In the capital of Azerbaijan, restaurants, tea houses, and atmospheric cafes in the old town can compete for the title of attractions. It’s especially pleasant to enjoy not only new flavors of dishes but also the decor of establishments in national oriental style. The city has so many appetizing locations that it’s hard to choose from the burst of bright colors and aromas. Here’s what traditional dishes to try in Baku, where to go for them, and what to bring back from your trip as gastro souvenirs.
Traditional Cuisine and Dishes to Try
Azerbaijani cuisine is a mix of traditions from the Caucasus, Turkey, and Central Asian countries. You will find many familiar dishes from Caucasian cuisine, but they will be prepared differently, often with unusual spices like saffron or pomegranate sauce. Meals typically start with light appetizers: pickles made from cherry plums, cornelian cherries, grapes, or white cherries. The country has a special reverence for the tea ceremony. The drink is served in small pear-shaped glasses called armudas, accompanied by various sweets, nuts, and pastries.
There are many dishes to try in Baku. Here are some you can easily find in restaurants specializing in traditional cuisine:
- Plov: prepared in various ways with fish, lamb, dried fruits, chestnuts, and whatever the chef’s imagination can come up with.
- Dovga: a sour milk soup with rice and greens.
- Kyufta-bozbash: a rich soup with lamb or beef meatballs.
If you want a dish to share, choose sadj. A hot stew of lamb and vegetables served on a large skillet; it’s hard to finish alone. Instead of kebabs, kebabs are popular in Baku. Meat or poultry is grilled, soaked in pomegranate juice, and served with grilled tomato, potato, and eggplant. Another popular appetizer is dolma: lamb with rice stuffed in grape leaves, served with a sauce made from ayran, garlic, and salt.
From the baked goods, order kutabs. These are thin crescent-shaped flatbreads with various fillings: meat, vegetables, and cheese. They are served with delicious pomegranate sauce, homemade yogurt, or melted butter. Among national desserts, the hit is Baku baklava: thin layers of dough soaked with a filling of walnuts, cardamom, and sugar, served in diamond shapes under sweet syrup or melted butter.
Tasty and Hearty Breakfasts in the Old Town
- Sehrli Tendir: A small place in the old town serving national appetizers and classic Azerbaijani breakfasts, with a tandyr oven right in the middle of the hall for baking traditional flatbreads. Try the walnut kebab, dovga, or plov with dried fruits and chestnuts.
- Qaynana: A tourist restaurant offering hearty Azerbaijani breakfasts with freshly brewed tea sets. Order scrambled eggs with tomatoes and flatbread from the tandyr, served with honey, thick yogurt, or local fig jam.
- Cizz Bizz: A cozy spot in the old town with a mix of traditional and modern design elements. The breakfast menu includes Azerbaijani dishes, various kutab options, homemade cheese platters, tandyr bread, and fig or walnut jam.
Lunch and Dinner Azerbaijani Style
- Shirvanshah Museum Restaurant: Dine in the atmosphere of an old Azerbaijani village with national dishes like kutabs, various plov options, dovga, and dyushbara.
- Art Garden: A restaurant with an art gallery, offering a taste of 19th-century Baku amidst traditional oriental interiors. The menu includes national dishes served in beautiful copper dishes, with eastern sweets and tea from a samovar.
- Shah Restaurant & Gallery: A national restaurant resembling a mini-museum with medieval Azerbaijani interiors. The menu features traditional dishes like kebabs, plov, sadj, dolma, dyushbara, and dovga.
- SAHiL Bar & Restaurant: A place combining traditional Azerbaijani and modern Caspian cuisine, with an open grill for aromatic kebabs.
Wine Bars and Restaurants
- Zeppelin Bar: A conceptual wine bar with a relaxed atmosphere and steampunk design. The menu includes a wide range of wines, signature cocktails, light infusions, and stronger drinks. Events like karaoke, live music, themed parties, stand-up, hen and stag parties are held here. They also have Wine Day for unlimited wine tasting.
- 360 Bar: The only rotating lounge bar in Baku, located on the 25th floor of the Hilton hotel, offering panoramic views of the city and thematic evening entertainment. The menu includes a wide selection of wines and cocktails, hookahs, signature desserts, and European and Azerbaijani dishes.
- Double Eleven Cocktail & Wine Bar: A restaurant focusing on quality cocktails and a large selection of wines from Azerbaijan, France, Spain, and other parts of the world. The menu includes a variety of main dishes and snacks, including vegetarian options.
Best Tea Houses in Baku
- Kishmish Club: A tea house with an old Baku atmosphere and mid-20th-century oriental interiors. The tea menu includes signature varieties served with a tray of jams, nuts, dried fruits, lemon, and honey. Fresh pastries like kyata buns and homemade desserts are also available.
- Qoz Kimi: A classic tea house with a cozy, homely interior. The tea is served with a variety of treats like dried fruits, jams, nuts, fresh pastries, honey, and candies. The tea house also offers board games, football match screenings, and hookah.
- Cay Bagi 145: Offering signature tea varieties, jams, nut pastries, Baku baklava with walnuts, and national delicacies alongside the hot drink. The location in the old town adds to the ambiance of the tea ceremony.
Fish Restaurants by the Sea
- Chayki: A project by Russia’s Ginza Group, located on the Baku waterfront near the Ferris wheel. Enjoy the signature Baku dish, kutum lavangi: Caspian fish stuffed with a mixture of nuts, onions, spices, vegetables, and fruits like eggplant or cherry plums. Other dishes include sturgeon in pomegranate sauce and the dessert Khanum Pavlova with pomegranate seeds.
- Nar & Sharab: An elite seaside restaurant with a designer interior and a private beach area, offering sturgeon steaks with pomegranate sauce, fresh seafood, and beluga and sevryuga kebabs. In warm weather, guests can swim in pools with Caspian views and relax on loungers with a glass of pomegranate wine.
- Derya Fish House: A popular seafood restaurant located in a coastal village near the city. Try Caspian Sea delights like baked kutum, grilled trout, and the dish sirdak made from sturgeon, mullet, or roach. The veranda offers sea views, and there are outdoor play areas for children.
Baku Markets: Delicacies and Gastro Souvenirs
Catch the eastern market vibe at the most popular market in Baku, the Green Market or Yaşil Bazar. Tourists often visit, so tasting local products is offered at every stall, along with haggling. The huge indoor market has everything: Azerbaijani teas and wines, nuts and dried fruits, fresh vegetables and fruits, pomegranate juice, spices, jams, pickles, and dairy products. Buy Baku and Sheki baklava, pomegranate churchkhela with walnuts, fig jam, mulberry jam, and white cherry jam as gastro souvenirs.
In the city center, visit the New Market or Teze Bazar. It has the largest selection of Azerbaijani black caviar, smoked sturgeon, and other Caspian fish. Take home a jar of honey, leaf tea, pomegranate juice, dried figs, and persimmons.