Almaty is in a good position to be a foodie’s dream destination in Central Asia. Unsurprisingly, it is home to a decent Asian dining scene. The city does not only offer some proper sushi options to pick from, but also even has a few fusion restaurants of its own making. Join me as I go over all the “oriental” restaurants I visited during my stay in Almaty, with all of their ups and downs!
Tandoor Indian Restaurant – https://go.2gis.com/go6a3
Let us start with a “down.” Despite its decent reviews, we had a very underwhelming experience at Tandoor Indian Restaurant. Extremely slow service and overall improper attitude certainly did not help, but it was the lack of flavours in our curries, a dish known for its exploding flavours, that truly messed up our experience here. It was not terrible per se, but for the price and serving size, I certainly had much better Desi vegetarian food elsewhere. Besides, that cold naan was pretty unjustifiable… Nevertheless, as it still seems to be one of the “better” Indian spots in town, feel free to check it out if you crave some curries.
Princess Restaurant – https://go.2gis.com/97j5b
Yet another restaurant that surprised me (not for the better) was Princess. It was not the bad service this time, on the contrary, servers were extremely friendly, helpful, and quick. What it lacked was, once again, flavour. Mapo tofu tasted off, and despite being listed under “vegetables,” it had extremely tiny bits of meat that seems to have come from the previous dish made in the same pan… Of course, that likely was not the case, but it was most unwelcome regardless of how it made its way there. Shrimp dumplings were a bit better, but nothing to write home about.
Coffeeon Saigon – https://go.2gis.com/h2pm3
I certainly had a much better time at Coffeeon Saigon, where, as its name might suggest, I gorged on some Vietnamese food, a spicy bowl of Tom Yum with tasty seafood and freshly cooked rice on the side to be exact. Everything tasted as they should but compared to the two incredible Tom Yum I had in Kazan, it paled a bit in comparison in flavour department. This was likely not a problem with the chefs but with a lack of sauces on the table, a lot of which we used excessively to flavour our soups back in Kazan a few months ago. In any case, this place is certainly recommended!
Manga Japanese Restaurant – https://manga.kz
A visit to a nearby branch of this franchise was one of the culinary highlights of my trip to Almaty, and not because I was extremely hangover from our previous night out at the excellent BlaBlaBar. Regardless of my mood at the time, I knew then, and I know now that their unique sushi rolls are a must have. Anything from rolls with apple sauce to fried onions topping shrimp filled goodies are well worth a try. I stuck with shrimps as I was not sure how fresh raw fish could be this far away from the sea, and I am glad to report that they certainly did not disappoint me. You can skip their fizzy lemonades though; it was not good at all.
Kim Chi – https://go.2gis.com/4dko1
As its name suggests, this one is a Korean restaurant, and a decent one at that! Even my friend who never liked Korean food before said that he should reconsider some of his previous statements after enjoying his lunch here. Though their fried rice was decent, it was their rice cake with cheese that truly stole my heart. It was simply beyond this world, being much better than any other I had so far in Kazakhstan, and perhaps beyond. Certainly a decent establishment to consider going.
White Elephant – https://go.2gis.com/p631l
One of the finer establishments I visited in Almaty was the White Elephant. Despite being a bit more on the expensive side, I can assure you that you will be paying for quality here. Not only is the food they serve is on point, but the service is excellent as well, including some English-speaking servers. I went with an extremely interesting house specialty, coconut rice with pineapple and shrimps, and though I would have done it a bit saltier myself, it still had a lot of flavours going on. Everyone else was having their Tom Yum though so do give that a go too!
Luckee Yu – https://abr.kz/restaurant/luckee-yu
Luckee Yu is one of the aforementioned fusion restaurants in town, focusing mostly on Asian cuisines. Though I opted for rather traditional picks, they certainly did not disappoint one bit. Their noodles were thick and chewy, and each bao had a ton of filling, as well as a plump shrimp in it. Sure, the prices are a bit on the higher end, but this should not keep you from appreciating the fine food this lovely establishment churns out.
Ramen77 – https://abr.kz/restaurant/ramen-77
Well, Ramen77 belongs to the same family of restaurants as Luckee Yu, and that is apparent from the quality of the service to the somewhat experimental nature of some of their dishes. As a ramen enthusiast, I cannot claim that their ramen is top tier, as there is room for improvement in the “being a flavour bomb” department. With that being said, it is nothing to scuff at as well and is a nice sight for sore eyes who cannot find proper ramen elsewhere. Also, it is very reasonably priced, contrary to its Luckee Yu cousin.
Sumo San – https://go.2gis.com/waxoag
I do enjoy finishing some of my pieces on a high note, and what a high note this one will end on! Sumo San is the pinnacle of Almaty’s culinary scene. It serves some of the best sushi I had in my life, not in Kazakhstan mind you, but globally. It is in fact much better than most rolls I had even in Vancouver, where they had access to fresh Alaskan salmon. It was really that good and there is hardly any word out there that would do justice to it. Admittedly, it is very expensive, but once you see the size of these rolls as well as the thickness of the fish on them, you will see that you are not paying all of that for the “atmosphere” or some other useless parameter, but for quality. Just bite the bullet and order a lunch set menu, you will be transported to another world (a more joyful one) for a while.
