If you're going to take the train all the way out to Coney Island / Brighton Beach, I find there to be only 3 rational dining choices: 1. Nathan's Hot Dogs 2. A 6-hour banquet at Tatiana on Friday or Saturday night when the circus-show will come by 3. Uighur food at Cafe Kashkar The food here is amazing. Grilled lamb, chicken, and beef flavored with peppers and spices, especially cumin. Huge dumplings, steamed or fried, and so large that each one takes multiple bites to consume. They also specialize in home-made noodles which you can get a variety of ways (in a soup, boiled, or fried) and fried is apparently the best because it was so good we ordered a second round of them. Lamb ribs are to die for. I could go on and on. We literally had a feast with for people for $75 total. The staff speak english so there is no need to worry about that. BYOB, no corkage fee, so come stocked with big bold red wines to pair with this excellent food. read more

Went back here and honestly, the food was even better than I remembered. Communication and service were still not the greatest but for the price this place is amazing. read more

Great location right near the beach and subway, with one table outside and more inside. It's not a huge restaurant but there's enough room for a small party. There are a few vegetarian and vegan options, but mostly this is a meat and fish restaurant. I recommend the mixed salad and the kharum. Excellent homemade berry kompot! Prices are reasonable, and despite the reviews, the service was fine. It probably helps if you speak Russian. Gender neutral restroom. read more

As fate would have it, I parked right outside Cafe Kashkar after reading the positive buzz on Yelp. One meal later, I am moved to contribute to this buzz and eat there over and over. I had only two dishes, the manty and the French fries, but each was independently worth five stars. The service was five stars. And the decor was vibrant and memorable. The prices are in the basement, and I'm in the sky just remembering it. Rich, wholesome manty dumplings, no sauce needed. The fries were bathing in oil, but had a depth of flavor seldom encountered in any dish. Bravo! read more

Cafe Kashkar - French Fries ***** - Turkish Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

First time trying Uyghur Cuisine and not going to lie it was a new taste for me but I loved it. The food was made in a very authentic way and the taste was amazing. read more

Cafe Kashkar - Turkish Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Is this what Genghis Khan ate? He may be too far east but may walk through Silk Road to get some. I thank you to Lackadaisical N. for an info about where this food is from (half Kazakh and Uzbek). Definitely I tasted Chinese, Indian, Arab and Russian. It was a complex melody of flavors and was much fun to experienced something new. Although they gave us English menu with pictures, I had to ask what I was eating but no one spoke English I love this kind of experience. It felt I was in somewhere not in America. Salad Kashkar $7.50 - It was a depth in flavor. I could not figure out what's making it but it was definitely a good mixture of cultures. soy sauce & chili, lam fat(?), and some spices. My first bite I felt was light and greasy and it was a bit salty but was really good. Fried Lagman $7.50 - stir fried noodles with veggies and ? Uneven shape noodles (hand pulled?) was chewy but pleasant. Monty (4 fist size dumplings for $7) - This dish was ordered after we already ate some dishes because most of the table had them and looked good. It was tasty but too greasy for me after eating greasy dishes. I definitely go back to try more new things but I limit to couple and try something high acidity, lemon or vinegared dish to balance off the greasiness. read more

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I visited this restaurant for the first time 3 months ago and since then been this restaurant already 5 times. I am hooked to their "Laghman", its so delicious. However, they add 20-25% gratuity for dine-in and I think it's a bit on the higher end. Please re-check the bill to make sure that if GRATUITY is already added. Taste - 5/5 Service - 4/5 Location - 5/5 Value for Money - 1/5 (THEY ADD 20-25% GRATUITY FOR DINE-IN) read more

One of the best meals I've had in a long, long time! I personally never knew what Uyghur food was like, but as soon as I stepped foot inside this spot I knew I was a fan. Think a LOT of lamb: in noodles, soups, dumplings, and on some of the best skewers I've ever tasted. The dumplings came in all forms, from steamed and bready to deep fried. The fish dishes were also surprisingly tasty and well-cooked, as well as their tomato, onion, and pepper salad. How did they manage to get such perfectly sweet and red tomatoes in the dead of NY winter?? The place doesn't serve alcohol but I believe they are ok with BYOB (though there is a sign on the wall with a wine glass with an X over it so I got somewhat mixed messages). The space is decked out with traditional paintings, textiles, and crafts, and there's a TV in the corner playing Russian deep house music videos. In other words, this place is perfection. read more

Absolutely delicious and reasonably priced. The chicken kebab and manty were especially good.

Okay, I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that the folks at Kashkar took your previous negative reviews to heart and made some changes. I walked in here bracing myself for bad service and a 20 min wait for my microwaved food. So thanks to all the previous yelpers for setting my expectations low. However I'm glad they didn't stop me from going. We went there at 2pm on Saturday for lunch and while it was empty when we walked in, it filled up quickly. Our waitress was lovely, our food came quickly, there was no sign of a microwave, and it was all awesome. We had the samsas and the lagman. The only negative was that our water tasted like onions. Not sure if that was a Brighton beach water issue or what, but we just ordered some tea and skipped the water. We ordered extra samsas to go. I'll be going back here for sure, with a group and alcohol in tow so we can sample the menu proper. read more

1. It's far. If you're coming from Manhattan, it'll take more than an hour to get there. 2. It seems authentic. Most of the customers spoke something I didn't understand. I don't really know if someone "looks Uyghuric". Eat Club, our group, was half Japanese, but the Asian customers here looked very different. 3. It's tastey. The kebabs are familiar, but the addition of special spices (cumin?) makes all the meat taste different, something new. The "Uyghur ravioli" I forget the name, was outstanding. 4. They charge for tea. 5. It's Muslim. That means no pork or booze. 6. It's friendly. The cook, waiter and fellow customers were friendly and sociable. There were a lot of regulars and they welcomed the guests. 7. It's COLD. I guess they need to save money on heat, but no one took his/her coat off inside. We saw one young woman (the customers seem to be mostly men) who ate wearing gloves. Bottom line: worth a visit, but you might want to pick a warm day. read more

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Feels just like home! Warm and friendly owners and delicious and filling food. East Turkmenistani food is perfect for a cold winter day. Definitely worth the trip. read more

Cafe Kashkar - Turkish Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

As someone with Uyghur and Uzbek ancestry, this place held a big place in my heart for years! But the quality has drastically dropped. We were there by 3PM on a Tuesday and they were already out of many menu items. One of the owners did let us know that their master chefs are back in Uzbekistan and that trainees have been cooking, but you're still being charged master prices. Not to mention we were charged an additional $9 service tax (which isn't the tip) for big groups when it was only three of us. The Kyrgyz couple next to us also complained about the prices. The server's Russian was also quite poor and he wasn't very attentive, didn't give us any recommendations when we asked for them and spoke quite offhandedly. I wouldn't go back but if you're an American looking for the bare minimum, go for it. read more

This is far the best lagman spot in entire New York. Clean, cozy place with decent music. Excellent service, great suggestions for first time visitors and most importantly delicious lagmans. Came here with my friend and we both enjoyed it. We will be back for sure! read more

Cafe Kashkar - Turkish Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Been here a few times and it is always good. We usually get the Lagman Noodles, Kompot, and Samsa; all of which are very flavorful. I've tried ordering take out once, but it was too difficult to communicate with the person due to language barrier (so, knowing Russian helps a lot), so I gave up. The dining-in experience is pretty casual, the staff are moderately attentive, and I find the place to be somewhat cozy. We'll definitely continue to come back. read more

I love this place! Ladies, thank you! For the sound of home, home food, nice chatting with you too. O! Lagman... I used to do home made pasta for it: so time and work taking... but your lagman is like i did myself! read more

Cafe Kashkar - Turkish Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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I'm in love! The food here is amazing! Much better then some areas & there attempt to provide rich food isn't easy. This place has a great portion sized plates. Their Lagman soup is amazing! I am so used to the plov which I didn't order this time, because of all the great options! The green-tea was good, their steamed dumplings are amazing! The lamb & chick kabobs are perfect!! The theme could do improvements, but who's there to eat the look of the place? I do agree it hold them back, but you'll need to look past it. The service we had on a Thursday night was fair.. he did suggest us and help us making our order. Oh yeah, must try their naan! I'll be coming back for sure! I have to order their lamb chops again! read more

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Self-acclaimed "Uighur foodie" that I am, I think this place is nothing but a hole-in-a-wall that will disappoint you beyond belief. Don't let the embroidered hats and traditional garment hung high in pride across the walls fool you. I was chagrinned when I saw my food was lackadaisically prepared in the microwave. How could Cafe Kashkar present Uighur food in this manner? I mean it's one thing to have a soviet-esque waiter who will be kind of short with your order, but it's another thing to have a chef prepare your meal sloppily. The customers ranged from all ages and ethnicities - a group of young Uzbeks, sprinkles of babushkas and their grandchildren, and some devout customers. Anyway, I ordered lamb pilaf and the lamb kebobs. I'm used to having my pilaf rice on the thinner-grain side. I'm not sure why the grains were a lot thicker, and the portion was so small. I could barely taste the seasoning or the carrots. The lamb meat tasted like the tender ends of a dog. HOWEVER, the lamb kebobs reminded me of legit Uighur shashliks. I savored every bite of the chunky, seasoned, savory lamb meat. At least Cafe Kashkar did that one right. I don't think I'll make the trek out here if it wasn't for summer and the beaches. I'd rather much rely on my nostalgia of Uighur food than to return back. It's also too bad that I didn't get to try their other entrees but I'd rather much save my money for a better meal. read more

The fried lamb ribs with soy sauce, garlic, tomato, pepper and cheese wasn't as exotic as it sounded, and I didn't notice the cheese, but the ribs were excellent and the sauce was compelling enough that I regretted not getting bread to soak up the leftovers. The assorted pickles were great for a hot day (and an effective psychological counterpoint to high-fat food.) One of the cherry tomatoes was wilted, but the green tomatoes and cabbage were good examples of why more things in the world should be pickled. read more

ordered a lamb kabob, samsa. instant diarrhea. samsa was also cold, and not flaky like a pastry, but more like a manti. won't be coming back. read more

The soups are a must have here. The broth is out of this world good. I'm sure most of what they have here is amazing as I've tried a few different items in my several visits - but the soups are way too good to not order read more

Cafe Kashkar is another excellent Central Asian option in Brooklyn. I like that it's in Brighton Beach, because the local atmosphere walking from the subway is also fun to absorb. The lagman and the lamb shashlik were both great, and their slices of naan bread are quite substantial. A unique aspect of this restaurant is that it is Uyghur and they have a nice historical description of the historic Uyghur oasis city of Kashgar, which is a good introduction to people unaware of this oppressed Turkic people in Xinjiang province in China (Eastern Turkestan). The staff are reserved, but friendly and gracious. The prices are very reasonable, too. read more

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Came here with my boyfriend after recently discovering my Eastern Turkestan roots! We ordered the Lamb Polo & Kebabs- both dishes had such great flavor. I highly recommend you try this place out. read more

Cafe Kashkar - Turkish Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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It was a bit intimating walking in. There were 4 large European men sitting at a table talking loudly and laughing at a European talk show on the TV. One the waiter came over and helped suggest some dishes "everything is good" I felt much better. We tried the Salad Langsai which reminded me of a Korean glass noodle salad with pickled cucumbers, red peppers, garlic and some chive-like vegetable. Next the Samsa which is a flaky pastry filled with minced lamb and onions. That was really juicy and sweet from the onions. Lastly and my favorite was the Geiro Lagman which is small cubes of Lamb with udon-like noodles (but with varying thicknesses) and vegetables in a light tomato sauce. I highly recommend this dish. read more

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Stopped here after an afternoon in the sun at Brighton Beach and I really enjoyed it! The staff (and what appeared to be the owner's family) are extremely accommodating to their guests' needs: willing to honestly point out veggie dishes on the menu for my friend, for example. (For non meat eaters with curious tastebuds, my friend had fried potatoes, yutaza dough and a string bean/broccoli tofu dish). The skewers are, of course, enough of a reason to make the trip for everyone else. The other hot meat dish that I had was extremely fragrant, but the spice flavors might not be for everyone. read more

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Came here excited to try some Uyghur food, but ended up a bit let down. While the restaurant was moderately busy when I came in with my friend, it didn't justify us having to sit around for at least a half hour waiting to be acknowledged/have our order taken and getting ignored multiple times when trying to flag a waitress down. Once she did come, she seemed super disinterested I was put off by how mid-ordering, she turned around to say something to another table and later turned away again to take a mail delivery. 95% of the dishes on the menu are lamb, but we were trying to avoid a lamb overload with our order so decided on two lamb dishes and the sea bass. Unfortunately for us, they were out of sea bass and also trout so we ended up replacing it with another lamb dish, inevitably resulting in a lamb overload. I was admittedly pretty hangry at this point and this may have affected my judgment a bit, but even with that being said, the fried manty was delicious and particularly memorable, and the rest of the food was fine, albeit better-suited to someone who REALLY loves to eat lamb. Cafe Kashkar was an interesting experience overall, but I definitely don't see myself coming back if I ever trek back into Brighton. read more

Mind blowing good food. The ingredients tasted so fresh and flavorful, literally jumps off the dishes. Absolutely spectacular food. A hidden gem in nyc! Highly recommend the soup lagman, the stir fry lamb with steam buns, the momos fried and steamed, and the pilaf. Literally everything was good. If you like spicy food, the hot sauce was amazing!!! read more

This is very small family owned place. The food style is different I was good but not great.. price is ok. Not good for big groups. read more

Cafe Kashkar - Turkish Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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good food but was some what Americanized with the extra vegetables like broccoli. They should keep the original taste of Xinjiang. read more

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The Lagman is the best in that place. Would recommend. I did not have a chance to try any other dishes, but i am sure you wont regret your time and money. Good place in Brighton Beach neighborhood. Was open till late night. read more

This is the gold standard of Uzbek/Uyghur food, and I do not say that lightly. My family is originally from Uzbekistan so we all grew up and have memories of the authentic dishes from the "old country." There are about a handful, maybe a bit more, of authentic restaurants in New York City that claim to preserve these very unique and particular flavors and cooking traditions (i.e. samsa, lagman, manti, shashlik, etc.). Most are scattered throughout Queens and Brooklyn and each have their own take on the traditional recipes and, to be frank, they are all pretty good. Cafe Kashkar, however, takes it to another level entirely. Once can hardly say that their cuisine is a rendition; I think resurrection is the proper term, as crazy as that sounds. They have managed to bring the food to you from another world. The meat used in every dish is perfectly marinated and bursting with flavor; everything is GREASY (as it should be). Frankly, nothing comes close to perfectly prepared lamb grease, caking everything with flavor. I don't know how they do it, but they do. And the Uyghur food (with which we are not really familiar) adds a whole different dimension to the meal. It is like a hybrid of Chinese food but with the traditional Uzbek flavors, which is completely out of this world. Everything here is fantastic, fresh, and full of flavor. Do yourself a favor - grab a bottle of vodka, order a big meal, and have at it. You will not be able to walk afterward but you will feel satiated in a way you probably never have been in your life. read more

The best Uzbeki food I've had. I have frequented this restaurant several times, the food always tastes amazing. For appetizer their manti and moon shaped fried meat stuffed dough is tasty. Their fried lagman, soup lagman, chicken stew with veggies are delicious. And succulent lamb skewers are one of the best. read more

Authentic home cooked Ugyhur food. 100% Halal. I felt like I paid less than what I got. I really enjoyed the food, the serving boy is polite and well mannered. The food order came pretty quick (5-10 mins). I tried Laghman noodles soup, that's amazing. I also had their traditional dessert Nak Nak. My humble five star recommendation for them. read more

Excellent dishes that combine a cross of cultures from China and Eastern Europe. Very flavor and full of spice that smell great and hearty. Cafe Kashkar is located in Little Russia located in Brighton Beach . A hidden little gem that you must visit. The restaurant itself is small and has a homey feel to it. Good food that is served by mama and papa and grandmother feel. I have gone back so many times and finally decided to write a well deserved review! Will keep coming to eat here. read more

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Wow.... just wow. My friend hyped up this place to have fantastic food, so who am I to turn down an opportunity to come here for food? Be ready for amazing food and a fantastic price. We ordered only 3 dishes, but they were so delicious, filling and super protein-rich, we were easily full in the extremely satisfied way. My dilemma: I can't decide which of the dishes we ate I loved more: Manty: Meat dumplings. Delicious, so fresh. We ate it with a side of sour cream and boy was this delicious. Samsa: Layered dough pies with lamb: Gosh... delicious as well. What I enjoyed was that this was so nice and flaky on the outside with tender lamb on the inside. Chebureki: Fried-looking patty with meat on the inside. I loved the crunch of the fried patty and overall this was once again quite delicious. I would be more than happy to come back here and eat this great food again. They are fairly small, looks family run and overall have very personalized and fast service. Worth it to come! read more

I went here because an Uzbek friend said I had to. When I tasted the food I saw why. Everything was rich and delicious, even the bread. Good service and nice sidewalk tables. My entree took a while but when I tasted it I knew it was worth it. I took home enough rich food for 3 meals, 1/2 my appetizer and 2/3 of my entree. Definitely going back to try other things on the extensive menu. read more

Excellent food and good prices. This little spot doesn't look like much from the outside. The only waitress taking our orders was friendly. We ordered a soup, dumplings and pilaf. All 3 were very good. The dumplings were huge! I would come back again. read more

False advertisement. These guys do not deliver. Having spent ~30 min reading reviews and checking out menu, we decided to order for delivery on a saturday night. A gentleman, who didnt even greet me, answered and said they dont do delivery. Please fix you 'business info' section on yelp or be kind enough to fulfill what you put there. read more

Terrible the second time! I've been here before during the day. Two ladies were running it and it was friendly and delicious. There were only 3 people there. But the second time we went was at night. The was full so we waited 30 min on line. There were 4 young men working. this time it was terrible service. The two of us were seated outside and the table spot smelled like dog shit. Lots of mosquitos underneath too. Another russian couple arrived after us but were given menus first. We waited 15min and I finally had to go inside and ask for a menu. When they came to take our order they asked the russian couple next to us first. The couple had to tell them that they should take our order first. Our food was brought to the Russian couple next to us. They had to tell them it was ours. Only one plate was brought but with no cutlery or plates. We got hungry so we ate the dumplings with our hands. When the shishkabov came, we had to ask for a fork. The third plate (a tofu salad) never came. we decided to pay and leave (the dog shit smell was too bad) but I had to go inside to get a check because they never brought it. I told them I would take the salad to go. An hour had gone by since we ordered it. They said it was being made and would be only 5 min more. 20 min later after I paid I finally got the salad in a bag. All this took an hour and 20min since we were seated. They gave us a soda can but never brought a cup. I didn't leave a tip because the service was so bad. The food was delicious but the service was terrible, even when most of the tables had already left. We won't be coming back. read more

This must be how people of other ethnicities feel when they try Chinese food in a legitimate Chinese restaurant for the first time. I only found out about this place after looking at some list of best Chinese restaurants in NY, with this being the last place shown of course it raised some questions. Once those questions were answered (with some staring at yelp) it very quickly rose to the top of the spots I must try. Let me first say that I was pleasantly blown away by the "lagman" along with a couple of other lamb based dishes. But let me go back to that "lagman" which is in the case of this restaurant a stir fried noodle. Immediately upon the impact of the new noodle upon my teeth I knew it was something to write down for the books. I'm not a good judge for this as I've never had the type of noodle but gosh darn is it good for frying. The result is an amazingly spongy and chewy type of noodle that absorbs the flavors around it oh so beautifully. The lack of the final star comes from the fact that I can tell that some of the things are not that great of quality. Namely, I got a flat and fried pancake that was stuffed with meat. Although I'd say it tasted alright it had the feel of something that's been lying around for a while and was only refried or something. I can only assume that there are a couple of other things on the menu that faces a similar problem. Overall if you come here with close to no knowledge of the cuisine listen to the others here. Get things with lamb and do yourself a little favor of trying the lagman. read more