Hello friends. After returning from Dilijan, we had a full day of activities in Yerevan. Today I will talk about the market, the food, the prices and some interesting places we visited.
First we went to a market called Petak. We decided to go inside to check the prices and see what they were selling.
Right next to the market, we noticed a long row of street food stalls. There were a lot of people here. Doner kebabs, shashlik… There was also a wide selection of salads. We went to the meat section, where they were also selling pastries, kebabs and sausage rolls. The price of a doner kebab ranges between 2 and 2.5 euro. If you visit this market and are hungry, there is a huge street food area at the entrance. Everything looks quite delicious.
When we entered the market, its size was impressive. It is really big. I think you can find everything here. There are all the essentials for barbecuing. I saw an electric tandoor, priced at around 55 euro. Skewers were also being sold for about 1100 drams, which is roughly 2.5 euro. You can also find everything you need for canning. Right next to this section, various cognacs were being sold, with prices ranging from 5 euro to 10 euro. I noticed a particular golden cognac that was priced at 9 euro. It was a five year old cognac. Pastirma and sausages were also available. The price of pastirma per kilogram was about 88000 drams, which is roughly 23 euro. There were also coffee beans, with prices ranging between 10 and 15 euro.
There was a wide variety of nuts and dried fruits as well. Prices generally ranged from 10 euro to 12 euro. We saw products like tangerines, apricots and almonds. There was also a local version of Snickers. We tried the small ones and I must say, they were quite tasty. Pistachios and hazelnuts were priced between 12 and 20 euro.
The market had bags, household items, ceramic sets and many other things. You could also buy supplies for a trip to the lake or beach, such as a volleyball or any beach essentials. Everything was indoors and the air conditioning was working, which was a great advantage since it was quite hot outside.
On the second floor we saw mostly lighting products and chandeliers. They were also selling watches, shoes and clothes. Women's trousers were priced at around 10 euro. Shoes and bags were also quite affordable. You could find phone accessories, lamps and speakers. Basically, anything you might need at home. They were even selling old-fashioned button phones. There were plenty of options and the prices were quite reasonable.
Bargaining was possible here. The prices of dried fruits generally ranged between 10 and 15 euro, while spices were around 10 euro. However, fresh food products were limited. Only a small section had cheese, sausages and similar items. We were recommended to check out "Bangladesh Market" but we couldn’t find out where it was.
Across from the covered market, the open-air market continued. Household items and cleaning products were sold there. Pastirma and sausages were available at almost every corner and of course, Ararat cognac was also being sold.
After that we visited another recommended location: a popular place known as "SAS Food Court". It was said to have a great variety of food options at reasonable prices. When we entered, it was indeed very crowded. The area included juice stalls, restaurants, supermarkets and pharmacies. But for us, the most interesting part was the food court.
Here, they were selling pasta, sushi, barbecue, doner kebabs and fresh lavash. There were also different types of chicken dishes, french fries, cheese balls and homemade meals. The prices of sushi and pasta generally ranged between 5 euro and 10 euro, while set menus cost around 35 euro to 40 euro. They also had shashlik, with prices between 2.5 euro and 10 euro. Fish, salmon, mushrooms and vegetables were also being grilled. Overall there was a great variety of food.
And homemade dishes were available, including dolma, meat dishes, fish and rice. The desserts and ice creams were quite affordable. For example, a scoop of ice cream was about 1.2 euro.
We ordered a few dishes and spent around 9 euro in total. The food was delicious and filling. The barbecue dishes, in particular, had a sweet and aromatic taste.
Then we entered the SAS supermarket to check the prices. Imported alcoholic beverages were quite expensive. For example, a bottle of gin cost around 55 euro. However, local cognacs and wines were much more affordable, ranging from 5 euro to 10 euro. We didn’t know why there was such a big price difference.
Later we went to the Cascade. Apparently there had been an escalator there for a long time, but we had never noticed it before. Thanks to the escalators, it was easy to reach the top. The view was beautiful, but unfortunately Mount Ararat was not visible at the time.
Near the Cascade there is an ice-skating rink during winter. It is centrally located, right in the heart of the city.
There are also many cafés and restaurants in the area. We had a special dinner reservation at a restaurant called A Restaurant for Two. Here you can book a private room and dine exclusively with your companion.
The restaurant had a romantic and elegant atmosphere. There were golden chandeliers and stylish decorations. Our private room was also beautifully decorated. We ordered a special set menu, which included antipasti, salad, a main course and dessert. Our antipasti plate had ham, cheese, nuts and vegetables. The salad was made of avocado, cucumber and quinoa. The main course was a well-done ribeye steak covered in edible gold leaf. For dessert we had a chocolate and hazelnut cake.
The total cost of this dinner was 100 euro per person. However, the ambiance and presentation were excellent. That concluded our night and I hope you enjoyed my post.See you soon.