Dagestan is famous for its local dishes of: hinkal a tasty pasta/dough-like entity served with garlic sauce and some kind of meat, usually young, boiled lamb, chudu a quesadilla-like thin dough with special meats, cheeses or vegetables inside, and shashlik roast shishkabab, usually lamb meat. There are countless cafes serving Dagestani and Russian foods. A handful of newer Asian Chinese/Japanese restaurants have sprung up, but woefully lack in authenticity and flavor. Western foods are likewise a scarcity. There are NO Western food chains to be found anywhere in Dagestan. And don't be fooled by the many advertisements for 'pizza' - even by typical Russian standards, the pizzas here lack the most basic ingredients of pizza sauce, cheeses, pepperoni, etc. The closest you'll come to finding a 'real' steak will be at the new 'El Gusto' cafe close the centre of Makhachkala, a delightful new restaurant where you can find a few other Western dishes satisfactorily prepared e.g., Chicken Schnitzel. On the whole, unless you like traditional Dagestani dishes, you will not be impressed. Like other former Soviet Union contexts, customer service is completely lacking, and Dagestani culture adds to the experience the guarantee of waiting a very, very long time for your order!
