Navat is one of Almaty's most celebrated restaurants for traditional Kazakh and Central Asian cuisine, set in an interior decorated with intricate woodwork and tilework in the manner of a Silk Road caravanserai. The menu covers the full range of Kazakh specialities: beshbarmak (boiled horse meat over flat noodles, eaten by hand), shashlik from the grill, laghman noodle soup, and the wide variety of samsa pastries that are the everyday street food of the region.
The restaurant is a reliable choice for a first encounter with the local cuisine — the cooking is consistent, the portions generous, and the staff accustomed to explaining dishes to visitors who are encountering them for the first time. It is popular with both local families celebrating occasions and business travellers, which is usually a good sign. Book ahead on Friday and Saturday evenings. Located on Pushkin Street in the city centre.