Frnds — a pizzeria and coffee shop on the left bank of Astana

The left bank never lets you settle: new blocks fill up faster than you learn their names, something is always being built between the towers, and in the evening the riverfront collects everyone who survived the working day. Frnds lives at the same tempo. We're at 25 Sagadat Nurmagambetov Street in the Esil district, open daily from 09:00 to 23:00. A quick coffee before a meeting, a laptop hideout between calls, the whole crew brought in for the evening with plates pushed to the middle of the table — all of that counts as normal here, and none of it requires adjusting to us.

About the pizza, you only need one number: the dough ferments for 48 hours. It matures slowly in the cold and only then meets the oven — that's where the light, airy crust comes from, and the feeling of finishing a whole pizza without carrying it inside you till morning. We bake our own bread, make our own sauces, and the pasta is fresh, not shaken out of a box. This way takes longer and costs more, but it's more honest — and you taste the difference from the first slice, no waiter's commentary required.

The coffee half of Frnds isn't a side counter bolted onto a pizzeria — it's an open bar with a character of its own. We brew 100% arabica, and the early espresso before the office gets the same respect as a freelancer's fourth cappuccino. Not a coffee day? Take a tea or a lemonade, sit by the window and watch the left bank hurry somewhere — far more pleasant from here than from inside the rush. The bar is open in the literal sense: you can see exactly who is building your cup and from what while you pick a dessert.

The rest is simple. If you're on this side of the river, come over: 25 Sagadat Nurmagambetov Street, the sign is visible from the pavement. If the day has strapped you to a chair, open WhatsApp, type +7 707 480 92 15, and Frnds' own delivery will bring lunch to your office or your flat still hot. Picking an order up on your way past works too: name the time and it will be packed for your arrival. The kitchen shows itself off on Instagram at @frnds.kz — but until eleven at night, every day, you can also come and study it in person.

Look for us at 25 Sagadat Nurmagambetov Street in the Esil district: Khan Shatyr, Abu Dhabi Plaza and the riverfront are all on this same side of the river.