Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
smoke-free section. Unusually tasty
lagh-
man
(noodles) comes in 16 varieties; for a
meat-free option try the misnamed side dish
'Ratatouille', a deliciously light-cooked selec-
tion of cubed vegetables.
Zaporozhnaya¨Sech¨
UKRAINIAN $$
(Map p234; Manas 9; blinnies 100-180som, borsch
120som, mains 200-450som, garnish 60-120som,
beer 80-150som;
h
9am-midnight)
This new,
all-wooden restaurant masquerading as
a 19th-century log-cabin cottage serves
up typical Ukrainian fare. There's ample
shady garden seating behind and you don't
have to dine to sit at the bar, which is built
around a living tree.
o
Cafeteria¨
EUROPEAN $$$
(Map p234;
%
62 32 24; Erkindik 30; mains 360-
700som, breakfast 160-360som, coffee 100-
190som, cocktails 150-290som;
h
8am-2am,
kitchen until midnight)
Great for cocktails or
coffee, American breakfasts or spicy pitas,
vegetarian lasagne or salmon risotto this
brilliantly reworked classic building has a
semi-circle of columns linking high ceilings
with chequerboard floors.
A raised ring of bench-couches accommo-
dates sophisticated
shisha
-smokers while a
summer street terrace surveys wooded Er-
kindik Park.
6
¨Drinking¨&¨Nightlife
If you're drinking late, for safety's sake
it's wise to use one of the taxis that queue
outside the pub or club, even if you're only
planning to stumble on to the next den of
iniquity. Revellers who walk off into the
dark streets are occasionally targetted by
rascals.
Despite taboos, Bishkek does have LGBT
clubs but most are out of the centre and
venues change frequently. For the heads-
up on the latest gay scene contact
Labrys
(www.labrys.kg; Madina Bazaar)
.
o
Sierra¨Coffee¨
AMERICAN, COFFEE
(Map p234;
%
31 12 48; www.sierra.kg; 57/1
Manas; coffee from 60som;
h
7.30am-11pm;
W
)
This buzzing, international-style cof-
feehouse roasts its own beans and gives
tobacco-puffers a specially sealed room to
protect the lungs of non-smokers. Outside
seating in summer, small library of English
topics.
Coffeé¨
CAFE
(Map p234; Togolok Moldo 40/1; coffee 110-270som,
toasted sandwiches 120som, cakes 130som;
h
9am-midnight;
W
)
Excellent if compara-
tively pricey coffee amid dangling espresso
cups, modern vases and 1890s fashion prints
- or a medieval city-mural at the
Manas¨9¨
branch
(Map p234; Manas 9;
W
)
. Veranda seat-
ing available.
o
Bar¨Suk¨
NIgHTCLUB
(Map p234; Puskhin 6; beer 170som)
Nightclub
venues come and go rapidly but Bar Suk is
currently THE club for gilded local 20-some-
things. It's hip yet unusually welcoming and
relaxed despite a bass-amp that's power-
ful enough to blow-dry your hair. No cover
charge, but entry carefully controlled (smart
dress, 'no teenagers').
Edgar¨
PUB
(Map p234; Dubovy Park;
h
noon-midnight)
Bishkek's most loveable pub is hidden in
a basement beneath the
Russian¨Drama¨
Theatre
(Map p234;
%
66 20 32; Tynystanov,
Dubovy Park),
west side, behind Espresso.
The surfaces are festooned with old tape-
recorders, typewriters, bottles and 20th-
century 'antiques' and from around 7pm
there's usually a low-key live band playing
blues or soft-rock covers. Decent food too.
Gets pretty full but there's summer seating
outside in the park.
5
South of the Centre
Supara¨
KYRgYZ, INTERNATIONAL $$$
(
%
46 50 51; www.supara.kg; 1a Karagul Akmata,
Kok-Jar village; mains 350-800som;
Ec
;
g
200,
217)
This amusing, professional, though
somewhat contrived 'ethno' complex is a
caricature of all things traditionally Kyrgyz
attracting mainly well-heeled urban locals.
Costumed waiters serve a full range of
Kyrgyz meals, both authentic and original,
in comfortably furnished yurts. 'Treasure
House' is a particularly delicious creation,
a pastry bowl filled with lean mutton and
stir-fried vegetables on a bed of
boorzok
.
Beware that extras are unexpectedly
pricey (tea 150som, nan-bread 120som).
There's a decent mountain view from
the small dam immediately behind the
complex and some days there's a free ar-
chery challenge. Supara makes a good stop
if you're en route to/from the Alamedin
Valley. Marshrutka 217 takes roughly 35
minutes to get here from Vefa Center (last
return around 7.30pm).
