Now a decade old, this one-time upstart is something of an establishment favourite. Despite its try-hard-and-fail decor, which is just tacky, the service and food here are top notch. The dishes are international with a strong emphasis on Italian cuisine and include squid salad with pesto sauce, crayfish bisque and even Wagyu steaks. Prices are high, but it's also one of the few places in Turkmenistan to offer a good wine selection. Trying to find the restaurant on your own is hard work; it's unsigned above a supermarket – take a cab, most drivers know it.
Sim Sim
Ashgabat
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
2.19 MILES
Looking like a lost palace in the urban desert, the National Museum occupies a striking position in front of the Kopet Dag. It’s actually a collection of…
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2.19 MILES
At the centre of Ashgabat is the enormous Independence Square, on which sits the golden-domed Palace of Turkmenbashi (the place of work of the former…
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3.32 MILES
Once the centrepiece of Niyazov's Ashgabat, the Arch of Neutrality was erected to celebrate the Turkmen people's unsurprisingly unanimous endorsement of…
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1.52 MILES
While there’s a limit to the number of rugs the average visitor can stand, the central exhibit, the world’s largest handwoven rug, really is something to…
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2.37 MILES
The Museum of Fine Arts is located in an impressive building with a big rotunda, two tiers and lots of gold. The collection contains some great Soviet…
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1.18 MILES
The Altyn Asyr Shopping Centre is the curious pyramidal shopping centre at the northern end of Independence Park. The Monument to the Independence of…
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2.47 MILES
The statue of Lenin, in a small park off Azadi köçesi, is a charmingly incongruous assembly of a tiny Lenin on an enormous and very Central Asian plinth…
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3.66 MILES
This Soviet-era circus building, which resembles a flying saucer, has been 'Turkmenised' with a coating of white marble. It's definitely worth a look if…
Nearby Ashgabat attractions
1.18 MILES
The Altyn Asyr Shopping Centre is the curious pyramidal shopping centre at the northern end of Independence Park. The Monument to the Independence of…
1.52 MILES
While there’s a limit to the number of rugs the average visitor can stand, the central exhibit, the world’s largest handwoven rug, really is something to…
3. Monument to the Independence of Turkmenistan
1.59 MILES
This is a popular spot for wedding groups to take photographs with a golden statue of Turkmenbashi. Nearby is a trippy giant copy of Niyazov's once…
1.8 MILES
Beyond the southern end of Independence Park is the huge, golden domed Palace of Knowledge: three large buildings that include a library, concert hall and…
1.81 MILES
Taking a leaf out of Kim Jong-il’s book, the Turkmenbashi Museum houses all the gifts and awards presented to former President Niyazov by various people…
2.02 MILES
More a statement of foreign-policy leanings than a sign of religious awakening, the Azadi mosque, similar in appearance to the Blue Mosque in İstanbul,…
2.19 MILES
At the centre of Ashgabat is the enormous Independence Square, on which sits the golden-domed Palace of Turkmenbashi (the place of work of the former…