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You may well be familiar with Govinda’s if you’ve ever dined at a Govinda’s in your home town. Not so much a chain as an institution, Govinda’s restaurants are owned and run by those folks who chant Hari Krishna and wish for peace and well-being for all.
If, incredibly, you’re unaware of the Krishna community here in Almaty, then take a stroll down Ablay Khan towards TsUM and chat up one of the young men selling incense. He will happily tell you all about the philosophy and beliefs of Hari Krishna’s, and perhaps invite you to learn more at Govinda’s.
Since Hari Krishna’s are strict vegetarians, non-smokers and non-drinkers, the menu at Govinda’s reflects this. No alcohol graces the menu, with teas and juices offered instead. The small restaurant, located on Ablay Khan below Mametova, is preceded by a delightful gift shop, offering authentic saris, trinkets, tea, spices and much more, direct from India.
The restaurant is open for lunch and early dinners, and thus the menu is somewhat limited. However, we strongly recommend heading down there for a lunch complex. At 500 tenge for a full portion (half portions are available), it’s a deal. The complex comes with a number of small dishes, from mixed vegetables to curry soup to a sweet rice pudding, as well as tea. Served with puffed-up bread and aromatic jasmine rice, the portions are satisfying without being overwhelming. And once finished, you feel like you’ve done something right for your body and supported a peaceful people to boot. All the items served in the complex are available individually as entrees, but we prefer to try a little bit of everything, followed by a cup of infused tea.
As well as being a restaurant, and true to the Hari Krishna nature, Govinda’s is also a yoga center and a center for learning about the Krishna way. You can call or ask for a schedule of yoga classes, which are Hatha (meditative yoga). Although most Krishna’s speak at least some English due to pilgrimages to India, the yoga classes are only given in Russian. However, we’re sure that the essentials of breathing and positions are communicated easily enough. Payment is by donation only, and 50 tenge is all that is expected.
Since part of eXpat was a vegetarian of many years before coming to Kazakhstan, we found it refreshing and inspiring to break bread in a no-meat/no-killing zone. We look forward to many a lunch at Govinda’s, and invite you to do the same.
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