Street Food in Tashkent

When you visit Uzbekistan you absolutely forget about burgers, sandwiches and European dishes. The national cuisine is so rich that you will hardly manage to try them all. The most distinguishing feature of traditional dishes is the huge portion of food both in bistros and restaurants. For guests, it may be really challenging to finish the plate.

Street food can be found in all the cities of Uzbekistan. At this time, we are going to take a virtual tour about the most popular places in Tashkent. For those who are tasting Uzbek dishes, they may seem to fill especially on a hot summer day. Street food is safe, still, there is always a chance to have stomach issues because of the non-common food. Fatty dishes expire very fast so make sure whether the street food is fresh or not.

Uzbek dishes mostly contain meat; it could be an issue for hot summer days. Nevertheless, Uzbek dishes are well cooked so you can taste them with no worries. The only thing to be aware of is ready salads that may not be fresh.

The prices of street food both in Tashkent and other cities of Uzbekistan are surprising. For example, a traditional meal that consists of the first, second courses with salad, flatbread and tea will cost about $5. there is another interesting fact about street food and national dishes in Uzbekistan. The street food is much tastier than in high-class restaurants.

Street food in Chorsu Bazaar

Unlike street food in other countries, in Uzbekistan, it is commonly sold on the territory of city bazaars. One of the biggest and most popular bazaar in Tashkent is Chorsu Bazaar so let’s head there in search of tasty dishes.

This is one of the best places not only for shopping of local food and souvenirs but also to taste the most delicious manti and other traditional dishes. The so-called “food court” counters are located separately. You will see a huge Kazan (kettle) with plov that can serve fifty and more plates. There is a counter with manti (traditional Uzbek dumplings), BBQ, kebab, fish dishes and much more.

Plov Center

Plov is a traditional dish in most Asian and Caucasian countries. Each of them has its recipe and secrets of cooking. In Uzbekistan, it is the main dish that even has its proverb that sounds like “if you have to die, let it be from plov”.

There are hundreds of varieties of traditional plov but the technology of cooking is the same. In Uzbekistan, the rice and the garnish of meat and veggies are prepared separately then mixed in a big Kazan and cooked until ready.

The most spectacular and impressive street food in Tashkent that should be included in “Must-try and Must-see” list is Plov Center. It is a true attraction visited by thousands of tourists. It is located near Tashkent TV tower.

The best time to visit Plov Center is the noon or even earlier at 11 am. Plov is made in five huge kazans (each of them may contain 50 kg of rice). By 3 pm all the kettles are empty.

The interior of the “cafe” is very simple while the service is super fast. There may be up to 500 guests and everyone is served in time.

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