Lovely atmosphere in the old city: Art Garden Restaurant (27. March 2016)

The Art Garden Restaurant is located not far from the Maiden Tower in the old city and looked lovely from outside when we passed by a couple of times – and finally we decided to have lunch there. The stuffed aubergines we had the night before somehow left a positive memory so we decided to go for the “stuffed aubergines (aubergines, walnuts, garlic, coriander)” (6 AZN) again and try the other kinds of “gutab” we didn’t have yet so we went for the “green kutab (lavash, herbs, yogurt)” (1 AZN), the “pumpkin kutab (lavash, pumpkin, yogurt)” (1 AZN) and the “meat kutab (lavash, meat, pomegranate, sumah)” (1 AZN). While the eggplant rolls were a bit disappointing, I was very positively surprised by the pumpkin gutab which was definitely the best of all the gutabs I have had the past couple of days.

The “bastirma kebab (beef entrecote, herbs)” (9 AZN) was fine but it was more of a beef cutlet – which was yummy – than a kebab to me but I figured it is definitely their way of serving kebap. The only thing I don’t quite get is the lack of bread. I mean, it is basically quite some meat and half a tortilla which is definitely not enough to wrap anything.

When you order tea, like I ordered the “black mint tea” (5 AZN), be aware that you do not have to order tea for each individual at the table as the pots are – while seemingly small – actually quite huge and you get 8 – 10 small tea cups full. Definitely more enough for the whole table.

The waiter was friendly and helpful and spoke English – but that was only possible once the first one failed and called for the English-speaking waiter which turned out to also speak some German. Well, in the end we got what we wanted and the waiter was passionate and friendly.

Despite its location in the old city next to the Maiden Tower, the prices are very moderate. In any European city you would easilby be charged three to four times the price of what you pay in a local restaurant. Not so in Baku – the prices are absolutely fair! The only thing I did not like was the fact that they charged 1 AZN for the bread. I mean, the 1 AZN is fine but so far bread has always been complimentary and suddenly it was charged for.

If the weather is nice, it is lovely to sit outside (although space is limited) but if the weather is a bit colder, you can easily sit inside and enjoy Azeri dishes while having quite some space. Overall, despite having the “hint of being a tourist trap”, it definitely is not! Actually quite the opposite – you see a lot of locals in there and basically no tourists!

Rating:

Atmosphere:
Service:
Dishes:
Price-Performance Ratio:
Overall Rating:

Contact Details:

Art Garden Restaurant

Asef Zeynalli 22

Icheri Sheher

1000 Baku (AZ)

Tel.: +994 12 492 13 31

Cell: +994 50 669 13 31

E-Mail: ali@artgroup.az

Homepage: http://artgroup.az/art-garden

About the Author: Sven

I started the blog in October 2009, while living in Milan which I definitely consider to be one of the food capitals of the world. I was in touch with food since my early childhood (as my father is a former chef). Whenever I can, I travel the world to discover new places, to meet people but mostly to try local dishes and to find hidden gems! If you know a place worth going, please drop a line to: info@thediningexperience.org. Currently, I am a member of the following food-related associations: Chevalier @Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Zurich-Ville; Membre Gourmet Dégustateur @Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs [OMGD]; Gesellschafter @Goldener Fisch and Member @Slowfood Convivium Zurich City.