AUYL Almaty Review 2026: Horse Marrow & Booking
Discover AUYL in Almaty, a stunning mountain restaurant serving modern Kazakh fusion. Learn how to book your table and what to order, including horse marrow!
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Discover AUYL in Almaty, a stunning mountain restaurant serving modern Kazakh fusion. Learn how to book your table and what to order, including horse marrow!
Must-Visit Almaty Restaurant
AUYL: Trying Horse Bone Marrow
AUYL, a must-visit restaurant in Almaty, Kazakhstan,
is a place that serves amazing Kazakh fusion cuisine.
They serve a unique horse bone marrow dish that you won't find anywhere else,
making it one of the spots I was most excited to visit even before my trip started.
Plus,
it was actually named one of the Top 50 Most Beautiful Restaurants in the World,
which raised my expectations
sky-high before I even arrived!
In this post, I'll share:
✔️ How to book a table at AUYL
✔️ How to get to AUYL & opening hours
✔️ Menu recommendations & honest review
Here is my complete guide!
01. How to Reserve a Table at AUYL Almaty
How to Book AUYL
Instagram: @auyl.almaty
- Name, Phone Number, Party Size, Date, Time
I originally tried to book through the official AUYL website,
but it got stuck when I tried to select a date.
So, I sent them an Instagram DM to ask how to book,
and they kindly handled the reservation directly for me!
They even send a confirmation DM the day before,
so you don't have to worry about missing your booking or any schedule mix-ups.
02. How to Get to AUYL Almaty & Opening Hours
AUYL is located in the
Medeu mountainous area of Almaty.
Since it's a bit far from downtown Almaty,
your best bet is to call a Yandex taxi and take a 30-minute ride.
💡Tip.
If you're planning your Almaty itinerary,
I highly recommend combining this with a visit to Shymbulak!
⏰ Hours of Operation
Mon - Fri
12:00 - midnight
Sat
11:00 - midnight
Sun
11:00 - 23:00
Break Time: None
Closed: Open daily
03. Exploring AUYL Almaty
The moment I stepped out of the taxi, the stunning forest view took my breath away.
The weather was perfect, so some people were dining outdoors,
and the terrace seating looked absolutely lovely.
The exterior was already 100% my aesthetic.
Even the AUYL logo was incredibly sleek and artistic.
After walking in, we gave them our name
and were promptly shown to our table.
While there were standard table seating options outside,
we were guided past the kitchen deeper into the restaurant.
Even though there were only two of us, they sat us in a spacious, floor-seating area,
which made our dining experience incredibly comfortable and relaxed.
The kitchen, the staff uniforms,
and even the cupboards filled with utensils—
everything blended together flawlessly.
Since they serve Kazakh fusion cuisine,
the interior was beautifully decorated to match the theme,
making me super excited even before the food arrived!
If you ask the staff how to order,
they will provide an English menu.
04. Amenities: The Restroom
Even the restroom had a very chic, stylish design,
and it was beautifully stocked with neatly arranged hand wash and lotion.
Soft hand towels were thoughtfully laid out,
and the melting candle wax was displayed like a piece of art.
05. Almaty Hotspot: AUYL Menu Review
🍽️ What We Ordered
- Horse bone marrow
- Baursak (Traditional Kazakh fried bread)
- Lagman (Traditional Kazakh stir-fried noodles)
- Shashlik
- Signature Cocktail
- 🍏 Signature Apple Dessert
First up was AUYL's signature cocktail.
Since Almaty is famous for its apples,
there were crisp green apple slices floating inside,
and its subtle sweetness paired beautifully with the food
without overpowering any of the flavors.
My friend ordered a glass of wine.
My plate is already set and ready!
Baursak is
a traditional Kazakh fried bread,
and it had a texture very similar to Korean chewy donuts without the red bean filling.
But maybe a little bit fluffier?
You eat it with the kaymak served on the side,
but unlike the kaymak I tried in Türkiye,
this one had a slightly stronger tangy flavor.
Lagman is a popular noodle dish across Central Asia,
where thick noodles are stir-fried with various veggies and spices,
or served in a savory broth.
The texture reminded me of thick, hand-cut noodles,
featuring a tomato base with a subtle hint of local spices.
However, the spice profile wasn't overwhelming at all,
so even if you're sensitive to strong spices,
you can easily enjoy this dish without any hesitation!
Shashlik is a grilled meat skewer dish.
Here, they shape minced mutton into rounds
and grill them to perfection.
You wrap them in the accompanying flatbread
along with the fresh veggies and sauces.
As we were happily tasting each dish,
the dish I was most curious about finally made its grand entrance.
I love trying exotic foods,
and this horse bone marrow dish was honestly one of the main reasons I wanted to visit AUYL.
It's definitely a culinary experience you won't find just anywhere!
Once the dish is served, the staff makes it super easy to eat by
tearing the bread into small pieces as a base, scooping the marrow from the bone on top,
and finishing it off with pickled vegetables.
Talk about literally eating bone marrow! 😮
How would I describe the taste and texture of horse bone marrow?
In a word, it felt like eating pure melt-in-your-mouth fat (kind of like the rich fat inside Daechang/large intestines).
It was incredibly rich and oily—even more so than tripe—to the point where oil pooled on the plate.
Even with the pickled vegetables on top to cut through the richness,
it was hard to eat more than two pieces...
While it's definitely a love-it-or-hate-it dish,
I highly recommend giving it a try if you visit Auyl!
Lastly, we ordered their
Signature Apple Dessert
🍏
Living up to its name, it looked exactly like a real apple!
It was served with apple crumble and apple jam,
alongside a luscious vanilla cream.
It has a thin chocolate coating,
so you crack the outer shell with a spoon and dive right in.
It was a beautifully refreshing dessert with the smooth vanilla cream
and sweet apple jam blending together perfectly.
🍏
Our total bill for this feast came to 33,770 KZT,
which is about ~$58.
There's an area just past the terrace where you can soak in even more of the scenery,
so we headed over—and the views were absolutely breathtaking!
🏔️
The outdoor space is so beautifully landscaped,
it's perfect for a relaxing stroll down the path after your meal.
If you want to experience incredible Kazakh fusion cuisine,
try unique dishes like horse bone marrow, and take in spectacular mountain views,
I highly recommend AUYL!
🤍
📍 AUYL
Kerey-Zhanibek Khandar St 586, Almaty 050020, Kazakhstan
If you experience a date selection error on the official website, you can book directly by sending a DM to their official Instagram with your name, contact number, number of people, and visit date and time. It is convenient for managing your schedule as you will also receive a reservation confirmation DM a day before your visit.
AUYL is located in the Medeu mountain region of Almaty, so you need to call a Yandex taxi from downtown, which takes about 30 minutes. Since the routes are similar, it is recommended to combine your visit with Shymbulak during your independent travel itinerary.
The horse bone marrow dish has a very rich and greasy taste and texture, similar to extracting and serving only the fat from inside beef intestines. To reduce the greasiness, the staff will conveniently set it up for you by placing the bone marrow and pickled vegetables together on top of bread.
When we ordered horse bone marrow, baursak, lagman, shashlik, a signature cocktail, and an apple dessert, the total bill came to 33,770 tenge. This is equivalent to ~$58.
It is open from 12:00 PM to midnight on weekdays, 11:00 AM to midnight on Saturdays, and 11:00 AM to 11:00 PM on Sundays. It operates every day without any break time or regular closing days.
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