La Quzu Restaurant

La Quzu Restaurant is a traditional Azerbaijani restaurant at 41 Boyuk Qala Street in Baku's Old City (Icheri Sheher), specialising in lamb dishes. Its name draws on quzu, the Azerbaijani word for lamb, and the signature dish is quzu tandir, lamb slow-roasted in a clay oven until the meat is tender enough to pull from the bone. Plov, the saffron rice dish served at celebrations across Azerbaijan, and dolma, spiced-meat parcels wrapped in grape leaves or vegetables, complete the core menu. Slow-roasted lamb is a long-standing feature of Azerbaijani festive cooking, and the tandir method, which uses the heat of a clay oven, gives the meat a smoky, rich flavour that pairs well with flatbread, herbs and pickles. The restaurant sits among the stone lanes of the Old City, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the atmosphere is that of a traditional restaurant with an unhurried pace, best suited to a leisurely lunch or dinner rather than a quick snack. There is no dress code and noise levels are moderate. Tea in armudu glasses is the usual accompaniment, with beer, wine and soft drinks also served. Prices are mid-range, about AZN 30-55 per person (approx $18-32). Booking ahead is advised for dinner. No phone number was found, so visitors can walk in earlier in the day to reserve a table for the evening. Slow-roasted dishes can run out later in the day, which is another reason to arrive early. The location is a short walk from the Maiden Tower and the Palace of the Shirvanshahs in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan.