8 Tasty Coffee Shops and Cafes in Bishkek (+ Map!)

As a frequent (and long-time) visitor to Bishkek, I am always amazed by how much the city’s cafe and coffee scene has exploded in the last 13 years since making my first trip there.

And while I didn’t see too many new spots open between my last trip and now, there are still a handful of good places to get a coffee in the city, including these delicious cafes in Bishkek.

If this is your first time visiting, please do know that Kyrgyz, like much of Central Asia, isn’t a coffee hotspot. This is a tea-drinking region, and good coffee is just a bonus. So while you can find coffee in most places these days, the scene is still not as developed as in other countries.

In this guide, you will find my favorite spots for coffee in Bishkek. I will be adding to this guide each time I am in the Kyrgyz capital, looking for new coffee shops in Bishkek worth sitting down at for a caffeine fix.

If I left off a cafe you enjoyed there, please let me know in the comments so I can check it out next time and hopefully add it to this guide. You will also find a map at the end to help you locate these coffee shops.

On the map, I am only including my favorite locations because some of the cafes in this guide have multiple locations.

My Favorite Coffee Shops and Cafes in Bishkek

1. Kölökö

A place that I had been pretty excited to try in Bishkek, simply because of their unique menu, was Kölökö. It opened a few years back and while you can find your typical espresso drinks on the menu, what really excited me to go there were their specials.

They offer drinks made with kurut, a traditional fermented and dried cheese that you will find omnipresent throughout Kyrgyzstan and the region (called ‘qurut’ in Uzbekistan and ‘kurt’ in Kazakhstan). When eaten on its own, it is very dry, almost chalky, and extremely salty. I like it in small doses.

In Kölökö’s hot kurut drink, it was melted down and diluted a bit, making for the most delicious warming drink. It was around $2, and I also ordered a flat white while there, just to see if their coffee was equally as tasty. It was.

You can find Kölökö at 229 Abdymomunov Street.

2. White Night

Another Bishkek coffee shop I was eager to try was White Night. This spot opened two years ago in one of my favorite parts of Bishkek, just off a side street from Razzakov. The cool thing about White Night is that it mixes Dagestan and Kyrgyz culture inside, and you can feel it as soon as you enter.

Their focus is specialty coffee and the service was impeccable despite the place being so busy that I only grabbed my coffee to-go. White Night kind of gives a ‘community meeting place’ vibe, and I am interested in visiting again and enjoying an evening there since they close at 11pm daily.

You can find White Night at 119 Chokmorov St.

3. Flask Coffee

Flask is the OG specialty coffee shop in Bishkek, and they have been so successful that they now have multiple locations and even three coffee shops in Almaty!

It is owned by a South Korean named Chihoon Jeong, who previously moved to Bishkek and opened up Chicken Star, a famous spot for Korean food in the city that has also expanded over the years, including to Almaty.

I remember going to Flask’s AUCA campus location several years ago, before they expanded into the city center and loved it. These days, I usually grab a coffee at their Erkindik location after grabbing lunch next door at Chicken Star. This location is small, but the park across the street is a good place to find a bench and slow down a bit.

You can follow Flask on Instagram to see their locations, hours, and upcoming events.

4. Rodem Coffee & Bakery

When I made a list of cafes in Bishkek I wanted to check out, Rodem Coffee & Bakery wasn’t on the list. I just never came across it in my research. Thank goodness my hotel was across the street (Bugu Hotel) and I decided I needed an urgent coffee one morning and that I should check it out.

The cafe itself is the perk here. It is in a standalone building that makes it feel cozy and unique from other places on this list. They serve Korean food, baked goods, and some tasty coffee. It was quiet and had a terrace that would be an excellent spot to relax on in the warmer months.

You can find Rodem Coffee & Bakery at 109 T. Umetaliev Street.

5. Capito Café

I always feel weird putting a cafe on my guides that is ubiquitous throughout a city and a chain. But Capito never failed me and I had some of my favorite coffees in Bishkek there (yes, I went multiple times).

I don’t know who owns it (even after tons of research) and I don’t know if the brand is from Bishkek originally (I saw a location in Aktau, I believe), but each cafe had a beautiful aesthetic and was super spacious, perfect for those looking for a place to work from.

They also offer sweet treats and wood-fired pizza. I had a honey cake there, but nothing more than just their espresso-based drinks.

To see more about Capito and their locations across Bishkek, you can check out their linked Instagram.

6. Sierra Coffee

Sierra Coffee has been around since 2012, and I went there on my first trip to Bishkek all the way back in 2013. In fact, I went there multiple times that trip to work and I always find my way back whenever I am in the city. The only difference now is that they have multiple locations across Bishkek, and can even be found in Karakol and Osh.

Owned by a New Zealander and his Uzbek wife, Sierra Coffee is more than just a cafe; it is a community space.

Over the years, whenever I would meet someone for coffee in the city, this is where we went. And sure enough, on my latest Bishkek adventure, it was the same. I always find myself at their Manas location (the original).

The food isn’t my favorite (sorry!), but a nice coffee or tea there is just perfect. You can find Sierra Coffee in multiple spots, but you can always spot me at their location at 57/1 Manas Avenue location.

7. Booblik

Another Bishkek coffee shop that has pretty solid espresso-based drinks is Booblik. They, like Capito, can be found across the city in multiple locations, but they offer a spacious cafe with plenty of room to work and enjoy a drink, brunch, and more.

Even though they have around six spots in the city center, I love their location that straddles the 5th and 6th Microdistricts. It is quieter, the air is fresher, and it is just a nice place to get some work done. On my last trip, I ordered their French toast, and it was delicious (but perhaps a little too sweet for my taste).

To find out more about Booblik’s locations and hours, you can see their Instagram page.

8. Émi

Émi is a gastro store, pastry shop, and bakery all rolled into one… with pretty solid coffee. I actually popped in here by accident when I was walking down Razzakov because I needed the bathroom and figured I could buy a coffee and use theirs.

Turns out, they had a special brand of brandy I was looking for for a gift for my friend’s parents, so I bought it, grabbed a coffee, and enjoyed the somewhat bougie vibe it had to offer. The coffee was delicious, by the way.

Émi is located at 29 Razzakov St in Bishkek.

Map of These Coffee Shops in Bishkek

Are there any good cafes in Bishkek that I didn’t mention here? Please drop them in the comments for other readers (and for me to try next time I am in the city). Thanks!

*This site uses affiliate links, meaning that if you make a purchase through my links, I may earn an affiliate commission.