Tashkent is a city that smells of hot flatbreads from the tandoor, freshly brewed tea with basil, and that distinctive aroma of cumin rising from huge cauldrons of pilaf. Here, a meal is not just a meal, but a ritual of hospitality, where guests are welcomed like dear friends. In our roundup, we have gathered 10 landmarks of the capital where traditions are cherished as carefully as family heirlooms.
Caravan, caravan.uz
Address: 22 Mahmud Tarabi St.
One of the city’s oldest concept restaurants, combining an art café, a gallery, and a design studio. The interior is designed in the style of a traditional Uzbek home, and the kitchen specializes in classic home-style dishes. You can try authentic naryn with thinly sliced horse meat, fried chuchvara dumplings, and the unique “Caravan” lavash with a juicy meat filling. The meat section features lamb shashlik and kebabs cooked over charcoal, while for those who prefer lighter dishes, the restaurant serves traditional cold chalop soup and manty with fresh spinach.
Besh Qozon, beshqozon.uz
Address: 1 Iftikhor St.
The city’s premier dining destination, where pilaf is cooked in giant cauldrons. The menu features two main varieties: “Tashkent Chaykhana-style” with rich dark rice and “Festive” with light rice, raisins, and chickpeas. Guests can complement their meal with delicacies: kazi—horse meat sausage, quail eggs, and fresh achik-chuchuk salad, without which pilaf simply wouldn’t be pilaf.
Qanotchi, @qanotchi
Address: 25/3 1st Mukimi Ave.
A family-friendly restaurant with a grill menu that has grown from a local brand into one of the city’s best meat-focused eateries. The main highlights of the menu are tandyr gush, meat that is slowly cooked in a special oven until tender, and chicken wings in the restaurant’s signature marinade. They also serve juicy jigar liver shashlik, kebabs, and hearty meat platters designed for large groups, served with hot flatbreads.
Obi Hayot, @obi__hayot
Address: 4 Jarkurgan St.
A restaurant serving traditional Eastern cuisine, offering guests a menu with an emphasis on festive dishes. They serve classic “Kazan-kabob” with crispy potatoes, Uyghur lagman with hand-pulled noodles and plenty of vegetables, as well as their signature pilaf. The restaurant’s specialty is a variety of grilled meat dishes and authentic baked goods, including patyr flatbreads and samsa, which are prepared right in the restaurant.
Rayhon Milliy Taomlar, @rayhonuz
Address: 1 Shakhrisabz St.
A restaurant chain focused on quickly serving popular, high-quality Uzbek dishes. The menu features hearty mashkhurda and mastava soups, several varieties of lagman—from classic soup to fried tsomyan—and traditional plov. The restaurant is known for its pastries: meat samsa in various sizes and “Kapsa-samsa,” as well as affordable set meals that include all the key dishes of the national cuisine.
Sultan Saray, @sultan_saray.restaurant
Address: 33A Shakhrisabz St.
A restaurant specializing in traditional European and Uzbek cuisine with a premium twist. The menu features beshbarmak made with wide dough and select meats, as well as a wide selection of dishes cooked on a saj—a griddle where meat is simmered with vegetables and spices. For grill lovers, the restaurant offers the “Sultan” shish kebab platter and signature kebabs, while handmade oriental baklava is served for dessert.
Manas, @khanstvo_manas
Address: 43 Bogsaroy St.
An art restaurant offering a rare combination of Kyrgyz and Uzbek national cuisines in Tashkent. Be sure to try the traditional kuurduk—roasted meat with onions, “Manty in a cauldron,” and rich soups made from horse and lamb meat. The yurt-style interior complements the dining experience, which includes tasting traditional drinks like chalop or kumis, and a signature take on classic Uzbek pilaf.
Minor Somsa, @minor_somsa
Address: 45-1 Istikbol St.
For years, the restaurant has maintained its focus on a single signature dish—the famous tandoor-baked samsa. The dish is as simple as it gets: a generous portion of minced meat with onions and mutton fat wrapped in crispy dough. In addition to somsa, guests are offered fresh tea with lemon and navat, as well as basic vegetable salads. The place is recognized by many local guides as the benchmark for a traditional Tashkent “spot” serving national dishes.
Efendi, @efendi_uz
Address: 79A Sadyk Azimov Street
A restaurant embodying Eastern hospitality, combining Turkish and Central Asian culinary favorites. The menu features a variety of meat delicacies: juicy “Iskender kebabs,” pide with various fillings, and traditional Uzbek pilaf. The menu is complemented by classic soups—lentil merjime and shurpa—and to finish the meal, they offer the signature dessert künefe or an assortment of Eastern sweets.
Anjir, @anjir_milliy_taomlari
Address: 12 Shota Rustaveli St.
A restaurant serving home-style Uzbek cuisine, renowned for its hospitality and adherence to family recipes. The main focus is on meat delicacies: tender “Tandyr-gush” — meat baked in a tandoor, juicy shashliks, and the chef’s signature “Plov,” prepared with special attention to detail. Guests can try traditional naryn with homemade noodles and horse meat, hearty shurpa, and several types of manti. The restaurant’s signature dishes include freshly baked flatbreads and desserts made with figs—after which the restaurant is named—as well as a wide selection of oriental teas.