Arzu

Bishkek


One of central Bishkek's most convivial upper-market eateries has delicious national cuisines, but the service is notoriously slow. Unusually tasty laghman (long, stout noodles) come in 16 varieties; for a meat-free option try the misnamed side dish 'Ratatouille', a deliciously light-cooked selection of cubed vegetables. The expensive and underwhelming international menu is better avoided.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Bishkek attractions

1. Sadykov Sculpture Museum

0.07 MILES

Worth a quick look for the variety of sculptures (both working models and finished versions) of famous Kyrgyz and fabled legends, though it's a small…

2. Panfilov Park

0.21 MILES

Packed with amusements and carnival rides, this city-centre park is particularly pleasant and popular with local families on summer weekends.

3. White House

0.25 MILES

The seat of government in Kyrgyzstan, the sidewalk out front of this Stalinist Modern construction is also the site of regular protests organised by local…

4. Holy Resurrection Cathedral

0.38 MILES

The bright blue spires of this Russian Orthodox cathedral, opened in 1947, stand out along Jibek Jolu. The spartan interior, decorated with icons and…

5. Lenin Statue

0.38 MILES

Having once dominated Ala-Too Square, Vladimir Ilyich turned his back on the mountains in 2003 and now lurks behind the National Historical Museum.

6. Ala-Too Square

0.42 MILES

Surveyed by a triumphant statue of Айкол Манас (Mighty Manas), Bishkek's nominal centre is architecturally neobrutalist in style but has a photogenic…

7. Gallery M

0.44 MILES

This one-room gallery hosts rotating thematic exhibitions of works primarily by local artists. Much of it is for sale, and there is a handful of applied…

8. Frunze House-Museum

0.47 MILES

This modest museum forms a concrete shell around the thatched cottage that was allegedly the birthplace of Mikhail Vasilievich Frunze (1885–1925), for…