Tashkent is a city that takes food seriously. The best places are often the ones frequented by locals rather than tourists. From legendary samsa stalls by the metro to a Georgian restaurant that has been serving guests for decades, here are ten spots that Tashkent residents keep coming back to.
«Minor Samsa № 1», @minor_somsa
A local institution where Tashkent residents have been buying samsa for years. The pastry is thin and flaky, the filling is juicy, and every samsa is served hot straight from the tandoor oven.
Beshqozon, @beshqozon
One of Uzbekistan’s most famous plov restaurant chains, operating since 1999. The company has four locations across Tashkent and serves more than four million guests annually. Plov is cooked in enormous cast iron cauldrons, and visitors can watch the entire process in the dining hall. The menu includes five varieties of plov, including wedding plov, chaikhana-style plov and versions prepared with flaxseed oil. The busiest hours are mornings and lunchtime, when the freshly cooked batches are served.
Caravan, @caravan_rest
Located in a traditional courtyard house in central Tashkent, Caravan has been welcoming guests for more than two decades. The interior is designed to resemble a classic Uzbek home, featuring carved woodwork, handmade carpets, open-air terraces, and live music. The menu focuses on Uzbek cuisine, including dolma, wedding plov, pumpkin-filled manti, liver kebabs, and hand-pulled lagman noodles.
Chig'atoy Art, @chigatoyart
Specializes in charcoal-grilled meat. The menu includes shashlik, lyulya kebab, and ribs. It is often visited by large groups.
Mannam House, @mannam.uz
Korean cuisine is an established part of Tashkent's food scene due to the city's large Korean diaspora. Mannam House is one of the places people visit for kimchi jjigae, fish hwe, and spicy side dishes that are difficult to find elsewhere.
Lali, @lali.tashkent
Contemporary Uzbek cuisine. The menu includes Alat-style samsa with tomatoes and plov cooked in a kazan with careful presentation and attention to detail. Lali offers familiar Uzbek flavors in a modern format.
Gijduvon Premium, @restaurant.gijduvon
The first restaurant of Bukharan cuisine in Uzbekistan. Guests can try traditional Uzbek and Bukharan dishes, including shashlik, vaguri, samsa, jiz, lagman, and many others, prepared by a chef with professional experience in Moscow and Baku. The restaurant operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and is suitable for both family dinners and corporate events.
"Gruzinskiy dvorik", @gruzinskiy_dvorik_tashkent
One of the oldest Georgian restaurants in Tashkent. Guests are welcomed by the owner, Dato Todua. The interior features reproductions of paintings by Niko Pirosmanishvili and Lado Gudiashvili, while Georgian music plays in the dining room. The menu includes khinkali, khachapuri, gebzhalia, nadugi, mujuzhi, chashushuli, and satsivi, along with Georgian wines and chacha. Live music is performed daily, and Caucasian dance performances take place on weekends.
Sho'rva № 1, @shorva_n1
People come here for shurpa rather than the interior. The restaurant serves rich shurpa with clear broth, tender meat, and large pieces of vegetables. The focus on shurpa largely defines its clientele.
Grandma's pegodi, 4th microdistrict near Central Department Store — TSUM
There is no sign, no tables, and no official name. There is only a small cart, hot pegodi, and a line of parked cars. Tashkent residents share the location by word of mouth.