Tucked away in the corner of Alay Bazaar is one of the best spots for Uzbek style samosas, also known as somsa, in the city. Cooked at a scorching temperature in a large oven known in Uzbek as a tandir, these tasty pastries come out piping hot and are best sampled in the morning when freshly cooked.
Arrive there early to choose from beef, lamb, potato, or pumpkin-filled somsa. The meaty versions can be ordered plain or spicy and if you get really lucky with the timing you'll even be offered the elusive chicken somsa. I'm yet to experience this good fortune myself, however.
Uzbek-style samosas are eaten with a mildly spicy thin tomato sauce, which you help yourself to from a separate table. The tomato sauce here is also surprisingly sweet. You can also buy other popular Uzbek meals here, such as the national rice dish plov, meat and vegetable soup mastava, meat skewers shashlik, and noodle dish lagman.
I go there strictly for the somsa and perhaps one day I'll work out how to eat them without a stream of oily meat and vegetable juice streaming down my hands, face and clothes. Until that day however, I'll continue to wear my least favourite black t-shirt as I squirt molten liquid around this bazaar.
7 Yahyo Gulyamov Street
Single somsa:
UZS
6000
Find your way with 90 Insider Tips from our Local Spotters
Loved this Spot?Join your international community. Share your favs and become part of our international community!
"Jumanji" in Tashkent is a multicultural restaurant with food from all over the world. Come here and escape the hectic city vibe...
by
"Testo" in Tbilisi is for you if you love pasta, flaky pastry or fried battered things! I can vouch for the spinach/ricotta ravioli & the strudel...
by
"Ural Tansykbaev Memorial Museum" in Tashkent is the house the famous Uzbek painter lived in for his final years. Everything's exactly like in the '70s...
by
"KeyTown" in Tashkent is one of my favorite Korean restaurants in Tashkent. You definitely have to try their special 'Koryo-saram' dishes...
by
Telman Park, or Tashkent's "Central Park", is easily the city's largest & greenest. It's seen brighter days, but its warmth & atmosphere remain...
by
The mausoleum-mosque of Suzuk Ota in Tashkent, built by order of Amir Timur, is a really peaceful place I love visiting with my family...
by
"Mahatmagandi street" is a street where you can observe beautiful early Soviet period buildings with a Turkestan style interior. Also check Asaka street!
by
The "International Forums Palace" in Tashkent is the city's crown jewel, a hall that mixes Uzbek traditions together with modern European architecture...
by
"The Cosmonauts Station" is only one of the many stations that make Tashkent's subway system unique. This station is decorated to Soviet cosmonautics...
by
"Eski Shahar" is Tashkent's Old City. It's a big complex around the Hazrati Imam mosque that is like a piece of an oriental tale!
by
"Chorsu Bozor" in the Old City of Tashkent looks like a giant, beautiful watermelon from outside. It's really a different world in this market...
by
Every Uzbek is proud of Amir Temur because he was the liberator of Uzbek land from Genghis Khan's invasion. This Tashkent museum is dedicated to him.
by
90 Insider Tips from our local Spotters
Authentic Stories by Real People
Escape the Crowd & Travel Slow 🐌
✓ 0 Insider Tips from our local Spotters
✓ 90 Insider Tips