Ordering food in a local language completely transforms your dining experience.

Kazakhstan has a rich culinary culture that heavily revolves around hospitality, meat, and dairy.

Knowing a few essential Kazakh phrases will help you navigate menus and communicate with restaurant staff easily.

This guide covers the most important vocabulary for dining out in Kazakh restaurants.

Arriving at the restaurant

Your first interaction when entering a restaurant will be with the host or waiter.

You’ll need to greet them and tell them how many people are in your group.

The word for “table” in Kazakh is үстел (üstel).

To ask for a table for a specific number of people, you state the number followed by адамға (adamğa), which means “for [number] people”.

Getting the menu

Once you’re seated, you’ll need to ask for the menu to see what the restaurant offers.

The official Kazakh word for menu is мәзір (mäzir).

Because of the heavy Russian influence in Kazakhstan, you’ll also hear people simply say меню (menyu) in most cities.

Both words are completely acceptable and understood everywhere.

How to order your food

When the waiter returns, you’ll want to place your order politely.

The easiest way to order in Kazakh is to point at the item on the menu and use the phrase маған … беріңізші (mağan … beriñizşi).

This phrase literally translates to “give me … please”.

Essential food and drink vocabulary

Traditional Kazakh food focuses heavily on boiled meats, dough, and fermented dairy products.

You’ll see horse meat (жылқы еті) featured prominently on local menus, often in the form of a delicious traditional sausage called қазы (qazı).

If you travel to the southern regions of Kazakhstan, you’ll also find a huge variety of vegetable dishes and spices due to Uzbek and Uyghur culinary influences.

Here’s a helpful table of common food and drink vocabulary you’ll encounter.

Asking for the bill and paying

When you’re finished with your meal, it’s time to ask for the bill.

The word for bill or check in Kazakh is есепшот (esepşot).

You can easily get the waiter’s attention and ask for the bill by adding the word өтініш (ötiniş), which means “please”.

Keep in mind that tipping in Kazakhstan is slightly different than in Western countries.

Most local restaurants automatically include a 10% or 15% service charge directly on your final bill.

You don’t need to leave extra cash on the table unless you feel the service was truly exceptional.

Before you leave, it’s always nice to compliment the chef by telling the waiter that the food was delicious.