Огонёк/Ogonek — Restaurant in Almaty

Visited in September 2025. Kazakhstan 🇰🇿 Almaty.

Ogonek offers a spacious dining hall and a cozy summer terrace. The stylish interior, with high ceilings and elegant arches, adds an airy, sophisticated feel to the space, making it an inviting spot for a meal.

FOOD:

Specializing in meat and grill, the restaurant also boasts an oven for baking fresh bread and flatbreads. Our first visit was marred by grill issues, so we returned for a second try and also stopped by for breakfast. The okroshka was a highlight—perfectly diced, crisp vegetables, well-cooked meat, and a thick, refreshing ayran base, delivering a vibrant, cooling flavor ideal for a hot day. The grilled seabass was expertly cooked, juicy and flavorful, though the sauce slightly overpowered the fish’s delicate taste. The pike perch cutlets stuffed with shrimp mousse were a bit dry, but the soufflé-like filling added a pleasant texture and saved the dish, resulting in a decent flavor profile. For breakfast, the brioche with eel and poached egg disappointed—only two thin slices of eel got lost in the egg and bread, not worth a reorder. However, the chicken and egg burger was a winner, with a soft brioche bun and juicy chicken patty, making for a hearty breakfast choice.

SERVICE:

Our waitress was charming, offering helpful menu suggestions and creating a warm, engaging experience that made us feel right at home.

VERDICT:

Ogonek is a solid choice in Almaty, offering a high level of culinary quality and warm service. It’s a restaurant you can confidently visit for a delicious meal, whether for breakfast or dinner, and I recommend it as one of the city’s standout...

Massively disappointed with this place. Was looking forward to trying it for ages. Service is poor, slow and over priced for what it is. Ordered батат, thinking I was getting essentially a sweet baked potato i.e.a light meal. When it turned up I couldn't believe it, not only did I wait 35minutes but it was the smallest sweet potato I've ever seen in my life. Considering it was approx 4000 kzt, was also the most expensive. Ridiculous (see photo). Got my first drink about 5 minutes afterwards so 40 minutes after ordering.

Top it all off, they had a photographer there doing bar shots. She placed her commercial strobe less than a metre from my head without using a snoot or a hood (see photo). Meaning I got the full exposure repeatedly in the side of the head. Members of the group repeatedly asked her to stop, she refused. I mean why arrange a photo shoot at the weekend when arguably it must have been one of the busiest days for them.

All in all a massive let down. Quality of the food isn't a patch on Nuala or Raw, or хороший год, and the service is akin...

Lovely place in the centre of the city. We were there for the 1st time and ordered only 2 coffees, but there's a great variety of food and drink (non-alcoholic and alcoholic) options; they also make some seasonal specials and have a pretty atmosphere inside, as well as a cute open terrace around the restaurant itself surrounded by bushes, so sitting there was a peaceful experience, though there's a road in front of you Service is nice; prices are suitable for each dish (due to various and a bit expensive sometimes in our country ingredients). Pay attention that prices on the menu do not include 12% tax Overall I liked spending time there and the cappuccino I got as well — that was one of the best...