“Sandyq Astana”: Traditional dining experience in a modern building

The staff of the “Sandyq” restaurant, dressed in traditional Kazakh clothing, greet customers as they enter the restaurant. This is the first small taste of the fact that you will be immersed in the cultural tradition of the ninth largest country in the world in a state-of-the-art building.

"Sandyq" is a Kazakh restaurant chain that is in the upper middle class and offers traditional food and drinks in various cities. The focus is on so-called experience gastronomy, i.e. visiting the restaurant should become a special event for the guest.

“Sandyq” has not been present in Astana until now. Just a few weeks ago, a new branch was opened at Sarayshyq St 34/3. It is located on several floors in a highly modern building. In Astana there are generally very few real old buildings, as most of the houses were only built after 1997. At that time, the former Aqmola became the new capital of Kazakhstan and since then the city of Astana, which was briefly renamed Nursultan, has been expanding steadily and this growth process is not yet complete. A provincial town has become a metropolis.

Kazakh tradition in a modern building

The "Sandyq" is a restaurant that places great value on conveying Kazakh traditions. It would probably be more authentic to stay in a rustic old building, but that is simply not possible in Astana because there are hardly any real old buildings. Everything was built recently and is accordingly modern. But the owners have found a solution and simply installed a second, heavy wooden door in a traditional design behind the main entrance door. A bit odd, but there you go.

The dining rooms of the "Sandyq" are traditionally decorated. It is obvious that the decorations are intended to conceal the fact that you are in a modern new building and not in a rustic traditional restaurant. This is actually quite successful, but from a purely subjective point of view the elevator and other modern amenities do not really fit in. But at least the restaurant is completely barrier-free right down to the last corner and can be used by wheelchair users without any outside help, for example. Unfortunately, this is not a given in Kazakhstan.

Although the "Sandyq" has only been on the market for a few weeks - at least in Astana - it is already very popular and therefore very busy. You should therefore make a reservation in advance, which is also easy to do via the chain's website, so that there are no language problems on the phone.

Traditional dishes such as horse meat soup

At the time of the visit, the table was very attractively decorated and the staff, which consisted of many employees, all wearing different traditional clothing, quickly "stocked" the starters. Pastries, salads, fish, beef, vegetables and much more were served. These were all specialties from Kazakh cuisine, which were also beautifully presented to the eye. Everything tasted extremely good.

The homemade lemonade, which is common in Kazakhstan, was also a must. Kiwi-orange was offered in jugs. Not only did it taste fresh, but it was also perfectly balanced. The restaurant managed to find exactly the right balance between sweet and sour, as well as “too much” and “watery”. The composition was a pleasant thirst quencher.

For the main course, the excitingly dressed service staff served horse meat on Kazakh noodles with onions and vegetables. Horse soup was also served with it. This is enriched with powdered cheese, then stirred well and then drunk rather than spooned. Horse meat is much more common in Kazakhstan, a very meat-heavy cuisine, than in Germany or Austria, for example. Both the soup and the main course were well prepared and delicious.

A highlight of the “Sandyq” is the live music session, which is offered from 20:00 p.m. local time. On the second floor of the restaurant, local musicians perform in the middle of the dining room, creating a good atmosphere with traditional instruments and songs. The performance was impressive and this alone should be a reason to visit the restaurant.

High prices for a great deal

In terms of price, the "Sandyq" is in the upper price range. No wonder, as they employ a lot of staff and their uniforms are probably not cheap either. The musicians have to make a living and want to be paid their fees by the operator. The performance does not cost the guest anything extra, but is basically included in the price of food and drink.

If you consider the service, the ambience, the live music and the high staff commitment to the guests, then the high prices are justified. It is obvious that the concept is popular with customers, because reservations are strongly recommended despite the fact that this branch only opened a few weeks ago. Tables are in demand and the restaurant is also present in other Kazakh cities. So there is a market for this experience gastronomy concept and resourceful business people have turned it into a restaurant chain. So if you are interested in an exciting and entertaining evening, the "Sandyq" in Astana is the place to go.