This is one of my favorite Korean restaurants in Tashkent. While there are many worthy contenders, few have KeyTown’s pleasant interior design and choice of drinks. Located in the center of the city, it is very easy to find on the first floor of the hotel everyone calls “Tata”, regardless of the fact that for many years it has been actually called Le Grande Plaza.
KeyTown primarily serves authentic South and “Soviet” Korean dishes, including a variety of stews, meat and vegetables served with a dozen of side dishes. I always get kimchi-filled kimbap and pigodi, small steamed dumplings. Another delightful appetizer is called chirim kubi, essentially a little round starch cake. It is always a good idea to order one of the larger barbeque dishes and a stew to share so that you really get a going-out Korean food experience.
Some of the dishes you can try at KeyTown come from “Koryo-saram”, or ethnic Koreans from former Soviet states. The cuisine is somewhat different from other Korean food you might have tried, so I fully recommend you order a Koryo-saram dish. Specifically, try the kuksu cold soup. KeyTown serves an excellent rendition of this very popular summertime dish, enjoyed by all regardless of ethnicity.
