The Best Restaurants to Try Traditional Uzbek Food in Moscow

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One of the oldest authentic Uzbek restaurants, Shabada is where you can try authentic Tashkent plov, samsa and warm flatbread. The restaurant’s summer terrace is perfect for a friends’ night out. If you’re lucky you can spot the Shabada’s celebrity owner – Tbilisi-born singer Soso Pavliashvili.

Located in a spectacular 18th Century mansion, attributed to famous Russian architect Matvey Kazakov, this restaurant is not the place for a quick bite. The place lives by the Uzbek saying “plov waits for no one” and serves the traditional dish only after 6pm – beautifully set out on a traditional blue and white “Lyagan”.

Translating as ‘east quarter’, this place is quintessentially Uzbek: from interior designers to chefs to food ingredients – everything comes from Uzbekistan. Located in Arbat street, this place has been drawing crowds since 1999 with delicious food, affordable prices and unique atmosphere.

Opulently decorated Golden Bukhara is an oriental fairy tale come true. With its magical ambience and traditionally cooked food, the restaurant has built an impressive following. Be sure to try their plov, samsa and Uzbek lyulya kebab.

Alayskiy Bazar is one of the few authentic Uzbek restaurants with rare and complex dishes on the menu. Here you can have a once in a lifetime gastronomic experience ordering lamb fries or naryn – finely chopped meat with onion and homemade noodles.

Another atmospheric Uzbek restaurant with a decent price range, Pavlin-Mavlin is where people come searching for a perfect lagman – Uzbek beef noodle soup. If you’re on a quest for pelmeni, you should definitely get local chuchvara – tiny Uzbek pelmeni filled with lamb and served in broth.

A palace of a restaurant that’s been around since the Soviet era, Uzbekistan is the king of all Uzbek food places in Moscow. The food here is fantastic, service is impeccable and all cooks are from Uzbekistan. If you need more reasons to visit, there are belly dance shows every evening night.

Tasty shashlik, eggplant roll-ups, and shurpa soup are the reasons this place gets so crowded at lunch hour. Perfect for budget travelers, Aiva is also loved for its authentic atmosphere, quick service, and friendly staff.

Don’t let looks fool you: this nondescript restaurant draws crowds of homesick Uzbeks, craving authentic plov, which is served here in enormous portions. Great for a quick lunch, Navruz is a perfect balance of high-quality Uzbek food and affordable prices.

A cosy family restaurant, Piala is worth the ride from the city center. With its pleasantly laid back atmosphere, supreme food and high-quality shisha service, Piala is full even on week nights.