First of all the food is ok, The lamb fried rice is good, and the lamb skewer is amazing, but that's about it, the bread is lack of flavor and a lot of dishes are over priced. The service is ok , hard to get someone to help with the order. Not to mention is way all the way in brighton beach station. Could get a better food elsewhere. read more

I love bringing friends to this restaurant. It's small, the ambiance is old-school (you'll feel like you're in Uzbekistan or one of the former Soviet Republics), and it's just a beautiful little place. There's beautiful, intricate, native artwork on the walls and something awesome playing on the TV. Any time I've brought outsiders (non Brighton Beach residents) here, they've loved it. If you were to bring someone from another state here, they'd have a real unique experience because it's really an experience you can't get in Manhattan or anywhere in America. I haven't mentioned the food because it's delicious. It's great to share different dishes with friends but my go-to is the fried lagman. The kebabs are also pretty spectacular. read more

I stand by the fact that I mostly put my score on food, because it's food that really differentiates restaurants. I'll first describe what central asian food is, so you don't walk in expecting lo-mein and other white-washed chinese food. Background: Central asian is similar to turkish/middle eastern cultured foods. That is because Central Asia is mostly desert and plains, meaning there aren't many crops (or most resources) grown there for that matter. Thus, the environment isn't known for cattle, pork, chicken and many other regional poultry. Instead, they are known for lamb and dried meats, so if you ever see seafood or dishes heavily based on greens at a central asian restaurant - you're being lied to. Also, because central asia was once a route for the silk road, most dishes are based on a heavy amount of spices. TLDR: Dishes to avoid in these regional restaurants: heavily greens-based or seafood. Dishes generally contain heavy spices and lamb meat. Spicyness level can often be adjusted to taste upon request Food: 5/5 It's rather rare to find a central asian restaurant in NY and Kashkar is one of those places. The first thing that really stood out was the tea - they used loose leaf tea and the green tea had a very spice-centric/earthy scent to it without losing the original green tea taste. Everything on the food menu is great (i recommend one soup dish and one hot main dish) so food menu roulette is relatively safe here. They use rice similar to the Japanese variety, which is very starchy and very beautiful in texture/aroma. Food is perfectly spiced and very amazing. However, it's laced with enough spices that it's almost necessary to order a bowl of rice (fyi, the rice doesn't come free/included). Service 2/5 First off, my main complaint is price because this is located very far away from the center of the city yet these prices are fairly close to those in manhattan. A bowl of rice for $3 was a tad excessive (although really good). To be fair, it seemed like people usually don't request rice and they cooked it for us on-the-spot but still expensive. Another bad sign was that the waiter didn't know what to recommend when we asked for recommendations (it was our first time here). Sure, everything is good, but part of the waiter's job is to offer suggestions if asked. Service was also lackluster as I had to walk up to the counter a few times to request things. But the staff was really nice and accommodating otherwise (esp since my foodie partner was particularly rude that day). All in all, would recommend, but not a place i would go to often unless i really crave it read more

Place is quiet busy and small hidden gem. Food is great. Device is bit slow. You have to get the serves attention since place is quiet busy. But over all great food. I'd have this food over any Chinese foods so much flavor and taste. If you are a meat/lamb/beef lover it's your place to go. read more

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This tiny and old restaurant holds just about 4 tables so don't expect extraordinary service or additional features. Kashkar is so small and yummy that it really has no competitors in it's niche. The main thing - the food itself - is great and very, very cheap. read more

Amazing food. Fast service. Must come back again. The lamb kebab was really good along with the chicken! read more

Cafe Kashkar - Tasty chicken with potato - Turkish Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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My first foray into Uighur food, and hopefully not the last. Uighur food (pronounced WEE-gher) is native to central Asia and thus counts Persian and Chinese among its influences. The Persian comes out in the tasty kebabs while the Chinese is apparent in its pastries and noodle soups. I was introduced to Uighur food by an old college friend who travels to Brooklyn for the only Uighur restaurant in the New York area. I heard a rumor that there is Uighur food in Germantown but it is otherwise a rare creature in the Washingtonian area. And what a shame it isn't more common. My friend ordered a literal feast with a little bit of everything. We ordered veal and lamb rib kebabs, which come out under a pile of shaved raw onions. If one wants their food spicy, there is a small container of (very potent) hot sauce that looks and tastes homemade. The kebabs themselves are flavorful, slightly salty, and VERY addictive. The pastries stuffed with minced lamb are a meal in themselves. I usually find lamb to be a bit tough and gamey but this reminded me of the Chinese curry beef buns in texture yet with the distinctive lamb flavor. No less addictive is the lagman noodle soup, a bowl crowded with fat noodles, chunks of braised lamb, and long stripes of red and green peppers. The soup had a strong, rich flavor that had my friend and me shamelessly picking up the bowl to catch the last drops. My friend also had the foresight to order langsai salad, a cool summer salad of bean thread noodles, bits of lamb and loads of veggies in a vinegary dressing. We washed all this down with a ginger ale from a company I've never heard of before (presumably from the Uighur region). It was a tad sweet but went well with the spiciness of the hot sauce while a pot of tea complimented the rich flavors of the lamb. Since this is my first experience with Uighur food, I can't compare it to other restaurants. All I know is that everything made me want to eat more of it, especially the lamb rib kebabs. The kebabs come four pieces to an order for a very reasonable price, and it's not inconceivable to build an entire visit around them, if the rest of the lot is as good as the veal and lamb rib. One thing that diners may want to remember is that a lot of the dishes are centered around lamb. If you're not a fan, you may find yourself limited but remember those kebabs! I wasn't able to try the salmon, chicken, pork, etc. Also, because so many of the dishes are so rich and flavorful, you have to be careful how you order. Luckily my dining companion ordered the langsai salad, and the beverages provided a good balance. My dining companion whispered in a somewhat conspiracy-ish tone that their desserts weren't great but no matter, we were too stuffed to partake anyway. Too bad this place is so far away or else I'd find myself here over and over again. read more

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A great option if you are looking for something other than standard Russian food. Every dish we had was excellent, the meat was incredibly flavorful. The pilaf was perfection and the eggplant salad was light and had a great balance of flavors. The service for the most part was friendly and efficient. I loved that the little window into the kitchen, allowing one to see the cooking magic. The ambiance is not the fanciest but the food makes up for it. Highly recommend it. I'm not a hindered percent sure, but I believe you BYOB. I saw other patron bring their own refreshments. read more

If there is anything better than feasting on lagman during a cold winter, it's feasting on lagman during a hot summer. Having only tried the soup version, I was pleasantly surprised to find the dry version (lamb atop noodles) was equally good. Combining that with their mixed salad (with a delicious feta cheese) made for a perfect lunch. However, there is much more on the menu, and I will update my review once I have explored further. Good stuff! read more

Decor is somewhat rustic but the food was great. I had lagman and my wife had farel fish. She couldn't stop talking about it. That says a lot to me read more

Cafe Kashkar - Turkish Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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I had to be on Brighton Beach, I am from Uzbekistan and ofcouse I like Uzbek food, I took my chance and tried Kashkar. My son ask me for samsa so i thought I'll get for myself lagman (yigyrskii). Lagman was delicious! samsa the worst samsa I've ever ate and the sauce that comes with samsa was spoiled!!! So if someone want to try Kashkar I would suggest Yigyrskii lagman and definitely NO NO NO samsa its like you eat onion pirogi! Samsa should be with meat. Kashkar samsa just named with meat its pure onion and be careful with sauce! P.S. THE BEST SAMSA IN CAFE NARGIZ on Coney island Ave! read more

I really, really loved this place. I had manty (the regular kind), lagman, lepeshka, fresh salad, green tea. Everything was great and done correctly - the fact that the lepeshka comes out fresh and hot is amazing. I was also pretty taken aback by a total price tag of 28$ (waaaaaahhhh? Cheapest meal for two I've had anywhere in NYC with a lot of food left over). Absolutely great place which I would recommend to anyone! read more

Cafe Kashkar - Turkish Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

I found Cafe Kashkar on here when planning a trip to Coney Island and Brighton Beach, and it exceeded my expectations. The decor is truly awful but otherwise I can't fault them. The service was very fast and friendly, and the food was amazing. We had the dumplings, a noodle dish (?can't remember which one) and a chicken kebab. All were delicious. My favourite was the noodle dish, which I could eat every night for a week. It was really unusual, almost like a Malaysian mee goreng in flavour but with some sort of aniseed/fennel added which I really enjoyed. Unfortunately I don't live in NYC but if I did I would definitely be making the trip back out to Brighton just to eat here. read more

Really amazing food! Incredible lamb chops and eggplant salad. Really friendly service. Not your usual type of American cuisine. Can't wait to go back read more

My fav uzbek food (uygur style) for take out. Better than any other restaurant in brooklyn. Love these guys! Their manti, samsa, narin and of course lagman absolutely the best. Shashlik is pretty awesome too! read more

My friends and I have gone to Cafe Kashkar twice. Initially enticed by the idea of Uighur cuisine, we happened upon this small restaurant on a trip out to Brighton Beach. Cafe Kashkar, named for the Chinese city in Xinjiang, has a menu that borders between Russian cuisine and Chinese cuisine. There are a variety of delicious meat and vegetable filled pastries, dumplings and, best of all, a delicious dish called fried lagman, a friend noodle with lamb and vegetables that is absolutely delectable. A couple of other notes: The restaurant is very small, with only about six tables. The restaurant also allows you to bring your own beverages, so my friends and I have enjoyed our food at Cafe Kashkar while sharing a bottle of vodka or enjoying a couple of bottles Baltika beer. The vibe is relaxed and the service is attentive. The ambiance is very casual, there's a TV playing Russian news, some very simply laid out tables and there is some nice art on the walls. If you speak Russian, you'll also get to overhear some wonderful conversations at the other tables. If you're in Brighton Beach and feel like something delicious and out of the ordinary, Cafe Kashkar is the place to go! read more

Lagman, shashlik, somsa, Manti, and chebureks were great! Nice touch of adding cilantro to the cheburek filling. It is BYOB as the place is halal so they do not serve their own alcohol. Staff is extremely nice and polite. If I lived in NY I would definitely come back! read more

I really wanted to like this place, having gorged myself on lagman when I lived in Central Asia a few summers ago. Sadly, I was sorely disappointed. I should preface this by saying that for some reason, my taste buds can't appreciate the exquisite taste of lamb and unfortunately most, if not all, of the meat dishes at Cafe Kashkar come lamb only. Perhaps I overly romanticized the lagman in the years since I last had it, or perhaps the dish's $1 price tag in Central Asia and China (vs. $10ish at this location) made it all the more appetizing. Eating the lagman I ordered here actually verged on the semi-arduous. The texture of the noodles seemed good, but the co-mingling of the flavors in the dish provoked a gag reflex for me. The manti, unfortunately, was not much better although I'll admit it was likely due to the lamb flavor. Even if the food was a letdown, the decor of the place made the visit worth it, if only for the relative uniqueness of seeing Uygur style decorations in an American restaurant. And for what it's worth, my dining partner- a neophyte to Central Asian cuisine- couldn't stop raving about this place and even ordered an extra serving of manti to go. read more

Ok no. We came here from the rave reviews that were all like 'THIS PLACE IS SO AUTHENTIC AND LEGIT OMG." Maybe it is, but there's (for some reason) a live canary in the window that continuously goes "CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP!!!" This is where I draw the line, guys. The sound is worse than a crying baby. Oh, Cafe Kashkar!! read more

Dropped by here to pick up dinner after reading a review of this place from Eater.com. Overall, I'd say the food is good but not quite as 'wow' as I got hyped over. I would not mind returning when in the neighborhood, but there are just so many more choices in nyc that it becomes tough to be wow-ed by good food these days. note: the place is very small inside, so getting a table may be tricky when it gets crowded (i.e. weekends); and it seems a majority of the staff do not speak english, so language barrier may be an issue if you don't speak russian, but def not a deal breaker read more

Everything a po' meat-eating student can ask for. We came here on my brother's birthday so, admittedly all the $3.50s probably added up because we had a ton of food, but everything I sank my teeth into was good. The lagman soup, the manty, the pickly salad (there's a picture of it on this page), the big mushroom of bread.. I recommend the samsa, which are little meat pies, in particular. The funny thing is that what I liked the least were the lamb kebobs and pilaf that we had as entrees. This bodes well because when I take my friends here, we can fill up on appetizers. We have to order individual lagman soups, though. I had to share with my dad last time, it was bloody. Other notes: The waiters were cute, (my dad said they were kind of doofy and slow to take our orders, though, but what do I care). I couldn't exactly hit on them after they saw me stuffing my face, though, and plus they are brothers. The bad point is the tv blaring terrible Russian music videos which have chicks in bikinis no matter what the song is about. Maybe that's a good selling point for some Americans. Plus, who doesn't like chicks in bikinis. But the prospect of my dad looking up and seeing that kind of thing makes me squirm. It was weird enough almost watching Zumanity with him (we wanted to see a Cirque du Soleil show, the sweaty naked bodies on the brochure should have given us a clue about what kind of "family entertainment" it was). I had to leave. Oh yeah, and don't invite your vegetarian friends unless you want to trick them into paying and eat their food. read more

The staff are mostly Uzbekistanis, but the food is authentic "Turki" and delicious. I don't think their "plov" is good enough, but almost everything else has impressed me quite a bit. The kebabs are really good, but you can get good kebab at a bunch of places, so try and get a selection of their other, more distinctive, hot dishes and share them among the people at your table. I would especially recommend the lagman, which has never failed to impress me. I was saddened to learn that their "kazy" is in fact made from beef and lamb, because Americans, being terrible infidels, have some sort of problem with horse meat. Perhaps one day they will be civilised. In the meantime, the non-horse "kazy" is very good. The place is great for a sit-down meal, but it is BYOB (there's cheap Russian beer available at the place on the same block so no problem there, and most of the other customers will be Russians who are much drunker than you). read more

Very nice place with authentic feel. Visited two months ago and crave their food ever since. A friend of mine brought me here to give me a walk through her traditional food. We ordered fried dumplings, soup, and lots more. Definitely coming back on my next visit to NY. read more

Cafe Kashkar - Turkish Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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what a great find. food was delish, the restaurant has the best decor, very authentic. and the smell of the freshly grilled kebabs is just the best read more

Cafe Kashkar - Salad Achichuk yummy tomatoes thinly sliced with onions and hot green peppers - Turkish Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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I came to this restaurant a year ago and was not impressed. I wanted to write a poor review, but actually felt bad because they seemed to be just started out and getting into their groove. After visiting this past weekend, my opinion has changed completely. They have really turned up the ethnic flavors of the Uzbek and Uyghur food. What a unique place! Don't quote me on this, but they must be one of a kind in this country. Where else would they serve Uyghur food? The crowd here was very mixed, from Russians to Uzbeks, to Chinese customers coming in to enjoy the food. Our table ordered what seemed like most of the menu so that we could try as much as possible. We had eggplant and langsai salads, samsa, manty (steamed and fried), plenty of kebabs, and lagman. My favorite was the steamed manty, served in classic Chinese dim sum steamers. The place is also BYOB and has great take-out options. I will absolutely get some take-out next time I am in Brooklyn. I loved the unique menu offerings and I'm very happy to see this place doing well! read more

If, like me, you've never had Uighur food, you'll want to bring friends and share, because there's a lot to choose from. Start with an order of Manty, boiled dumplings filled with ground lamb and a rich, salty broth ($7 for 4 large dumplings), or Samsa, a layered lamb pastry ($2.50 apiece). Don't be confused by a misnomer on the menu: what they call "hot appetizers" are actually sizeable entrees. Go for the fried lagman, a traditional spicy noodle and vegetable dish ($7.50). Or if you're feeling a little more adventurous, go for the gigar-rice with an earthy, sweet mixture of fried liver, bell peppers, eggplant, and more-for $8.50. Round out your meal with juicy kebabs, around $4 each. We had a really friendly waiter who helped us out with our pronunciation, and who was very happy when I ordered the liver, which made me happy/a little creeped out. There was also an Uzbek version of MTV serenading us from the corner, adding quite the ambience. Definitely check it out, especially if you're spending a day at the beach. read more

I recomend this restaurant ,we eat lamp şiş and lamp soup it was ok, price is good, waitress was friendly, if you vant to try uygur food you can go this restaurant read more

Cafe Kashkar - Turkish Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

We'd been wanting to try this place for a bit, so I was a bit excited to go this afternoon. But I think I totally ordered wrong since everyone on this review had a much better food experience. They were out of Langsai, so I ordered a mixed salad. Too much oil and mealy tomatoes. The pilaf (fried rice w/carrots, lamb and spices) could've have been quite tasty. Any joy from the mild sweetness and the juicy lamb was completely overshadowed by oil. You know it's super oily when there's a slickness that stays on your lips. Bummer since I really wanted to like it. I just checked out a recipe for it online and it calls for a lot of oil, enough cooking oil to make the rice yellow. The saving grace of the meal was the chicken kebab - mild spice, a hint of smoke and unlike many other chicken kebabs, moist. Also, it's BYOB. I'll go again though and reorder. Maybe it was an off day. read more

We trekked out to Brighton Beach just for Cafe Kashkar, and it was well worth it. A few blocks away from the subway, it was great to pass the fruit stands and shops along the way. I knew exactly what I wanted when I got there, so we quickly ordered: Naan Tomato & Onion salad Eggplant salad Mix Salad Chicken Kebabs The tomato and onion salad exceed everyone's expectations, the onions really added a nice depth to the tomatoes and everything was so fresh. The eggplant salad, also a hit, reminded me of a ratatouille, very good -- so good in fact, we ordered a second. The mix salad was fresh and delicious. My only issue was I feel like if you're not a "local," certain ingredients may be left off... the cheese which adds a layer of saltiness and complexity to an otherwise ordinary salad and which is included on the menu, was excluded from our dish. Only when I asked about the cheese did our waiter somewhat reluctantly bring it to us. The chicken kebabs were tender, moist, and delicious. A great meal, the perfect mix of food, would definitely come back and highly recommend. read more

Very good. They deserve it. They work very hard in that small kitchen and it's amazing how they manage to prepare all those dishes and make freshly baked bread to the order. The neighborhood is interesting too. Go try it! read more

Liked the ethnic ambiance. Chieburek was good. Manti was not bad. But noodles were soggy, not a fan. Also lamb skewers was not good as well. Nothing spectacular. The dishes seem like lack of passion and just piled everything up on a plate. read more

After a warm welcome and a brisk January night, you can sit down and relax. With the t.v. playing a russian movie or sitcom and the uzbek grandma giving you a smile , order away. I chose the Fried Lagman. Nice stir fried noodles with vegetables. Had a nice texture and the right amount of spice. The lamb in the Lagman was great too. Was just what the doctor ordered. After that it was the "," ( Kazakh) MAANTEEE (English) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manti_(dumpling) . A nice four piece of fist sized dumplings. Minced lamb,onions,an spice. Unlike other dumplings which break or explode upon being devoured...these bad boys keep true. To compliment it I had green tea. I was full. The waiter hospitable and the atmosphere cozy. Recommend it to all who come down to "Little Odessa" read more

I've been coming here for 5 years and it has been consistently amazing! All the shish-kebobs are always juicy and fresh. Soups are very authentic and equally delicious. Highly recommend the fried lagman which is actually stir fired, not deep fried, as the name would suggest. I'm not crazy about their plov (lamb rice pilaf). But everything else is fantastic. read more

I'm so glad I was already at Coney Island so I could try this place. I definitely would not travel 45 min to come here exclusively but it was good food. I love that they proudly serve halal meat even though their customer base seems not to be Muslim at all. Lots of local Russians and Chinese people seem to love it here. I tried all the dishes recommended here. I had the fried manti which were mostly onion but they were really tasty. The pilaf was delicious, crispy pieced of lamb on top and great crunch to the rice. The fried lagman was good but the noodles were amazing, chewy and tender. The kebabs were so unexpected, heavily seasoned with sweet and smoky spices. Cooked perfectly, the lamb kebab had chunks of fat threaded between pieces of meat. Every dish was heavy handed with the oil, mostly meat and carb menu. The service, my goodness was so slow and the poor waiters were stretched very thin. Take a look at the menu and order everything as soon as you sit down including drinks tea and dessert!!!!!! Don't give them a chance to walk away. As for ambiance ummmmm there is none, just eat your food and leave. read more

I have never had Uygur food before so this reviewer has no comparison point. Nevertheless my taste buds really enjoyed the mix of flavors this place had to offer. I ordered more food than I could handle of course since I would not be back to New York for a while. I liked how the restaurant paced the food service. I am not sure if that was intentional or if they were just making it slowly. We basically were served one dish at a time so nothing was cold. I like lamb and this restaurant had a lot of lamb dishes. So that's a plus for me. Some people may think the lamb is too gamey so they won't like this place. I ordered lamb and beef kabobs which were very tender. the Lagman soup I ordered reminded me of a Chinese/Russian borscht soup with noodles. If you have eaten borscht soup in the Los Angeles, CA San Gabriel Valley Chinese cafes, then you know what I mean. The samsa and manti seemed like the same thing to me. One was baked and one was a dumpling. But nevertheless both were very flavorful and yummy. Service was slow. I'm not sure why however I was so excited about eating Uygur food that I neglected to remember details about the mediocre service. read more

This was my first experience of Uygur food, and while I suspect they're really serving a mashup of styles, the meal was both unusual and delicious. The food was hearty, fairly heavy, and robustly spiced. It was full of nuance, though, and everything was perfectly cooked and fresh. The lamb on the kebabs was remarkable for the price. The appetizers were the most interesting part of the meal, and the most varied. Including the kim-chi(!) which was as good as any I've had in K-town. I'm not sure what this was doing on the menu, but it worked. It would be worth coming back a few times, maybe with a bigger group, to sample more of the appetizers. The menu goes on and on. Service is casual, the lighting institutional, the mood lively. And the prices are impossible to complain about. Great find. read more

Awesome service, food was amazing. Seems to be run by a family who really care and passionate about the food they serve. Loved it :)

We ordered lamb shish kebab and their bread. It took a while and seemed for me that in other places shish kebab usually got ready quicker. Therefore, you know what, waiting worse that. Shish kebab was well cooked and very tasty. I went there especialy for liver shish, but they said it is finished. I was a little disappointed. read more

This was my first time trying Uzbeki food and I loved it even more than I expected. The Samsa is awesome. Like a Samosa filled with meat, onions, and tons of fat. Heavy but a must have. You can get it steamed or fried/baked. I'd go with steamed to lighten it up a bit. They sell skewers of meat and we tried the chicken, lamb, lamb ribs, and ground beef. The lamb ribs were 10/10. Tender and melty meat that still has a nice bite and chew off the tiny bones. The ground beef made me do a double-take, a literal I turned my head twice in disbelief double take. The chicken and lamb were decent but pale in comparison to the first two. Their bread is huge, when I ordered two the waiter warned me and he was right. One is plenty for 3-4 people. I also had the Lagman which is a noodle dish that has the look of Chinese noodles with meat and veggies but the cumin-y taste of middle eastern food. It was a very nostalgic taste for me. Overall still the best Uzbeki food I've had, and one of the best places in general. read more

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Food is great no doubt. Cozy and pretty clean cafe. Service is a little slow, but when you get food, you will forgot about everything! read more