Almaty is Kazakhstan's largest city and cultural and commercial capital, set at 700-900 m on the northern slope of the Trans-Ili Alatau, with snow-capped peaks rising directly behind the city. It combines Soviet-era parks, Orthodox and Muslim landmarks, a thriving cafe and restaurant scene, and the best access in the country to ski slopes, high lakes, canyons and petroglyph sites.
Almaty's table is built on Kazakh nomadic cooking (horse meat, lamb and beef, dairy and flat breads), layered with Uyghur noodle dishes, Uzbek plov and samsa, Korean-Kazakh (Koryo-saram) salads from the Soviet era, and a fast-growing modern-Kazakh and European restaurant scene. The national dish is beshbarmak ('five fingers'): boiled meat, usually horse or lamb, over wide hand-cut noodles with onion broth. Manti (steamed dumplings), lagman (hand-pulled noodle soup), kuyrdak (fried offal), kazy (horse-meat sausage), baursaks (fried dough puffs) and drinks such as kumys (fermented mare's milk) and shubat (fermented camel milk) round out the traditional list. Prices in this guide use 1 USD = 450 KZT (mid-October 2026).
Must-try dishes
Iconic dishes that define Almaty.
Beshbarmak
Boiled horse meat or lamb served over wide noodles with onion broth in a side bowl; the national dish, traditionally served at celebrations
Manti
Large steamed dumplings filled with chopped lamb or beef and onion, eaten by hand with sour cream or tomato sauce
Lagman
Uyghur hand-pulled noodles in a stew or stir-fried with beef and vegetables
Plov
Uzbek-style rice pilaf with lamb, carrot, chickpeas and garlic
Kuyrdak
Sauteed offal (liver, heart, kidney) with onion and potatoes, a traditional nomad dish
Kazy and shuzhyk
Horse-meat sausage (kazy) and smoked horse-meat sausage (shuzhyk), served sliced as a cold appetiser
Baursaks
Puffy deep-fried dough, served with tea, honey or soup
Horse-meat tartare / pastrami
Modern Kazakh takes on horse meat, raw or cured, plated as a starter
Samsa
Baked pastry triangles filled with lamb and onion, sold hot from tandoor ovens
Kumys and shubat
Fermented mare's milk (kumys, lightly fizzy) and fermented camel milk (shubat), both sour and an acquired taste
Koryo-saram salads (morkovcha, hye)
Soviet-Korean carrot salad and marinated fish or mushroom salads, served by weight at market stalls
Top restaurants
Handpicked picks for the best dining experiences.
Restaurants by cuisine
Browse picks grouped by cuisine type.
Central Asian And Uzbek
European
Georgian
Greek
Kazakh And Central Asian
Mediterranean
Pan
Food tours & tastings in Almaty
Eat your way through Almaty with a guide.
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Street food
Local flavours at affordable prices.
Samsa from a tandoor stall
Hot lamb or beef pastries sold by the piece in and around Green Bazaar and at metro exits
Find it at: Green Bazaar, 53 Zhibek Zholy Avenue
Shashlik and lyulya kebab
Grilled skewers of lamb or beef served with raw onion and flat bread at market grills and roadside stalls
Find it at: Green Bazaar food hall and the Barakholka bazaar
Cheburek
Fried half-moon pastry stuffed with minced meat; a cheap hot snack at cafes near bazaars
Find it at: Around Green Bazaar and Panfilov Park
Korean salad and kimchi-style stalls
Koryo-saram carrot, eggplant and fern salads weighed out at the Korean row
Find it at: Green Bazaar, ground floor Korean section
Food markets
Where locals shop and graze.
Green Bazaar (Zelyony Bazaar)
Almaty's best-known covered market, trading since the 19th century, with meat, dairy (kumys, shubat, qurt), dried fruit and nuts, spices, Korean salads and a food hall; prices are higher than at outer bazaars
Hours: Tue-Sun about 9:00-19:00 (closed Mondays per several guides; confirm on arrival)
Barakholka
A vast outdoor bazaar of metal sheds, mostly clothing and household goods but with a fresh produce and meat section where locals shop for lower prices
Hours: Tue-Sun about 9:00-17:00
Kok Bazaar vicinity food streets
The streets behind Green Bazaar hold small canteens and bakeries serving plov, manti and lagman at local prices
Hours: Daily, most cafes about 9:00-21:00
Dining etiquette & tips
Navigate the local food scene confidently.
Many restaurants add a 10% service charge to the bill; if it is not listed, round up 5-10% in cash or ask to add it to the card slip.
Most restaurants take Visa/Mastercard and Kaspi QR; carry some cash (tenge) for market stalls, small canteens and tips.
Menus are almost always in Russian and Kazakh plus English at central places; point to dishes or use the 2GIS app (2gis.kz) which shows menu photos for most venues.
Lunch 'business lunches' (biznes-lanch, roughly 12:00-16:00) are the cheapest way to eat well: soup, main and drink often for KZT 2,500-4,500 (approx $5.50-10).
Book tables on Friday and Saturday evenings at the popular central restaurants through 2GIS, Instagram messages or by phone where a number is listed.
Tap water is not recommended for drinking; order bottled water. Tea (chai) is served hot in teapots and often comes free or cheap with meals at Central Asian restaurants.
- Vegetarian
- Possible but limited at Kazakh restaurants; ask for vegetable salads, lagman without meat (ovoshnoy), manti with pumpkin (tykva), samsa with pumpkin, and baursaks. International and Greek restaurants such as AIZA offer fuller vegetarian choices.
- Vegan
- Difficult; dairy and meat are central. The Mediterranean, Thai and Japanese restaurants listed here are the easiest places to assemble a vegan meal. Say 'bez miasa i bez moloka' (without meat and without milk).
- Halal
- Widely available; Kazakhstan is a majority-Muslim country and Alcha and Aspandiyar are explicitly halal. Pork is served mainly at Russian and European restaurants and is rarely in traditional Kazakh dishes.
- Gluten free
- Hard; noodles, dumplings, baursaks and bread feature everywhere. Grilled meats, plov and salads are safer; 'bez glutena' is understood only in international restaurants.
- Kosher
- Very limited; the Jewish community in Almaty can advise on kosher sourcing.
Food budget guide
What to expect at different price points.
| Level | Price | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Budget | KZT 2,500-5,500 (approx $5.50-12) per meal | Bazaar stalls, canteens, samsa, lagman and plov at local cafes, and business lunches. |
| Mid-range | KZT 6,000-14,000 (approx $13-31) per meal | Sit-down Kazakh and international restaurants such as Navat, Alcha, Cafe Alma and AIZA with a main, a drink and tea. |
| Upscale | KZT 18,000-40,000 (approx $40-90) per meal | Nuala, Yurta, AUYL and other design-led restaurants with wine; wine adds KZT 2,500-9,500 per glass at wine bars. |