying my very first corndog with cheese filling in a small and new joint called K-Dog, and I loved every single bite of it. Though it sure is on the heavier side, I can see myself eating one of them every month. Onigirazu was quite filling as well, though I expected more from it, perhaps it was lacking a bit in the sauce department. Still, both are well worth a try.
Hva Bun – https://go.2gis.com/kwt3d
Thankfully, K-Dog was not the only place with good Korean food in Shymkent. If you want a more elevated experience and actually be seated down and served your food, then you should visit Hva Bun. They definitely know how to prepare a decent kimbap, and perhaps more importantly, their rather experimental jjajangmen with seafood certainly is quite tasty. All of this is for a very reasonable price tag as well, though I must warn you about the not so generous portion sizes, which partially explains their pricing policy…
Namaste India Resto & Bar – https://go.2gis.com/0g1wi
Let us end this short list on a high note. If you are craving some Indian food in Shymkent, there is a decent place to go and fix just that! I mean, there are a lot of Indian students in the city, and I have seen my fair share of curry houses, but this one just grabbed my attention the most due to its location and rather friendly staff. The vegetarian thali was so good I ended up going there twice. Their chai was on point as well. Most certainly the best place I dined in at Shymkent, and thus much recommended for vegetarians.
