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Azerbaijan is getting a lot of attention these days. From oil money to Eurovision, Baku has given itself a real facelift over the last few years: shiny new infrastructure, gigantic hotels and glitzy restaurants.
If you have travelled in Central Asia, Türkiye or Iran before, Azeri cuisine will be somewhat familiar to you. Azeri cuisine is typified by a lot of meat, fresh herbs and fresh pomegranate juice.
To help you make the most of your trip to Baku, I have put together this list of the best restaurants in Baku.
Getting around Baku
Baku is quite a navigable city so it’s easy to move from place to place. I always recommend using Uber or Bolt, which can often be as little as 1-2 Manat ($0.60 – $1.20) for a short 10-15 minute hop around Baku.
Between 4 pm and 7 pm, expect serious traffic in Baku and a serious surge in prices for both Uber and Bolt.
The Baku metro is very efficient and a great option for getting to tourist sites outside the centre, such as the Hayder Aliyev cultural centre. The metro also connects to the airport, although I recommend you double check the operating hours before relying on it!
If you are staying in the Old Town or by Nizami street, most of the restaurants on this list will be within walking distance to your Baku hotel.
1. Sehrli Təndir
Sehrli Təndir is set on the main drag of Baku’s Old Town and is easily my favorite restaurant for breakfast in Baku.
Before a big day of Baku sightseeing, I cherish the quiet moments at Sehrli Təndir. Grab a seat by the open windows and watch Baku’s Old Town wake up: souvenir stall operators setting up, old men carrying carpets and kettles full of tea, and little kids running between the alleyways.
At the junction of major civilizations, Azeri breakfasts take the best of all worlds. Expect lots of hot bread fresh from the tandir, homemade butter, locally sourced honey, preserved figs and a hot fry pan of Pomidor-Yumurta (the Azeri take on shakshuka) or Kuku Sabzi (a Persian herb-filled omelette).
2. Uckunc
Uckunc is an Azeri-style restaurant which is a little way from the Old Town or Nizami area but is well worth the few manat on a Bolt to get up here.
Uckunc is covered with traditional design, from musical instruments and rugs to an entire collection of brassware affixed to the ceiling. And what better accompaniment to dinner than live music – traditional Azeri music of course!
The menu contains the usual suspects of kebabs and various meats. Vegetarians like me will have a tougher time here. However, Uckunc has a generous offering of mezze and an excellent roast vegetable salad.
3. Terrace 145
Terrace 145 seems to be a little bit of a Baku institution.
One of my favorite things about Azerbaijan is how newfound wealth hasn’t resulted in the shedding of national design and culture. Despite the glitzy allure of Terrace 145, the restaurant interior uses Azeri–style carpets to line the chairs.
The real reason you should come to Terrace 145 is for the views. Set in the heart of Baku’s UNESCO heritage-listed Old Town, Terrace 145 has sweeping views over the Old Town, Caspian Sea and the iconic Flame Towers.
Local tip: Terrace 145 is an ideal place for a sunset drink or meal. Try to time your visit to experience the views both during daylight and after dark – particularly as the Flame Towers begin their evening patriotic neon light show.
Terrace 145 tends to be on the pricier side. If you are on a budget and keen to soak in the views, the cheapest thing on the menu is an espresso for 4 manat ($2.35)
Terrace 145 is open 24 hours – ideal if jetlag is keeping you awake!
4. West Inn Rooftop
I like to think of the West Inn Rooftop as my little Baku secret. This café is set on a high floor of the West Inn Hotel (which is my favorite place to stay in Baku). The rooftop offers a small outdoor area to lap in Baku’s Old Town architecture. In my opinion, West Inn offers a much more intimate, although less panoramic, setting than Terrace 145.
The menu offers a solid Western spread of salads, soups and even milkshakes. But the real reason you are here: most of the time it will just be you and perhaps one or two other guests.
Now that you have the best restaurants in Baku, it’s time to explore this beautiful and relatively unknown country. From the exclave of Nakhchivan to the newly acquired territories of Karabakh, you could spend months in Azerbaijan!
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