Bishkek

Budget

Budget
$
Faiza

jibek jolu excellent local food frequented by locals. great samsas and laghman noodles. dirt cheap. 80-160 som

Budget
$
Fakir

behind bishkek city shopping mall provides authentic and safe traditional kyrgyz food and is very popular with locals. good sized portions and excellent prices. open for lunch and dinner. beer and non-smoking areas available. 80-160 som

Budget
$
 

There are hundreds of stands that sell gamburgers, a local adaptation to the American hamburger but really share little in common. They are sliced döner kebab-style meat served on a bun with cole-slaw, cucumber, mayonnaise, ketchup, and some fries. They usually cost around 60 som.One of the most popular gamburger stands in Bishkek is at the corner of Sovietskaya and Kievskaya, across the street from the main post office. It's a popular area for local students to pick up a cheap meal and they even serve the rare chicken hamburger.

Throughout the city are a lot of street-side vendors selling samsis, which is a staple of most locals' lunch. The green kiosks opposite the Philharmonic Hall ticket office sell some of the freshest, cheapest and best prepared in Bishkek and they are popular with students from the nearby universities. You can usually find a row of shashlyk grills inside any bazaar or just outside any chaykhana teahouse.

For some pre-independence nostalgia, try the cafeterias of government ministries and universities. For about a dollar you can experience what it was and still is like to eat Soviet-style cafeteria food.

Midrange

Midrange
$$
Metro Pub

chui and turizbekova this is where international aid workers, embassy staff, mining personnel, and manas airport contractors from all come together to down a pint and grab a decent meal. the staff are also quite popular and used to back and forth flirting between themselves and the expat patrons. especially crowded on st. patrick's day and halloween. ~210-300 som

Midrange
$$
Shao Lin

jibek jolu and isanova one of the best known chinese restaurants in bishkek. the quality is up to most western standards, but tends to still be a little oily. the soups are especially large - better to be shared. ~210-300 som

Midrange
$$
Cafe Stari Edgar
Tynystanov

Located behind the russian drama theatre; this is one of the most popular places with the expat crowd. in the summer, there is ample outdoor seating and in the winter, the bomb-shelter style building decorated in a unique nautical motif, interesting considering the landlocked location of kyrgyzstan! presents bishkek's most original dining venue. the food tends to be average, but the house band has entertained generations of visitors.

Midrange
$$
Pirogoff-Vodkin Restaurant
Kievskaya St 107

kievskaya st 107, near intersection with toglok moldo authentic russian high cuisine served in a tsarist-era setting. and as expected a full vodka list. telephone: 312-61-28-75

Midrange
$$
Buddha Bar

corner of akhunbaeva and sovietskaya possibly the most popular restaurant in bishkek. regular entertainment and a menu featuring other dishes than pizza and sushi; shashlyk is also good here. you don't need to brush up on your russian or kyrgyz language skills as there is a menu in english. ~210-300 som

Midrange
$$
Mexican Cantina
158 Prospekt Chu/Isanova
(312) 610823
150-300soms
11:30-22:00
Between Beta Stores and UN House

Mexican restaurant in Bishkek. Real chips and salsa served when you sit down. Burritos, tacos, enchiladas, carnitas, gazpacho are served. This is the place to go for margaritas and the best happy hour in town!

Midrange
$$
Aria
Sovetskaya str.

One block south of vefa center, this iranian-owned restaurant serves good iranian and turkish dishes while also offering russian fare. the multi-flavored kalyan-hookahs attract a varied, hipster-like crowd.

Midrange
$$
Cyclone Italian Restaurants

136 chui less expensive than the more upscale adriatico, it features an extensive menu. it specializes in dishes featuring fresh veal, which is not in short supply in the mountains of kyrgyzstan. ~250-350 som

Midrange
$$
Dolce Vita Pizza

on akhunbaeva, to the east of manas, about one block possibly the best pizza available in bishkek. its thin crust is baked in an open-fire oven; there is also a whole range of italian dishes and pastas. ~250-380 som

A typical Kyrgyz meal will feature starchy foods like bread, rice, and potatoes, usually centered around some sort of meat, usually lamb, mutton or beef or even sometimes horse meat. Some of the more popular staples are plov, a Central Asian dish consisting of a bed of rice cooked in oil, topped with lamb or mutton, shredded carrots, and occasionally whole garlic cloves. Shashlyk, a marinated and grilled lamb, mutton or beef kebab, is popular all over the former Soviet Union and is typically eaten with bread, raw onion slices, a voluminous amount of vodka. Samsas, much like the Indian samosa, are available at roadside stands across the city. Usually these are cooked in a tandoor oven as a puff-baked pastry and filled with onions, mutton and mutton fat.

The national dish of Kyrgyzstan is called besh barmak literally: five fingers, because the dish is eaten with one's hands. It usually consists of horse meat, although sometimes mutton or beef is substituted in, that has been boiled and served mixed with homemade noodles. A sheep's head is usually served along side it. If you can land an invitation to a wedding in Bishkek, you'll most likely get a chance to eat besh barmak, although you can also find it are traditional restaurants.

Russian dishes are also fairly ubiquitous in Bishkek because of the large number of ethnic Russians who still live in the city. There are a also growing number of restaurants and cafes catering to more varied tastes.

Uyghur food is popular and fit the taste of many westerners as well as locals. E.g. the chain Arzu have a few restaurants.

Top end
$$$
Four Seasons Restuarant

across from the hyatt delicious food with a large selection of european and asian cuisine. outside dining is available in the summer. live music year-round, baby-sitting for the kids, and popular with foreign dignitaries. while it's not to be confused with the four seasons restaurant in new york city, it's a great dining experience nonetheless.