"At the Fisherman" in Cholpon-Ata

This place is so popular that during the season, there is a queue of people waiting for a free table. Moreover, local residents have organized a sort of "business center" near this café, where they sell various resort items and souvenirs.



It is also convenient that the café is located almost in the center of Cholpon-Ata, and there are many banks, exchange offices, pharmacies, and shops nearby... The café "At the Fisherman" - unlike many other dining spots around Issyk-Kul - operates year-round.

I had the opportunity to talk to the owner of the establishment. He explained why he chose such a name for his café.



"There have always been many fishermen here. I myself spent a long time engaged in fishing," he said. "So when we decided to open a café, we didn't think long about the name. The logo - a fish with a pipe - is also obvious. All fishermen smoke."

Initially, the café "At the Fisherman" was conceived as a small family establishment. In the end, it turned out to be the most popular café in Cholpon-Ata, which the owner did not expect.



In my opinion, this is what contributed to its success - the café has a piece of genuine human warmth. Now the café has grown significantly, but the owners still maintain a cozy atmosphere: a large number of roses, a small pond with live fish, and a real cherry tree heavily laden with berries.

For the new season, the café was renovated and the furniture was replaced while preserving the character of the establishment. The inscriptions on the chairs and tables are made in Russian and Kazakh, apparently aimed at the largest segment of tourists.



The children's swings have been removed, but a foosball table has been installed instead.

The menu has hardly changed since last year. For those who have never been here, I will say that the selection of dishes is standard. They prepare what is most in demand among Kyrgyz and tourists, namely manti, lagman, gyuro-lagman, and other dishes of national cuisine. The European menu is diverse: it includes solyanka, borscht, cutlets, okroshka, various salads, and so on. You can also order trendy sushi. And, of course, there is a lot of fish prepared in various recipes.



After asking the waiter what guests order most often, I chose manti and fish on the grill with vegetables. The waiter also suggested compote and juice - tomato or apple, homemade. And also flatbreads that are baked in the café. The bread and juice were very tasty. And the compote is the café's signature drink. However, it is ordered so often that many guests simply do not get any.

Overall, this is the main problem of the establishment. It often turns out that a dish listed on the menu is already finished. Moreover, this can be discovered 15 minutes after the order is placed.



Additionally, since the café operates more actively in the summer, they hire additional waiters, not all of whom work professionally. During the peak season, you can wait a long time for your order to be taken. And if you do not plan for long waits, I recommend taking tables downstairs, where the waiters serve faster.

The parking area is designed for 10-12 cars. So during peak hours, you will have to park quite far from the café.



The café owners try to keep the restrooms clean. However, during a mass influx of visitors, this is not always achieved perfectly.

In the evening, the café transforms into a place for pleasant leisure, where you can also dance. After 8:00 PM, rhythmic live music starts playing. In Issyk-Kul during the summer season, loud music is officially allowed until 11:30 PM.

It was a bit disappointing when we came on Tuesday morning for breakfast, and we were told that a deep cleaning was underway. Expect that on Tuesdays, the café "At the Fisherman" operates from 11:00 AM.



Since we came not during peak hours and not in the height of the season, we had to wait a little over 20 minutes for our order. Everything that was brought to me was delicious in a home-cooked way.

Salad "Zyumin": beet salad with walnuts and mayonnaise. Made, I repeat, in a home-cooked way delicious.

Manti. You can feel the hand of a southern cook: the filling is made with cumin. The taste clearly shows that the manti is freshly prepared, and it is good that it is not too greasy.



Fish on the grill with vegetables. The taste is excellent, thanks to the fact that the fish is fresh! As usual on the grill, the dishes are served with oil, and someone might say that the dish is a bit greasy, but in my opinion, it was just enough.

Perfectly grilled shashlik.

Prices are somewhat higher than in neighboring establishments. This is understandable, as they try to use quality products here. But overall, the bill won't break the bank for even tourists from Bishkek. And for Russians and Kazakhs, it seems quite small.



Source: social.vb.kg