Best Restaurants in Tashkent, Uzbekistan

Even before I moved to Tashkent, I knew that Uzbekistan was famous for its food. After spending almost three years living in this country as an expat, I can definitely attest to the fact that Uzbek food is delicious. Not surprisingly, conversations here frequently revolve around food- it’s always at the center of attention. To my great delight, Tashkent has plenty of excellent restaurants and cafes. Many of these feature Uzbek cuisine, but there are also quite a few excellent international restaurants frequented by both locals and foreigners. As an expat, I find prices at Tashkent restaurants quite reasonable, making eating out not a luxury but just a normal day-to-day experience.

Overview of cafes and restaurants in Tashkent

In Tashkent, everyone will find something which suits their taste. There are plenty of places where you can try local cuisine, which visitors will greatly appreciate. Some of the most popular local dishes I recommend trying include plov, samsa with different fillings, manty (dumplings) and preferably one of the local soups.

If you are in the mood for some other cuisine, like European, Turkish, or American, you won’t be disappointed either. There are also plenty of coffee shops where you can get a cup of delicious coffee or tea and spend a few hours behind your laptop.

For dessert lovers, like myself, Tashkent is paradise. They have some lovely cafes offering delicious desserts of all kinds which will please even the most demanding customers.

There are several local chains which I would recommend: Safia, Cake Lab, Bon! If you want a dessert, you can go to one of these places. My personal favorite is the apple and lemon pie which is served at Cake Lab at Riviera Mall. Delicious!

There are also several Paul cafes in Tashkent, in case you want to go to a restaurant of a well-known brand. Paul offers a lot of good food choices, including soups, salads, sandwiches, pasta and various desserts of course. Pricing is a bit on a high side for Tashkent (you’ll find much cheaper dishes at Bon!) If you want some donuts, there is a Krispy Creme shop here.

List of best restaurants in Tashkent

Some of my favorite choices are listed below. These include both local and international cuisine. I listed diverse choices here: some local restaurants where a delicious meal will cost you next to nothing, some upscale choices for both local and international cuisine, as well as a few of my favorite coffee shops where one can spend an hour drinking some delicious coffee or tea with a piece of cake.

In my view, it’s quite hard to judge which eateries are actually the best restaurants in Tashkent because there are so many good choices. I usually make my judgment based on the following factors: good service, good quality and variety of food, nice decor, reasonable pricing. Any place where I had some issues with food quality or service is excluded from this list of best restaurants in Tashkent. They might have worked for others, but not for me.

In case you want to keep your options open, Tashkent has several popular malls where you can find a lot of good restaurants. Some of my favorites are Riviera, Afraganus and Tashkent City Mall. You can do some shopping and other activities there and then grab a nice meal.

One great area where you will find a lot of great cafes and restaurants is a Gastronomic street in Tashkent’s Mirabad district. It’s located on Taras Shevchenko street (many of these restaurants are reviewed in this blog post). Tashkent’s Gastronomic street is a pedestrian-friendly area with benches and shops. You’ll find a lot of things to do there besides eating.

Central Asian Plov Center (Besh Qozon)

Address: 1 Iftixor ko’chasi, Tashkent Uzbekistan (you can put location as Besh Qozon in the taxi app)

Central Asian Plov Center (Besh Qozon) is one of the best restaurants in Tashkent and a must visit place for any foreigner.

Plov is a famous Uzbek dish. There are over 100 types of plov. Given its importance for national culture, Uzbekistan has established many plov centers throughout the country where you can try the most delicious plov ever at a reasonable price. These places can accommodate a lot of people at the same time. Tashkent has several such plov centers which cater to both locals and tourists. Each place is slightly different and serves a different variety of plov.

My recommendation is to go for the most famous plov center in Tashkent, the Central Asian Plov Center, or Besh Qozon. Be ready that there will be many, many people dining at the plov center, so it will be a bit noisy and crowded. You will see both locals eating their regular meal and tourists, some of them trying plov for the very first time. If you want to avoid crowds, try coming a little earlier than most people (before noon).

A big advantage of plov centers is that plov served there is cooked in a giant cauldron called kazan over fire. I was told that the larger the kazan, the better the plov. One thing to keep in mind is that the menu at the plov center is very simple – plov, bread, samsa, some salads and drinks. They also offer a Turkish menu which includes some meat dishes and salads. Don’t expect a long menu, but I’m sure you won’t be disappointed. This is a place to try plov, like its name says.

Prices are not high and dishes are delicious.

Here is what I spent during my last visit:

Plov (0.7 portion) – $5

Uzbek round bread called Non – $0.5

Tea with lemon (pot) – $0.75

Tomato salad – $1

Prices are minimal, but satisfaction is boundless. Not surprisingly, I consider the place one of the best restaurants in Tashkent to visit.

Lali Restaurant

Address: Massiv Kiyet 57b (close to metro Minor)

If you are looking to try more Uzbek dishes beyond plov and want a more refined setting, go to Lali restaurant.

Lali is a delightful Uzbek restaurant with a wide selection of traditional dishes and excellent customer service. I always like going there for lunch as it’s located not far from where I work. It’s a large restaurant and there are many tables to choose from, so you never get a feeling it’s too crowded. The decorations inside are beautiful, everything is very clean and service is quick and polite. I never have to wait long to get served or for the check.

Food choices are amazing. At Lali they serve a wide variety of soups, which cover both Uzbek and international cuisine. You can try lagman, chuchvara, mastava, shurpa, chicken noodle, meat ball soup etc. There are many types of kebab to choose from (chicken, veal, beef- in different varieties), several types of plov, meat dumplings (“manty”) and other well-known Uzbek dishes. All of the dishes are made in accordance with traditional Uzbek recipes, but adapted to modern tastes. I must confess that I absolutely adore their traditional bread (“lepeshka”). Be careful eating it before the meal, as you might not be able to put it away.

Dodo Pizza

Address: multiple locations (our favorite: Said Barak street 16B)

If you are looking for a delicious pizza and quick service, Dodo pizza is one of the best restaurants you can go to in Tashkent. You can try some of the more traditional types of pizza (Margarita, Pepperoni) or go for Dodo pizza which has a little bit of everything. In addition to pizza, they have a lot of other choices, like different hot sandwiches (e.g., a Dodster), pasta with different sauces, simple choices like chicken nuggets with French fries, and excellent desserts (cheesecakes, apple pie and many other things). Very friendly staff and awesome pizza for a relatively low price. Open 24/7 which is essential.

Other than Dodo, Tashkent has several other pizza places which you will enjoy. They do have Papa John’s pizza in several locations, so you can head there if you are a Papa John’s fan. There is also a local pizza place called Bellissimo Pizza. It’s also delicious and available at various locations, including such malls as Riviera, Afraganus and Depo Mall.

Plov Lounge restaurant

Address: Abdulla Kadiry Street 25

Plov Lounge restaurant is one of the best restaurants in Tashkent. This is an upmarket restaurant with a striking interior featuring a lot of details from the Uzbek culture. If you are looking to go out for a special evening or bring some important business partners to discuss matters over lunch, this would be the right place to go.

Plov Lounge proudly features many amazing signature dishes created by its chef. The menu will appeal to the taste of visitors looking for just a quick bite and those looking for a unique and sophisticated experience.

Unlike some other restaurants I describe in this post, at Plov Lounge you will find a truly comprehensive menu featuring many dishes from both the Uzbek and international cuisine.

If you are interested in trying some Uzbek dishes, like plov, chuchvara or mastava soups, samsa with different fillings, this is a great place to order them.

But if you are in the mood for European cuisine, it’s perfectly fine as well because you will find plenty of familiar choices like different types of fish and meat dishes (file mignon, veal, duck, chicken filet), many varieties of pasta, as well as kebabs of all kinds (veal, beef, chicken, shrimp).

In addition to regular portions, the restaurant also offers some dishes in large portions which would be enough for a big group.

As expected, there is also a good number of desserts including baklava, apple strudel, ice-cream and other choices. The restaurant also offers an extensive list of wines, vodkas, rums, tequilas and other alcoholic drinks. There are many choices of cocktails available, including Cosmopolitan, Mojito, Gin Tonic, Aperol Spritz and other popular choices.

In terms of prices, the cost of meal will greatly depend on what you order. If you are coming for just a regular meal, you’ll probably spend about $40-$50 per person. A soup and a salad will likely cost you about $20. Most meat and fish dishes will cost about $15-25, pasta will be about $10-$15. Cocktails will be $10 and up.

Milliy Taomlar (Magic City)

Location: Magic City Amusement Park (Babur street 174, close metro stops: Kosmonavtlar, Milliy Bog)

Tashkent has a chain of national cuisine (“Milliy Taomlar”) spread throughout the city. These restaurants are very reasonably priced and offer a good variety of local dishes.

If you want to try other Uzbek dishes beyond plov, this is a good chain to go to. The selection is much larger than the one you will find at the plov centers. At Milliy Taomlar, you can try various types of kebabs, soups like shurpa and mastava, popular salads like achichuk or vinegret and others. Prices are low. If you order a salad, a soup and a main course, you’ll likely spend around $10. Service is quick and polite.

While there are various locations for this chain, the restaurant I like the most is the one located in Magic City amusement park. It has an indoor and outdoor seating and is very spacious inside. It’s always a good idea to do some fun stuff at Magic City and then go to Milliy Taomlar for a nice lunch.

Ogni Tashkenta (Tashkent Lights)

Address: Buxoro Kochasi 24 (close to multiple metro stops: Kosmonavtlar, Yunus Rajabiy etc.)

This is another favorite restaurant of mine. The atmosphere is very cozy and service is very friendly and quick. If you have limited time, this is a good restaurant to go to. You can get in and out in 40 minutes or so, unless it’s a very busy time.

The decoration of the restaurant is reflecting the 60s. Visitors from the former Soviet Union will feel a little bit of nostalgia when coming to this place, as it serves a lot of dishes from their youth.

Ogni Tashkenta offers a wide selection of breakfast items (American, continental breakfast, pancakes etc.), soups, salads and main courses (chicken, beef, pasta), as well as quite a few desserts, including ice cream. Mostly comfort food, nothing too sophisticated, but delicious nonetheless. Chicken Kiev is my frequent choice and it never disappoints. I also enjoy their Greek salad and vinegret salad, which includes various vegetables like beets, peas, carrots and potatoes. If you’re interested in having a bowl of soup, this is a great place to go. They have a wide variety of soups, including lentil, pumpkin, soup with dumplings and others.

Prices are quite low by foreign standards. You can expect to eat there for about $10 and have a great time. Please note that they do not serve alcoholic drinks, but you will find plenty of juices, sodas, teas and coffees to choose from.

Socials

Address: Taras Shevchenko street 36A, open 24 hours (part of Gastronomic street)

This is a wonderful restaurant located on the Taras Shevchenko street. The interior is delightful and one big advantage is that it has large and spacious tables. There is an outdoor seating in warm months. In winter, they put up beautiful Christmas decorations outside and inside the restaurant. The atmosphere is very festive.

This restaurant will be perfect for coming with your family on a lazy afternoon, bringing your partner for a business lunch or celebrating a birthday or another important occasion. Service is impeccable and waiters speak both Russian and English.

The menu is very large and has a lot of delicious items. You will find a great selection of breakfast items, appetizers, sandwiches, burgers, salads and soups, pasta dishes, fish, chicken and meats. There are European and American dishes, as well as some Uzbek and Turkish choices. Deserts are delicious. Keep in mind that they are a bit large and very sweet. We ordered the chocolate cake and the raspberry cheesecake – both came with ice cream on top and were excellent. There are various options for alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks.

Socials is a popular restaurant, so they might be quite busy on Friday or Saturday nights. Factor that in if you want to get a good table.

Prices are a bit higher than Ogni Tashkenta and in line with the Plov Lounge (you’d expect to pay $30-40 for a meal which includes salad, main course, dessert and a drink).

If you are looking to take pictures during winter holidays, Socials is a great place to go. They have beautiful Christmas decorations both inside and outside of the restaurant.

Florya

Address: two locations (Bukhara street 24 and Okkurgon street 31)

If you go to the Bukhara street location, you will find the Florya restaurant right next to Ogni Tashkenta. It has a wide variety of dishes (soups, salads, main courses, desserts, breakfast items). My favorite part of the menu is the kebabs. Florya offers many different types of kebabs (chicken, beef, grilled sausages, cutlets) which come with rice, onions, cabbage and corn on the cob, served on a large platter. You get a lot of meat with these dishes (3 skewers), so you will definitely have plenty to eat if you are hungry. You can also share this dish as it might be too much for some people. Prices for kebabs are about $20 and I think these are very tasty dishes, cooked to perfection. Service is very good in the restaurant and you will not leave disappointed.

Big advantage of both Ogni Tashkent and Florya is that they are located close to the opera and ballet theater. If you go to see a show there, you can stop at one of these restaurants.

Bon!

Address: multiple locations (Fidokor 40, Taras Shevchenko 30…)

This French bistro chain has quickly gained popularity in Tashkent. They have cafes throughout the city and are renowned for their fast and high quality service. At peak times, these restaurants are pretty packed, so plan accordingly if you want to get a good table.

People come here for breakfast, lunch and dinner, to celebrate special occasions or just to grab a quick snack or a piece of cake. The menu is quite extensive and you can find such things as soups, salads, pancakes, sandwiches, breakfast items like omelets, desserts and much more.

Bon’s cakes are particularly delicious. We regularly order them for various special occasions like birthday parties and other events. Our family is very much into chocolate, and our favorites are Korolevskiy (King’s) cake, Saher and Black Forest Cake. Red Velvet Cake they serve is also delicious. We also often order things like chocolate or cherry muffins for events at school. Bon’s muffins are quite large and incredibly tasty.

If you want to order a cake and/or some sweets, just call Bon 2 days ahead of time. They will have everything ready for you on the day/time you request.

Chaykoff

Address: multiple locations (Said Baraka street 16B and others)

This is a highly popular cafe in the central area of Tashkent. Interestingly, they are located right next door to Dodo pizza which was described previously. They have both an outdoor and indoor seating during the warm part of the year. When it gets cold, only indoor is available, so they often run out of seats during peak times. There are other locations in the city as well (Kari Niyazov 61 and Hamis Alimjan Square 5).

A lot of people come to Chaykoff for breakfast. Some of the items you can order here include pancakes of different kinds, eggs, sausages etc. A nice breakfast will cost you about $10.

For lunch and dinner, you have a wide selection of salads, soups (lentil, chicken, vegetable etc.), pastas, various meat dishes like beef stroganoff, beef cutlets, and chicken Kiev. There are also plenty of tasty desserts. Lunch here can cost you $20 or less. My favorite lunch dish is their light chicken soup.

Some of the advantages of this place are central location, good service, and reasonable prices. The chef also never stops innovating and new items are often added. One downside is that sometimes wait times are a bit long, especially if you come during the peak time.

Tim’s

Address: multiple locations (Taras Shevchenko street 40 – part of Gatronomic street- and others)

This is a lovely coffee shop which has a very nice and relaxing atmosphere. It’s smaller than Bon! and much less noisy and crowded. Customers are treated with a lot of respect and the service is quite quick. There are several locations in the city, but we mostly go to the one on Taras Shevchenko street.

The menu is not very extensive, but you will find all the main items you’re looking for. They have a good selection of breakfast items, teas, coffees, fresh juices, salads and sandwiches. I especially enjoy their Armenian omelette which comes with bread slices and a salad. Tim’s also serves great paninis (with tuna, ham and chicken) and has a large variety of freshly baked cookies which go very well with coffee or tea.

You can pay with a credit card and they also accept payments via Click, Payme and Uzum.

Sirali Kebap

Address: Furkat street 2A, “Boulevard residential complex, Tashkent City

This is one of the best Tuskish restaurants in Tashkent. It’s located in a very central location in Tashkent City. It’s a pedestrian area, so you can walk around freely, without having to look out for cars. The location is very convenient for some shopping and sightseeing (if you are new to Tashkent) and then grabbing a nice, relaxed meal. Sirali has both indoor and outdoor seating. Sitting outside is very nice during the warmer part of the year.

Sirali’s menu is very diverse and offers many options from Mediterranean and Lebanese cuisine. There is a children’s menu.

I went to Sirali several times with a large group and nobody was disappointed by quality of food of service. I did notice some online reviews speaking about service. However, in my case, nothing like that was experienced.

Uzbegim Restaurant

Address: 14 Makhatmy Ghandi street

This is a well-know Uzbek restaurant with an excellent menu and service. It has a beautiful locally inspired decor and a long menu of various Uzbek dishes, including different types of plov, dumplings, kebabs, grilled meats, delicious soups (shurpa, lagman) etc. We were also quite impressed by the variety of mouth-watering desserts which were offered. In addition to the main dining area downstairs, the restaurant also has private rooms upstairs which are convenient for organizing a special event like a birthday party. Prices are on par with similar Uzbek restaurants in Tashkent.

Cake Lab

Address: multiple locations (my favorite- Riviera Mall– Nurafshon street 5)

Website: https://cakelab.uz/en

Cake Lab is another lovely coffee shop in Tashkent where one can try some delicious pastries and cakes. For me, it’s one of the best restaurants in Tashkent. Our family often goes to the Cake Lab at Riviera Mall where we do a lot of shopping and other activities (e.g., skating, movies, kids’ playground at Luna park).

When time comes to grab a bite at lunchtime, Cake Lab is right there, on the first floor. It’s not the only option at Riviera – they have a whole food court with various choices- but we prefer Cake Lab to them all.

Importantly, Cake Lab offers more than just cakes and pastries, including pasta dishes, salads, pancakes, sandwiches and more. So, if you are looking for a more substantial meal, they will be able to offer it as well.

Boboy Uzbek Eatery

Address: 2 locations (Taras Shevchenko 38a, Batir Zakirov 7)

If you are looking to try some delicious Uzbek dishes, Boboy Uzbek Eatery is another choice for you in Tashkent (as you see from this list, there are quite a few!) They offer all the main types of Uzbek dishes (plov, salads, kebabs, soups etc.) There is a wide selection of drinks.

Boboy has two main locations, one in Tashkent City Mall and the other one on Tashkent’s Gastronomic street. Both locations offer beautifully decorated restaurants. The one on Taras Shevchenko street has both an indoor and outdoor seating, which is quite convenient during the warmer part of the year. The one in Tashkent City Mall only has an indoor seating. It’s close to various attractions, so this is a good place to grab lunch or dinner after a busy day of sightseeing. I personally prefer the Tashkent City Mall location, but both are pretty popular. Prices are quite average for Uzbek cuisine, not too high and not too low. In this regard, my personal preference is Milliy Taomlar restaurant in Magic City which offers much lower prices for pretty much the same type of food.

The Final Word

Tashkent has plenty of cafes and restaurants for every taste. No matter which part of the city you find yourself in, there will be some great places to eat there.

Although I’m a big fan of food in Tashkent, you still need to be careful as there are some bad apples out there. Unless you know the place from friends or it’s part of a high-quality chain, my advice is to check reviews online. Most restaurants will have a lot of reviews and you’ll be able to figure out quickly if it’s a worthwhile place or not.

For example, when we first arrived in Tashkent from the US, we spotted Wendy’s restaurant on Taras Shevchenko street and assumed this was a good place to eat. It’s a well-known chain in the US, so what could go wrong? Well, it was a wrong assumption. We ended up with food poisoning.

Please note there is no McDonald’s chain in Tashkent as of now. There were some talks about it before, but so far, nothing happened. Multiple factors are in play here. First, high and specific standards for ingredients which the chain uses. They are not sure they can meet them in Uzbekistan. Second, perceived competition from Uzbek food and other fast food available in the market.

Importantly, Tashkent already has several locations of KFC. Burger King has recently opened their first two locations at Tashkent City Mall and Beruni street.

All in all, the food scene in Tashkent is becoming more and more dynamic. New restaurants are opening and adding more value for customers. Hope you get a chance to experience the best restaurants in Tashkent!