Astana's restaurant scene has changed beyond recognition in the last decade. Beyond the obvious hotel restaurants and chain operations, there is now a serious food culture covering Kazakh, Central Asian, Russian, Georgian, Korean, and increasingly international cuisine.
Korzhyn, near the Bayterek, is the smartest place in town for modern Kazakh cooking — beshbarmak with hand-pulled noodles, horse-meat carpaccio, slow-braised lamb shoulder. The interior is sleek; reservations recommended.
Line Brew is a long-running brewpub chain with two large branches in the city, popular for grilled meats, decent beer, and a bustling weekend atmosphere. Good for groups.
Daredzhani on the right bank serves textbook Georgian food — khachapuri, khinkali, lobio — in a warm and slightly chaotic dining room. One of the best-value sit-down meals in the city.
Kishlak does Uzbek cuisine — plov, samsa, lagman — in a faux-traditional teahouse setting with low tables and embroidered cushions. Touristy but the cooking is genuinely good.
Brioche is a high-end French bakery and brasserie chain with branches across the left bank, useful for breakfast and lunch with reliable coffee and pastries.
For street food, the basements of Khan Shatyr and Mega Silk Way malls have decent food courts with versions of most Central Asian regional cuisines at low prices.