Tashkent operates a three-tier hotel system distinguishing international chains, Soviet-era establishments under renovation, and family-run guesthouses. The Hyatt Regency Tashkent opened in 1991 at 107A Navoi Street near Amir Timur Square, offering 300 rooms with rates starting at approximately 180 USD per night during 2024. The Hilton Tashkent City occupies a 22-story tower at 1 Mukamiy Street in the Yunusabad district, completed in 2017 with 261 rooms priced from 150 USD. The Wyndham Tashkent operates at 1 Buyuk Turon Street at the intersection with Lutfiy Street, featuring 194 rooms with a 2019 build date and rates beginning around 120 USD. These properties maintain Western reservation systems, 24-hour front desks staffed with English speakers, and breakfast buffets serving both European and Uzbek options.
The Hotel Uzbekistan stands at 45 Mustaqillik Square, a 15-story structure built in 1974 and partially renovated in 2018. The property contains 250 rooms with rates ranging from 60 to 100 USD depending on renovation status, as floors 3 through 7 retain original Soviet fixtures while floors 8 through 12 underwent modernization. The location provides direct pedestrian access to Amir Timur Square and Independence Square within 400 meters. The International Hotel at 107 Amir Timur Avenue dates to 1980 with a 2016 lobby renovation, offering 180 rooms at 50 to 90 USD. Breakfast quality varies significantly between renovated and unrenovated sections in these mid-tier establishments, with renovated rooms typically including air conditioning units installed after 2015 and en-suite bathrooms with functioning hot water between 0600 and 2300 hours.
Guesthouse accommodation clusters in three neighborhoods: the Old City near Chorsu Bazaar, the Mirzo Ulugbek district north of Tashkent State University, and residential areas along Babur Street. Topchan Hostel at 80 Zarkaynar Street operates year-round with dormitory beds at 8 USD and private rooms at 25 USD, providing communal kitchen access and rooftop space. Guests report owners Akmal and Dilnoza speak conversational English and maintain a breakfast service featuring non bread, fried eggs, and tea for 3 USD. Meros Guesthouse on Shahrisabz Street near the Chorsu Bazaar offers six rooms at 30 to 40 USD with shared bathrooms, managed by a family that prepares evening meals for 7 USD per person upon advance request. The Tashkent Downtown Hotel at 3 Navoi Street functions as a budget hotel-hostel hybrid with 24 rooms ranging from 20 USD for economy singles to 45 USD for standard doubles, all including breakfast and located 600 meters from the Kosmonavtlar metro station.
Plov preparation in Tashkent follows regional variations distinguishing Fergana-style with extra carrots, Samarkand-style with chickpeas, and Tashkent-style with cumin dominance. The Central Asian Plov Center operates at 76 Milliy Bog Street in Parkent district, a dedicated facility opened in 2016 where cooks prepare plov in cast-iron kazans measuring 1.2 meters in diameter over wood fires starting at 0600 hours. The facility serves plov exclusively from 0800 to 1400 hours daily at 15,000 som per plate, approximately 1.30 USD as of 2024 exchange rates, with tea and salad included. Portions contain approximately 400 grams of rice, 150 grams of lamb or beef, one whole carrot, and half an onion per serving. The Center accommodates 400 diners simultaneously in an outdoor courtyard with communal tables. Besh Qozon at 2 Sayilgoh Street near the Tashkent Tower prepares plov in five separate kazans visible from the dining area, opening at 0700 with service until rice depletes, typically by 1300 on weekends. Prices range from 12,000 to 20,000 som depending on meat selection, with horse meat commanding premium rates.
Traditional teahouse dining occurs at chaikhanas serving lagman, manti, and shashlik alongside extensive tea selections. Karavan on Sharaf Rashidov Avenue near the State Museum of Applied Arts operates in a converted 1960s building with courtyard seating under mulberry trees, serving lagman at 25,000 som per bowl and hand-pulled noodles prepared by cooks trained in the visible open kitchen. The establishment opens at 1000 and accepts diners until 2300, though Friday and Saturday evenings require advance booking by phone. Sim Sim on Oybek Street functions as a 24-hour chaikhana with a menu spanning 87 dishes, from shurpa served in ceramic tureens at 18,000 som to dimlama cooked in individual clay pots at 35,000 som per portion. The venue attracts late-night crowds between 2200 and 0200, particularly university students from nearby Tashkent State University campus 900 meters north.
Chorsu Bazaar at the Chorsu metro station houses the Eski Shahar restaurant inside the main dome structure, operating since 2008 with seating for 150 diners on the second level above produce vendors. The kitchen prepares norin at 22,000 som, a cold noodle dish with horse meat served traditionally in summer months, and chuchvara dumplings at 20,000 som for 20 pieces served in broth. The restaurant opens at 0900 and closes when the bazaar shuts at 1800, with no service on Monday mornings when vendor restocking occurs. Nearby at 1 Beruniy Street, the National Food restaurant occupies a 1930s building with tilework restoration completed in 2017, specializing in samsa baked in tandoor ovens visible through glass partitions. Samsa varieties include pumpkin at 4,000 som per piece, lamb and onion at 5,000 som, and spring onion versions at 3,500 som, with baking occurring every 30 minutes between 0800 and 2000.
Fine dining establishments in Tashkent blend European techniques with Uzbek ingredients. Afsona at 219 Buyuk Ipak Yuli Street opened in 2003 under chef Mirsobir Mirzaev, serving modernized Uzbek cuisine with tasting menus at 250,000 som per person. Signature dishes include quail stuffed with dried apricots and walnuts, and lamb ribs glazed with pomegranate molasses served with saffron rice. The restaurant operates Tuesday through Sunday from 1200 to 2300 with reservations recommended via phone or the property's website booking system. Plov.co at 4 Shota Rustaveli Street represents a 2019 concept focusing exclusively on regional plov variations, offering nine styles from across Uzbekistan at prices between 40,000 and 60,000 som. The kitchen provides ingredient cards explaining rice origins, meat cuts, and spice ratios specific to each regional preparation. Bella Italia on Abdulla Qodiriy Street near the Alisher Navoi Opera Theatre serves Italian cuisine with pasta imported from Italy and prices averaging 80,000 som for mains, appealing primarily to expatriate communities and business travelers.