In the most colorful street of Gyumri, Rustaveli, where the cafes of the wealthy residents of Aleksandropol were located at the end of 1800s, and where famous people gathered to drink coffee, talked about the city’s past, and conclude various deals, a new tourist center was opened 2.5 years ago with the investment of businessmen Arman Sahakyan and Vardan Sirmakes. This center is an interesting and unique address.
These two businessmen renovated four historic houses within the “Kumayri Reserve-Museum” and turned them into restaurants, preserving their architectural appearance and historical and cultural value. These structures date back to the 1840s. In 2017, when the businessmen acquired the buildings, they were in a neglected state. They completely renovated them, keeping the interior close to the historical appearance of the structures.
There are three restaurants at 29 Rustaveli Street: the famous “Basturma Shop and Grill Bar,” the newly opened “Miro,” and the Syrian “Al Ahwaz” restaurants. According to the travel site Tripadvisor, “Basturma Shop and Grill Bar” is the top restaurant in Gyumri by the number of visitors. About 75 restaurants and cafes operating in Gyumri are registered on Tripadvisor, but “Basturma” has held the top spot for two years.
Armen Charkhifalakyan, co-founder and executive director of “Basturma” and “Miro” restaurants, told us that a small part of the restaurant also serves as a shop where they sell unique Armenian dried meat – basturma. He said they combined Armenian basturma with American burgers to create a dish with a unique taste. “We make burgers tasty and right, not with homemade cutlets. In Armenia, burgers are mostly prepared by adding bread, onions, greens, and we show a professional approach. An important feature of our burgers is their juicy and uniform texture; we use only Angus beef, with no additives.
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It often happens that people from Yerevan specially come to us to eat burgers, saying that there is no such delicious burger even in Yerevan. ‘Basturma’ was opened in 2021, and 60-70 percent of our menu is prepared on a charcoal grill, which gives a completely different taste. That’s why our burgers differ from others,” says Armen Charkhifalakyan.
On May 11 of this year, the “Miro” restaurant also opened at the same address, offering a menu that includes both Armenian and European dishes. According to the restaurateur, the design of “Miro” restaurant is also a highlight. They tried to create spaces where guests can have warm, intimate private conversations. There is also a section where it is possible to sit at a computer, work, and drink coffee, away from the noise.
Hrat Alaibozanyan, a Syrian Armenian, opened another restaurant at this address. The name of the restaurant is “Al Ahwaz.” Hrat moved to Gyumri in 2023 and opened his own restaurant. “I love Yerevan very much, but I saw that it is a very busy city, Gyumri is a much calmer place, the city is calm, the people are calm, and most importantly, the old structures are preserved. It remands me of Aleppo in that antiquity. We decided to name the restaurant after the cafe we have in Syria, ‘Al Ahwaz.’ It’s the name of a street in Aleppo, a Christian neighborhood, where our cafe has been operating since 2021.”
The staff of the Syrian restaurant includes both locals from Gyumri and Syrians who have started to adapt to Gyumri. “We are trying to preserve the color of Syrian Armenians. We have tried to make our cuisine different by taking dishes from different world cuisines and preparing them in the style of a sandwich. We make it financially affordable not only for tourists but also for local people. We will be happy if many Gyumri people visit us and become our main customers,” says Hrat Alaibozanyan.
He notes that he designed all his restaurants, factories, and shops himself, striving to present the modern with the old while preserving the old as well.
By the way, businessmen Arman Sahakyan and Vardan Sirmakes have created about 80 jobs in their restaurants alone. In “Basturma” and “Miro” restaurants, most employees are from Gyumri, but there are also Russians who are learning Armenian while working.
