Tashkent’s Best Restaurants for Vegetarians: 8 Top Spots
Uzbek cuisine is not known for being vegetarian-friendly.
It is VERY heavy on the meat.
When we flew into Tashkent, the meal options on the plane were ‘chicken or beef’, and I was very concerned that this was going to be a sign of things to come in Uzbekistan!
BUT, Tashkent did not disappoint.
In fact, it has helped me discover new cuisines that I had never tasted before.
Traditional vegetarian Uzbek dishes are somewhat limited so I recommend you take full advantage of the vast array of restaurants of other cuisines, because vegetarianism definitely becomes more of a challenge once you venture away from Tashkent.
After spending two weeks in the Uzbek capital over the last two years, these are Tashkent’s best restaurants for vegetarians (some of which I would fly back to Tashkent just for a meal there!).
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1. Diyar Uyghur Food
Honestly, this place is a solid 10 so we went back twice! The staff are super friendly, the menu has several vegetarian options for us to choose from, there is streetside seating as well as an indoor section with aircon, and prices aren’t wild. A cuisine that we hadn’t tried before is now a firm favourite!
Think tofu with spicy yet numbing Szechuan peppercorns, fried green beans with peanuts, chilli and garlic, jammy aubergine braised in deep, earthy soy bean pastes.
Central Asia has Uyghur and Dungan influence from western China which is present in its food, like the classic lagman is Uyghur.
We would fly back to Tashkent just to go to this restaurant!
2. Zaytoon
We had no idea what Afghan food actually is, but we now know that it is delicious and it got us contemplating a trip to Afghanistan to try more dishes!
A beautiful mix of Central Asian, Middle Eastern, and South Asian flavours, Afghan cuisine really surprised us. There are several vegetarian options on the menu, but we went for ashak and borani. Ashak is a plate of small dumplings filled with chives and greens topped with a lentil stew and a thin yoghurt sauce. The star of the show however, was the borani! It’s stunning. Melt-in-the-mouth aubergine cooked in a lightly spiced sauce and drizzled with a thin yoghurt and spiced oil.
Grab some bread to mop up all the juices, order yourself a pot of tea, and then go for the sheeryakh for dessert. Sheeryakh is thick and creamy Afghan ice cream, the sort of thick that you kind of have to chew. Flavoured with cardamom, this was the perfect finish to the meal.
Again, we would fly back to Tashkent just to go to this restaurant!
3. Minor Somsa
Minor Somsa is a WHOLE experience! You don’t just go here for the food, though the potato or potato and cheese somsa are both delicious. You go here because it is a proper local joint cooking up thousands of somsa in traditional tandyrs each day.
Somsa is a pastry parcel typically stuffed with meat, but you will also find potato and pumpkin variations around the country. They are cooked in large tandyrs by slapping the pastry up against the inside of the oven so that it sticks. And the best part is that you can watch this all going on in the open kitchen!
If you go during lunch, be prepared to queue (though it does move quickly) and share tables with strangers. Uzbeks are SO friendly!
4. Lagman 24
📍Darvoza branch –5A Koratosh St.
Lagman is common throughout the stans and it is probably the tastiest of all the Central Asian dishes we tried because it has much more spicing, but it also is traditionally meaty. Lagman is made from chewy noodles, veg such as peppers and onions, and spiced and rich oily sauce. Lagman 24, however, serves a variation with tofu instead of meat!
We ordered from here twice, each time a takeaway delivery for us to eat at the topchan on the courtyard of our accommodation (The Art Hotel, which we thoroughly recommend!).
5. Forn Lebnen
A bit of a walk from the centre, you’re maybe better off jumping in a Yandex to get to Forn Lebnen. This Lebanese restaurant has plenty of vegetarian options from falafel wraps to tabbouleh to muhammara. The food is tasty, the guys who work there are really friendly, and the restaurant feels a little fancy but without the fancy being reflected in the price.
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After exploring Uzbekistan for three weeks, these are our favourite booking tools that we couldn’t travel without!
6. Eco Cafe
The only fully vegetarian restaurant that we have found in the whole country, Eco Cafe serves up vegetarian and vegan dishes that will leave you satisfied and feeling nourished after all the carbs you will likely have been eating elsewhere in Uzbekistan. Salad bowls, veg versions of meaty classics, soups, desserts; there is a huge selection and all of it is at least vegetarian so take your pick!
7. Sushi Bar Yaposha
Yes, sushi is mainly fish and meat, but Sushi Bar Yaposha also has vegetarian versions filled with cucumber, avo, chuka (crunchy seaweed salad with sesame oil and seeds). So if you’re looking for something fresh in Uzbekistan’s summer heat, this is the place!
8. Afsona Shevchenko
This is an Uzbek restaurant that we visited that doesn’t really have many veg options but what they do have is good! We tried the fried aubergine salad with sweet chill sauce (which is commonly known as Shirin salat in Kyrgyzstan), a grilled veg platter that had corn on the cob as well as various other veg, and fried potato balls. If you’re looking to try some local Uzbek food, you’ll find a few dishes here.
And a Couple of Bonus Spots
Beans and Brews
This cafe serves up good coffees and breakfast. It’s really modern inside and has an outdoor streetside seating area.
Chorsu Bazaar
Obviously not a restaurant, but you can eat here! Head to the bakery for some fresh non, grab a pumpkin or potato somsa, or hanum (a potato and pasta dish with tomato sauce).
What else is there to do in Tashkent?
As well as great restaurants, you could probably spend a day or two in Tashkent seeing all the sights. Even if you don’t eat at Chorsu Bazaar, you should definitely wander and explore the whole market; it has so much to offer.
We have also compiled a list of all the vegetarian Uzbek dishes we found during our six weeks in Uzbekistan so that you know which dishes to keep an eye out for – we know it’s tough out there!
Where to Stay in Tashkent
The Art Hotel (£)
We spent the majority of our time in Tashkent staying at the Art Hotel and I cannot recommend them enough. Affordable, spacious rooms, great location, breakfast included, an outside courtyard area with a topchan which is the perfect spot to eat your late night lagman takeaway.
Up the road from The Art Hotel is another hotel we stayed in called Nest Inn. It’s in the same price bracket and another great option if the Art Hotel isn’t available.
🛏️ Book The Art Hotel 🛏️
Plan more of your trip with these:
- Travel Tips for Uzbekistan: 13 Useful Things to Know
- Uzbekistan Railways: Your Guide to Uzbek Train Travel
- What to Wear in Uzbekistan: Responsible Travel Tips
- Uzbek Food: What to Eat as a Vegetarian Traveller
- 9 Spectacular Things to Do in Samarkand, Uzbekistan
- Things to Do in Khiva: The Traveller’s Guide
- How to Take the Khiva to Bukhara Train for Adventure Travellers
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