Recommended places to eat in Karakol

Karakol has many local delights that tend to have that lovingly homemade feel and taste, some of which can be easily overlooked if you’re only looking at places on the main street.

You will find that prices here are cheaper than in Bishkek and some may even argue better tasting –  but I will let you decide on that!

Here are some recommended places to eat in Karakol.

Note:
Cafes and restaurants in Kyrgyzstan can apply a service charge of 10-15% to the final bill so budget accordingly.

If you’re just after a quick bite, go to Big Hoshan serving up freshly fried goodness in the form of hoshans – think a mega fried dumpling with a filling inside, typically chicken and/or potato. It is both tasty and cheap, along with filling!

I had a chicken hoshan with some vegetables inside. There is an option of potato hoshan as well.

This is a relaxing café away from the centre of town.

It has nice modern décor with a chill vibes and music – perfect if you want to relax with a good coffee and/or food.

Its menu caters to western tastes – It is a bit expensive/above average for prices. The service is good with friendly and English-speaking young staff.

This is a cosy café with a small selection of food where the affordable price is also small!

Here you’ll find a limited but diverse selection of local dishes, salads, pastries, and cakes.

The woman who served me spoke English.

I had a chicken and potato fried hoshan. It was tasty and I surprised that a whole chicken thigh was inside it (as opposed to chicken pieces)!

I also had a small Russian potato salad which was really nice too.

While it was rather quiet when I had lunch there, Alma ethno café seemed like a laidback place with modest décor.

Its menu is full of local Kyrgyz classic foods that you’ll love. Vegetarians be aware: there are a lot of meat-based dishes with meat in them.

The bozo lagman (This is stir-fried, instead of soup-based) I ordered came in a rather big portion and was so delicious – highly recommend it.

The plov was good too but not the best I have had in Kyrgyzstan – big portion though.

WiFi is available if you need it.

A recent addition to Karakol, Zhashoo Keremet is a modern and nicely decorated food court with great artwork painted by a local artist on its walls.

This place is perfect for groups of people who have different food preferences and/or want options as there are different shops serving different foods here.

You’ll find Kyrgyz classics like manty and oromo, along with Chinese dishes, noodles, burgers, pizza salads, and soups, along with coffee and alcoholic drinks.

I had beef and onion manty that was delicious despite way too many fatty pieces in them.

How ordering food and drinks at Zhashoo Keremet work:

Sit down and wait for a waiter who will give you multiple menus to order from. There’s no need to approach each individual shop counter. You will be given the food bill. To pay, go up to the cash counter by the stairs. I paid by cash but saw that there was a card terminal at the counter.

Hot tip:
If you need to charger your phone, there are power points by some tables next to windows facing mountains. There is also a supermarket downstairs if you need to buy some groceries.

Note: There is a 10% surcharge here.

If you come to Karakol, you have to go to this local alleyway area full of small shops. This area is affectionately known as Ashlan-fu alleyway due to many shops serving ashlan-fu among other foods as well. You’ll find an abundance of small shops (across two alleyways) serving delicious food in a homely and cosy environment.

This is definitely the place to eat local home-style food cooked by motherly and grandmotherly figures. The place I dined in did amazing and cheap ashlan-fu and potato manty. I’m not sure of the name of the shop but it is number 33 – it is on the right-hand side, roughly one shop in if you walk in from Imeni Alybakova street.

I definitely recommend coming to Ashlan-fu alleyway to experience homely and local cuisine.

If you head to Karakol big bazaar, amidst the many different stalls and shops, you’ll find a busy food shop serving cheap and delicious ashlan-fu and pirozhki – a winning combination. Service is fast and friendly.

This place makes a great lunch stop amidst the exploring of Karakol or the bazaar.

There are many great restaurants and cafes in Karakol and the ones listed above are just a few of various places to dine at and experience good local food with friendly service.

If you have been to Karakol and know of some great places to eat at, comment below to let us know some of your recommendations!

Know of a friend or family member heading to Karakol and would enjoy some good local food?

Share this post with them now.