Wine Сafe & Shop — Restaurant in Almaty

We went to Wine Cafe & Shop to celebrate my husband’s birthday, and it turned out to be one of the best dining experiences we’ve ever had!

Our reservation was for 8 PM, but we arrived early around 7:30 PM. Despite being ahead of schedule, we were warmly welcomed and given the coziest, nicest seating in the restaurant.

As tourists unfamiliar with the menu, we asked for recommendations—and we were not disappointed. We were served the chilli rib eye steak, horse steak, and two wines: Montepulciano and Pecorino. We also tried the fried eggplant with chilli and peanuts as a starter, and it was hands down one of the best starters we’ve had in all our food adventures—absolutely delicious!

The rib eye steak was next-level. We ordered it medium well, and it was cooked to perfection—so tender and juicy that the knife cut through it like butter. It was easily the best rib eye we’ve ever had.

It was also our first time trying horse steak, and we were surprised by how much we loved it! It had a rich, slightly sweet flavor, was incredibly tender, and honestly reminded us of a softer, sweeter beef. We’re now hooked!

And what truly made the night unforgettable was the service. The staff were amazing—fast, attentive, and genuinely warm. To top it off, they surprised us with a birthday cake and sang happy birthday to my husband. It was such a sweet and thoughtful gesture.

If you’re ever in Almaty, definitely make time to visit this gem. Exceptional food, wonderful wine, and the kind of hospitality that makes you feel...

I have to quit saying I have a new favorite restaurant in town because almost every time I find a new place I think it's my new favorite. Is this my new favorite? Until next Sunday at least! Every once in a while I have a really bad dining experiences in Almaty, this was not one of them. From the service, to the music, to the decor, to the food this place was 5 stars. I had the spinach fingers as an appetizer. With a name like that, I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was spinach and cheese egg rolls. They were delicious. Then I had the salmon and cream cheese ravioli as my entree. My ravioli was topped with cute little purplish sprouts. I drank Oolong tea. I could see myself dining here often. I've already practically forgotten about the places my colleagues recommended as best of Almaty when I first moved here. I do have a warning. If you haven't been here before: there's another business right next door with the exact same name. But it's not the same cafe!!! Make sure you come to this one! I posted a pic of the outside from...

A sequence of gaffes and disasters culminating in a catastrophic final experience. My partridge with cous cous was pink inside and greasy-glouey outside. Served barely warm with the cous cous almost disintegrated - clearly a microwave job to save an afterthought. My table companion’s aubergine salad never arrived - she was served an awkward apology instead blaming chaos in the kitchen as a reason. My shot of vodka was served warm - an insult in this part of the world usually only reserved for alcoholics. We were served by a misogynist waiter who proclaimed that men were on top of the world, and quite rightly so. Expensive, pretentious and mismanaged. I hope they close soon, given a plethora of great restaurants with fantastic food all over Almaty....