Updated: 9 August 2026
What to try
Plov
The national dish: rice, carrots, onions and lamb, with its own character in every city. Samarkand and Tashkent cook it differently — a reason to try both.
Bread (non)
From the tandyr, hot, at every table. Samarkand's is famously dense and beautiful; travellers carry it home as a souvenir.
Samsa
Flaky pastries from the tandyr with meat, pumpkin or potato.
Lagman
A rich noodle soup with meat and vegetables.
Shashlik
Grilled skewers with onions and bread, nothing extra.
Tea
The centre of the table: green in summer, black in winter. The bowl is offered and received with the right hand; the host pours the first bowls back into the pot — it is a ritual, not a mistake.
The chaikhana
Not a café but a way of life: people come to eat, talk and take their time. Lunch in a chaikhana belongs on every itinerary.
Alcohol
Freely sold: local wine and beer are in shops and restaurants.
Tipping
In many restaurants a service charge is already included in the bill. Where it isn't, a small tip for good service is appreciated — but never expected.
Meat-free is easy — and delicious
Many restaurants offer vegetarian dishes or will happily cook to request — you only need to ask. And the local table is generous in itself: samsa with pumpkin, potato, spinach and herbs; vegetable dishes and salads; tandyr bread; seasonal fruit, nuts and dried fruit. The bazaars are richer than any menu.
Where next
A table is an experience, not a stop
Explore our journeys
Every Ambassador journey is built around tables as much as around monuments — the chaikhana lunch, the kitchen you are invited into, the evening that belongs to you.
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Lyabi-Hauz, where the tables in the photograph stand, and the rest of the city.
OpenThe best stories of a journey are told at a table someone kept for you.