Get ready for a party of savory flavors!
Eating well isn’t hard to do in a city like Tashkent, with numerous options spanning from European to Asian menus. But, what’s the point of traveling all the way to Uzbekistan if we don’t indulge in local flavors and beloved national dishes. Here are some of the best restaurants in Tashkent for traditional Uzbek cuisine, so you can stuff you stomach with plov, manti, and tons of lepeshka bread.
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Besh Qozon Pilaf Center
One of the most popular restaurants to taste Uzbekistan’s national dish, plov, is at Besh Qozon. The tasty rice dish consists of carrots and different kinds of meat, like: beef, lamb chicken or horse; all prepared together in a giant heated kazan, or cauldron. This two-story restaurant is often filled with both locals and travelers, while the open kitchen on the ground floor is an aquarium-style entrance so diners can observe exactly the way chefs cook plov, which isn’t difficult to love. Flavorful, fragrant and delicious!
Most popular pilaf restaurant in Tashkent. PHOTO WENDY HUNGChorsu Bazaar
The main market in Tashkent is Bazaar Chorsu, which is essentially the heartbeat of this bustling city. Bazaars have always played an imperative role among merchants and traders for business, social and entertainment purposes. Today, Chorsu remains busy under its unchanged blue dome since the 11th century. Fresh meats, aromatic spices, beautiful fruits and vegetables can be browsed and bought in this lively market. Don’t miss glorious rock sugars that glisten vendor stalls, while the bakery section is wildly eye-opening. Fresh Uzbek breads enchantingly toasting inside traditional tandyr (clay oven.) Chorsu is where local lives make its mark, where customs run deep and flavors pour through genuine human interactions.
Breads warmly baked inside traditional tandyr (clay oven.) PHOTO WENDY HUNGKhiva Restaurant
Hyatt Regency Tashkent Hotel’s restaurant, Khiva, serves up lovely traditional Uzbek dishes. In a sophisticated setting, travelers can indulge in tasty delights like plov and manti. What’s even better is that lepeshka bread is completely made from scratch. Spending around USD $10-20 per person is considered on the pricier side, but well worth it for the friendly service and delicious food.
FACEBOOK Khiva RestaurantCafe 1991
Situated near Amir Timur Square is Cafe 1991 where many consider it as one of the best restaurants in Tashkent for traditional Uzbek cuisine, with a Lebanese flair. The interior design is a throwback to Arabian nights, offering a retro but cozy dining environment. Don’t forget to order some eggplants, kebabs, and homemade desserts. Note: there’s even a separate menu for vegetarians!
FACEBOOK Cafe 1991 
Afsona
Afsona is known for high-end Uzbek cuisine, prepared and served in gorgeous presentation. There is an open-kitchen and traditional tandyrs clay oven, allowing full transparency on the ways that each delectable dish is baked and cooked. Afsona modernizes Uzbek dishes with a healthier approach. Hence, the entire dining experience is satiated with design, style and very good taste.
FACEBOOK Afsona RestaurantMANDU – Hadra
Manti is one of the main dishes in Central Asia that every traveler must try. They’re essentially steamed dumplings, stuffed with vegetables or meat. For wonderfully made manti, head over to Mandu where different fillings and sauces are available for dumpling lovers. Like a proper dim sum, they’re typically cooked in wooden steamers and cost around USD $0.40-0.50 each.
INSTAGRAM @mandu_mantiCaravan
Caravan is one of the originals in Tashkent, and much of today’s ambiance fortunately retains its original warmth. There’s also an art café, studio and gallery attached to the family-run restaurant, which celebrates the rich heritage of Uzbek culture. Despite that Caravan also serves European dishes, it’s the Uzbek flavors that travelers come here for, especially on Thursdays when the dish du jour happens to be the national food: plov.
FACEBOOK Караван Групп