When you are in Yerevan, you may have the feeling that there are no pre-Soviet buildings at all. By choosing this place, I want to erase that impression for here you are going to see a late 19th century house now serving as a restaurant and art gallery.
This is a must see place. First, because it's absorbed in art and second, everything is very delicious here. It’s even possible to combine aesthetic leisure and shopping here. So, when you visit Dalan, you are going to enter its souvenir shop first. It is located in a narrow corridor, surprisingly leading to a nice courtyard. In the right season, you're going to find a café under vines.
Enjoy a cup of coffee or beer here and take your time to explore the surrounding adorned with awesome artifacts: ceramics and paintings decorate some of the walls and a nicely up-cycled Soviet track with a piano provide a stage for evening concerts. If the café is closed, you are going to go upstairs inside that 19th century house with its authentic interior. The restaurant is located to the left and the art gallery is on the right side.
Temporary exhibitions are held here very often, so there is a chance that you will get introduced to Armenian artists. Don’t forget to have a look over Abovyan street from the restaurant balcony. Now, imagine there are no modern high buildings destroying the harmony of this street. Right, now you are in old Yerevan!
Explore Yerevan like a local with Spotted by Locals - discover hidden gems and all our locals’ favourites! Get full access to our Yerevan guide.
It truly is a Soviet masterpiece considering its unique design and build: it is part metro station, part cavern and, once upon a time, part cafe.
By
"Homeland Handycrafts" in Yerevan is a social enterprise designed to revive traditional Armenian crafts while employing the most vulnerable population...
By
The "Open Air Cinema" in Yerevan in Moscow Cinema has a rich history, and Soviet ruin-porn enthusiasts can access the building all-year round, too!
By
By
"Hanrapetutyan Street" in Yerevan is one of the most central in the city, yet there is so much to see here. The buildings are really beautiful and old...
By
"Ardēan": a center for art, architecture and design that has its gallery shop on Abovyan street in Yerevan. I like how they combine technology & tradition.
By
The "Mermaids of the Underground" in Yerevan is a sculpture from 1981. The mermaids wear nothing but their hair, which was quite unusual for its time...
By
The "Komitas Museum" in Yerevan is one of my favorite ones in the city. It gets me thinking about what Armenian music really is about...
By
"Shengavit" is an impressive 6000-year-old settlement which is preserved even better than Yerevan's old town! It was an accidental discovery in the 1930s.
By
"Melancholia" is a statue in Yerevan that truly expresses the feeling that has been increasingly affecting humankind in the last century...
By
The "Cross-stone Makers" in Yerevan follow a tradition that goes back to 879 AD. The masters' metal tools on the stone create a meditative sound for me...
By
"Calumet Ethnic Lounge Bar": THE place for good music in Yerevan. I don't come as often as I'd like to because of the smoke, but it's a must at least once.
By
142 Insider Tips from our local Spotters
Authentic Stories by Real People
Escape the crowd & travel slow 🐌
✓ 142 Insider Tips from our local Spotters