Some time ago, I wrote about business lunches in Nizhny Novgorod with a focus on the more “Slavic” restaurants and their deals. This time I will be introducing you to some more establishments in the field, now concentrating on the more “oriental” options the city has, with that vague term roughly referring to the Caucasus, Middle East, and Central Asia in this context. In order to be as “neutral” as possible in my listing, here are the few such spots that I tried in an alphabetical order.
Ali-Baba – https://yandex.com/maps/-/CCUKiEs59A
This Middle Eastern named, Caucasian inspired, and often Slavic food serving restaurant unfortunately suffers from a lot of drawbacks. I had to wait a long time to get in here despite there being many empty tables which were kept empty without reservations, they simply did not allow anyone to sit there no matter what. Service was not just slow; it was particularly slow almost in a comedic way. The menu came in around 15 minutes, but the orders were demanded immediately. All meals took a long time to arrive as well. Food was bland, and the fish meatball tasted suspiciously close to a “normal” meatball. It does not help that as you eat your food, tons of other people eye your table and expect you to eat faster so that they can be seated. If they had like a super cheap business lunch deal, I would understand the crowds but honestly for almost 400 roubles, you can have much better food all around the town.
Café Abkhazia – https://yandex.com/maps/-/CCUKiEc43A
Ah yes, Café Abkhazia. This is where things get as “Soviet” and as political as possible. Being the most cafeteria looking place on this list and having a very “loaded” name, it is hard not to give this centrally located spot a try. Sadly, food wise, it was not a great experience. Salad was okay, but a bit too oily, and the soup was rather mundane. Their juice was almost certainly store bought, which does not get them any cookie points at this point. What saved the day was the khinkali with sulguni cheese. It always hits the spot for me, there is just something so satisfying about salty and stretchy cheese filling a delicious doughy wrap. With all of this being said, for 350 roubles, and since it is located almost on the Gorky square itself, I suppose Café Abkhazia is not a terrible Caucasian café to visit if you are hungry.
Dzhani – https://yandex.com/maps/-/CCUKiEXKkB
This list did not really have any places that shined in it so far, this will change now. Dzhani is a legendary Georgian restaurant in the heart of the city, being quite close to Kremlin. Their hospitality, quality of service and food, as well as overall vibe is difficult to match up to. It is not even significantly more expensive than most other business lunches, coming at an exact 400 roubles. They have amazing salads, very well-prepared soups, fresh Georgian bread to complement said soups, and all sorts of amazing Georgian dishes to top it all off. They also serve Lagidze water, a Georgian soft drink that I love consuming huge amounts of. This is a must try spot in town and should be on every traveller’s list when they arrive here.
Sindbad – https://yandex.com/maps/-/CCUKiEgROA
Sindbad is a difficult restaurant to make a sense out and comment on. It is where I drank the best soup I ever had here and offers some of the cheapest deals I ever saw, with its business lunch being sold at an incredible 290 rouble. However, some of their main dishes are so uninspired and so not authentic that it makes one wonder why they even label them as traditional Caucasian dishes. It is also funny to see yet another restaurant with a rather Middle Eastern name, but not much of a Middle Eastern theme or food. I will certainly see myself going back there whenever that potato and cheese soup makes a come back to their menu, but until then, there are better alternatives in the vicinity.
Tyubeteika – https://yandex.com/maps/-/CCUKiEXilD
Well, if Dzhani is the king of the town, Tyubeteika is its queen. This Uzbek spot excels in anything and everything they do. They boast an extremely beautiful design, and there is even an indoors running creek with some tiny waterfalls. You can hear the water flow around as you enjoy some fine Central Asian dishes, excellent soups, and lovingly created salads. Service is fast, friendly, and extremely kind. Everyone smiles and it does not even look forced. It costs a bit over 400 roubles to have a business lunch there, but it is worth every single kopeck in my opinion. Their freshly made Uzbek bread in itself is reason enough to go and give them a visit. Dunking it in the soup may not be traditional or “cultured,” but you will find yourself doing just that regardless.
