Things to Eat in Uzbekistan!
This past winter in 2025, I had the pleasure of travelling to Central Asia for the first time to the beautiful country of Uzbekistan.
Uzbekistan is really an underrated culinary destination for foodies!
Prior to the trip, I had some idea of what I must try such as the national dishes like pilaf (plov) or shashlik (kebabs). What I did not expect was how I was able to go on a gastronomic adventure across Uzbekistan. From the cities of Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva!
This guide is a dedicated hall of fame to the most amazing restaurants and dishes I have eaten across the country.
Tashkent
Pro. Khinkali
Location: Pro. Хинкали (Google Maps)
My favourite restaurant in the entire of Uzbekistan!
Pro Khinkali specializes in Georgian cuisine. Eating Georgian cuisine in Uzbekistan was never really part of the plan. However, when we arrived in Tashkent, it was late in the evening and Pro Khinkali was the nearest restaurant to our place. This was our first meal arriving in Uzbekistan and I still wish to experience it all over again! Everything we ordered was well crafted and done to perfection:
- Karcho
- Khinkali
- Chashushuli
- Crispy Eggplant Salad
- Cakes
The Napoleon cake was so mindblowingly good that we even crowned it as the best cake we had so far in our lives.
Service was top-notched but pricey though! Our meal for 3 came up to a total of 900K+ Uzbek Soms. We later found out that Pro Khinkali was a restaurant chain under the Novikov group of restaurants. With multiple outlets in Russia and only two outlets in Tashkent.
It is highly recommended to make a reservation in advance when dining here. When we there, it was already 10pm and the restaurant was still packed full of locals with a seemingly never ending stream of guests arriving. We did not reserve and was lucky to get a seat, albeit a 30 minutes wait.
Besh Qozon
Location: Besh Qozon near TV Tower (Google Maps)
When in Uzbekistan, you definitely need to eat like the locals and that is to try their national dish: Plov (or Pilaf/Palov). Plov is a hearty and flavourful one-pot dish combining rice, meat, carrots, chickpeas and raisins. It is best eaten when shared!
You can generally find plovs in many local restaurants across Uzbekistan with each region differing with their own method of cooking. What I reccommend is to seek out one of the many plov centres like Besh Qozon. This is where you can witness the every step of creating this important Uzbekistan dish and in large scale amounts.
Besh Qozon specialises Tashkent-style plov where all the ingredients are fried and mixed together in a single pot. The plov here is also served with a slice of horse sausage (kazy).
It was certainly a hearty meal! I loved the rich flavours of every scoop of rice. Our meal for 3 with drinks in total was around 250k Uzbek Soms!
Samarkand
Samarkand Plov Otash Osh
Location: Samarkand Plov Otash Osh near Shah-i-Zinda necropolis (Google Maps)
My absolute favourite plov restaurant across my entire trip to Uzbekistan! Samarkand Plov Otash Osh, as the name obviously implies, serves Samarkand plovs.
Samarkand plovs are prepared such that every ingredient is first cooked separately in a large pot. Then, it is assembled with all the ingredients layered separately on the rice.
I recalled the day I visited this lovely local shop. We just ended our city tour of Samarkand, it was snowing and we were cold and hungry. We came just in time for last batch of the lunch crowd and we were lucky to snag a seat. The restaurant was full of locals already dining and many were still lining up in front of the single giant cauldron where the plov is prepared.
The plov was fantastic and the hot tea did a great of job warming us up! The tenderness and flavour of the braised beef was what set this plate of plov apart from the test. Each spoon rice was further enhanced with the homemade yogurt. We have eaten many plovs across Uzbekistan and this was the best one we had.
Our meal of 2.5 servings of plovs for 3 person were only 180K Soms with complimentary side dishes! Samarkand Plov Otash Osh opens only from 11am to 2pm. So plan your visit in advance!
Shokhrukh Nur
Location: Shokhrukh Nur opposite Registan Square (Google Maps)
Shokhrukh Nur comprises the essence of local dining in Uzbekistan! Shashlik, bread and tea with the usual awesome Uzbek hospitality. The chicken shashliks was amazing! The homemade salsa and yogurt make amazing bread dips.
It was extremely value! We ordered plenty for 3 and everything came up to only 180K Soms. Our waiter graciously provided complimentary salsa and yogurt to pair with our unfinished bread which we packed to go for our breakfast the next day!
Bukhara
Joy Chaikhana Lounge
Location: Joy Chaikhana Lounge (Google Maps)
Joy is a must visit whenever you are in Bukhara! What I love about Joy was their extensive menu, offering much more variety outside of your typical Uzbek cuisine.
The dishes we ordered were all great!
- Pumpkin Samsa
- Pumpkin Manti
- Mastava
- Plov
- San Sebastian Cheesecake and Honey Cake
I often lament at the fact that we didn’t had more chances to dine at Joy when we were in Bukhara to try out their other dishes. Perhaps it was the low winter season or lunch, but the ambience felt right nice and cosy!
They have two sections in the same area, with a new indoor section and an old area. Make sure you try to get seated in the old area as it is much nicer! There is a live band performance at 8pm but we did not manage to catch it. Everything came up to just under 500K Soms.
Ayvan
Location: Ayvan (Google Maps)
Ayvan is a restaurant within the Lyabi House Hotel, specialising continental cuisine. Dining at Ayvan was quite memorable as we had a great Christmas dinner here! The beautifully decorated interior of the restaurant enhanced the ambience.
The beef tongue salad was really intriguing, it was well mixed with the rest of the ingredients. The beef with mashed potatoes and crispy eggplant salad were my favourites!
The service was top notch as well. Our waiter made sure we were well taken care of and even helped to hang and put on our coats. Our meal for 3 in total was around 660K Soms.
Afsona
Location: Afsona (Google Maps)
Afsona offers a modern contemporary take on traditional Uzbekistan cuisine! The bread dips were special, allowing you to try an assortment of Uzbekistan flavours. I loved the chicken shashliks, chicken masala and fried beef here!
The food serves as a great introduction to Uzbekistan cuisine and might even fare well in countries with an international food scene like Singapore. Our meal for 3 cost around 500K Soms. We later found out Afsona was a restaurant chain with other outlets, we even went for a second time back in Tashkent.
Donuts and Coffee
Location: Donuts and Coffee (Google Maps)
Donuts and Coffee was a nice place to get breakfast around the Lyabi Khause Square in Bukhara. Their specialty is in their name, literally donuts and coffee. What makes this place special are their freshly baked donuts and are always baked to order! There were two flavours: either milk or white chocolate, and topped with your choice of nuts. The donuts were very soft and as fresh as it can get.
Eating freshly baked donuts was a first for me! Our breakfast including coffee and an omelette was around 200K Soms.
Markaziy Bozor Nuts & Tea
Location: Markaziy Bozor (Google Maps)
When in Uzbekistan, you definitely need to check the nuts offering here! There is a huge variety to choose from and are often great value!
Markaziy Bozor is not a typical restaurant but rather the central market of Bukhara! The market complex is huge where each section of the market offering different products such as meat, fruits, breads and nuts.
The nuts section of Markaziy Bozor is located at the central indoor area and is quite easy to spot. Here you will find many vendors alike displaying their selection of nuts and some offering you to sample them with tea! Sampling is free but of course do not forget to choose your favourites and purchase some home to support the vendors!
There are markets like Markaziy Bozor in other cities, Siyab Bazaar (Samarkand) and Chorsu Bazaar (Tashkent) – with each of them having their own charm, so do take the time to visit every one of them!
Khiva
SULTAN
Location: Sultan (Google Maps)
Sultan was an unexpected find and seems to be a hidden gem as they were the only restaurant in that area beside the Islam Khoja Minaret. They specialize in the Khiva flavour of Uzbekistan cuisine.
There some Khiva-only dishes that you absolutely should try here like ijjan – it is most similar to beef tartare. My favourites were the eggplant wrap with cheese, beef with mashed potatoes and fried lagman (noodles).
The eggplant wrap with cheese was the best I have eaten! The eggplant was crispy outside yet soft on the inside. Every bite tasted like heaven.
Outside of winter, the dining on the terrace offers an amazing view of Khiva. Our meal for 3 was just under 550K Soms.
Terrassa Cafe & Restaurant
Location: Terrassa Cafe & Restaurant (Google Maps)
Terrassa was a place I knew I wanted to try coming to Khiva and they did not disappoint! They specialises in the Khiva flavour of Uzbekistan cuisine. We came here twice to make sure we tried all Khiva dishes!
We tried these Khiva only dishes:
- Barak – Dumplings but flatter, filled with either eggs or herbs. Similar to a ravioli.
- Shivit Oshi – Green noodles topped with potatoes / beef stew and yogurt
- Khiva Plov – Plov with a very light profile compared to other regions
The shivit oshi is my favourite dish here and in Khiva, I felt that I could eat this all day! The noodles are prepared al dente and was a killer combination with the sauces. It was like eating a really good pasta.
Khiva plov was something that I enjoyed as it was really unique. The plov was lighter in appearance and taste compared to other regions but it was certainly not bland. Almost like a healthier version I could continue eating without feeling too guilty.
A trip to the Itchan Kala definitely isn’t complete without a meal at Terrassa. Outside of winter, dinner time meant you could enjoy a beautiful sunset overlooking the city. Our meal for 3 was just under 500K Soms.
