Plov is the national dish of Uzbekistan. It is the fastest selling dish at most restaurants and gets sold out within minutes as soon as the clock strikes 1 PM! There were so many times when we expectantly walked into a restaurant only to be disappointed that they were out of Plov.
This heavenly dish, also called ‘Osh’ and ‘Pilaf’, is a lovely amalgamation of flavoured rice, vegetables, raisins and meat infused with oil and spices. It, undoubtedly, topped our list of must-eat dishes on our Uzbekistan itinerary.
We were fascinated with Plov as it sounded similar to ‘Pulao’, a popular Indian flavoured rice dish. This is no surprise given large parts of India was ruled by the Mughals (descendants of Taimur) for almost two centuries. Babur, the first ruler of the Mughal dynasty in India, was born in Andijan, a town in the Fergana Valley in Uzbekistan.
Part of the UNESCO’s list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, this dish is available in most restaurants throughout Uzbekistan. We were fortunate to have tried so many different varieties of Plov and found that there are several regional variations to this national dish. In the 15 days that we spent in Uzbekistan, we had Plov at several places! And no, we did not get sick of it.
The Uzbeks love their beautifully crafted breads. Expect to be served bread and green tea with every Plov meal (and all other meals) while in Uzbekistan.
We had only heard of the Central Asian Plov Centre in Tashkent. But, we were lucky to have discovered some hidden gems in the world of Plov. If you’re looking to satiate your Plov pangs, here are our recommendations in sequential order:
7. Yulduz, Samarkand
This small, unassuming restaurant is located right next to the Ulugh Bek Observatory in Samarkand. We chanced upon this place for lunch on our first day in Samarkand, after we were done with the tour of the Observatory.
The place tends to get crowded around lunch time. Luckily, we went around 12:30 PM and managed to find a table.
The Plov comes with a portion of bread and green tea and was simply delicious for a chilly afternoon. Topped with a large piece of lamb meat and lots of veggies, it served as a perfect ‘welcome to Samarkand’ lunch for us.
Cost for a plate of Plov was 20k Uzbek soum (₹140/$2).
Location – https://goo.gl/maps/ALud1N4h5132jdtW6
6. Restaurant outside the train station, Andijan
While we absolutely cannot recall the name of this restaurant, the Plov that we had here was unforgettable. This restaurant is located outside the Andijan train station (Vokzal) which is opposite the famous Mahmud Babur statue and museum.
After 2 days of searching, this was the first Plov that we had in Uzbekistan and it did not disappoint. It was served to us piping hot along with bread and lemon green tea.
Cost for a plate of Plov including a salad and two green teas was 25k Uzbek soum (₹175/$2.5).
Location – https://goo.gl/maps/2a5EZX1YAFQZzFTa9
5. Cafe Shohrud, Bukhara
Located within walking distance of the main attractions of Bukhara and our hotel (Al-Bukhari), this little cafe has most of the national dishes on their menu. We chanced upon this place while were looking for a place for lunch on maps.me, having just arrived in Bukhara via train from Samarkand.
The Plov that we had here came with a generous amount of white and brown chickpeas, sliced carrots and pumpkin, and topped with a few slices of crispy lamb.
It was a satisfying brunch and, surprisingly, very reasonably priced considering the restaurant’s prime location.
The price for a plate of Plov including a salad and a pot of green tea was 25k Uzbek soum (₹175/$2.5).
Location – https://goo.gl/maps/4vq2eidyLFFcgjuV6
4. Tea House Bir Gumbaz, Khiva
This is one of the popular teahouses located within the old city walls of Khiva. It overlooks the blue, stumpy Kalta Minor and makes for a lovely spot to relax and sip a cup of tea at sunset.
We had decided to have dinner here on our last day in Khiva. Having reached just in time for the sunset and finding a table that allowed for an amazing view, we spent a lovely evening in Khiva.
We were happy to see Plov listed in the menu and that is what we ended up ordering. The Plov came topped with generous amounts of lamb, sliced carrots and raisins.
The price for a plate of Plov, a salad and a pot of green tea was 20k Uzbek soum (₹140/$2).
Location – https://goo.gl/maps/8u85yNFMUjUR4m9G8
3. Home-cooked Plov in Bukhara
While exploring the Abdulaziz Khan Madrassah in Bukhara, we were approached by a curious, friendly-looking souvenir stall owner asking if we were from ‘Hindustan’ (a Persian name for India, which translates to land of the Hindus). He told us that his wife and he run a small business of cooking and serving delicious Plov at their home to tourists. He asked if we’d like to come over for lunch.
Now, we had heard and read about friendly Uzbek locals inviting tourists to their homes for lunch and drinks, so we were not very taken aback. In fact, we’d been invited to homes in Andijan and Kokand by amiable locals. Since we had just had lunch that day, we said we’d take him up on that offer the next day.
At lunch time the next day, we could not find the man at his usual spot. After asking people who were in the area, one of the shopkeepers knew his whereabouts. We found our way to the man’s house after walking through the narrow lanes of Bukhara.
We had a lovely home-cooked lunch that consisted of a huge mound of Plov, tomato-cucumber salad and a pot of green tea. There was a backpacker from Russia for company. The hosts joined us towards the end of our meal and it was a pleasant afternoon of conversations and yummy Plov.
Cost of one plate of Plov including a salad and a pot of green tea was 30k Uzbek soum (₹210/$3).
2. Central Asian Plov Centre, Tashkent
The famous Central Asian Plov centre should be on everyone’s lists while visiting Tashkent. It’s best to get here latest by noon as it tends to get very crowded after that. If you’d be interested to see the art of preparing the Plov in massive cauldrons, you should be there at least by 11AM.
We went there around 12 PM and were welcomed by the sight of cooks preparing the Plov in an open area. This is also where we had to place our orders for the Plov and salad (there are separate counters for the two). There is the option of adding horsemeat and/or quail eggs to your Plov for an additional cost.
Once we collected our order, we were ushered into a massive dining hall with seating space of around 2k. The bread and tea counters can be found inside the hall. During peak lunch hours, it is not very easy to find an empty table. We found one after having to wait a while. The wait was totally worth it as we savoured the Plov.
One serving of Plov was plenty for the two of us. We were struggling to finish as the quantity was enormous. Our plate consisted of a generous quantity of rice, some minced meat, sliced carrots and pumpkin, chickpeas, raisins, a chicken egg, a quail egg and horse meat.
Cost for a plate of Plov (including a quail egg and horse meat), salad and two green lemon teas was 27k Uzbek soum (₹190/$2.6).
Location – https://goo.gl/maps/RzAEoqmZTmYWmPJZ9
1. Do’mbrobod Osh, Tashkent
This is a gem of a place that we discovered when we were absolutely famished. We were looking for a lunch place close to our hotel after we had arrived in Tashkent from Nukus. We found ‘Do’mbrobod Osh’ on Google maps and it happened to be 10 mins away by cab. People were raving about the place and the food on google reviews so we decided to go there.
The seating area at the restaurant is a huge open space and it was nearly full when we reached. After we found a table, one of us had to go over to the counters to order. It turned out that the place only served Plov, salad, breads and teas.
The Plov that we had here was the best that we had had in all of Uzbekistan. It was so flavourful that the taste of the first bite tends to linger in your mouth for a long time! Like all other Plovs, the plate is heaped with rice, tons of meat, sliced carrots & pumpkins, raisins, chickpeas and you have the option (at an additional cost) of adding a chicken egg, a quail egg and horse meat. One of the other things that one must try here is the lemon tea! It was very refreshing and helped wash down the yummy Plov.
Cost for a plate of Plov (including a quail egg and horsemeat), salad and two lemon teas was 28.5k Uzbek soum (₹190/$2.8).
Location – https://goo.gl/maps/yiLpMKSvj75qdWfv5
This was the list of our favourite Plov places in Uzbekistan. Did you love Plov as much as we did? Tell us where you got to try out some of the yummy Plovs!
OTHER UZBEKISTAN RESOURCES
Enjoyed our blog on the best plovs in Uzbekistan? Here are our other Uzbekistan-related blogs –
The Complete Uzbekistan Travel Guide 2020
7 Best Things to do in Tashkent
The 10 best Tashkent Metro Stations
10 Awesome Things to do in Samarkand
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